Are these healthy discus?

[fxie]

I noticed a breeder in my area selling some juvenile discus on one of the local forums. The larger ones are ~2.5", and the smaller ones are around 2". As these would be my first discus, I am still an amateur in determining if these are of good quality. I have included a picture of the young discus, as well as the parents.

[AADiscus]

The parents are not to bad. I like there coloring. The one on the far left is missing a little in the forehead. When you are picking out young ones like the other pic it is hard to do at times. I would look at the gills (make sure they are not short) look for any little humps in the forehead and look at the lips. At this age they seem to have that football look but if they ARE young then they should grow out of that. Look for the active ones that come to meet you at the tank when you approach. Good luck to ya.

[fxie]

I've read on the forums that it is generally a good idea to not buy discus with a triangular shape. Looking at the juveniles, all of them look to have that triangular shape. Is this only due to their current age, or is it an indication of poor nutrition and health?

And, what do you mean by the "football" look?

[bs6749]

The football look refers to a discus that is stunted and it will appear to be longer than it is tall...almost stretched. A good quality discus should be round and not the more oval/football shape that you see in some fish. I had 3 juvenile discus that I was given and all 3 of them WERE football shaped when they were younger. Now one is nice and round at 3-3.5 inches and the smallest is roughly 2.5 inches but also became round and looks good overall except for the peppering. Yes, young discus can and most likely will overcome the football shape given a good diet, however a stunted discus will remain that way.

HTH

[fxie]

Ah i see. Thanks for the clarification.

So in the discus above, the dealer informs me there are 4 discus available at around ~2.5-3". I've yet to see them in person, since he lives about 2 hours drive away, but from the pictures posted, do they seem like good quality discus?

[April]

as a beginner..to be honest..you may be better starting off with a bit bigger size babies. tiny ones are cheaper..but some wont work out. and not all will grow out well. theres a very small window for them to take off and eating and growing well..if they get stressed or miss the chance..they runt out easy. its a challenge if your up to it..but if you get about 3 inch or so you have a better chance of all growing out decent. jmo.

[Tropical Haven]

I agree I wouldn't go smaller than 3 1/2 inches.

[bs6749]

I agree I wouldn't go smaller than 3 1/2 inches.

Unless you want to see the discus grow more and if you have the time to devote to 4-5 feedings per day and more frequent water changes. I agree though, 3+ inch fish are probably the way to go.

[MostlyDiscus]

Size of the fish dont seem to be uniform. Maybe two diff broods. Better to see them in person if you can