Young Heckels from Hans...

[Darrell Ward]

Got a small group of young Blue Face Heckels from Hans yesterday. They are eating, all have clear eyes, and are swimming all over the tank. Nice fish. Can't wait until they fully color up! :D

[Darrell Ward]

A couple more...

[William Palumbo]

Hi Darrell...They look VERY nice! A nice group for sure. I dig the blue in the face and on the gill flaps...that looks nice. I can only imagine when they settle in and start growing into their adult coloration, how colorful they will be. Congrats on the group and good luck with them. I see some in my future as well!...Bill

[Alok]

Very nice indeed! I wonder why I find Heckels to be so endearing!

[William Palumbo]

I like them for the obvious 5th stripe, but I also love the wavy horizontal lines, and mostly, that deep maroon/purple background, which makes them blue stripes "pop" It is a backround color that ONLY Heckels have. How many did you get Darrell?...Bill

[acroken]

They are some beautiful Heckels. Looking great in your tank. Good luck with them.

Kenny

[Alok]

Don't mean to hijack your thread Darrell, but is there a slight difference in the shape of heckels (their head or their mouth) too which makes it look so endearing?

[Darrell Ward]

I like them for the obvious 5th stripe, but I also love the wavy horizontal lines, and mostly, that deep maroon/purple background, which makes them blue stripes "pop" It is a backround color that ONLY Heckels have. How many did you get Darrell?...Bill

I got 6 of them Bill. I wanted more, but cash was a little tight. :o

[Darrell Ward]

Don't mean to hijack your thread Darrell, but is there a slight difference in the shape of heckels (their head or their mouth) too which makes it look so endearing?

I don't know, But they definitely don't look like any domestic. :)

[ockyra215]

Awesome Heckles keep us posted on there growth.

[Jstuver]

I got three of these I will have to post some pics as well.

[Eddie]

Awesome looking heckels Darrell! Bet they turn into some STUNNING adults. Can't wait to see them as they color up. Wish I had a tank full myself.

All the best,

Eddie

[GlennR]

Darrell,

Those are real beauties. They're great inspiration to help me stay motivated towards finishing up the construction here. I work a while then during my breaks I visit SD and have a coffee and enjoy the great photos you guys post. Glad to see the sun shining today so I can get things back into high gear. Instead of the donkey needing a carrot to move forward, I need some Discus. :)

That new 6-pack of Heckels you are great.

[rich_one]

Oh... well that was easy to find.

Darrell... wow, dude... those are some nice fish!

-Rich

[Darrell Ward]

Thanks everyone.

[erikc]

Got a small group of young Blue Face Heckels from Hans yesterday. They are eating, all have clear eyes, and are swimming all over the tank. Nice fish. Can't wait until they fully color up! :D

Sorry Darrel missed these ones !

Very, very nice, IMO opinion this is the best way to go with heckels. You will still have them in ten years time and they will be truly stunning fish !

As for the colours, it really is too early to tell but you will have a few real bluefaces in the group from what I see, give it a year and you will know more.

Give them a varied diet (spirulina falkes, ocean one etc. and some worms will do fine) and as often as they can eat. IMO I would never give them BH, because it really isn't part of their diet (but that is just my 2 euro cents).

The wood looks fine but I would add a fine layer of sand to the bottom of the tank, they really do seem more comfortable with it. Just leave them there for six months before moving them about and you will be doing fine !

[Darrell Ward]

Just an update. Seems like they are growing a little. PH 6, temp. 86, eating live blackworms, and homemade mix. Interesting fish. They seem to be able to change colors slightly when they want to. From more blue, to purplish, to more brown. Either that, or I'm going totally crazy!

[dpt8]

Darrel, Nice heckles.. What do you use for lighting on that tank ??? Also what did you use for the background ??

[Darrell Ward]

It's kinda dim. It's a standard 30" fluorescent strip on a 48" tank. They REALLY don't like the 48" strip light, but they don't mind the 30" that puts out less light. The background is just one of those plastic, mylar things in a "rock wall" pattern from the pet store. LOL! It's been on that tank for 5 years or more.

[discusjoe27]

:confused: is it okay, that I'm drooling. hans most of brought those in just for you..

[Eddie]

Killer group Darrell, I'd love to have a young group of heckels to grow out. They look super nice, bright eyed and full finned. Doing an amazing job raising them. Look forward to seeing them develop!

All the best,

Eddie

[erikc]

Just an update. Seems like they are growing a little. PH 6, temp. 86, eating live blackworms, and homemade mix. Interesting fish. They seem to be able to change colors slightly when they want to. From more blue, to purplish, to more brown. Either that, or I'm going totally crazy!

Like your group Darrell. Don't worry, they change coulour very suddenly when they are that young, you will only know in about a years time what coulour they will trully have.

[Heiko Bleher]

Hi,

just a short note and advice:

1. You should give those nice young Heckel discus fine (white) sand. They are used ti and need it.
2. You must (a very important and my sincere advice) feed them at leat 4-times each day with a variety of foods, best some live food, like Daphnia, Mosquitoe larva, blood works, black worms (the latter two also frozen). Don't think they will go easy on dry food, if at all (and what ch close ly as they might take it in their mount the latter but than spit it out...when you do not see it).

This is an advice who colts and kept them for a few decades (only 50 years...).

best regards

Heiko Bleher
You can see on my website Heckel discus biotope aquariums under Bleher's Biotopes.

[vera]

Stunning group !
..and this one ..OMG!!!

can u put tank shot

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=55585&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1273350796

[Darrell Ward]

Here you go vera. Tank is nothing fancy, just a 75 gal. that I use for grow out. I hope to get some more at some point, and put a larger group in a 150 gal. display tank.

[Darrell Ward]

Hi,

just a short note and advice:

1. You should give those nice young Heckel discus fine (white) sand. They are used ti and need it.
2. You must (a very important and my sincere advice) feed them at leat 4-times each day with a variety of foods, best some live food, like Daphnia, Mosquitoe larva, blood works, black worms (the latter two also frozen). Don't think they will go easy on dry food, if at all (and what ch close ly as they might take it in their mount the latter but than spit it out...when you do not see it).

This is an advice who colts and kept them for a few decades (only 50 years...).

best regards

Heiko Bleher
www.aquapress-bleher.com
You can see on my website Heckel discus biotope aquariums under Bleher's Biotopes.

Thanks Heiko. I put some sand in this tank when I set it up, but it raised the PH, which was unacceptable, so I removed it before I added the fish. Still looking for truly inert sand that won't raise the PH. They have been eating close to 1/2 lb. of live black worms per week. They relish live food. :)

[GlennR]

Great fish Darrell.

The whitest sand around here comes from Spruce Pine. I don't know how it affects pH. I'll be going there soon and will try to find out.

[ockyra215]

Hey they look great I need to get some just as soon as i get another tank to set up Ha Ha:DThey look great:D

[Darrell Ward]

Great fish Darrell.

The whitest sand around here comes from Spruce Pine. I don't know how it affects pH. I'll be going there soon and will try to find out.

If it comes from Spruce Pine it may be quartz. When you find out, let me know.
If you need any discus in the near future, let me know. I want to get rid of some domestic adults. 4 or 5 different strains. I'll let them go dirt cheap, maybe even a couple free ones if you get whole groups. I need to free up some tank space without setting up more tanks from the garage. :D

[Apistomaster]

I have tried 3 different groups of Heckels to breed over the years and each time i got some pairs to the point where they were at least cleaning and standing guard over their spawning territory but I have never been able to get them to actually spawn.
I have resigned my earlier hopes of breeding them but I still think they are special even among all the other beautiful wilds available.
What I missed out on in my first two trials was watching them grow to become beautiful adults.
The last attempt i bout 10 of them which were the smallest sized, youngest specimens i personally had ever seen. They were all only 3 to 3-1/4 inches when I received them. So that group was my first time of being able to observe that large of a group and their changing social behaviors over the time it took them to reach their full size. Just that alone was one of the most rewarding wild Discus projects i had experienced with any wild Discus. I was glad i had the chance to experience them through much of the development. Even though I sold them after almost five years I think I learned a lot from the experience; especially how sociable they were compared to S. haraldi and S. aequifasciata. I miss them still but I just had to be honest with myself that I was not ever likely to be among those few who have bred them. Their behaviors changed over time but even by the time i had several pairs which would guard and clean a selected spot on some wood they always remained more peaceful among themselves than what I have seen among the other two species. There are many wild Discus which are more colorful in that startling, eye catching way than Heckels but none seem quite as majestic as as the Heckels.
I think you will form a deep affinity for your group of youngsters as you get to watch their development unfold as I did.
I sure wish one among us does manage to break through whatever barrier there may be that seems to make them so nearly impossible to breed. Best of luck with them and I know you will only appreciate them more as they grow larger and older.
Whenever I hear Discus called the King of the Aquarium fish it is the heckels which come to my mind.

[Apistomaster]

I have tried 3 different groups of Heckels to breed over the years and each time i got some pairs to the point where they were at least cleaning and standing guard over their spawning territory but I have never been able to get them to actually spawn.
I have resigned my earlier hopes of breeding them but I still think they are special even among all the other beautiful wilds available.
What I missed out on in my first two trials was watching them grow to become beautiful adults.
The last attempt i bout 10 of them which were the smallest sized, youngest specimens i personally had ever seen. They were all only 3 to 3-1/4 inches when I received them. So that group was my first time of being able to observe that large of a group and their changing social behaviors over the time it took them to reach their full size. Just that alone was one of the most rewarding wild Discus projects i had experienced with any wild Discus. I was glad i had the chance to experience them through much of the development. Even though I sold them after almost five years I think I learned a lot from the experience; especially how sociable they were compared to S. haraldi and S. aequifasciata. I miss them still but I just had to be honest with myself that I was not ever likely to be among those few who have bred them. Their behaviors changed over time but even by the time i had several pairs which would guard and clean a selected spot on some wood they always remained more peaceful among themselves than what I have seen among the other two species. There are many wild Discus which are more colorful in that startling, eye catching way than Heckels but none seem quite as majestic as as the Heckels.
I think you will form a deep affinity for your group of youngsters as you get to watch their development unfold as I did.
I sure wish one among us does manage to break through whatever barrier there may be that seems to make them so nearly impossible to breed. Best of luck with them and I know you will only appreciate them more as they grow larger and older.
Whenever I hear Discus called the King of the Aquarium fish it is the Heckels which come to my mind.

[Darrell Ward]

They definitely behave differently than other discus. I like to say "they have their own style". It's part of what makes them special. I'm not going to hold my breath about breeding them, but hey, a person never knows what they might stumble across.

[erikc]

They definitely behave differently than other discus. I like to say "they have their own style". It's part of what makes them special. I'm not going to hold my breath about breeding them, but hey, a person never knows what they might stumble across.

They trully are apart from other discus and that makes them so interesting to observe and care for. I always have kept heckels for that reason.