Can i put different type of discus

[gabloo]

Hey guys,

I am about buy 6 baby discus from my local breeder. Got a few question before i do that.

1. How do i tell they are female or male?
2. Can i put different type (color) discus? (Hofully i can breed them in the futur).

Is there any other things i should awake of?

[Nikkitine]

1. You can't tell the sex of discus until they are mature, even then it's sometimes hard to tell until they are actually ready to spawn. But if you're starting with 6, I'm sure you'll end up with a pair or 2 in the future

2. Mix and Match away!

If you're starting off with baby discus, you'll need to make sure to feed them very often with a good diet and keep their water super clean in a well established tank. Going bare bottom is the way to go so that you can siphon out all the waste each day. You must to big water changes each day to get them growing out to a healthy size.

[discuspaul]

Good advice from Nikkitine !
Good luck - call on me if you need any help, gabloo.

[gabloo]

Hey paul! :P

Nikkit - What does Mix and Match away really mean? away from Mix and Match or its way to go?

Just bought 6 different color babies. They are in my 10 g tank for now, i will leave them there for couple days to make sure they are healthy.

[ericatdallas]

Well, you can mix-and-match away because they'll get along just fine, but be careful about how you breed them... the offspring aren't always desirable to the mass market. That's not to say no one will want them... for instance, a PB and a non-PB have highly peppered offspring...

[Nikkitine]

Hey paul! :P

Nikkit - What does Mix and Match away really mean? away from Mix and Match or its way to go?

Just bought 6 different color babies. They are in my 10 g tank for now, i will leave them there for couple days to make sure they are healthy.


I mean go for it and mix! Let's see some pics of your babies!

[gabloo]

getting 5 more posts to upload image.

[gabloo]

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[gabloo]

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[gabloo]

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[gabloo]

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[gabloo]

I think i found a problem, the tank that i bought has already painted black background and seem like it will make discus pepper? I can't take the pain out so what are my option?

Here it is. Can you guys please identify what type of these fish are? They are very pretty and I love them!!!

1.
http://s2.postimage.org/tc4ybvalo/P1020259.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/z9gleois/full/)
image uploading (http://www.postimage.org/)
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http://s4.postimage.org/n0fmx2djo/P1020276.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/1qs0m7wv8/full/)
image host (http://www.postimage.org/)
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http://s3.postimage.org/jh272n6y7/P1020277.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/1r0ihlt1g/full/)
image uploading (http://www.postimage.org/)
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http://s3.postimage.org/xni2whjbh/P1020263.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/1r0ng7uis/full/)
image upload (http://www.postimage.org/)
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http://s4.postimage.org/xn9pzpon5/P1020273.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/1qsajfztw/full/)
hosting images (http://www.postimage.org/)
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http://s2.postimage.org/pso2j6e7c/P1020281.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/zeiiiuuc/full/)
free image hosting (http://www.postimage.org/)

[Nikkitine]

Could I ask where you got these fish from? I ask because they show some deformity and symptoms of stress. I'm not a Discus genius or anything close but image 2 especially shows Hole-in-the-head disease I believe. Can someone confirm?

[gabloo]

I got it off a local breeder or seller. This guy http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/for/2397058339.html. I noticed from the day I got them, they got a bunch of holes in the head. I thought it was nature since all of them got them :(. What do i do?

[Nikkitine]

Eek, no, holes in the head are not normal! It's a sure sign of bad water quality and stress on the breeders part. If you can, call them and tell them the problem and see if you can return the fish for a refund but I know a lot of sellers don't do that if you've already put them in your tank. If not, you can try your best to treat it but I'm no expert so it would be best to fill out this form: http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?38545-Disease-Questionnaire-please-completeand then post it inside the Disease section of this forum. People here are very helpful and will do their best to guide you through treatment. The best of luck to you!


Edit: I noticed you were from the SF area. If you ever need to look for high quality and healthy discus in the future, you should try Kenny's Discus (http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forumdisplay.php?119-Kenny-s-Discus-%28Kenny-Cheung%29-Daly-City-California). He's located in Daly City. I just recently got mine from him and they are superb!

[Skip]

OMG! yes.. Hole in the Head.. no bueno!!

call the breeder and tell him you want it replaced!

[gabloo]

I sent email to the guy who sold it to me, hofully he can either exchange or refund my fish. Is there any other symptoms that you have noticed?

[Skip]

HITH is bad enough..

did you choose those fish?!
here is something to read to help you select fish next time..
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?33300-Selecting-Discus
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?46982-What-not-to-buy

[Nikkitine]

Seems like he did choose them himself and I wouldn't recommend an exchange if they were in the same tank as all the others. It's most likely all of the breeders fish are sick. I would just try my hardest to get a refund, even if it's for less for what you paid for because it would take more time and money to try and treat an already sick baby fish.

[gabloo]

Ya i chose them myself :(. The guy who sold me ask me to bring them in tomrrow, I will try to get refund even if i lose some money. If everything goes will, i will contact Ken and probably pickup a few baby from them.

Good thing i posted some pictures, otherwise i will never noticed. Big thanks Nikkitine.

[Skip]

well, if you can get refund.. even better..

but go over those threads of what to buy and NOT buy .. it will be a big help.. or look at KENNYS fish previews for fish TO BUY! :)

[gabloo]

The guy who sold it to me said, if my discus have HITH, they will not eat? I just fed my discus with forzen blood worm and they are eatting like a pig. I am trying to get more information about HITH so that i can prove him its HITH.

[Skip]

Picture NUMBER 2, is proof enough!

[Nikkitine]

As Warlock said, Picture #2 is the very proof you need. Email him that photo and if he has any type of respect for himself as a discus breeder, will automatically be able to tell that its HITH and issue you a refund. The seller obviously is lying to you about HITH causing loss of appetite. HITH often isn't fatal and fish can act just fine with it but if left untreated can lead to secondary diseases and infections, not to mention leaving permanent scars on the fish. Get that refund ASAP!

[gabloo]

Got it. I will send him the picture. I bought 3 2" discus this morning and they are in the same tank. Should I move them to another tank? Will HITH transfer to my other discus?

[Nikkitine]

It's caused by poor water quality and/or poor diet so even if it's not directly contagious, chances of your other fish from the same breeder getting it or might have it already are pretty high. You should also be quarantining your fish for a few weeks before adding any new fish either way so I say to put all of them in quarantine and remove the ones from the breeder that you are planning to return.

[gabloo]

I bought 3 other small discus from different breeder. They look very healthy tho.

[Skip]

I bought 3 other small discus from different breeder. They look very healthy tho.

did you mix the fish!?

[gabloo]

did you mix the fish!?

Yes I did? Why? Did i do something wrong agian?

I talked to my breeder, he refunded 5 fishs that have sign of HITH and i kept the other one. He said he will treat them and want me to come back in 2 weeks. I will see whether he can really cure it or not. Any thought or comment?

[Skip]

mix fish from different sources and expose fish to nasties, that they are immune too but other other fish may not be.. it is not good practice..

the holes don't go away.. it mostly caused by poor water quality..

[gabloo]

O dan, I have 3 discus right now, they are healthy and bought it from different source. I am planning to buy 3 more from Kenny when he got his stock ready. Can I mix them together or i have to buy it from same source? I really want to try discus from kenny tho.

[Nikkitine]

He's asking because you shouldn't be mixing healthy fish with sick ones from a different stock before quarantining them first. Don't go back to the seller even if he does happen to treat it, the fish look a stunted and overall body shape isn't great. Again, since your from the bay area, keep a look out for the new shipment from Kennys Discus soon or buy from a reputable breeder/seller from here.

[Skip]

search the tons of threads on Quarantine.. there are pages and pages..

i sure as heck would NOT MIX Kenny fish what you have in your tank..

here is 7 pages of threads on QUARANTINE..

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/search.php?searchid=272879

[Darrell Ward]

Discoloration around the gill area indicate evidence of ammonia burn, and yes, larger than normal eyes suggest stunting.

[gabloo]

search the tons of threads on Quarantine.. there are pages and pages..

i sure as heck would NOT MIX Kenny fish what you have in your tank..

here is 7 pages of threads on QUARANTINE..

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/search.php?searchid=272879

U gave me a bad link

[Skip]

DON"T cut and paste.. click the link

[gabloo]

DON"T cut and paste.. click the link

Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms.

I got that message when i clicked on it.

[Skip]

*sigh*.. go to TOP RIGHT OF PAGE>> look for SEARCH BOX>. put in the term QUARANTINE.. press enter.. that search bar is VERY handy :)

[CajunAg]

gabloo, click this --> http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?86009-Beginner-s-Guide-to-Getting-Started-with-Discus

Spend some time reading it and understanding. Should answer many of your questions.

It can also be found if you go back to the beginner's thread page, 8th thread from the top (in the grey sticky section).

[DiscusLoverJeff]

It is really a darn shame when some breeders take advantage of newbie discus (or any other fish) enthusiasts. As many have said, know the fish you want to buy, get info on the breeder and most important, examine the fish and if you are not sure, don't get pressured to buy even if the price seems to good to be true (it usually means somethings).

I hope you have gained some valuable information on discus and what to look for now so that when you make more purchases in the future (and you will, its an addiction, Lol) you will be aware of the things to look for.

Good luck!

[gabloo]

I have read different thread about what to buy and not but still don't understand what to look for when choosing a discus. What do you guys look at mainly?

[moon_knight1971]

You want to get round discus not football shaped ones. You want them to be alert with their eyes being proportionate to their bodies. You want to look at their fins and see no damage or fraying. You want to look at both sides of the fish and make sure both gills are fully opening and closing. You also want to visually check the fish completely for any blemishes which might indicate illness. If you're just starting it would be alot easier for you if you start off with 3.5 - 4 inch fish because at that size you pretty much can see the shape and color potenial. Good luck!

Joey!

[Darrell Ward]

The pigeon is actually a decent looking fish, except for the damage to the gill area from ammonia burn...