New Baby Blue Diamonds

[Diamond Discus]

I'm growing out a group of 19~ 1 1/2 inch discus. I was challenged by a local club member and friend (our own cshwaderer here at Simply) to see who could grow out the biggest and the fastest. I love a challenge. He gave me this group out of a spawn he had and he is keeping 60 or so to grow out. We are keeping a journal of what we do for feeding and water changes. I've had them for 2 weeks and they have grown a ton. The dot in the picture is a perfect 1 inch circle for comparison. They are chowing down on beef heart in these pics this morning.
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Picture of Blue Diamond juveniles @ 1 inch
Born September 25 2007
taken January 7 2008
http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/9307/stanandlouplusnewbabyblxz9.th.jpg (http://img329.imageshack.us/my.php?image=stanandlouplusnewbabyblxz9.jpg)

http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/6154/stanandlouplusnewbabyblsm5.th.jpg (http://img329.imageshack.us/my.php?image=stanandlouplusnewbabyblsm5.jpg)
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http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/6576/pictureframe014mz3.th.jpg (http://img177.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pictureframe014mz3.jpg)

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/6954/pictureframe015bigguykr6.th.jpg (http://img177.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pictureframe015bigguykr6.jpg)


http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/6350/pictureframe016at4.th.jpg (http://img177.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pictureframe016at4.jpg)

[C_of_Discus]

Very nice!

They look great keep us informed of their progress.



Tim

[dpt8]

LUCKY !!!!! I can't wait to see the end results... Keep up the good work.. David T

[Diamond Discus]

Yes David, I do feel lucky to have a friend like Curt!!
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Thanks Tim...will do

[phidelt85]

Way to go, Sue! Keep the pics coming as they grow. :)

[Tropical Haven]

Nice going Sue, your doing a great job.

[Diamond Discus]

Way to go, Sue! Keep the pics coming as they grow. :)Thanks! I love taking pictures of them. On our home club forum we have a "Grow Out Challenge Photo Journal" thread going on them. We will post pics weekly. So I can easily post them here too. :p


Nice going Sue, your doing a great job.Thanks, their little bellies look stuffed! But they are always hungry anyway. Little eating and pooping machines they are! When they are bigger, I may have to move my african cichlids out of the 120 gallon tank and put all 19 in there. Wouldn't that be an awesome sight in my formal living room?!

[Wahter]

They certainly seem to be eating well. Please take some photos regularly and post them so we can see their progress. Thanks for sharing.


Walter

[Diamond Discus]

Pictures from this morning. The fish were at the very back of the tank, 18 inches away from the coins, but I think you can see that several are nearing quarter size. Wish I could lure them over the the front glass!!

http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/8500/bdjan222008013cm2.th.jpg (http://img329.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bdjan222008013cm2.jpg)

http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/7228/bdjan222008015dg0.th.jpg (http://img329.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bdjan222008015dg0.jpg)

[Diamond Discus]

I took some better pics just now as they were milling around the coins...no more pics until next Monday...I promise. :wink:
http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/7043/bdjan232008002us0.th.jpg (http://img246.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bdjan232008002us0.jpg)
http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/2046/bdjan232008003wl8.th.jpg (http://img246.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bdjan232008003wl8.jpg)
http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/3258/bdjan232008005cf9.th.jpg (http://img246.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bdjan232008005cf9.jpg)

[dpt8]

Sue, Even your albino bushy nose are miniature !! hehe.. Great job. Can't wait to see hopw they all grow out in a few months..

[AADiscus]

They are looking good. ;)

[Kindredspirit]

Sue! They are precious, woman! I do not miss them, but they are precious!!:D

[Diamond Discus]

Sue, Even your albino bushy nose are miniature !! hehe.. Great job. Can't wait to see hopw they all grow out in a few months..Hehehe...they are growing out too, and are almost as adorable as the Discus!!;)


They are looking good. ;)Thanks!


Sue! They are precious, woman! I do not miss them, but they are precious!!:D:p Thanks Marie, and keep trying to convince yourself that you don't miss yours. :D:D

[Diamond Discus]

Hi everybody! I have pictures to post of the crew. I've been home for one week after being gone for two weeks. The fish faired very well while I was gone! My daughter kindly made 2 water changes for me so they had weekly 90 percent changes which made me feel better and I'm sure the fish appreciated it too. At the last minute I changed my mind about cutting back the baby BD's feed and instructed the fish lady to go ahead and feed normally 4 times a day, so they had nearly their normal daily ration. 3 cubes of brine shrimp in the morning~flakes for lunch~3 cubes of bloodworms for dinner~pellets for supper. I have 6 that are at 2 inches, the rest at 1.5 and maybe 4 that are smaller yet. I know BD’s grow slowly, it’s been a subject of debate on Simply with most agreeing, but I would have thought they would be bigger by now at 5 months of age. I think I can tell which are males and which are females using this method in the article I've posted below and their size as an indicater.
http://midwestcichlid.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4106&highlight=sexing+discus

I will probably keep 6 fish and the rest will eventually be for sale. (not all the biggest one, I'll be looking for good conformation and size, not just size)

I've noticed lately that their anal fins are finally starting to get longer and their fins are turning a bit more blue.

I photoshopped this picture so you could better make out the nose of the fish behind tape that holds a 1.5 inch circle. His body is 1.5 inches and his fins extend beyond the circle.
http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/408/bdmarch1st2008018vv8.th.jpg (http://img246.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bdmarch1st2008018vv8.jpg)

This picture turned out kind of neat, I had a little spot light above them and they were pretty close to it.
http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/2453/bdmarch1st2008013al2.th.jpg (http://img176.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bdmarch1st2008013al2.jpg)

suspected female (please forgive the full tummies...they were eating as I took pics last night)
http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/8213/bdmarch1st2008012hx4.th.jpg (http://img176.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bdmarch1st2008012hx4.jpg)
Male and a smaller runt
http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/7034/bdmarch1st2008011idunnoqs2.th.jpg (http://img176.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bdmarch1st2008011idunnoqs2.jpg)
The boys....Mo, Larry II, and Curley
http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/4020/bdmarch1st2008022ic7.th.jpg (http://img176.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bdmarch1st2008022ic7.jpg)
Group shots for comparison...the biggest of them having a body size of over 2 inches~front left
http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/8664/bdmarch1st2008024qz5.th.jpg (http://img176.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bdmarch1st2008024qz5.jpg)
http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/38/bdmarch1st2008028wu9.th.jpg (http://img176.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bdmarch1st2008028wu9.jpg)
http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/1031/bdmarch1st2008010zz6.th.jpg (http://img176.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bdmarch1st2008010zz6.jpg)

Since I have been home we have returned to daily 80 gallon changes in the 120 and increased their food, sticking to 4 times per day but adding an additional cube...all food gone within 5 minutes of hitting the water
Breakfast 4 cubes (2 brine shrimp~2blood worm)
large amount of flakes (which they attack vigorously...I use OSI Discus flakes)
4 cubes same as A.M. feeding
pellets food (NLS grow and Sera Discus Granules "blue")

Of course they know a sucker when they see one and con my husband into feeding them more if we are in the living room of an evening! LOL (he really likes the little guys) :wink: I will be offering beef heart again next week. Not ground beef, as they never really liked it and actually acted sick after eating it. I have actually wondered whether or not I got some bad ground beef. It never made us sick, but these guys are so much smaller and more sensitive...so I threw out the 96% lean hamburger I had been trying to get them to eat.

[Diamond Discus]

We have hit 3 inches plus. I did not lay him on top of the ruler, he is used to my hand and I thought he’s had enough torture just being caught. I took a picture of the ruler in my hand. You can use the lines and creases of my hand and them draw straight down to where the tail starts at one end….then to the tip of the lips on the other. He’s a good 4 inches if you include his tail. I have to say…he didn’t miss a beat…I fed them right after putting him back and he was back at being a bully immediately! LOL These guys started eating beef heart.... finally!!
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k25/DiamondDiscus/Discus/BDbiggestone32508008.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k25/DiamondDiscus/Discus/BDbiggestone32508002.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k25/DiamondDiscus/Discus/measurement3andoneeightsinches.jpg

[Masonic]

thats really neat to see how much they have changed over that short amount of time .. nice ruler btw i used to be a union stuard .back in the day

[phidelt85]

Looking great Sue!! Growin' like weeds ;)

[Diamond Discus]

Masonic...I have no idea where that ruler came from...it's been in the desk drawer for years and years! LOL I think it came with the house!! ;)

Jose, thanks buddy!! I split the group in half yesterday, with the biggest 9 in the 75 and the smaller 10 in the 55. Hopefully it will help them all to grow with more even food competition! I'm in a contest you know!! :) Water changes daily upwards of 90% lower end at 75%.

I've given up on breeding for the spring and summer...so all of my breeding pairs went into the 120 and all I can say is WOW...they look awesome together!

[Kindredspirit]

Hey Susie! They look great, woman ~ do you get to keep them? Do me a favor, and take a picture without the flash...?

They look like Ocean Greens with the flash, kinda...IMO....:o

[Diamond Discus]

Hey Susie! They look great, woman ~ do you get to keep them? Do me a favor, and take a picture without the flash...?

They look like Ocean Greens with the flash, kinda...IMO....:o

Yep, they are mine to keep. Try to hold a fish in one hand and a camera in the other!! LOL I should have carried him to the window like I did with the ruler. The ruler picture turrned out well. Next time...if there is one, I'll do that. ;)

[April]

well they certainly have nice fat tummies anyhow..id say they are doing fine. your bound to get some runts. keep going. fun watching .

[edmoran77]

Good looking fish! Nice to see some other discus from Iowa!:)

[Diamond Discus]

Good looking fish! Nice to see some other discus from Iowa!:)Hey, you are from Iowa too!! Great!! What strains do you keep?

[edmoran77]

Hey, you are from Iowa too!! Great!! What strains do you keep?

Well I just got my first batch of discus a couple of weeks ago, but I think I'm hooked (no pun intended). Right now I've got Red Melon, Millennium Gold, High-Bodied Cobalt Blue, Checkerboard Turquoise, and Virgin Red. Only have 8 fish right now in one 56 gallon tank, however my 55 gallon angelfish tank might soon be gone to make way for more Discus (sorry angels you might have to find a new home)! :)

[Diamond Discus]

Well I just got my first batch of discus a couple of weeks ago, but I think I'm hooked (no pun intended). Right now I've got Red Melon, Millennium Gold, High-Bodied Cobalt Blue, Checkerboard Turquoise, and Virgin Red. Only have 8 fish right now in one 56 gallon tank, however my 55 gallon angelfish tank might soon be gone to make way for more Discus (sorry angels you might have to find a new home)! :)Great selection of strains, where did you get your Discus? I bet that tank looks great!

[edmoran77]

I searched around a lot and finally went with Dan at Gulf Coast Discus. He was great to work with, and the fish were much larger and vigorous than I expected. They have acclimated well and are eating and growing like no other! I need to post some pics however they are still kind of camera shy and hide like crazy once the flash goes off. Hopefully I can post of pics soon. Ed:)

[Diamond Discus]

I'm sure they are awesome if they are from Dan. I love the pigeons he has for sale right now too. Good luck with your fish, I'm sure you will do well with them. See you around the forum!!

[Diamond Discus]

April 1st Update......About 9 of the 19 Discus are at 3+ inches...the rest incrimentally smaller. They are eating me out of house and home! In the morning they have beefheart, about an hour later a water change (I am laying them flat now and taking the water as low as the python will suck it out...about 1/2 inch deep) then they eat 6 cubes of frozen blood worms for lunch. Mid day they have some kind of dry staple food, at supper 6 cubes of frozen brine shrimp, bedtime snack, dry pellets to munch on. They are getting really nice round shapes and their fins are becoming very erect and tall. They are truning out to be very nice looking. I originally thought I'd keep 6, but when I think about parting with any of them....I just can't go there. Maybe when they become sexually mature I'll be able to make a decision on which to keep and let go. Some of the smaller ones have excellent shapes and nice red eyes, so I really need to see how they turn out by the time they are around 9 months old. That is when the hormones will kick in and trouble in paradise will begin. LOL I love the guy in the center of the first picture. He will be staying with me forever! Aren't his pouty lips the cutest!!
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k25/DiamondDiscus/Discus/AprilFoolsDiscus009.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k25/DiamondDiscus/Discus/AprilFoolsDiscus012.jpg
*I did some moving around of pictures in my photo bucket account and lost the link to a lot of the previous pictures, but I plan to go back in and fix them.

[Diamond Discus]

Here is the May 1st update picture. They have hit 4 1/2 inches. I had the Striated Turqs in the tank so you will see one of those 2 in the back ground.
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k25/DiamondDiscus/Grow%20out%20Challenge%20Discus/IMG_1012.jpg

[alpine]

Love those Blue Diamonds..... :)

Roberto.

[Diamond Discus]

Love those Blue Diamonds..... :)

Roberto.I see that!;) avatar!