How do discus get stunted?

[CammieTime]

What are the ways a discus can get stunted? I am curious so I don't do it to my fish, I'm relatively new to this.

If you buy them stunted, is there anything you can do to fix it?

What does being stunted do to the fish in the long run? Why is it so bad?

[Triadtropz]

lack of proper diet, water changes, disease, these could all be reasons for stunting,..If you feed discus a varied diet, and change lots of water. you wont have to worry,..

[1077]

I suspect genetics could play a part as well as the afore mentioned.

[CammieTime]

So what do you do with a stunted discus?

[Eddie]

Keep'em if your just a hobbyist like me! They have their own tank

Not all fish will develop uniformly, not from just having a dozen or so Discus. Some will grow slow or not show as much color. For me, thats the facts of life. I can only get LFS discus and thats what I have to deal with. I wish I could get some quality fish here in Okinawa.
Eddie

[Leopardshark]

Hello,
I´m new to this... and don´t know what "stunted" means.
Can anyone explain it to me?
regards

[pcsb23]

I suspect genetics could play a part as well as the afore mentioned.Stunting is due to care not genetics. Runting or small size is down to genetics. There is a difference between stunting and small sized discus in as much the discus that is small sized may be as big as it possibly could be, a stunted discus is one that has suffered because of poor care and has therefore not grown to it's potential.


So what do you do with a stunted discus?That is up to you :) Just because it is stunted doesn't mean it can't be used say in a breeding context. They can still be healthy fish.


Hello,
I´m new to this... and don´t know what "stunted" means.
Can anyone explain it to me?
regardsStunted means it's growth has been adversly affectd by environmental factors, in other words the care of the discus has been wrong. The effects are more sever the younger the discus is. It is caused from poor diet, inappropriate feeding (not enough, not regular enough, wrong type of food etc), and poor water quality. The water quality if it's poor will cause stress, this can lead to allsorts of issues. The most obvious measure of a stunted discus is the eye size in respect of it's ratio to the fish see this for an explanation :) http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=49201

[1077]

So if two stunted discus managed to produce offspring the offspring would,, under proper care,, grow as large as discus who were not stunted to begin with?:inquisitive:

[Leopardshark]

Thanks for the info!!

[pcsb23]

So if two stunted discus managed to produce offspring the offspring would,, under proper care,, grow as large as discus who were not stunted to begin with?:inquisitive:Correct. :)

[scottthomas]

I place my stunted or less attractive discus in my planted tank. I have had stunted discus produce nice fry that have grown into really nice fish, better than the parents by far. However, they have always laid far less eggs than my larger nicer specimins.

Scott

[Eddie]

I place my stunted or less attractive discus in my planted tank. I have had stunted discus produce nice fry that have grown into really nice fish, better than the parents by far. However, they have always laid far less eggs than my larger nicer specimins.

Scott

Hiya Scott, got any pictures of the parents and then of the fry so people can see.

Thanks
Eddie

[scottthomas]

I will post a picture of my "Poor Man's" planted tank tonight when I get home if possible. (IMO it looks pretty good for no CO2 no Ferts low lights and no real substrate) I do not have any fry for about 4 months now. However, The stunted Discus in the tank have produced fry for me many times. I was just trying to make the statement that stunted Discus do not mean inferior babies. I have traded or given away most to my LFS. Am currently focusing on growing out some of Kenny/Forrest Discus. Hope I can get them to breed also. The are much better stock. PS I really liked your discus pictures. You claim to not have good sources in Japan but your fish looked amazing and clean setup.
Scott

[poconogal]

I suspect genetics could play a part as well as the afore mentioned.

Genetics produce runted Discus -- runts. Not feeding enough, not enough WCs, etc. results in stunted discus. Nature vs. man-made.