Should I or Shouldnt I?

[TyGuy]

I've only been interested in a display tank of discus - but after a lovely conversation with a wonderful person tonight i'm thinking of possibly breeding down the road...

with this...could you guys give me some of the pro's and con's as well as some experiences and opinions?

[Altum Nut]

Pro's...satisfaction that you have accomplished them to breed - when they turn to wigglers - and finally to free swimming stage and what a wonderful site it is.
Con's...lost's and lost's of water changing - mutiple feedings - You require tank space to grow out fry - may require R/O unit to lower TDS - Lot's of water changes - mulitple feedings - oh ya...I mentioned that - extra funds added to your water bill for lot's of water changes.

As for suggestions...if you have the time and space then go for it.
Choose a strain that is somewhat popular...gives you a slight advantage when you decide to sell off fry.

You can just go with 6 sub or full adults and hope for a pair to form...this will give you time to figure out if you want to go that route.
I'm sure I missed out on plenty but others may have additional suggestions.

...Ralph

[TyGuy]

Well...we have an R/O system we already use, we're used to multiple feedings a day anyways, we run off a well so there'd be no extra costs in water bill. I guess the biggest question is if I am up to doing that many water changes a day. What would you recommend as number and size of tank to use to grow out fry?

[judy]

One more con-- as you have more and more batches your own population tends to increase due to the desire to keep a baby from each batch. This means bigger and bigger tanks-- from one who went from a 48 to a 125 gallon DT, stage by stage...

[Altum Nut]

Well...we have an R/O system we already use, we're used to multiple feedings a day anyways, we run off a well so there'd be no extra costs in water bill. I guess the biggest question is if I am up to doing that many water changes a day. What would you recommend as number and size of tank to use to grow out fry?

Well it would really depend how far you want to go.
As many have said before...if it becomes a chore it's no longer a hobby.
As for tank sizes...a couple of 20g grow-outs are a good start but after a month or so they will need a 55g. This is a standard set-up if you decide to only raise one batch. It won't take long to grow from there as Judy mentioned.

...Ralph

[TyGuy]

Yea, IF I decide to go with the breeding of them, it will only be one pair...I know I won't have the time for more than that. I have enough babies coming in and out of other critters, added babies will probably only make me grey by the age of 25 and I don't think i'm mentally prepared for that quite yet.