How do you get them to grow so fast??

[ZX10R]

I have seen on here people putting up pics of there fish when they first get them maybe around 3" fish. Then about 4 to 6 months later they post pics again of the same fish and they are huge maybe 5" to 6" already. How do they do it?:confused:

I have two tanks going in my small tank I do 60% to 90% daily WC and in my bigger tank I do 40% to 60% WC every three days. I do less WC on my big tank because I have a lot of filtration running on it. I feed both tanks 4 times a day.

[DiscusKev]

Its all in the water, with water that is harder, it gives better results in growth. Genetic and food is another factor to consider, some discus may not grow to a giant size as easy as others. Feeding different type of food is important also.

[ZX10R]

First feeding of the day I give them FBW, second feeding they get FBS, third feeding beefheart, then last feeding of the day they get Hans recipe.

[Eddie]

Genetics are also important to realize. Some grow faster than others.

[Altum Nut]

Hi ZX10R,

I agree with Kevin as well, but to add to it.......the most important time frame is the stage from Wigglers to semi adults.
You can have Discus at 3" that are only 3-4 months old and have others at 3" that over 1+ years old. The younger 3-4 month old will have potential to reach it's full size like many are doing on Simply.
Where did you get your Discus from and do you know how old they were????
Others will also offer advise in addition to mine.
Best of Luck,

...Ralph

[DiscusKev]

Hi ZX10R,

I agree with Kevin as well, but to add to it.......the most important time frame is the stage from Wigglers to semi adults.
You can have Discus at 3" that are only 3-4 months old and have others at 3" that over 1+ years old. The younger 3-4 month old will have potential to reach it's full size like many are doing on Simply.
Where did you get your Discus from and do you know how old they were????
Others will also offer advise in addition to mine.
Best of Luck,

...Ralph

haha, true. The most important thing about their growth really depends on their early life (the wriggler to the 3-4month stage); if they weren't fed properly then it is likely that they won't grow big to the 5-6" mark within 12months.

[ZX10R]

K was just wondering why mine were not growing that fast. My biggest one has grown 2" in the last 6 months so I guess they are K then. Just worried maybe I wasn't doing something right that is why they weren't getting any bigger as fast as I have seen others on here.

[ZX10R]

Hi ZX10R,

Where did you get your Discus from and do you know how old they were????

...Ralph

I have 8 discus from Hans, 6 discus from Rocky Mountain discus, and 1 from Somethingsphishy. I have no idea how old they were when I got them didn't think to ask that.

[pcsb23]

mmmm always an interesting topic when water hardness is involved. I wonder why wild discus grow as large as they do when their water is extremely soft? Perhaps the nursery areas have a secret supply of hard water ;)

Clean water and a balanced diet are far more important than hard or harder water will ever be.

Healthy stress free discus will grow to their best when fed at regular intervals dependant on age. Adults really only need be fed once or twice a day through to fry being fed as frequent as possible!

[fishorama]

I don't know if it's true but I always think wild fish are eating whole little fish, bugs, inverts etc & get lots of minerals & other nutrients that way. Plus a little mud or sand must go down the hatch sometimes too, lol.

[Foxfire]

I have 8 discus from Hans, 6 discus from Rocky Mountain discus, and 1 from Somethingsphishy. I have no idea how old they were when I got them didn't think to ask that.
One from somethingsphishy!? How did that happen -the shipping costs are huge for just one fish!

That aside, which of these breeders are getting bigger fastest?

I had recieved ten 2 inch discus and five are growing very fast ( now 3.0 - 3.5 in 4 weeks), three very well (2.5 - 3.0) , one some (close to 2.5), and the last one not at all (2). Since these are all from the same supplier and all other conditions being equal - it has simply come down to amount of food. The top dogs get the lion's share, the smallest just hides and rarely eats beyound scrapes. The others fit in as their size equals ability to get food.

I'll say this for the smallest - his shipping bag leaked and he arreived with only 1/4 inch water that just wet one side. Guess he had some bad issues before starting off in the aquarium.

[Lillee]

haha, true. The most important thing about their growth really depends on their early life (the wriggler to the 3-4month stage); if they weren't fed properly then it is likely that they won't grow big to the 5-6" mark within 12months.


This is very true. Hence why you should start with well cared for and expertly reared fry from a reputable breeder to begin with.

I've seen a local breeder with a extremely large fish, I mean 7-8inches or bigger if you include fins.

Clean water, lots of feeding often.

[jimg]

mmmm always an interesting topic when water hardness is involved. I wonder why wild discus grow as large as they do when their water is extremely soft? Perhaps the nursery areas have a secret supply of hard water ;)

Clean water and a balanced diet are far more important than hard or harder water will ever be.

Healthy stress free discus will grow to their best when fed at regular intervals dependant on age. Adults really only need be fed once or twice a day through to fry being fed as frequent as possible!

+1

[jimg]

I have 8 discus from Hans, 6 discus from Rocky Mountain discus, and 1 from Somethingsphishy. I have no idea how old they were when I got them didn't think to ask that.

HA HA.. I have a 4 year old from somethingsphishy that is still 2" !!!!

[ZX10R]

HA HA.. I have a 4 year old from somethingsphishy that is still 2" !!!!

That is the size of mine guess he won't be growing much then:(

[ZX10R]

One from somethingsphishy!? How did that happen -the shipping costs are huge for just one fish!

I had gotten two from them but one died

[joanr]

Have you de-wormed your juvies yet? Another reason why some fish are not growing to their potential, they are sharing their nutrients with their intestinal residents. If never wormed you might just start with some medicated wormer flake from Angels Plus, also try to feed a garlic flake. It's a natural de-wormer and appetite stimulant.

[ZX10R]

Have you de-wormed your juvies yet? Another reason why some fish are not growing to their potential, they are sharing their nutrients with their intestinal residents. If never wormed you might just start with some medicated wormer flake from Angels Plus, also try to feed a garlic flake. It's a natural de-wormer and appetite stimulant.

I have never given them dewormer food before.

[Eddie]

Practice. ;)

[ZX10R]

Hmmm, learn something new every day.

How often should I feed them the dewormer food and garlic food?

I seen on www.petsolutions.com they have liquid garlic you pour in your tank should I get that are stick with a garlic food?

[DiscusKev]

Pouring that liquid garlic into your tank will make it stink like...thus polluting your tank.

Feeding them the flakes would be more beneficial as that way, you know that they have eaten the dewormer.

Some deworm their fish whenever they need to be wormed or it is done every once in a while (monthly? )

[ZX10R]

Should I get dewormer and garlic flake or is one or the other better to use?

[kaceyo]

Garlic only works as a dewormer if you add it fresh at each feeding. The chemical that repels them dissapates in a very short amount of time so is useless as a dewormer in flakes, pellets, BH mix etc.
I'd use levamisol in the water if they aren't eating or fenbendazole in their food if they are eating.

[ZX10R]

All my fish seem to eat pretty good but one he tends to be picky at times. But I do have all juvies and have never done a deworming. Where can I get fenbendazole?

[Justice]

All my fish seem to eat pretty good but one he tends to be picky at times. But I do have all juvies and have never done a deworming. Where can I get fenbendazole?Angels Plus De-Worker Flake has it already mixed in the Flakes.

[mmorris]

I prefer to use levamisole in the water because then you know that all the fish got a therapeutic dose and no more than the therapeutic dose. I worm only if there are symptoms.

[pcsb23]

Garlic only works as a dewormer if you add it fresh at each feeding. The chemical that repels them dissapates in a very short amount of time so is useless as a dewormer in flakes, pellets, BH mix etc.
I'd use levamisol in the water if they aren't eating or fenbendazole in their food if they are eating.+1 or flubendazole


I prefer to use levamisole in the water because then you know that all the fish got a therapeutic dose and no more than the therapeutic dose. I worm only if there are symptoms.+1 or flubendazole, particularly the symptoms bit :bandana:

[ZX10R]

I ordered Angel Plus deworming flake food yesterday I will get some Levamisol today also. Better to be safe then sorry

[logo]

some discus keepers got nothing to do and feed them all day as a form a hobby..

[mathao]

when i have the time i tend to feed them every 2 hours. they seem to grow pretty fast at that rate of feeding

[Eddie]

some discus keepers got nothing to do and feed them all day as a form a hobby..

Actually autofeeders work well, when people do have things to do.

[joanr]

I ordered Angel Plus deworming flake food yesterday I will get some Levamisol today also. Better to be safe then sorry

Good to have the Levamisol on hand but don't do both at the same time, or I wouldn't. Levamisole is pretty easy to administer but you have to dose it once for a 24hr bath, change the water and then again in three weeks. Doesn't hurt the filter and the fish tolerate the treatment very well. OTOH, the fenben flake is easy to use also but you can never be sure how much each fish is getting so you have to monitor the feedings closely and vacuum away any they haven't eaten after the feeding.

[ZX10R]

Just waiting on my brother to check with some buddies of his on Monster Fish Keeper to make sure all of this is safe to use with my stingray in the tank. Nice having a ray but when it comes to meds can be touch and go on whether it will harm him or not.

[DiscusKev]

Just waiting on my brother to check with some buddies of his on Monster Fish Keeper to make sure all of this is safe to use with my stingray in the tank. Nice having a ray but when it comes to meds can be touch and go on whether it will harm him or not.

Won't it be a better idea to treat them separately in a different tank, off course, if you don't have another tank, thats the issue ;) :p