3 Months Progress of Stendker Discus!

[Bizarro252]

Bought from Hans at 3" 3 months and 2 days ago, measured the middle sized one this weekend and he was 4.5" - pretty happy with the results so far! :)

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[Phillydubs]

Very nice progress and pictures! Doing great~
You should get a second poster and make that a full background. It is a really cool picture and makes the fish and tank pop but you are missing 1/2!!! lol

[Bizarro252]

Good idea :) Thanks! And I swear the Scribbled (bottom right) is round, he seems to push forward folding his top fin back EVERY time I snap a pic lol

Hrm... they do make it customizable, says it will be pixelated if I go 48" wide tho :(

https://www.zazzle.com/starry_wrx_poster-228141987585880628

[Phillydubs]

Bummer, That could be annoying...

Maybe go with the real stary night pic and find a place that can get it to the dimensions... I had no idea that even had a car in it until I clocked the link! lol...

Is that your ride?

[Bizarro252]

I had a Subaru STi hatch just like it, was a beast, 400WHP, sold it because it was getting me in to much trouble (way to easy to go to fast) and costing me to much in repairs. I spun a bearing in it, did the rebuild myself but had that engine out 3 times in the 4 years I owned it lol.

[Phillydubs]

All the more reason to ditch the poster for the full original version!! LOL

[Discus-n00b]

Looks like some good growth! Congrats!

[Bizarro252]

Looks like some good growth! Congrats!

Thank you!! I can't believe it looking at these side by side.
How do you guys measure your discus? I gave up trying to get one up to the surface in my hand after he soaked me and stabbed me with his spines a few times lol. They are fine being on/near my hand but freak when they get to the surface (not really surprised there) so I just pushed one up near the front glass and measured through the glass :P

[Discus-n00b]

Might try taping a ruler to the glass and just letting them swim by it to measure. Could use one of those clear rulers if you want to keep it there.

[Bizarro252]

Not a bad idea! :)

[Ryan925]

Thank you!! I can't believe it looking at these side by side.
How do you guys measure your discus? I gave up trying to get one up to the surface in my hand after he soaked me and stabbed me with his spines a few times lol. They are fine being on/near my hand but freak when they get to the surface (not really surprised there) so I just pushed one up near the front glass and measured through the glass :P

Discus vets just net them out and lay them on a towel and measure. That still makes me nervous but I would like to know their sizes

[Jenene]

I love this comparison pic Matt. It really shows not only the growth but their color has just popped. You have done well by them and I know you will continue until they are four feet long. :p

After all those Nitrate battles not only have you won but you have conquered!

[Clawhammer]

Keep doing what you are doing! The group looks fantastic!

[sanjay21]

Matt ! you did great job ! So much difference in 3 months. I'm really excited with this thread, since I received Hans fish last week and I'm growing them at 2.5" I will start taking pictures of them and do a comparison thread after 3 months. Any tips for me on the water changes and type of food you use? I currently have 8 fish(2.5" and one 3") in 29 gallon.

[DiscusMark]

Thanks for sharing the pic. I'm in the exact same position: bought 7 at 3" from Hans in April, and now they are much larger and colorful. It's amazing to watch.

One question, since our setups are so similar: have you noticed any differences in terms of feeding routine, both between individual fishes and over time? I ask because mine have fluctuated a bit. For the first two months, all ate like pigs, with the exception of the Blue Diamond, which went on a hunger strike for a few weeks, but now is doing great (and has laid eggs). In the last week or so, I've noticed more aggression/territorial behavior, and the fish all tend to feed a bit more slowly. They eat all the food and look fine, but they eat more slowly, some eat much more than others, and haven't been as aggressively anticipating the food being dropped in like they did before. (None of the parameters on my end--food type, temp, parameters--have changed, though.)

[Filip]

Great comparison pics and decent growth Bizarro .
I grow Stendkers my self right now and the growth rate is almost the same in my discus too .
I bought them as 2inch babies in march and today , almost 5 months past they range from 4.5 to 5.5 inch.
I hand measure them every month and they grow aprox. 1 to 1.5 cm a month. I just net the discus , get it out as fast as i can and I lay it with the net on a flat surface and measure . The bigger they get the harder it gets for me to measure , but I'm very curious and it seems fun to follow my progress so I still hand measure them every month .
Just keep up the good work Buddy :)

[Filip]

Thanks for sharing the pic. I'm in the exact same position: bought 7 at 3" from Hans in April, and now they are much larger and colorful. It's amazing to watch.

One question, since our setups are so similar: have you noticed any differences in terms of feeding routine, both between individual fishes and over time? I ask because mine have fluctuated a bit. For the first two months, all ate like pigs, with the exception of the Blue Diamond, which went on a hunger strike for a few weeks, but now is doing great (and has laid eggs). In the last week or so, I've noticed more aggression/territorial behavior, and the fish all tend to feed a bit more slowly. They eat all the food and look fine, but they eat more slowly, some eat much more than others, and haven't been as aggressively anticipating the food being dropped in like they did before. (None of the parameters on my end--food type, temp, parameters--have changed, though.)

The same with mine Mark .
They were all veracious eaters at first , and they get more and more relaxed during feedings as they grow . Some eat more some eat less , some even skip some unfavorite meals here and there , just to catch up on the next meal .Some get full and round bellied after meal , while others appear flat stomach after eating .
And most of them change their appetite through months . Once picky eaters may become pigs , and vice versa. Half of them are constant pigs always eating to the fullest while half of them are more or less hesitant to the food choice and consed food volume .
But the important thing is that , most of them still grow constantly regardless of their appetite.

[Bizarro252]

Matt ! you did great job ! So much difference in 3 months. I'm really excited with this thread, since I received Hans fish last week and I'm growing them at 2.5" I will start taking pictures of them and do a comparison thread after 3 months. Any tips for me on the water changes and type of food you use? I currently have 8 fish(2.5" and one 3") in 29 gallon.

Hi Sanjay!
I will just summarize my care schedule :)

I have 6 in a 55 gal, I assume you are moving yours to a larger tank once they get larger - I plan to keep mine in the 55 as adults, but from what I have seen there is nothing wrong with a smaller tank while they are growing, makes for less water used on changes too :)

Water Changes:
1x per day, 30 gallons, aged overnight. PH is ~8 and Nitrates at my tap are 10-15 so I run the water through a Nitrate adsorbing resin while in the aging barrel which strips the Nitrate.

Feeding:
2x per day my homemade food which is a mix of shrimp, salmon, halibut, peas, spinich, bananna (all baby foods), flake, Seachem GarlicGaurd, a small amount of a multivitamin and vitamin c, black worms from Al and oat flour to bind. I freeze this in blocks about 1" x 4" and slide them about 1/8" thick once frozen so they melt fast when added. It sounds more complicated than it is, cost is about 15 bucks and lasts a while! I recommend keeping it in blocks wrapped up and only slice up a block at a time as you need it to protect from freezerburn :)

1x per day flakes from the autofeeder when I am at work

1x per day some frozen bloodworms because they go insane for them, I feed these an hour before lights out because they eat every last bit so there is no cleanup after!


Thats about it, I spend about 45-60min a day dinking around with them but seeing them grow is worth it :)

[Bizarro252]

Thanks for sharing the pic. I'm in the exact same position: bought 7 at 3" from Hans in April, and now they are much larger and colorful. It's amazing to watch.

One question, since our setups are so similar: have you noticed any differences in terms of feeding routine, both between individual fishes and over time? I ask because mine have fluctuated a bit. For the first two months, all ate like pigs, with the exception of the Blue Diamond, which went on a hunger strike for a few weeks, but now is doing great (and has laid eggs). In the last week or so, I've noticed more aggression/territorial behavior, and the fish all tend to feed a bit more slowly. They eat all the food and look fine, but they eat more slowly, some eat much more than others, and haven't been as aggressively anticipating the food being dropped in like they did before. (None of the parameters on my end--food type, temp, parameters--have changed, though.)

Hi!
Yes, they vary a lot with time for me too. I recently went on vacation for 5 days and they had no food, I expected them to go crazy for food when I returned but they didnt, they ate only a little, much less than normal for like 3 days, and then back to normal, however after about a week back they started eating more! They all have their own attitudes when eating, the largest one who is the boss for now at least spends most of his time chasing anyone else away from his little area when eating, but they all get along otherwise.

[Bizarro252]

Great comparison pics and decent growth Bizarro .
I grow Stendkers my self right now and the growth rate is almost the same in my discus too .
I bought them as 2inch babies in march and today , almost 5 months past they range from 4.5 to 5.5 inch.
I hand measure them every month and they grow aprox. 1 to 1.5 cm a month. I just net the discus , get it out as fast as i can and I lay it with the net on a flat surface and measure . The bigger they get the harder it gets for me to measure , but I'm very curious and it seems fun to follow my progress so I still hand measure them every month .
Just keep up the good work Buddy :)

Thanks! I knew they had grown and colored up but I was kinda shocked at this comparison picture! They look SO TINY before!

[sanjay21]

Hi Sanjay!
I will just summarize my care schedule :)

I have 6 in a 55 gal, I assume you are moving yours to a larger tank once they get larger - I plan to keep mine in the 55 as adults, but from what I have seen there is nothing wrong with a smaller tank while they are growing, makes for less water used on changes too :)

Water Changes:
1x per day, 30 gallons, aged overnight. PH is ~8 and Nitrates at my tap are 10-15 so I run the water through a Nitrate adsorbing resin while in the aging barrel which strips the Nitrate.

Feeding:
2x per day my homemade food which is a mix of shrimp, salmon, halibut, peas, spinich, bananna (all baby foods), flake, Seachem GarlicGaurd, a small amount of a multivitamin and vitamin c, black worms from Al and oat flour to bind. I freeze this in blocks about 1" x 4" and slide them about 1/8" thick once frozen so they melt fast when added. It sounds more complicated than it is, cost is about 15 bucks and lasts a while! I recommend keeping it in blocks wrapped up and only slice up a block at a time as you need it to protect from freezerburn :)

1x per day flakes from the autofeeder when I am at work

1x per day some frozen bloodworms because they go insane for them, I feed these an hour before lights out because they eat every last bit so there is no cleanup after!


Thats about it, I spend about 45-60min a day dinking around with them but seeing them grow is worth it :)

Awesome ! thank you so much for the detailed explanation !
Currently I feed Beefheart in the morning (pure beefheart), followed by tetra bits and then Beefheart again and then flakes and then Bloodworms before turning the lights off I feed them Al's FDBWs ( total 5 - 6 feedings sometimes I miss one feeding)
I do regular 70-80% water changes since its in a small tank with lots of fish and heavy feeding.
Yes, I do have a 60 gallon tank ready will be moving them soon maybe after a month or less.
I like your homemade recipe ingredients ! will have to give that a try.

[Bizarro252]

Awesome ! thank you so much for the detailed explanation !
Currently I feed Beefheart in the morning (pure beefheart), followed by tetra bits and then Beefheart again and then flakes and then Bloodworms before turning the lights off I feed them Al's FDBWs ( total 5 - 6 feedings sometimes I miss one feeding)
I do regular 70-80% water changes since its in a small tank with lots of fish and heavy feeding.
Yes, I do have a 60 gallon tank ready will be moving them soon maybe after a month or less.
I like your homemade recipe ingredients ! will have to give that a try.

Nice! Keep an eye on the Nitrates and that should be a pretty good indicator of how good your WC schedule is, I treat 20ppm as max, shoot for 10ppm or less - I have not seen more than 15 or so thusfar. I could skip a day and be OK but no more than that with the amount of food going in there :)
I process the fish and shrimp in a food processor.