PB vs Red Turq's

[Ichy]

Hello ,
New to the forum, on my second attempt at Discus now.
I recently purchased 3 pigeons bloods , and 3 red turquoise. So far all seems to be going well. I ahve noticed that the pigeons seem to be eating FAR better than the red turq's . Is this normal for the pigeons to be more aggressive eaters? I have been feeding a flake mix form bulk flkae i get thru Kens' , and some NLS pellets. Tonight i dropped in some frozen blood worms after a regular feeding , to try to fatten up the red turq's a bit. Anyone out there that can fill me in a bit on the differances between strains , I'd be greatful . I hope to add 3 to 5 more fish to the colony, in hopes of endeing up with at least one pair
Thanks
Tim

[Eddie]

Hey there Tim! Welcome to Simply. PBs are aggressive eaters and I do find them to be extremely hardier than most types. Thats just in my experience.

Hope you find the forum useful!

Eddie

[Mark.arguelles]

Hey Tim,

I'm new to discus also, and I'm experiencing kind of the same thing. I have some pigeons and albino pearl diamonds that eat very aggressively and some white butterflies that seem to only eat what is left over. I know they are eating though, because I will see them scour the bottom of the tank getting food. As long as they are pooping and look and act healthy, I'm fine with that. I'll try to put a bit more food in there some times to ensure they get their share. Just make sure to keep up with the water changes if you feed extra.

[Ichy]

Ok good to know. I jsut hope the red turqs end up getting enough.
Also what are some fo the other good eater strains?
I was thinking of adding some more fish , like a few more blue diamonds etc or what ever strikes my fancy at the LFS
Thanks
Tim

[Eddie]

Hey Tim,

I'm new to discus also, and I'm experiencing kind of the same thing. I have some pigeons and albino pearl diamonds that eat very aggressively and some white butterflies that seem to only eat what is left over. I know they are eating though, because I will see them scour the bottom of the tank getting food. As long as they are pooping and look and act healthy, I'm fine with that. I'll try to put a bit more food in there some times to ensure they get their share. Just make sure to keep up with the water changes if you feed extra.


White Butterfly are pigeon bloods. :o

[golden29]

I have had many strains over the years but I agree with the thought that PB's seem hardier. I have what some people consider to be some of the ugliest peppered PB's around. Let me tell you something though. They may be ugly but they sure last a long time. My very first discus was a PB and he has lasted all down through the ages and is still as strong as ever. They never stop eating. All the other colored strains I have had never could equal the health of my PB's. In fact a few years ago something made my discus sick. Who was still around a few weeks later. You guessed it the PB's. Must be in the genes somewhere.

[mmorris]

Turqs are tough and, if healthy, do not miss their fair share. Did you get all six fish at the same time, same place? Why do you think the turqs may not be getting enough? Are you feeding enough? Is the food ending up in areas dominated and protected by the pb's? Or are they not particularly interested in chasing down food?

[Ichy]

All the fish came frmo the same source ( Discus Hans / Stendker ). The pigeons show sings of being FAT , whiel the Red turq's are not as evident. I don't think the red turqs are not getting their share so much as i inthk the pigeons are HOGS with fins . The pigeons will be aggressively searching the bottom for food , while the red turqs only peck here and there. Keep in mind these fish are new purchases and still adjsuting to their new home . I went back to the LFS i boguh t them from today and asked to see the whole tank eat again. I noticed the same behavior, the pigeons go nuts the blue diamonds seem highly interested in finding as much as possible , the red turqs sorta tke a bite here take a bite there .
I can not say enough about how great these fish are compared to most discus I have seen at LFS's. I even ran a store for a while with a frined , and the stuff we saw come thru from distributors , and local wholesalers was extemely disapointing compared to these . While i am no expert on judging show fish , i have kept aquaria for over 25 years now , and these discus are the nicest ones i have seen for sale at a LFS . Now if I can jsut keep up with the water changes etc ,
Thanks for the replies everyone. I am not a fish rookie but i sure am unsure about all the genetics and behaviors of discus strains. I might even try a few wild types if these work out. That is IF i can find some wild types that are a generation or three into being tank raised.
Thanks aagin
Tim

[Skip]

my PB like to eat.. the blue diamonds eat also.. so i spread the food around.. i put some food in one spot and PB are first to the table.. then the blues join in.. they all seem to be getting food.. but it is funny to watch.. : )

[Ichy]

Well I picked up a few more , got blue diamonds . Now they are all out and about and everyones even eating a little better. The PB and BD are far mroe aggressive about feeding though .
Thanks
Tim

[Willie]

Well I picked up a few more , got blue diamonds . Now they are all out and about and everyones even eating a little better. The PB and BD are far mroe aggressive about feeding though .
Thanks
Tim

I'm concerned that you are not observing quarantine. It's a recipe for disaster.

Willie

[Ichy]

I'm concerned that you are not observing quarantine. It's a recipe for disaster.


How so? I don't understand what you are saying


Thanks
Tim

[Willie]

Sorry to be vague, Tim. New discus should be kept in a quarantine tank for six weeks of observation. As I read the thread, that doesn't seem to be happening. BD's are going in with PB's and RT's. Putting new discus right into your tank with other discus risks disaster. I hope you're not doing that.

Willie

[LizStreithorst]

Normally I'd agree but since all these fish are Stendkers I don't think he has to worry.

[Ichy]

OH ok I see what you mean now .



All of these fish are from the same tank at the LFS . All the fish that are in the LFS tank are from the same source . I have only had the first group one week , I do not feel there should be any harm in adding more fish from the same source in such a short time span .

Am I incorrect?

I had thought since they were all tank bred and raised , from a reputable source , and together when i picked them out i could add to the group over a week or two with little to no risk.


Liz I think you are on the same page as me about this.


I really don't want to start off wrong on these guys . Like I wrote earlier these are some really great fish .

Thank you for your replies

Tim

[LizStreithorst]

Oh. I didn't realize that they were from a LFS. Were they on a central system? You're taking a chance. Hopefully it will work out and you won't have prolems.


All of these fish are from the same tank at the LFS . All the fish that are in the LFS tank are from the same source . I have only had the first group one week , I do not feel there should be any harm in adding more fish from the same source in such a short time span.

[Ichy]

Sponger filtered , seperate tank .( All of their FW tanks are run by sponge and seperate )

This particular store actually has some tanks set aside just for the fish they get in from HANS, and only fish from HANS. So pretty much all I have done is take fish that had been together in the smae water and moved them .
So are you saying that buying the fish from a LFS is taking a chance ONLY if they were on a central system?

Apparently I have alot to learn .
I bought healthy appearing fish that were all housed together . I bought all of them from the same source , which also purchased all the fish from the same source . I bought them over a two week period , and have housed them together. And I still goofed ......any other fish I have ever dealt with this would not be an issue .
I'll catch on eventually ...I am just far more used to Central American cichlids , and Goodeids. With those fish you can easily add a few more a week later .
Well wish me luck , as it's too late now . I hope they all make it . IF they do and I actually move on to more Discus , I'll be more careful in the future.( I really would like to try smoe albinos , albino blue diamonds, snowflakes, and some wild types IF I can keep these ones I have now alive)

Thank you all again .... a little help/ guidance is exactly what I hoped to get from signing up on this site

Tim

[Ichy]

Ok now I have another question,
The same store also has som e "white" discus in. I have passed on adding them as they came from another source , and were housed in a seperate tank. If I wanted to add some to my group a few months down the road , what would be the best procedure? At some point ( hopefully by November) I will have a 110 gallon tank moved in frm the garage and the current discus I have will go in it. Willie mentioned a 6 week Q. Will that be enough time if I were to purchase from a new source? Should I try to only buy fish about the same size as the ones they will be kept with? More importantly would 10-11 adult discus do fine in a 110 gallon tank ?
Thanks again
Tim

[Willie]

I've always felt that the most important tanks in the fish room were the quarantine and sick tank. I keep two of these empty at all times. New fish come into quarantine for six weeks and I can watch for any sign of disease. The sick tank is a 20H I leave empty to treat disease. I'm sure many people on this site do something very similar.

In most cases, it's best to buy large groups of fish at the same time rather than piecemeal it. I buy lots of fish from many sponsors here and every lot is quarantined full term. IMO, discus with very different sizes do not do well together. The smaller ones seldom grow well, so I keep everyone roughly the same size in the same tank.

Adult discus will do fine in a 100 gal tank. Juveniles and young fish do much better when they're slightly crowded. They're much more comfortable together and they have an easier time of finding food. I had a 125 with 2.5" discus, but there were 30 of them together. As they grow, I cull heavily and have 15 4" discus in there now.

Willie

[LizStreithorst]

If you had bought directly from Stendker (which is impossible) I would say that there was no risk whatsoever. Look up how they run their facility. If you bought from Hans I would say that there was very little risk. You bought from a LFS. The risk is much greater. Your LFS appears to do an excellent job. But their can be contamination from pathogens that the Discus have never been exposed to. These can come form WC equipment, incorrectly sterilized nets, fingers in tanks, and even be airborne.

You will likely be lucky with your fish. If it turns out that you're unlucky you can come here for advice.

I absoutely NOT buy the white fish from another source unless you were perpared to do strict QT. The white fish is most likely from Asia. You're already pushing your luck.

I love my LFS. Since we are friendly they have shown me some of the bad stuff that sometimes happens to the fish in their shop and have asked my advice on how to treat. I love them and have sold fish to them, but I'd never buy a fish there. The small risk is simply too great.

[Ichy]

UPDATE
Well , now everyones getting fat bellies . They seem to be trading who gets to eat the most each feeding. I am guessing that dominance has not been settled amongst this group. The one that was nipping at all the others one day , is the one thats getting chased away another. I can not believe how much these small mouth small stomached fish EAT! No wonder the water changes are so large and frequent. They are messier eaters than I was expecting
Thanks again everyone
Tim