Do you KNOW Blue Diamonds??

[Jules4me]

Hello all,
Now that I have my BD juveniles and they are eating well and growing a bit ( I think!!) I would like to learn more from people that have raised them.
I'm looking for strain specific information. Some say they are more "football" shaped as juveniles, grow more slowly, etc.....Just any information or "tricks of the trade" in regard to coloring, shape, eyes, size, habits. Your input and comments are very much appreciated. I am learning so much....Thank you all for that!!

Jules
(P.S. I have 10 juveniles.... sizes nickel to over quarter in a 55gal....feeding seafood mix, ON prime reef, FBW, FBH 6-8 X daily)

[William Palumbo]

In my dealings with BD's in my fishroom, the only things I have noticed was that the males mature very late...1 1/2-2 years. Also, not sure about now, but BD's pass really large poop. And at times, if fed too much, can get bloated. Never heard of, or experienced the shape issue you mentioned. I have had them and they were always round like any other strain, even as juvies...Bill

[poconogal]

My BD experience showed them to be voracious eaters, grabbing as much food in the tank as possible, with a tendancy towards bloat because of this. Also, tremendous sized poos! The biggest poos I've ever seen from any Discus! At times my Python can't syphon it up!

[rickztahone]

you can always tell when your BD is full due to their huge bellies :D

[brewmaster15]

I've always found them to be one of the slower growing strains...and yes... large feces and males are late bloomers for maturity in most cases... Females however seem to lay eggs same time line as other strains.

-al

[Jules4me]

Oh....this is BEAUTIFUL!! I have chosen the "BIG POO" fish! They DO have great appetites, now that they are used to their new home. Since they are more suseptible to bloat, then should I be feeding them until their bellies round out a bit? I have been feeding 6-8 X daily just until the belly starts to look round. ...not poking out (except with the one "pig" fish, I have to be careful not to let it over eat.)
So, do the males grow slower or do they breed later than other strains? or both? Are the eyes supposed to be solid red except the pupil or do they have some black in them, too? I've seen both as examples of "quality" BD's. Thanks for the input so far!!
Jules

[moik]

If their POO does not go through a Python hose ,then I would recommend a shovel.. Just make sure it is plastic.

[thebigone]

If their POO does not go through a Python hose ,then I would recommend a shovel.. Just make sure it is plastic.

Or you better try a wet/dry vac! LOL:p I love my BD as they are very nice and colorful in my tank.

[Jules4me]

Hey Josh....I thought the exact same thing when Connie said a python wouldn't get it...I guess it's off to the garage for the shop vac!!!:p:p:p.
Jules

[Roxanne]

I agree with the others, big poopers, piggy eaters, a very 'naughty' fish IMO:D

If you have a BD, you need epsom!

Rox

[Eddie]

Oh....this is BEAUTIFUL!! I have chosen the "BIG POO" fish! They DO have great appetites, now that they are used to their new home. Since they are more suseptible to bloat, then should I be feeding them until their bellies round out a bit? I have been feeding 6-8 X daily just until the belly starts to look round. ...not poking out (except with the one "pig" fish, I have to be careful not to let it over eat.)
So, do the males grow slower or do they breed later than other strains? or both? Are the eyes supposed to be solid red except the pupil or do they have some black in them, too? I've seen both as examples of "quality" BD's. Thanks for the input so far!!
Jules

Hey Jules,

The eyes should be solid red but I have seen some with a slight black bar down the center. There are also BDs with an amber eye which I do like.

Another thing I notice about BDs is that they are fiesty, little agressors. My 2.5" BDs, well when they were that small would chase around my 5.5" fish. They have some spunk those little suckers.

Eddie

[thebigone]

Hey Jules,

The eyes should be solid red but I have seen some with a slight black bar down the center. There are also BDs with an amber eye which I do like.

Another thing I notice about BDs is that they are fiesty, little agressors. My 2.5" BDs, well when they were that small would chase around my 5.5" fish. They have some spunk those little suckers.

Eddie


Yea your right about the spunk Eddie but you have to admit, that is the reason that we still keep them so they can throw some fun in the tank. LOL;) Jules you shouldn't have a problem with a python I use one and it is fine but I don't connect mine to a sink, I throw the end out the window.

[Eddie]

Yea your right about the spunk Eddie but you have to admit, that is the reason that we still keep them so they can throw some fun in the tank. LOL;) Jules you shouldn't have a problem with a python I use one and it is fine but I don't connect mine to a sink, I throw the end out the window.


Yeah Josh but once the fish get up in size, so does their poo. My 2.5" were dropping poos that were .25" in diameter. Thats a ratio my friend. Just imagine when they get to be about 6-7". A nice 1 inch in diameter poo is gonna have a hard time making through a python tube. LOL :D

Eddie

[TankWatcher]

I will have to watch & measure my BD's poops, to see if he stacks up against all the others :D :D :D

[Jules4me]

I agree with the others, big poopers, piggy eaters, a very 'naughty' fish IMO:D

If you have a BD, you need epsom!

Rox
Hi Roxanne,
Thanks so much for your post......Why do I need epsom salt with BD's?

I think it's probably better that I got piggy eaters and not picky eaters!!:D Why do you say "naughty" fish (They ARE getting a bit of fish-a-tude!!) I like it. Good to see them with the great appetites, growing and getting used to me.

Jules

[Jules4me]

O.K.....I think I got it. The most important thing with Bd's...trade in the python for a plunger!!:D:p:) Besides the Poo (which I will now have nightmares about:vomit:) I DO have some with solid red eyes and some with the black bar. Sorry, Eddie.... no amber. What a JIP!!
I suppose they get a little more aggresive as they get bigger. I am used to the attitude of angels so I don't mind.
What about the color...what age do you think they start to show their most vibrant blues?
Thanks all!!!:)
Jules

[thebigone]

Yeah Josh but once the fish get up in size, so does their poo. My 2.5" were dropping poos that were .25" in diameter. Thats a ratio my friend. Just imagine when they get to be about 6-7". A nice 1 inch in diameter poo is gonna have a hard time making through a python tube. LOL :D

Eddie

Eddie you are right about the size of poo. That would be hard to get through a paython. But you still always have a wet/dry vac. LOL:D Also if it does have poo when they get bigger then I now know why discus are known as "King of the Aquaruim". LOL :p Thats a man of a fish. LOL Anyways I hope you have fun and enjoy your BDs because I know that I love mine and I have more coming from Kenny in just a few days.:D

[Eddie]

LOL, Josh your killing me.

Jules,

For the most part BDs will get more vibrant colors as they become adults from 9-12 months of age. Their blue will become deeper blue and silver.

Eddie

[poconogal]

This is one of the funniest threads I've read in a long time! :D:D:D ROFLMAO!!!!

[thebigone]

Just to add to what Eddie said if you have a light background and a lighter bottom their colors will be brighter as well. If you have a darker background and bottom then their color will not show in full and then you want never really get to see their full potential.;)

[poconogal]

What Josh said is true. I had mine with black substrate and background and had navy colored BD. I could barely see her. Switched to light blue bottom and lighter background and she turned the most beautiful blue.

[Jules4me]

OH!! There's good info...change the background. Right now, I have light colored gravel. The new 55 I'm setting up will be BB. That's right, Eddie and Josh ........ because of the POO!! The really big POO.....The oversized manly man's POO! The "Honey, bring me a Maxim magazine" POO! You guys are too funny!! I am seriously considering a contest between the two of you. What would the rules be ?? How would we judge it? I CAN NOT believe I'm encouraging you! Thanks so much for all the info. AND the laughs!! HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY:heart2:

Jules

[thebigone]

Jules,

There is nothing better to relax,watch the fish in my tank and enjoy the company of all the great people here at Simply. I'm just glad that you can get a few laughs out of it while still getting the info. that you need from all of these great people here. With a BB tank I would throw in there that you might even want to paint the bottom of that tank as well. Just a suggestion. If I were you I would go find a little small 1 cup rubbermiad trash can and teach them to poo in it. Then you can just empty once a day. LOL :p Have a good day. :heart1::heart1::heart2::heart2: Happy Valentines Day!:heart1::heart1::heart2::heart2:

[mikel]

I am partial to blue, so the quality BD fish is my favorite strain. I know it's a relatively older strain, and not as popular at this point as the P Eruptions and such. But I think it's a classic strain, and a quality BD is truly a sight to behold. There are now "improved" versions out there, like the "sapphire" and the "angel Blue" etc, but regardlesss, they are all great.

I have heard that since the BD is a solid color, then the premium is on the body shape and the shape, size and color of the eyes. First, the BD needs to be as circular as possible, with a strong and full face and chin. Then, the eyes need to be relatively small in the context of the body and head area, and the dark pupils need to be set as center to the whole eye as possible, and the color of the iris needs to be as red as possible with no other color (black etc) mixed in. Obviosly that's the ideal, and there are plenty of great fish with minor irrigularities. The body needs to be round, round and round and in only one color---blue (some tend to be light powder blue and greenish...others deeper blue).

My big BD is very circular and light bluish green (I think it's the Ocean Green version). But my second largest BD that I received from Kenny (Grade A) is deep blue, with well set red eyes, and he is growing rapidly and I can see the sharp long trailer at the end of his dorsal beginning to appear already. He is going to be one gorgeous boy fish, and I am very fortunate that Kenny choose him for my one fish purchase. If he gets more Grade A BD, I am there! With Bds, it's really not worth the effort to raise anything less than the high quality form in terms of shape, uniformity of color, and perfect eyes. I have two juvanile BD from Al that I picked up the last time I visited , and they are growing nicely into very round and small red eyes fish....they are going to be awsome. I do have one BD that I bought a while ago from a LFS, and it was actually more expensive than the higer quality fish from Al, but its body shape and eye color are both dramatically inferior to Al's and all of my other BDs. I keep him around because I can't bear to cull anything...he doesnt take much space anyway so he will live out his life with us here. But I will never get an inferior BD ever again, now that I know what to look for.

Yes, all my BD discus are voracious eaters. I dont feed any pellets...only BH mix from Al and On and Omega One flakes. I feed 6-8 times a day, and at least 4 times are BH's. I only feed as much as they can consume within 2-3 minutes...no more. Their bellies get round and pertrude, but I think Omega and On flakes and the BH are superior foods. No Pellets for BD ever!!!..just too risky given their gluttonous personalities. I love seeing a bunch of BDs fighting over BHs; they just rip the food apart like sharks. I love this strain. mike:)

[Jules4me]

Thanks so much, Mike. That is GOOD GOOD info!! Great to hear you love your BD's. I didn't know there were different colors WITHIN this strain. I'm sure I will expand my collection as I become more familiar with Discus in general. Some of these have really cool eyes..all red with the black pupil.
So what is the norm for feeding these little guys? I mean, they will eat until they look like a puffer but I only let the tummies start to show and then I cut off the buffet. But HOW round should the tummies be???? I don't want to be the reason they get bloat. Thanks again for the GREAT info.
Jules

Josh, I guess you don't have to worry about them "falling in" while your potty training them.:p My cat was #issed at me for months after his big behind slipped into the toilet. YES!! I tried toilet training my cat.

[mikel]

I dont measure exactly. I have the Bh in cubes, and I usually take it out of the freezer, and give it about 5-10 minutes to thaw. Then I use a specifically assigned knife ( a regular silverware knife) and I shave starting from a corner of the cube so it's completely in shaved slices. Then i simply toss into tank....It's in thin shaved slices so it's easy to take in by my BDs, and they go after all the pieces in less than a minute.

I have basically figured out how much they would eat in about 1-2 minutes and that's all I give them. In the wild, fish generally dont gorge, but they are constantly foraging. So try to imitate that. Given my schedule, I get to feed them about 6-8 times a day. Again, I dont feed any form of pellets, as I think the pellets are the culprits for bloat in greedy fish. You can't stop gluttony, but you make make sure they get food that's good and does not expand in their gut. flakes and Bh are the only food I feed now, and they love it. In the spring, when my gardens come back, I will also throw in an occasional chopped night crawler earthworms. They love those too. Real food. mike:)

[Roxanne]

Hi Roxanne,
Thanks so much for your post......Why do I need epsom salt with BD's?

I think it's probably better that I got piggy eaters and not picky eaters!!:D Why do you say "naughty" fish (They ARE getting a bit of fish-a-tude!!) I like it. Good to see them with the great appetites, growing and getting used to me.

Jules

Hi Jules...

Glad your getting loads of funny. Everyone descibes their behaviour perfectly, which goes to show they are a noticibly different in attitude from the other types of discus...that's why I call them "naughty"...my BD eats at twice the speed as the rest..they take one bite for every three he takes...and even if they are the smallest fish, they act like they are the biggest...

Epsom...they are prone to getting bloated because they eat lots/fast so if you check out this sticky by the wonderful forum phantom Carol Roberts you will know what to do if yours ever looks like it's going to explode/can't swim straight from overeating...also good for clearing the intestines of worms..:D

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=34834

Eddie spoke of eye colours back there...well my BD has amber eyes, sometimes I see a black line down the middle and sometimes they are all black...my BD likes to mix his eye colour up like David Bowie...

Sounds like you are really enjoying discus! Ha ha ha ha (evil laugh)Another addict....:)

Roxanne

[Jules4me]

Hi Roxanne...Thank so so much for sending that. Good to know since I obviously have little pigs that will grow into big pigs.
I have laughed so much over this thread...Some of you are just too fun!! I LOVE IT! And oh, yes (hearing your evil laugh:D) you all have lured in yet another addict. I am glued to the tank every time I feed just to watch them eat. It thrills me that they follow my hand across the tank for food. I'm pretty sure in a month or two, I will be purchasing more. Not sure what, though.
Thanks for answering my question...I was thinking the epsom was for ME to soak in as I haven't gotton a good WC system in place....next on the list....a WC system....the 50 yd bucket dash sucks!!!
Jules

[rickztahone]

....next on the list....a WC system....the 50 yd bucket dash sucks!!!
Jules

and painful...get a submersible pump, best money every spent in my book

[Roxanne]

....I was thinking the epsom was for ME to soak in as I haven't gotton a good WC system in place.....
Jules

:D:D..no dear, epsom for the fat pig, migraine pills for you...lol

You could always start another thread under 'water works' about your wc probs/hassles and if you can explain how you have things set up, I'm sure the good people here at Simply will have loads of ideas for you to choose from;), modify to suit etc...

If you got a camera, we love pics too;)

Best Wishes Jules

Rox:)

[thebigone]

Jules,

How are those BDs doing? If you have some pictures of the "Kings of poo" LOL I would love to see them.

[Jules4me]

Hey Josh,
Thought I'd wait til the end of the month but they are growing.....so is the poo!! :shocked2:( Oh, you guys SLAY me!!). Here are 3 pics. #1 was taken a few days after I got them....#2 and #3 were taken this morning. The one in the pic alone seems to be the "pig" fish and it shows. It is bigger than the others. I have to be careful with that one....I fear bloat for him...OR a spot on the Biggest Loser!
How about you....any new pics?????? (hint, hint).

Jules

[thebigone]

They are starting to get some color to them now. They are looking good Jules.

Here is the thread I keep updating. Waiting on my new delivery now.:D
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=68974

[seanyuki]

I think Sunny Lo Wing Yat from Hong Kong creator of the Blue Diamond strain...lol.


cheers
Francis:)

[Jules4me]

Hey Josh,
Yes, they are getting some color. These pics don't really show it too much.

I checked out your thread....nice!! I know you must be pacing the floor waiting for the Fed Ex guy!! I'll be watching for the pics of the new arrivals.

Jules

[Eddie]

Looking healthy and growing too Jules.

Keep up the great work,
Eddie

[Jules4me]

They seem to be doing well. .....most of them, anyway. I've got the two "little guys" in QT with metro (as close as I could get at the lfs). All symptoms pointing to parasites. They haven't grown since they got here. I don't know if it will do any good but I never give up on anything. The others are just too fun. Not too shy, either. They follow the vac around the tank as I do the WC's. They are starting to show some REAL tude! Still loving the seafood mix, Eddie;)

Jules

[Eddie]

They seem to be doing well. .....most of them, anyway. I've got the two "little guys" in QT with metro (as close as I could get at the lfs). All symptoms pointing to parasites. They haven't grown since they got here. I don't know if it will do any good but I never give up on anything. The others are just too fun. Not too shy, either. They follow the vac around the tank as I do the WC's. They are starting to show some REAL tude! Still loving the seafood mix, Eddie;)

Jules

Thats great news Jules. It is the staple food that I have given my fish from Forrest. They get the mix all day long. Remember it, you will see how they grow. I am anxious to see how yours will develop too. Take care and good luck with the 2 in rehab. ;) Ask for anything if you need it.


Eddie

[DiscusChris]

Do BDs really grow slower? I have 10 bd x blue turq cross juvies, theyre about 4 months old, and 2 inches from lips to end of tail. I was thinking they may be a bit stunted from their previous owner. Is this size on par for their age?

Just in case it matters, I do %100 WCs daily in a 10g bare bottom w/sponge filter.

[Eddie]

Do BDs really grow slower? I have 10 bd x blue turq cross juvies, theyre about 4 months old, and 2 inches from lips to end of tail. I was thinking they may be a bit stunted from their previous owner. Is this size on par for their age?

Just in case it matters, I do %100 WCs daily in a 10g bare bottom w/sponge filter.

10 two inch fish need to be in a bigger tank. A 55 is good IMO. 2 inches at 4 months is growing slow.

Eddie

[DiscusChris]

10 two inch fish need to be in a bigger tank. A 55 is good IMO. 2 inches at 4 months is growing slow.

Eddie

Do you think theyre irreversibly stunted? Their eyes are still in good proportion to their bodies, and still nice and round and fat.

[Eddie]

Do you think theyre irreversibly stunted? Their eyes are still in good proportion to their bodies, and still nice and round and fat.

It is not irreversible at 4 months. They have some time so I would put them in a 55 and eventually a bigger a tank when they become adults. Feed them often and do heavy water changes everyday. I am not an expert but I grow my fish out well feeding them 10 light feedings a day and 100% WCs everyday. Thats just what I do and there are others who are successful at doing it other ways. All I am gonna say is, try my way to fix them and you will be satisfied. Do you have any pictures of the fish. We can really get a better idea if they are too far stunted.

Thanks
Eddie

[DiscusChris]

moved my pics as not to steal this thread