Chad Hughes
06-03-2010, 09:20 PM
Well, it’s been real, it’s been fun……but it’s over. I can hardly believe it’s been a year already. It’s bitter sweet that I bring my contest experience to a close. To date, I’ve created 31 threads specifically for this contest. These threads generated over 855 posts and gathered over 28,781 views. I am very pleased to see how many read about my water management methods. There were 3,692 views of this thread alone. This was an excellent opportunity for all of the contestants to show their skills, share their experiences and learn as well as teach. I must say that I have learned many things about discus care through each and every contestant that participated and for that I am grateful! Thank you!
My experience with this group of discus has been a dream! From day one, these 6 have been extremely healthy and have grown by leaps and bounds. Good stock is an understatement in regards to this group. Their health, color, patterns and shape are fantastic and I am proud to be an owner of these beautiful fish.
As many of you know my methods of raising these beauties has been a bit unconventional. I began the contest raising these six in a 110 gallon moderately planted tank. Meeting the criteria for both plants and discus can be a daunting experience but, once you’ve got it down, discus and plants go hand in hand! My water changes were performed every 7 to 10 days (some were delayed further) with San Diego tap water. Filtration was a little more advanced. I used a Fluval 405 as my main filter and supplemented that with a wet/dry sump system. Ozone was employed in this tank to ensure the absolute best water conditions between water changes. To keep the plants stable and growing, electronically controlled CO2 and dry fertilizers were used. This group grew in this system until March 11, 2010 when they were moved to my hatchery. At that point the fish were moved to a 60 gallon BB tank attached to a 650 gallon central system. They seem to still be putting on size and still demonstrate excellent appetites and behavior.
The diet of these fish has remained relatively consistent, feeding 3 to 5 times daily. In the beginning I was using an automatic feeder that fed Tetra Colorbits at 12 noon daily. I soon noticed that the fish were starting to look like the cast of Jersey Shore. They were extremely orange and began to lose their “golden” appearance. I really wanted the fish to show their true color, so I discontinued the use of the Colorbits. Their diet was reduced to my own beef heart blend and blood worms. This continued until their move to the hatchery where I introduced them to California Black Worms. Once they got a taste of those, there was no looking back. Their diet now consists of my beef heart blend, FBW and CBW. The FBW gets eaten, but not nearly as quickly as live foods. They have a new favorite now. Today they receive 2 to 3 feedings daily alternating between BH, CBW and FBW.
Were the fish medicated? Only twice that I know of. I do recall Al stating that he gave them a round of Prazi while they were in his care. While in my care they received one round of Vermisol just for good measure while in QT when they were moved to their new BB tank. No other chemicals were utilized in their rearing.
So, a little time line……
5/21/2009: Day 1. Fish arrive safely in San Diego at 3” TL
6/19/2009: Week 4. 1” of growth in a month, 4” TL.
7/14/2009: Week 8. ½” of growth in a month, 4.5” TL.
9/01/2009: Week 14. Nearly 1.5” of growth in 6 weeks, 5.4” TL.
11/28/2009: Week 25. First spawn in the contest! Woohooo!
2/03/2010: Week 37. Still growing. 6” TL.
3/11/2010: Week 42. Fish moved to BB central system tank.
6/03/2010: Week 54. Contest Complete. Final Measurement 6 7/16” TL
If I could do it all over again….. I don’t think I would do anything differently. Personally I am very pleased with the outcome of this group. I was able to provide what I felt was excellent care with minimal effort. I feel that should be the goal of any hobby. Enjoyment!
Lastly, but not least, I’d like to express my appreciation to all of those that made this experience possible!
Al, you have got to be one of the most dedicated, hardworking and knowledgeable hobbyists that I (virtually) know. Your devotion to the forum and all its members shows not only through this contest, but through your daily interaction with all of us on the forum. Thank you Al!
Kenny & Forrest, you guys are the best! Your eye for quality, healthy stock is truly a benchmark in our hobby. Your generosity to the forum and this contest is truly admirable. It’s folks like you that make great things like this contest possible. Thank you for your support, the fantastic contest stock, and your friendship!
The contestants! You guys and gals have really made this contest a true challenge! Through all your threads over 4000 posts have been generated on the Simply Discus Forum. That is amazing! Great work everyone! I’m proud to have been one of you and I look forward to seeing the final lineup of fantastic contest discus!
Barb Newell. This contest was in memorial of Barb. I didn’t know her, but I’ve become familiar with what a great person she was through this forum. For those of you who don’t know Barb and would like to have an idea of who she was, I encourage you to read her threads (http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forumdisplay.php?f=56). Rest in peace Barb! You left some big shoes to fill.
Best wishes to all!
P.S. I will not submit my largest fish for judgement nor will I use any of the attached photos for this contest.
My experience with this group of discus has been a dream! From day one, these 6 have been extremely healthy and have grown by leaps and bounds. Good stock is an understatement in regards to this group. Their health, color, patterns and shape are fantastic and I am proud to be an owner of these beautiful fish.
As many of you know my methods of raising these beauties has been a bit unconventional. I began the contest raising these six in a 110 gallon moderately planted tank. Meeting the criteria for both plants and discus can be a daunting experience but, once you’ve got it down, discus and plants go hand in hand! My water changes were performed every 7 to 10 days (some were delayed further) with San Diego tap water. Filtration was a little more advanced. I used a Fluval 405 as my main filter and supplemented that with a wet/dry sump system. Ozone was employed in this tank to ensure the absolute best water conditions between water changes. To keep the plants stable and growing, electronically controlled CO2 and dry fertilizers were used. This group grew in this system until March 11, 2010 when they were moved to my hatchery. At that point the fish were moved to a 60 gallon BB tank attached to a 650 gallon central system. They seem to still be putting on size and still demonstrate excellent appetites and behavior.
The diet of these fish has remained relatively consistent, feeding 3 to 5 times daily. In the beginning I was using an automatic feeder that fed Tetra Colorbits at 12 noon daily. I soon noticed that the fish were starting to look like the cast of Jersey Shore. They were extremely orange and began to lose their “golden” appearance. I really wanted the fish to show their true color, so I discontinued the use of the Colorbits. Their diet was reduced to my own beef heart blend and blood worms. This continued until their move to the hatchery where I introduced them to California Black Worms. Once they got a taste of those, there was no looking back. Their diet now consists of my beef heart blend, FBW and CBW. The FBW gets eaten, but not nearly as quickly as live foods. They have a new favorite now. Today they receive 2 to 3 feedings daily alternating between BH, CBW and FBW.
Were the fish medicated? Only twice that I know of. I do recall Al stating that he gave them a round of Prazi while they were in his care. While in my care they received one round of Vermisol just for good measure while in QT when they were moved to their new BB tank. No other chemicals were utilized in their rearing.
So, a little time line……
5/21/2009: Day 1. Fish arrive safely in San Diego at 3” TL
6/19/2009: Week 4. 1” of growth in a month, 4” TL.
7/14/2009: Week 8. ½” of growth in a month, 4.5” TL.
9/01/2009: Week 14. Nearly 1.5” of growth in 6 weeks, 5.4” TL.
11/28/2009: Week 25. First spawn in the contest! Woohooo!
2/03/2010: Week 37. Still growing. 6” TL.
3/11/2010: Week 42. Fish moved to BB central system tank.
6/03/2010: Week 54. Contest Complete. Final Measurement 6 7/16” TL
If I could do it all over again….. I don’t think I would do anything differently. Personally I am very pleased with the outcome of this group. I was able to provide what I felt was excellent care with minimal effort. I feel that should be the goal of any hobby. Enjoyment!
Lastly, but not least, I’d like to express my appreciation to all of those that made this experience possible!
Al, you have got to be one of the most dedicated, hardworking and knowledgeable hobbyists that I (virtually) know. Your devotion to the forum and all its members shows not only through this contest, but through your daily interaction with all of us on the forum. Thank you Al!
Kenny & Forrest, you guys are the best! Your eye for quality, healthy stock is truly a benchmark in our hobby. Your generosity to the forum and this contest is truly admirable. It’s folks like you that make great things like this contest possible. Thank you for your support, the fantastic contest stock, and your friendship!
The contestants! You guys and gals have really made this contest a true challenge! Through all your threads over 4000 posts have been generated on the Simply Discus Forum. That is amazing! Great work everyone! I’m proud to have been one of you and I look forward to seeing the final lineup of fantastic contest discus!
Barb Newell. This contest was in memorial of Barb. I didn’t know her, but I’ve become familiar with what a great person she was through this forum. For those of you who don’t know Barb and would like to have an idea of who she was, I encourage you to read her threads (http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forumdisplay.php?f=56). Rest in peace Barb! You left some big shoes to fill.
Best wishes to all!
P.S. I will not submit my largest fish for judgement nor will I use any of the attached photos for this contest.