Slow Fry/Juvi Discus Growth..

[Skip]

there is another thread on the number of times to feed..

but Ok.. i have been wondering this.. i have seen posts about OPTIMAL GROWTH>> WC/BH/TANK SPACE.. yadda yadda yadda..

but at what point do you affect the growth of your discus.. or can you>?? if i miss a feeding, or two.. or maybe they don't eat for the day.. will that all of a sudden prevent them from growing out...??

what if you miss a wc?

i guess i am kind of like thinking about this as if you were cooking something..
like if you have the fire too high.. or too low.. not enough salt TOO MUCH salt, or forget the salt.. TOO MUCH GARLIC.. .. then the recipe is ruined and you have to start over.. can you stunt a WHOLE BATCH OF FRY/JUVIES?

did this make sense?

BUELLER?! BUELLER?! BUELLER?! BUELLER?!
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[Kingdom Come Discus]

I don't think missing a day every so often would hurt much, in fact some experts think it is healthy to fast them a day. Gabe from Wattley told me awhile back he does't feed on Sundays.

[pcsb23]

imo there is a difference between OPTIMAL growth and MAXIMUM growth rates.

If by occasional you mean one or two a week then missing the odd feeding won't cause any major probs in achieving either. Mine don't get fed on Wednesdays, and if I have fry on the go and my wife is out that day then they don't get fed either until I get home (8pm or later) so ...

As for water changes, provided you do enough to maintain good water quality and have a strong bio filter then it won't cause too many issues. Just do the best you can with the available time, it's what I do :o

[Skip]

do some strains grow at different rates Yes?

i have
Brilliant Turq, Leopard Snake Skins & Falchen x Snake Skins...

the BT.. overall seem smaller then the others.. they were all about 1" or little less..

maybe a better question.. is when do you see the largest growth.. from less then 1" to 1"
1" to 2" etc?

i have never grown little guys out before.. i'm just wondering about the differences i am seeing..

also. i have one tank that GOOBLES all the food up and the second.. not so much.. i am actually thinking about mixing a few of the fish.. between the two tanks.. maybe it will encourge more eating.. idk.. i was just thinking outloud in a written format. : ))

[Eddie]

Yes, different strains do tend to develop faster/slower but in any group of fish, there will be growth differences. You will see more substantial growth (inch a month) from hatch to about 3" and then the growth rate will start to slow down until it reaches adult size. Some folks can still get an inch a month from 3"-4".

Eddie

[William Palumbo]

+1 what Eddie said...I would not mix your two tanks of fish. There may be a problem with the one tank that's not eating as aggressively as the other tank. Then there may be not. Why take a chance?...Bill

[Skip]

so i shouldn't think that i ruined the growth of my fish.. just keep water clean and keep feeding them a variety diet..

i will probably separate some of them into a larger tank.. to give them some more room to grow out.

[Eddie]

so i shouldn't think that i ruined the growth of my fish.. just keep water clean and keep feeding them a variety diet..

i will probably separate some of them into a larger tank.. to give them some more room to grow out.

That depends, have you had any juvies/fry staying the same size for about a month?

[Skip]

there are a few that seem to have stayed kind of smaller then the others... while a few others have taken off... this is my first batch to grow out.. thats why i was wondering about growth rates and sizes..

i hope your seafood mix will fill them out! : ))

[Eddie]

there are a few that seem to have stayed kind of smaller then the others... while a few others have taken off... this is my first batch to grow out.. thats why i was wondering about growth rates and sizes..

i hope your seafood mix will fill them out! : ))

If you are giving them all the same conditions with regard to diet and water then it may be genetics. Just like in men, not all fish are created equal.

[Skip]

I am learning the benefits of buying LARGER fish.. rather then growing out! : )

[Eddie]

I am learning the benefits of buying LARGER fish.. rather then growing out! : )


Yeah, I always advise first timers to roll with 3" or larger to start.

[Skip]

Yeah, I always advise first timers to roll with 3" or larger to start.

i see lots of newbies.. coming in here and thinking the same thing i was!! LOL and THEY TOO will learn.. later.. LOL

[Dudley Eirich]

I've never had a big fishroom, but I have grown out all of my fish over the years (about 40+ fish), starting from 1-2 inch size. I have usually been able to get them to grow to the 6-7in (TL) range, but generally one or two out of a batch of 6-8 don't grow as fast as the others. They seem to be either sickly, or are just somewhat picky eaters. Usually I find one or two out of a batch that grow much faster than others. Often times those faster-growers tend to stop growing first (reach maturity), and the others tend to catch up to them at some later point. In general, if they don't get sick for a prolonged time and they eat well and often (4-6 times a day), you can grow them out just fine and you will end up with reasonably sized fish that you can be proud of. However, my experience with a variety of strains is very limited and I suspect that (as other members have posted) certain strains or crosses will be slower-growing than others. As more and more strains are developed and in-breeding takes place, genetics will play a bigger role in the rate of growth and maximal size that certain strains will attain.

[Nismo]

I've never had a big fishroom, but I have grown out all of my fish over the years (about 40+ fish), starting from 1-2 inch size. I have usually been able to get them to grow to the 6-7in (TL) range, but generally one or two out of a batch of 6-8 don't grow as fast as the others. They seem to be either sickly, or are just somewhat picky eaters. Usually I find one or two out of a batch that grow much faster than others. Often times those faster-growers tend to stop growing first (reach maturity), and the others tend to catch up to them at some later point. In general, if they don't get sick for a prolonged time and they eat well and often (4-6 times a day), you can grow them out just fine and you will end up with reasonably sized fish that you can be proud of. However, my experience with a variety of strains is very limited and I suspect that (as other members have posted) certain strains or crosses will be slower-growing than others. As more and more strains are developed and in-breeding takes place, genetics will play a bigger role in the rate of growth and maximal size that certain strains will attain.


Thats great to hear and I'll keep that in mind while growing mine out.