getting discus to breed

[brady]

My water is 100 tds. I have had eggs hatch in this water but do I need ro water to GET them to breed?
The fish I have now are approx. 10-11 mts old and show no sign of a dominant male or female, no bulling, no nothing
just one big happy family.

Also, is the distilled bottled water available in grocery store the same as ro water?
Jay

[Second Hand Pat]

Hi Jay, distilled water has zero TDS. RO water generally has a TDS of about 10 give or take. I'm guessing your fish are still maturing (especially the males) so suggest giving them more time.
Pat

[LizStreithorst]

SS's, especially blue SS take a long time to mature. On the other end, assuming good care, they are very long lived.

[brady]

Thanks all for the info.
Liz, they are your fish, 4 blue ss and 2 bts that I got in Sept. I believe they 6-1/2 wks. at that point, that would put them about 11 mts.
old now.
they are 5-!/4 to 5 -7/8 and eating out off my hand. they are beautiful, healthy fish.
Thanks again
Jay

[Willie]

Pigeon based discus may be fertile in the 10 - 15 months range, but the blues (particularly the males) do not reach fertility until 18 - 21 months. In my experience, blue diamond (and strains that derive from crosses to BD's) males do not become fertile until 24 months. Keep up the water changes and they'll do the deed when they're ready.

100 TDS is certainly soft enough for eggs to fertilize, hatch, etc. Don't mess with water chemistry.

[CliffsDiscus]

Your water is good, just let them spawn. I don't think you need any RO right now.

[brady]

Thanks everyone for the info. Patience is virtue, I think.
Jay