Discus Size/Growth Questions

[CammieTime]

a) How dependent is discus size on their care? Common plecos grow huge regardless if their tank water is pristine or solid muck. I'm guessing discus are not like that? Why?

b) Why do they get stunted while other fish keep growing no matter what?

c) If discus do not get 1st rate care (very clean water, varied diet, many WCs, big tank), and just get average care, how large to they tend to get?

d) Is discus adult size completely dependent upon these factors?

e) How many fish make it to 5.5in or larger? How hard is it to get them to this size?

f) Are massive water changes required for large adult discus? What happens to their size if you don't do a 50% WC every day?

[Peachtree Discus]

i cannot answer the whys...but, clean water is something that people have identified as having an effect on the discus size. how big a fish would get without the best water conditions will likely depend on the fish genetics and how polluted the water has been across the fishs lifetime - especially younger months. i don't think the size of the tank really matters...but the size of the tank would be a source of stress for the fish. and the size of the tank would have an effect on how quickly the water becomes polluted - which would eventually affect the fishs health and potentially the fishs size. it's like pieces of a puzzle.

you can get decent sized fish without daily wcs, but regardless of how large they get, they would likely be larger with more frequent water changes. i have heard the discussion about fish growing to their tank size and some fish growing regardless of tanks size, but i don't really buy into it. IMO, regardless of the type of fish/animal, whether it be size or other health issues - any animal that is forced to live in a more polluted environment will likely have more health issues.

[William Palumbo]

Being in the hobby for many years, I have kept Discus at both extremes. I always wound up with a few "big" Discus either way. I think the biggest factor is genetics. When I started in this hobby, to me the Discus seemd so much bigger at adult size. My very first Discus were huge to some of the fish I have had in the past. All with a minimal water change and a strictly beefheart diet. Those fish from the breeder were crossed with wild royal blue Discus...which were big. I remember getting Jack Wattley Discus in the late 80's that also grew to be huge(male) His were the largest Discus around for awhile. The thread on here about the huge wild Discus that they just discovered, I would guess is like that from genetics...not food or fresh water...as ALL wild Discus has access to that and all are not giant fish. I feel today there is too much crossbreeding to get the strains we all like today. I feel the genetics for "large" size is not there in most strains. Either way just some "basic" Discus keeping will yeild some nice sized Discus...Bill

[1077]

I would share an observation. There are two local fish stores that I visit and both are friendly with each other. Approx eight months ago I purchased two aprox three inch discus from the one store . The following day I visited the other store to learn that the owner had also purchased two discus from the same tank that mine came from for his display tank of fish (not for sale) I have been observing the growth of my own fish compared to the growth of his fish which do not receive but maybe once or twice a month water changes by his admission. The fish I have which get three to four water changes a week are much larger. It is hard not to see the difference. I am sad to say his fish look poor but I'm just a customer. He has been in buisness for years.He appears to be knowledgeable about many different species but just rolls his eyes when I describe the care and feedings I provide. I guess it's all a matter of what ones expectations are that dictates the care they provide.

[William Palumbo]

I would share an observation. There are two local fish stores that I visit and both are friendly with each other. Approx eight months ago I purchased two aprox three inch discus from the one store . The following day I visited the other store to learn that the owner had also purchased two discus from the same tank that mine came from for his display tank of fish (not for sale) I have been observing the growth of my own fish compared to the growth of his fish which do not receive but maybe once or twice a month water changes by his admission. The fish I have which get three to four water changes a week are much larger. It is hard not to see the difference. I am sad to say his fish look poor but I'm just a customer. He has been in buisness for years.He appears to be knowledgeable about many different species but just rolls his eyes when I describe the care and feedings I provide. I guess it's all a matter of what ones expectations are that dictates the care they provide.

I agree with you on that. I had purchesed some juvie BD's from my usual "better" pet shop as they had just got them in. Everytime I would go there, usually weekly I could see that my Discus were WAY bigger than his..at a point where mine were almost 3 times the size. He fed the same thing I fed mine, but he fed only 2 times a day with a weekly water change as opposed to my 70% everyday. The thing was, the fish he kept for himself after a year were only a bit smaller than my...not by much...and he put WAY less food and effort into them!...Bill