Which do you prefer adult or young DISCUS!

[ockyra215]

Ok if you were an old discus head from a few years back and were thinking of starting another tank which would you get.Juveniles or adults?

[Yassmeena]

Ok if you were an old discus head from a few years back and were thinking of starting another tank which would you get.Juveniles or adults?

Juvies, and grow them out BIG! Juvies have so much energy and are so fun! :D

They need more attention though (i.e. more WCs, gotta be extra careful about bloat, etc) so my decision is based on time-permittance (not sure if that's a real word, but you get my point!). lol :p

Nice question though!

Yasmin

[phatdave]

Young en's . Thats a huge part of the fun. The only reason I see to buy adults is if you are going to buy a mated pair and sell the young en's.....TO ME!!!

It's like buying any pet. There is a lot of enjoyment in raising them, for me anyway.




Dave

[David Rose]

Yeah...I struggled with this...started out with one tank..juvies...then two tank...one of each...now four tanks.... get my point (why limit yourself :D)

[William Palumbo]

Buy adults and get EXACTLY what you want. Cut right to the chase. All juvies will NOT grow to be big no matter how much water you change, or how many times you feed them. As adults, there are no surprises as what they will turn into, save a years worth of electricity, food, and waterchanging to boot...Bill

[diamond_discus]

I started out with juv and frys, .. and I usually buy a group ... but pretty soon I need more and more tanks .. so lately, I like to only buy a pair of 4" ...

[Spardas]

Buy adults and get EXACTLY what you want. Cut right to the chase. All juvies will NOT grow to be big no matter how much water you change, or how many times you feed them. As adults, there are no surprises as what they will turn into, save a years worth of electricity, food, and waterchanging to boot...Bill

My thoughts exactly!

[rickztahone]

i would not buy anything smaller than 4" from now on. the only thing about small discus, say 2" or so is that they are such a challenge that when they get to a good size you look at them and are proud of your achievement.

[diamond_discus]

i would not buy anything smaller than 4" from now on. the only thing about small discus, say 2" or so is that they are such a challenge that when they get to a good size you look at them and are proud of your achievement.

Agree 100% ... That's why I only buy pairs of 4" ...

But hey, I actually raise quite a few from dime size frys ... they are all 6"+ or even 7" ... I am indeed proud of my archievement. But now I have some many and no more tank space .. So instead of buying a group of small, I am now buying just a pair of 4" for each strain that I like.

[Rod]

I prefer to buy groups of 4" or so, still reasonable price, still young etc, but at that size quality and color, though not fully developed, is easier to pick for, and not too long to wait for breeding activity. I think Bill's suggestion is a good one re adult color and size is readily apparent, but a decent group can be very expensive.

[Eddie]

Always juveniles, nothing compares to the masterpiece you shaped. All the love, effort and care...is displayed in the adult fish you grew out.


Eddie

[Disgirl]

Always juveniles, nothing compares to the masterpiece you shaped. All the love, effort and care...is displayed in the adult fish you grew out.


Eddie

I couldn't agree more with Eddie! My 12 discus that I bought at 2" or less last Spring are almost full grown now and I am so happy I am the one who did it! Yes, LOTS of work with wc's and feedings of high quality food. But for me it is well worth it all. I am very proud of the discus I raised myself.
Barb:)

[mlov1022]

Would not buy anything less than 3". Tried my luck at 1" size, too much work.

[Billy Vu]

I prefer starting with fish that are at least 4" and up because you have an idea of how they are going to look after they fully mature. Anything smaller than 4" is too much work for me right now, however, if I had the time and money I think it might be fun raising a group of 9-12 frys to adult size.

Cheers,
Billy

[waters10]

Part of the fun in Juvies is to watch and learn while they grow and get a sense of achievement (or failure) when they get big and develop colors and change behaviors. It's cool to see how the pecking order changes as some discus get bigger than others, the whole social dynamics on a grow out tank! But it can be frustrating, depending on your expectations and experience. You just won't be able to get 100% of your juvies to match those amazing pics you see around. That's a fact! If you can set your expectation realistically, you get more attached to the fish you were responsible for during their young age and I think it's much more rewarding!

Go with adults if you want to breed right away or to put in a show planted tank (not saying it's not possible to grow juvies on planted tanks. I'm not opening that can).

[Tito]

Adults!

I can't do juvies - I have a full time job.

Maybe if I'm unemployed again than I can do full time juvie growing.

[Harriett]

The longer I am doing this [and the fussier I become], I now am at the point where I want to only buy 4 week old babies and do the whole nine yards. They are adorable, I like the control, have a set up where water changes for a grow out tank are a snap, etc. I really find I am enjoying starting with the teeny fellers. I grow out more than I want to end up with, sell off what I don't want, recoup a lot of what I spent and it works well for me. I have never been in a position and don't foresee I will be in one, to spend the big bucks on adult fish. THat's just how it rolls for me!
Best regards,
Harriett

[DiscusOnly]

Ok if you were an old discus head from a few years back and were thinking of starting another tank which would you get.Juveniles or adults?

It all depends on your goals and budget.

If the tank you want to start is on the larger size, getting a bunch of smaller discus is a big mistake.

[Yboat]

I always buy juvs, i'm not real worried about rather they are show quality or not. as long as they are healthy and happy, thats all that matters to me.

[Finatic]

I think if I were to do it again, I would save for adults. The extra care and work needed to raise juvies is a lot. Also, the cost of raising juvies is very expensive with all of the feedings and water changes.

My guess is, if you calculated buying juvies, and raising them to 1 year old, and buying 1 year old adults, the adults would be cheaper. Beefheart, bloodworms, quality flakes and anything else you need to feed juvies arent cheap. Probably $30 a month. Over 12 months, thats $360 on food alone compared to probably half that much food for adults. Plus with adults, you can buy nice big round discus and KNOW that you have nice big round discus.

[Jason K.]

juvies do cost more in time and money, but to me their worth their weight in gold in the end.

[ockyra215]

Wow a lot of different opinions.Part of me says go buy a dozen juveniles and grow them llike the lucky guys in the Discus challenge and part of me says buy adults hmmm i should hit the lottery and build a whole fish room:D

[GlennR]

My choice would be to start with a large group of juvies from two complimentry colored strains. I'd buy a few more than the number I want to finish with as adults, to cover possible losses and runts. Say, to fill a 55g I'd start with 7-8 fish, and to fill a 120g I'd get 15 or 16 little ones.

I guess it depends on how many adults you want too. If you only want 4, then buying sub adults would be my choice.

[waters10]

Wow a lot of different opinions.Part of me says go buy a dozen juveniles and grow them llike the lucky guys in the Discus challenge and part of me says buy adults hmmm i should hit the lottery and build a whole fish room:D

So you have been reading the challenge updates? You can get a good idea what you'd go through if you were to raise juvies!

[Discus-Hans]

Raising small Discus is fun, IF you've the time. Funny back in Holland, when breeding, growing, etc. was more a "hobby" business beside my normal day time job, it was all I did. In my top days I had +/- 50 pairs going. In those days I always thought if I've more time, if this is my full time job, if..... if.......

Now it's my full time job, I live most of my time in the fish house and.......... I've no time to grow baby's.............where did this all go wrong, what did I miss????

Growing baby's needs your time, a few days slacking down can make a big difference, it's all what you want at the end of the ride.

I get people who want to buy 20 to 40 x 2.5" to have at the end 6 to 10 nice adults for their planted show tank, please buy the 10 adults and safe yourself the problems/work/disapointments/etc/etc

Just my 2 cents,

Hans

[Scribbles]

For me there is nothing more fun than raising juvies. I love to see them develope into adults. It's alot of work (I call it fun) but well worth it. I'm like that with all of my animals though. When I get compliments on them it is because of my efforts and not someone elses.

Chris

[MSD]

Raising small Discus is fun, IF you've the time. Funny back in Holland, when breeding, growing, etc. was more a "hobby" business beside my normal day time job, it was all I did. In my top days I had +/- 50 pairs going. In those days I always thought if I've more time, if this is my full time job, if..... if.......

Now it's my full time job, I live most of my time in the fish house and.......... I've no time to grow baby's.............where did this all go wrong, what did I miss????

Growing baby's needs your time, a few days slacking down can make a big difference, it's all what you want at the end of the ride.

I get people who want to buy 20 to 40 x 2.5" to have at the end 6 to 10 nice adults for their planted show tank, please buy the 10 adults and safe yourself the problems/work/disappointments/etc/etc

Just my 2 cents,

Hans

Hey Hans, what happened is you mixed business with pleasure, although I know you are talking tongue in cheek.

I've grown out fish and it is fun to see what you get, but if you buy at 2.5" you will get many fish that don't look like you wanted. I buy adult, but like them in the 4" to 5" range so I know what they can be, but still have 8 to 10 months of growth to watch them blossom.

By the way Hans, what was your full time job if I make ask, I bet it was a doozy. :D

[Dkarc@Aol.com]

I like to buy em small as possible. Gives me chances to experiment using various forms of filtration and diets.

-Ryan

[Peachtree Discus]

If you're willing to do the wcs (or alternative method) and you're willing to follow-up with an appropriate grow out "meal plan" then get them small.

But if you are likely to half - donkey (to quote Liz) on meals or water then just get some fully grown adults, then you can breed and try growing their fry out with a goal in mind (they should be same size as parents). Then you'll know how much effort is really involved in a 1-year growout session

[ockyra215]

Well I am not looking for a planted display tank wife would never go for another tank in the living room not after the 125 reef i had slowly leaked unnoticalby and caused the floor to buckle and my daughter who was 1 1/2 at the time decided to throw my wifes cell phone in the sump.Back in the early ninetys when i was really in to the hobby when the internet was in its infantcy and there was a thing called the discus channel I dont know if any of you remember that!but I had a decent size fishroom in my basement I had 5 pairs going and a central system that consisted of 6 29 gallon tanks 3 55 gallon tanks and 1 75 gallon tank it was awesome but as we all know life takes us in different directions and I slowly sold it all off.The other kicker is what strains would i pick but that is another discussion.I like juve's and it is probably what ill pick.I never liked discus in planted tanks I always thought it took away from thier beauty besides discus being a little more difficult it was always easier to control thier enviorment so i had always kept bare bottom tanks with a live african sword plant in a clay pot.:bandana:

[Justice]

I prefer to grow out nickel to quarter size fry.

I feel that there is almost nothing better than the satisfaction of knowing that the beautifully shaped fish that you hopefully end up with are the combined results of the years of quality breeding the breeder you bought them from had put into their strains along with the hard work and efforts that you yourself put into growing them out and watching them grow into beautiful fish both in shape and color and then later seeing them pair off and spawn.

In the long run probably more expensive than just buying adults or pairs from the start but at least IMHO the effort is well worth the satisfaction you get from it if you have the time and patience to spend.

[GlennR]

I don't mean to get off topic, but many folks mention the chance of being "let down" with the looks/quality of juvies when they grow up. Why is this? Years ago I got 7 juvies from Jack Wattley, one jumped out of the tank, but the remaining 6 all grew up beautifully.

Are some strains being offered unstable F2 hybrids or something? Seems if the strain is stable, then most of their offspring would have their traits. If this is so, could somebody list the strains and/or breeders that are dependable?

thanks,

[MSD]

Not without stepping on a lot of toes.....

And a good part of the problem is we buyers not doing all the water changes, proper feeding of the young, and cramming too many in each tank due to money and space restrictions.

[vss]

I don't mean to get off topic, but many folks mention the chance of being "let down" with the looks/quality of juvies when they grow up. Why is this? Years ago I got 7 juvies from Jack Wattley, one jumped out of the tank, but the remaining 6 all grew up beautifully.

Are some strains being offered unstable F2 hybrids or something? Seems if they strain is stable, then most of their offspring would have their traits. If this is so, could somebody list the strains and/or breeders that are dependable?

thanks,


I guess the genetic makeups of some strains offered nowadays are no longer as simple as those classic strains. Like the LSS, it is highly hybrid and it seems almost impossible to purify the line while keeping all the desired traits...it is commonly seen that the appreance of a spawn from a beautiful pair of LSS are very diverse, and only have very few or even no individuals that is comparable to their parents...I heard it takes a lot of chance and many trails and errors to figure out a well-matched pair of LSS that will throw a higher % of high-quality fry...For this types of fish I'd rather buy preadults or even adults. For strains like blue turqs, pigeons, or browns that are usually relatively pure and robust, I think it would be fine to start with very young juvs....

-Xiaofei :)

[William Palumbo]

I personally, IME don't think that EVERY Discus will grow to be huge, just because it's a Discus, and tho it may be fed and WC'ed to death, does not guarantee "jumbo" status. Some Discus for whatever reason, will grow large despite less than optimum treatment. I feel a lot of it has to do with genetics. If a Discus is predisposed to grow huge, given proper care, it will. Look at some of the tribs of the Amazon, where certain strains that reach 7+ inch are the norm...Bill

[ockyra215]

Well I will say that leopard snake skins are an interest for me I would probably buy them as adults.I agree buying more stable strain as juvies is probably what ill do.:D

[diveshooter]

As someone who is still researching keeping Discus this has been a very helpful thread. Its made me look at other factors besides just selfish "I wants".
It has also proven that opinions are like belly buttons...everybody's got one!:D

[Eddie]

When I get compliments on them it is because of my efforts and not someone elses.

Chris

Definitely! Its the reason why I do not put fish in the University section for grading, if I didn't grow it out myself. ;)

Eddie

[tcmemphisbbq]

Ive only been in discus for a bit over a year and am still deciding whether I like juvies or adults, 8 of my first discus were all about 4" sub adults, most are getting close to 6"+ now...I've got 3 3" juvies now to try my hand at growing out, I personally enjoy the wc's and feedings. I vac tank in morning before work when the house is quiet, I feed heavy - maybe stick an extra mals cube on the side, get home feed them all again and in the evening after the kids have went to bed I change 15 gallons, twice a week I change 60% - just a routine now.... ive only had the juvies for a week so will see - but so far I am enjoying them........ they are very active, very much already begging and attack fbw and mals cubes like crazy. Im excited to see how they turn out in a year.

[waters10]

they are very active, very much already begging and attack fbw and mals cubes like crazy. Im excited to see how they turn out in a year.
Apart from the sense of achievement you get from raising the discus, this is the reason to raise juvies! They are so much more active than adults! If what attracted you to discus is their behavior, I think juvies is the way to go.

[GlennR]

Mine were hand fed stips of beef heart and were so tame & used to me that they would swim between my two fingers when I placed them in the water to have their sides rubbed.

Even during parties with a crowd present they knew me and would follow me as I walked past the tank.

Was this bonding with me common, or was it because I'd raised them? I don't recall any of my previous larger Discus being so friendly or being able to recognize me.

[ockyra215]

Well I am pretty sure I am going to get some juvies,I am going to 4 55 gallon tanks soon.:D

[Eddie]

Well I am pretty sure I am going to get some juvies,I am going to 4 55 gallon tanks soon.:D

Sounds good!

All the best

Eddie

[ockyra215]

Thanks Eddie and everyone else for your opinions. Now the next question is what strain ha ha ha.

[GlennR]

Thanks Eddie and everyone else for your opinions. Now the next question is what strain ha ha ha.



You need to find one that matches the fabric of your couch. ;) (artist joke)