Age old question..........(Backround causing peppering)

[REC]

I've had my discus for a little over a week now and even with a blue backround and bottom i'm getting some peppering in my PB's(Silver/Blue/Red) from Hans. I'm currently getting things ready for there longer term home a 110g Tall which will have black silicone and I'm just hellbent on going with a black backround. It just looks so much better as a show tank with a nice center piece of wood. Everything I've read so far leans the vast majority of peppering and darkening on the PB line of discus. Only 3 out of the 15 discus that will be in this tank will be PB's. Although being black this tank will be very bright with tons of light. (2)48" Marineland Double bright LED fixture's. I've heard from a few members about there experience with this and have searched the archives but most of the discussed threads are from several years back. What is everyone's current take and experience with this outside of Pigeon Bloods?

[Skip]

i have no idea what you are asking.. ?!

i thought you were going to ask about PB and their peppering.. but then like a hollywood movie you change the question in the very last sentence..

i think you need a do over.. lol

pb will get dark due to genetics and/or dark environment.. if you dont' like peppering but want a black ground.. don't get pb..

[REC]

Its a simple question. Are PB's in general the sole source of the theory that black backrounds cause peppering? I was just adding the reasoning that made me lead to believe that this peppering effect is mainly in PB'S. The TITLE says it all.

[Skip]

yea well, your title made sense.. but your last sentence did not.. hence my question to your question.. p

like i said..

PB and PB based discus.. have the genetic make up to pepper.. the others strains do not..

sometimes a genetic line will pepper.. no matter what the background looks like.. others may never pepper..

if you cross a PB with a NON PB.. spawn will be extremely peppered.. *if i remember correctly, could be wrong*

if you have a pb with black background, then you are not helping the situation.. if peppering does not bother you.. then tu no tienes problema.. :)

[REC]

^Thank you sir for the info not the sarcasm :p
I picked up a giant piece of manzanita that will look incredible with a blacked out tank. Ill just roll the dice on the PB's peppering.

[Skip]

^Thank you sir for the info not the sarcasm :p
I picked up a giant piece of manzanita that will look incredible with a blacked out tank. Ill just roll the dice on the PB's peppering.

i had my fish *pb line* in a clear tank with natural gravel.. i started to see black dots *that was before i knew PEPPERING term*.. so i removed gravel to make tank Barebottom not for peppering.. my pb's have been in a light blue and light yellow bottom/back for about a year.. very little if any peppering.. maybe just the tips of the dorsal and anal fins.. so i concluded it was JUST the environment.. but then i found that genetics play a factor also.. ps.. some people really like peppering.. my fire reds have a tiny bit. but i think it just gives them character! :)

take pics of your tank when its up and running.. keep us updated.. if they start to pepper.. it could happen in a matter of a weekk or two.. then you can decide if you want to keep tank setup same or change it..

[Harriett]

REC,
I had a show tank with a black background and good lights and medium tan gravel when I first started. My first discus group was the 'rainbow' esthetic, strain wise. Here is what I saw: my PBs indeed peppered up, my blues and my turqs also were darker. The behaviour of the discus was a bit cautious, not real social, they often stayed at the back of the tank nearer the plants/wood. They were healthy, they ate well, they laid eggs, the whole deal. After 2 years I decided to change up: I scraped and repainted the black back to a pale blue green, I took the gravel out and changed to light buff silica [spa/pool filter] sand. I rescaped, put them back in and the change in the fish was remarkable. The blues and turqs lightened up immediately, the PBs over a period of a couple days lost a good deal of the peppering, and the general behaviour of the discus changed. They because more bold, swam at the front of the tank and at all heights of the tank, seemed to interact more with each other; they seemed more relaxed.. As much as I LOVE the drama of a blackbacked show tank, I will not ever do it again with discus. They were generally trying to blend in and were a bit wary.
That's my experience, anyhow. I feel your pain--but black isn't great for this type of fish.

Best regards,
Harriett

[hedut]

"Although being black this tank will be very bright with tons of light. (2)48" Marineland Double bright LED fixture's."

I'm not so sure with lighting so bright will help fish look not pappering but brighting bottom will help.

[REC]

REC,
I had a show tank with a black background and good lights and medium tan gravel when I first started. My first discus group was the 'rainbow' esthetic, strain wise. Here is what I saw: my PBs indeed peppered up, my blues and my turqs also were darker. The behaviour of the discus was a bit cautious, not real social, they often stayed at the back of the tank nearer the plants/wood. They were healthy, they ate well, they laid eggs, the whole deal. After 2 years I decided to change up: I scraped and repainted the black back to a pale blue green, I took the gravel out and changed to light buff silica [spa/pool filter] sand. I rescaped, put them back in and the change in the fish was remarkable. The blues and turqs lightened up immediately, the PBs over a period of a couple days lost a good deal of the peppering, and the general behaviour of the discus changed. They because more bold, swam at the front of the tank and at all heights of the tank, seemed to interact more with each other; they seemed more relaxed.. As much as I LOVE the drama of a blackbacked show tank, I will not ever do it again with discus. They were generally trying to blend in and were a bit wary.
That's my experience, anyhow. I feel your pain--but black isn't great for this type of fish.

Best regards,
Harriett

Thanks for sharing your experience. This will be a show tank in the waiting room/office of my business. I'm going to black it out with vinyl and just hope for minimal peppering in the 3 Pb's. There will be a total of 15 in this 110g with a large group of cories and eventually cardinals. Having this much activity in the tank I believe will keep the discus more out in the viewing area since there will be so many of them.

[Skip]

take pics!!

[REC]

I'll have some pics up of the 10 currently in the 75g up this weekend. The 110g will be in next week along with the manzanita. Ill share pics of it as soon as its put together.

[REC]

Here you go Warlock just for you :) Its from my phone so mind the quality.
http://youtu.be/rwN4ugnNuC8

Feeding Prime Reef flake
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXjLh1KkWK8

Last one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LifWOX-kYo

[Skip]

nice!! what is the white one in bottom right corner in your feeding prime?! is it white butter fly or silver pb?

[REC]

nice!! what is the white one in bottom right corner in your feeding prime?! is it white butter fly or silver pb?
Silver PB

[Skip]

Silver PB

sweet. those would do really with my FIRE REDS!

[Stag]

When I first started keeping discus peppering was like the plague! As time goes on I have learned to agree more with Warlock... "it gives them character" :D

Pepper up my lil PBs! :angel:

[hedut]

great collection and your tank color is same color as my tanks so it does make some pigeon strain some peppering :).

[PhishNFilly]

Beautiful fish in the video, this thread made me smile. Again, what a wonderful forum. Julia