190g finally ready

[pablos]

I finally received all my Stendker and they are showing great colors already even if still small 8cm-11cm.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-hkkUkGoyk&feature=youtu.be

Brilliant turquoise
130665
German wonder
130666
Red scribble
130667
Tefe
130668
Blue snake skin
130669
Alenquer
130670
Red snake skin
130671
Solid turquoise
130672

[Iminit]

Wow and congrats!! They are great looking discus!! How big are they?

[pablos]

They are still young. I bought the first batch in November and they have grown from 2” to 4" already... some older photo
130673

As tank is quite big, recently I bought the second batch ... they are 3"

You can see a difference between sizes especially when they close each other

130674

[Iminit]

Great looking colors! Think if I do this again I’m going to try a white substrate.

[pablos]

Once I moved a pair (none of those which you see on pictures) from darken tank to painted on white breeding cube. The transition was amazing! PB changed from orangish-red to high contrasted white with deep orange. All single pepper went away as well. So yes, white substrate might be a factor.

Another huge! colors increased happen after dosing nitrates. Initially tank has NO3 reading on 0-5ppm level, and after dosing KNO3 I have it on 20 level and my target is 50. I know some might think I’m crazy but I’m dozing it for two reasons
- I’m fighting with Cyanobacteria on Anubias and some rocks. Hopefully after addressing deficiencies in nutritions, I would solve algea problem. See https://www.plantedtank.net/threads/help-with-brown-algea.1317779/#post-11402045

- based on Stendker’s guideline "We keep our animals at a nitrate value NO3 of approx. 200 mg/l. Our specialist dealers should therefore not make the water values too good and keep the NO3 value at approx.100 mg/l. If you keep our animals at 100 mg/l nitrate value it is already an improvement and if the customer then has 50 mg/l it is again an improvement and so it is ideal for the fish and the customer"


After a week, I see a small improvement in algae topic, as it doesn’t develop as fast as before.

In regards to discus ... I was shocked about transition. Within a few days they show much brighter, and high contrasted colors. That how they looked in low NO3.
130682

No tweaks with camera, or photoshop filters.

[Iminit]

Great read! Didn’t finish will do tomorrow. I wouldn’t recommend co2. I’d just use the ferts. Not like your growing any hard plants. Do it’s not needed. Have you thought of a SAE. They may eat your algae problem at me they fo well we it’s discus

[pablos]

Based on bubbles counting, kh/ph chart and pH swings, I’m dosing less than a half of recommended 30ppm CO2 level. For plants I have it should be more than enough. For sure I would re-evaluate dosing ferts and co2. For now I want to keep it stable for a while to have a good indicator and baseline.

I have 3 SAE in the tank, but they are not as effective as before. They are not young hungry algae eaters anymore. when they reached 4" they start to love hunting for small pieces of beef mix ... maybe I should change them for younger model

[pablos]

130692

[Shan_Evolved]

Damn looks gorgeous. Whats your lighting?

[Iminit]

Great looking tank and discus!

[pablos]

Damn looks gorgeous. Whats your lighting?

Thanks.
Light is 2x Dymax SpaceX https://www.aquariumspareparts.com.au/dymax-spacex-light-freshwater-dm699/
Great light and within very reasonable price.
Currently running on 45% power only as I want to reduce some algea.

[pablos]

Light might really show up some deep colors 130696

[AquaticNerd]

Lovely tank and lovely pics! You've definitely got some good photo skills there!

I'm currently running a Beamswork LED fixture myself, but even with the "white", I find that it is a little too blue for my tastes. Really makes my turquoise-based discus pop, but washes out my brown-based ones. Love the light recommendation, but since I'm not running plants I'm on the hunt for a good bright light that is mostly white. :)

[Iminit]

Jake there are lot of adjustable lights out there. They will give you the option to reduce the red/green/blue bulbs. The hygger 957 is fully programable with the controls on the fixture. Vivagrow and finnex both give remotes for adjusting. Current USA also has a remote. But they are a lot more money and give the same light.

[pablos]

None of my plants require super fancy light, but still I think good LEDs are really showing all colors of your fish. Spending few more $ on lights is good decision.

And that one photo is without light, just room’s light ... not so fancy colors anymore are presented on fish.130699

[pablos]

130731

[AquaticNerd]

Incredible setup and incredible stock you've got there!

Looks great!

[pablos]

Incredible setup and incredible stock you've got there!

Looks great!

Thanks a lot. It took quite some time to design and make it happened. Only true hobbyist would see that.
My mom "pfff! I saw the same in Red Sea"

[pablos]

130741130742

[Shan_Evolved]

Thanks a lot. It took quite some time to design and make it happened. Only true hobbyist would see that.
My mom "pfff! I saw the same in Red Sea"

Lol! nice pics. Gorgeous turq. And I love the checkerboards too

[Iminit]

OMG not again!! Every day! Give us a break!! Lol beautiful looking discus! great looking tank! crystal clear water! Great photography. Loving it!! Hey is that a red cover in there?

[pablos]

Hehe sorry Tom, I didn’t intend to depress you. For sure you have similar beautiful views with your fish.
Actually it’s not a red cover, this little buddy on right is Alenquer. His more brown, but in this particular moment he got reflections from bigger red friend behind him.

[pablos]

130752130753
Tom especially for you, next time I will post some not nice pictures.. forgive this time ;)

[Iminit]

What nicer than those!! I’m having a hard time looking at mine now :(. Great pics!!

[pablos]

What nicer than those!! I’m having a hard time looking at mine now :(. Great pics!!

I meant "not nice", some behind the scenes .. so you can see it's not perfect ;-) I need to make some shots like that.
In meantime ... I caught those little fellows. Can you imagine? They were just 2-2.5" in Sep/Nov and now eggs.130774

[Iminit]

Great pairing good luck with the eggs.

[pablos]

Eggs didn’t last even for an hour and all have been eaten. I’m just surprised as the pair might by just 9 months old.
Going back to imperfect things .. at the moment my the biggest challenge are Anubias and algea there
130775
Next is red tiger logos which shooting leaves to surface but underwater once are melting
130776

... and fish are not perfect .. can you see this peppering ;) hehe
130777

[Iminit]

Wow that was quick for eating them. Ok for anubias that happens. Those leaves don’t move so it’s a great place for algae to grow. It’s also the black spot algae so not much eats it. My cherry shrimp were but now the discus are eating them :(. What I do is use a mister clean magic erase bar and lightly go over them. The lotus does that. When the leaves reach the top everything goes into producing those leaves. Which will cover the top of the tank. What I do is cut the runners before they reach the top. Than the bottom leaves keep growing. Also they are a seasonal plant so they will have a dormant time. And last. YOU CALL THE PEPPERING!!!130778130779 now that’s some good high class peppering!! Lol

[pablos]

Just joking about that peppering. If you don’t like your blue one because of peppering, I don’t mind to foster it :)
No photo this time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7ykkI52z-Q&feature=youtu.be

[pablos]

Even small puppies are growing.
130795

Today I also have started my battle with algea by introducing hydrogen peroxide. Hopefully it would help there.

BTW.. great video about fighting with algea

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5hYitT4DhM

[Iminit]

Ok I’ve been this way. It’s bandaid not the answer. First you’ll always have algae. Even those with co2 tank have problems. So what I do is maintain it. SAE really are the best for bba. Thing is while Qting them you have to add something with bba on it and starve them till they start eating it. Once it becomes their diet they will always eat it. Next for the green spot algae you need red cherry shrimp (rcs). First try to introduce into your discus tank. Great result till discus figure out there tasty. So a rcs tank of there own works great. When you want the algae removed put it in with the shrimp130796 they will swarm on it. Rcs also eat regular algae as do plecos and nerite snails130797. 130798. Ottos also eat algae. This whole crew looks good in a discus tank and will keep back much of your algae problems.

[pablos]

I have some of them
- 3 SAE ... oh how they love beef heart mix, maybe just for a desert they taste a little bit of algae. Where young they were super effective. Maybe I should change it for a younger model
- ~20 Amano, once I even tried to breed them, but failed at some stage.
- 40 RCS I added to tank two months ago ... but who knows how many I have now. Haven’t seen them for a while. Occasionally catch some from a sump. I’m not sure how many are there now. So you’re saying it’s not really fair fight. Either they it algea first, or will be eaten by discus.

Oto? I hear they are not a good company for discus as they might attach to their slime

[Iminit]

I have ottos in both discus tanks. Yes I once saw one on a discus but it was treated more like a fly to us. Just shook it off. Never seen it happen again. Plecos that find discus slime will need to be removed. Cae should not even be a thought.
Algae is always a problem. I also use a uv steralizer and the doctor 3-1.

Yes beef heart will be eaten by SAE. They do seem to enjoy it. Like blood worms beef heart is only a treat and only in one of my tanks.

[Iminit]

When cherry shrimp are being eaten they will only be seen at night. And they will also change color. My fire reds changed to blue,black ,brown and green.

[pablos]

I will move another batch of RCS ... an additional help with algae control is always welcome. Especially that in my small betta tank they are breeding like rabbits and population went out of control.

I wonder how long will they last :)

[pablos]

Does my SAE look like hungry to you ? ;)
130808

I spent some time on educating myself about type of algae, nutrients (im)balance, etc. As a result of it, I’m changing my approach with fertilizers ... hopefully it will help with algea.

In meantime all stendkers discus are doing great
130809
130810
130811

... Asians’ home breed are enjoying daily water change as usual
130812

[Iminit]

Lol my guys are a little leaner130813 no beef heart! As always great pics.

[Shan_Evolved]

Damn nice pics all!

[pablos]

Damn nice pics all!

Waiting for yours mate.

[pablos]

Guess who’s hungry 130845

[JmBrown89]

They look just fine, and now I also want to buy these boys for myself. I think they will be a great company for those guys who already live with me.

[pablos]

They look just fine, and now I also want to buy these boys for myself. I think they will be a great company for those guys who already live with me.

There are some terrible stories about mixing fish from different sources. So please watch out.

[pablos]

130880
I’m going to add some plant to fulfil an empty space in the right corner of my tank. Initially I thought that Amazon Sword should do the job, but it doesn’t grow as high as I expected. My tank is 27” and apparently my Echinodorus Bleherae goes only to 1/3 of tank high.

Any recommendations?

[pablos]

130956

[Shan_Evolved]

What a great space.

+1 for doggo

[pablos]

What a great space.

+1 for doggo

Thanks ... that’s a relaxing view in our salon.

We adopted a dog last December. Lovely mixed of saluki and labrador and got temperament from both: one part is kind and peaceful another doesn’t allow to stop running after cat all the time.

[pablos]

In meantime I realised that my growing tank is boring and decided to add some greenery
Still work in progress
130962

[pablos]

I has just received a complementary 2 small discus, as a while ago a dealer by mistake switched 2 fish as sent different colour.
People are making mistakes, so it’s understandable. It’s very nice that they care about client and wanted to fix it, don’t you think so?

Looking on pictures I can’t believe how fast they grown up. The biggest one was the same sam as smallest puppy just in November 131047131049

[johnlfc]

You have some stunning fish!! Very nice job in bringing them in.

[Iminit]

Great looking discus! Yes they grow quickly!!

[pablos]

Thanks :) that’s really fascinating to see them happily growing. You motivated me to shoot some new photos ... or it would be a video this time

https://youtu.be/vghVUr5T2wQ

I would also need to take one small buddy, who’s hiding and not eating. Hopefully higher temp would make wonder.

[Iminit]

Looks great! That water is super clean!!
If you remove the s from the https the video show up on the page from utube.

[pablos]

Removing ‘s’ is against myself as I’m working in IT security. Anyway ... it should be better:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vghVUr5T2wQ

Apparently by sump and k1 are doing wonders with super clean water

[danotaylor]

Looks great mate. Discus are beautiful and growing big! The size and shape of the cobalt in the top right of video screen is amazing.. his posture says "I'm the king of this tank!"

I screen shot this bloke...

131172

[pablos]

Hehe that one is 6" already and still growing. It still has some stripes from childhood, which are slowly disappearing.
With that speed of growing I would need to buy a bigger tank anytime soon ;)

[pablos]

Someone told me that keeping fish is boring ...

Today I was looking on a new batch of wigglers. I believe it would be 7th batch of fry from this pair.
131206

I’ve given quite a few small discus among friends, sold hundreds and recently donate to volunteer’s project about fish tank in children’s hospital.
Anyway .. it’s not about fry nor a pair, but story is about a tank.

When i was looking at a new batch and start to think were I would place another ~100 fish in few weeks ... than I hear a water drip .. and another. Drip by drip. WT*? Tank in the corner was leaking, but today morning during a water change everything was perfectly fine. I took closer look and realized it’s not one but two spots where it’s leaking. I started to lower a water level and run for a plastic 20g container. When I was back after 5-10 minutes it was a waterfall not a drip. Water was leaking all over the place from left side of tank. Literally I though tank would fall apart anytime soon. Luckily I managed to empty the tank on time.

Finally pair is (temporarily) in a plastic container, tank is resealing ... let see how wigglers will take it.

Yeah .. just another boring day.
I

[famtsberg]

What a great space.

+1 for doggo

amen brother

[Shan_Evolved]

Gorgeous pair pablos. I love the pigeon

[pablos]

Gorgeous pair pablos. I love the pigeon

Honestly I have 100+ pigeons right now, so it becomes my less favorite color:) even if some of the older fry are very cute and nice
131209

I’m more into the blue now
131208

[danotaylor]

Stunning blue's!! Are they Stendker's? Snake skin and flachen or cobalt?

[pablos]

Stunning blue's!! Are they Stendker's? Snake skin and flachen or cobalt?
Yes, Stendker.
Solid X Snake and Solid Turquoise. I believe sometime they call turquoise as flachen.

[pablos]

In cooperation with local Stendker's distributor they posted a short article about my tank :-)
https://www.discus.ae/blogs/news/an-inspiring-stendker-corner

[Iminit]

Congrats!!! And as always great looking tank!!

[pablos]

I have noticed that one guy started to develop a longer dorsal fin. That looks really cool131301

[danotaylor]

He's a beautiful fish!

[pablos]

I haven’t posted updates for a while. All discus are growing great. I bought few more recently, even a new Stendker’s flavour- green one.131768
131769
131770

[seanyuki]

Love to see more photos of Stendkers Green Angel.

[SidJones]

You're definitely doing it right. The look great!

[pablos]

Green is the smallest in that pack. Doesn’t look close to green yet ;)

[pablos]

Green still have a lot of potential (it’s the smallest one).
Comparing to the oldest one it’s sooo small.
131820
131821

[famtsberg]

very nice, way to hustle. :bandana:

[pablos]

All guys are growing good. I recently changed the root tablets for my swords and I see massive improvement. Some new leaves are almost reaching a surface
131861
131862
131863

[pastry]

Good grief... great great shapes. Especially those solid turqs/cobalts, solid SS, and RT... totally drooling

[pablos]

I recently added a Pigeon Blood Silver, as IMO it would be nice to have some brighter colours. That buddy is so small comparing to the older fish. You can barely spot it there :-) 131929

[pablos]

It has been a while till the last update, but my colorful tank is going great. 132155132156132157

[pablos]

It has been a while till I share some update with you. In general all fish are growing well.
Recently I look at some photo, which is more than a year old

132833
… and today. A little bit of change, don’t you think so?
132834

[mleibowi]

Beautiful fish!

[pablos]

Beautiful fish!
Thanks. Some are big fat hulk, like that guy - 8 inches
132858

[mleibowi]

Dang-huge