It has been 1 year this month with keeping discus pics from then to now

[ZX10R]

I started keeping discus back on December 2009 I began with 8 discus from Rocky Mountain Discus. Out of those 8 only 3 survived do to me not QT some new fish I added a month later. One of those three got stunted from all the meds and I thought for sure these did also. But to my surprise they have been growing ever since then. I am no expert or pro so these are not 6" monsters but they were juvies that I grew out in a 92 gallon corner tank with substrate and they went threw a lot of meds at the start.

Here is my Blue Diamond when I got it at 2"
http://i890.photobucket.com/albums/ac101/sig4s/Discus/BlueDiamond.jpg
And here he is now at 4.5"
http://i890.photobucket.com/albums/ac101/sig4s/Discus/BlueDiamond2.jpg
My Leopard Skin at 2"
http://i890.photobucket.com/albums/ac101/sig4s/Discus/LeopardSkin.jpg
And now at 5.5"
http://i890.photobucket.com/albums/ac101/sig4s/Discus/leopardskin2.jpg

I have to say for what these fish went threw when I first got them and being my first discus I am very proud of myself for how they have turned out.

Sean

[Eddie]

Great job growing them out. I like the BD

[yim11]

You have a lot to be proud of there, great job indeed!

[ZX10R]

Great job growing them out. I like the BD


You have a lot to be proud of there, great job indeed!

Thanks for the comments. I know I haven't always made the right choices for my fish but that is part of the learning process.

[Jennie]

Did a GREAT job! I like that BD too

[ZX10R]

Did a GREAT job! I like that BD too

Thanks Jennie, I just think it is crazy when you look at the first pic to today. Amazing how much they change and get colorful when they are grown up.

[Jennie]

OH yeah, actually I have to look at pics just to make sure my fish is growing!! When you look at them day in, day out it seems like they never grow!

[ZX10R]

OH yeah, actually I have to look at pics just to make sure my fish is growing!! When you look at them day in, day out it seems like they never grow!

Ditto on that

[Second Hand Pat]

Wow, what a difference. I hope to be doing that this time next year.

[ZX10R]

Wow, what a difference. I hope to be doing that this time next year.

I will be looking forward to seeing those pictures

[Second Hand Pat]

Me too. Still waiting on the fry.

[ZX10R]

Me too. Still waiting on the fry.

Well you have 18 months until the NADA show I am sure you can grow some show fish out of those fry.

[Second Hand Pat]

Possible and it's in Ga too. About 8 hours away by car.

[CrazyAngels]

Love that Leopard, great job hanging in there and keeping with it to this point.

[rickztahone]

I wouldn't think those before pic discus would end up the way they look now, great job!

[Elite Aquaria]

Wow...Amazing job. Now imagine what good quality discus would look like under your great care. I agree the BD turned out very nice.

[Jennie]

you will Pat, pics are mandatory here, and I harrass endlessly!
Wow, what a difference. I hope to be doing that this time next year.

[saltydog]

Looks great! It will be a year for me this coming Feb. Always had SW never really had a FW tank until then and planted and discus at that. I think i learned more from my FW tank than i ever did from my SW. Great to see the progress.....
Thanks for sharing!!!

[ZX10R]

Love that Leopard, great job hanging in there and keeping with it to this point.

My Leopard is my favorite also. I have to admit after all the problems I had from the start keeping discus I just about gave up. But I just couldn't quit when I knew the problems I was having were my fault and not the fish themselves.


I wouldn't think those before pic discus would end up the way they look now, great job!

Me either shocking how much they changed. Looking at the first pics I would say those fish are stunted.


Wow...Amazing job. Now imagine what good quality discus would look like under your great care. I agree the BD turned out very nice.

I have learned a lot this last year and one major thing I learned there is a big difference between raising 2" fish compared to raising 4" fish. But if you are willing to do the work early on it pays off in the end.


Looks great! It will be a year for me this coming Feb. Always had SW never really had a FW tank until then and planted and discus at that. I think i learned more from my FW tank than i ever did from my SW. Great to see the progress.....
Thanks for sharing!!!

Thanks, we need to see some one year pics of yours.

[Second Hand Pat]

I know :) still owe you some pictures.


you will Pat, pics are mandatory here, and I harrass endlessly!

[PAR23]

Thanks for the pics. You have every right to be proud. It takes a lot of work and dedication to grow these guys out, I'm in the process myself. Just shows one can never truly know how they will turn out. Nice work.

[ZX10R]

Thanks for the pics. You have every right to be proud. It takes a lot of work and dedication to grow these guys out, I'm in the process myself. Just shows one can never truly know how they will turn out. Nice work.

I wish I would of taken some pics of my other fish when I got them. Just like Jennie said you don't see the change when you are looking at them every day.

[Second Hand Pat]

Sean, when I get the fry I am placing a piece of egg crate with the 1/2 inch squares and take pictures of the fry against that as reference pictures and retake once a week or so to help determine growth rates. When you see a fish day in day out it is really hard to tell if it is growing.

[PAR23]

I wish I would of taken some pics of my other fish when I got them. Just like Jennie said you don't see the change when you are looking at them every day.

True....I believe Eddie posted "the best way to grow out discus is to not watch them grow" LOL:)

[ZX10R]

Sean, when I get the fry I am placing a piece of egg crate with the 1/2 inch squares and take pictures of the fry against that as reference pictures and retake once a week or so to help determine growth rates. When you see a fish day in day out it is really hard to tell if it is growing.

What kind are you getting and how many?


True....I believe Eddie posted "the best way to grow out discus is to not watch them grow" LOL:)

So true but hard not to watch them sometimes

[Second Hand Pat]

Dale's RSG, between 10 to 12 depending on the size.

[ZX10R]

Dale's RSG, between 10 to 12 depending on the size.

Those look great I would love to have some of those. Good luck with them can't wait to see pics.

[DiscusKev]

I'm very impressed with the Blue Diamond, great colours and bright red eyes! The shape is beautiful. You've done a great job.

[Second Hand Pat]

Those look great I would love to have some of those. Good luck with them can't wait to see pics.

Thanks Sean, I looked at a lot of discus before settling on these guys. I honestly think I'm a wilds junky. Originally I was going to order from John but needed a huge amount of RO water to bring the PH into acceptable range for wilds. After talking with Dale about water parameters I still need about 10% RO which is quite doable.

I can hardly wait to see pics too. :cool:

[ZX10R]

Thanks Sean, I looked at a lot of discus before settling on these guys. I honestly think I'm a wilds junky. Originally I was going to order from John but needed a huge amount of RO water to bring the PH into acceptable range for wilds. After talking with Dale about water parameters I still need about 10% RO which is quite doable.

I can hardly wait to see pics too. :cool:

I would love to get some wilds maybe that can be my next project. At first starting off with discus they didn't seem to appealing but now I really want some. I don't know if I would want to do RO or peat moss and give the water that tan look.

[Second Hand Pat]

Yep, I thinking about another project too. I have a stand and canopy in my barn just waiting for a 180 gallon aquarium to come along.

[gerrard00]

Congratulations! You should be proud. I'm only a few months into my first discus adventure and your post was extremely inspiring.

[jball1125]

Wow dude you did a great job. I would have never thought those discus would grow to wha ttow to what they look like today. No better way to show your hard work and dedication? Where you doing daily WC's? What were you feeding? Have they always been with your ray?

[DiscusKev]

you say 3 of 8 survived, so where's the 3rd discus?

[ZX10R]

Congratulations! You should be proud. I'm only a few months into my first discus adventure and your post was extremely inspiring.

Thank you


Wow dude you did a great job. I would have never thought those discus would grow to wha ttow to what they look like today. No better way to show your hard work and dedication? Where you doing daily WC's? What were you feeding? Have they always been with your ray?

Thanks, I changed the water every 2 to 3 days and I feed my fish FBS, FBW, FDBW, and Hans food recipe and yes my discus and ray have always been together since day one.


you say 3 of 8 survived, so where's the 3rd discus?

He is in the tank with these two but he is a stunted leopard so basically he looks like the first pic of the leopard. He maybe has grown a little but not much.

[DiscusKev]

why no pic of it? Im sure it dont look that bad...

[ZX10R]

why no pic of it? Im sure it dont look that bad...

I will get a pic of that one tonight and post it

[ZX10R]

You asked for it so here you go. This is the third fish that survived he is about 3" so I would say he is stunted for sure.
http://i890.photobucket.com/albums/ac101/sig4s/Discus/Price.jpg

[PAR23]

He may be stunted but certainly a trooper. I don't think he looks that bad. Cute little fella.

[DiscusKev]

yea, don't look that bad as you say :)

[YSS]

Your first year discus was a huge success! Congrats! I kept one discus in 55G when I first started. I kept it alive. I thought I did a great job until I discovered simply. :-)

[ZX10R]

He may be stunted but certainly a trooper. I don't think he looks that bad. Cute little fella.

Ya he will fight with the biggest for food he must have a complex


yea, don't look that bad as you say :)

Thanks, he dosen't look bad until he is side by side to my larger fish.


Your first year discus was a huge success! Congrats! I kept one discus in 55G when I first started. I kept it alive. I thought I did a great job until I discovered simply. :-)

I hear you!!!!

[Nismo]

Great job. A lot better than my first year. I just started my 2nd year with a new batch of discus. I've learn a lot in that first year. I have my 1 blue diamond (4.5"+) from 4 months ago and a new batch of 2.5 inch babies. I'd figure I'd start with babies this time around instead 3.5"+ sizes like my first year with discus. This time around I'm aging my water and a 30gallon fish tank underneath the stand. I've been daily water changes since I've gotten my new batch. I used to do it every 3 days.

[lpiasente]

Wow...Amazing job. Now imagine what good quality discus would look like under your great care. I agree the BD turned out very nice.

+1

[foggy]

They have great color, not bared out at all they are happy. Do you still have that subtrate?

[ZX10R]

Great job. A lot better than my first year. I just started my 2nd year with a new batch of discus. I've learn a lot in that first year. I have my 1 blue diamond (4.5"+) from 4 months ago and a new batch of 2.5 inch babies. I'd figure I'd start with babies this time around instead 3.5"+ sizes like my first year with discus. This time around I'm aging my water and a 30gallon fish tank underneath the stand. I've been daily water changes since I've gotten my new batch. I used to do it every 3 days.

Goodluck with the new babies


+1

Thanks


They have great color, not bared out at all they are happy. Do you still have that subtrate?

I still have the substrate in the tank I grew these out in but these guys have been moved to a bigger tank that is BB

[vera]

Great job !!!! love the Blue one !!

[ZX10R]

Great job !!!! love the Blue one !!

Thanks Vera,

I think it is funny everyone likes the blue diamond more I thought my leopard was better looking. But either way I am very happy with them for my first discus growout.

[vera]

My heart is with Blues Sean :)

[DiscusKev]

The blue look the best imo bcos of the nice colour and contrasting red eyes.

[Eddie]

My heart is with Blues Sean :)

Me too. ;)

[R1_Ridah]

Very nice.

[James McGuire]

Nice looking Discus!

What is the one in with the BD in the second picture?

Pat

[Jennie]

Can't say I like one over the other...the Lep and BD are nice looking..again, good job!!

[ZX10R]

Nice looking Discus!

What is the one in with the BD in the second picture?

Pat

I bought some juvie fish from Hans and the one in that pic is either a young Marlboro Red or Pigeon Blood I am not sure.