My discus diary (660 l planted tank and related projects)

[Johanna]

Re: My discus diary (660 l planted tank and related projects)

Pat & Jake - Thank you for the nice comments! I love getting feedback and even constructive criticism so everyone, feel, free to comment on my posts


I just noticed that old posts can't be edited anymore. Bummer. I was hoping to update the history post with links to newer events to keep them all neatly in order in one place. I guess not...

Anyway;



The new guys, the male and surviving female have moved to the display tank yesterday and after the initial shock and being pushed around by the old gang they now seem to be doing very well. They hang out together and have eaten several different foods. Stress bars are still visible and the colours a bit dark but I hope that will change in the next few days.

AND.... my first ever breeding project has begun. I moved the blue&red pair to the qt tank with a breeding cone and a small piece of driftwood for some cover. It has been about a week since their last spawn so I thought it would be a good timing, getting ready for the next. They seemed to settle in quite well at first but since this morning they have been very skittish, hiding behind the cone or wood and only swimming around when all the lights are out and even the widow is covered to keep out direct daylight. They have eaten some when the lights are out but won't touch food otherwise. Nothing wrong with the water parameters so I think they are just scared of the bare tank. I hope it doesn't permanently put them off the breeding mood....

[Johanna]

Just an update... the blue and red pair are still in the breeding tank, not particularly scared anymore, eating well and doing ok but not breeding either... The main tank has developed a diatom problem. The new discus are doing well in there, and have clearly paired but not laying eggs so far despite the male's efforts. In fact no one has laid eggs there since I removed the active pair to their own tank.

I'm slowly getting used to the idea that I need more tank space because I want a red cover pair and might even try the whole breeding thing with totally new fish (I'm thinking that Camacell might have put the beautiful new female off breeding for the rest of her life).

Also I want to introduce more dwarf cichlids into the main tank. They are fun little fish but almost invisible most of the time in such a big tank.

[Second Hand Pat]

Hi Johanna, pretty tank and all the fish look great. Sounds like the breeding pair needs more time to adjust to their new digs and I am sure they will come around. I have four blue snakeskins in a 40 breeder with two pairs. I have seen one clutch of eggs. So far both pairs do a lot of staring at the cone. My gut feel on these guys is they still have some maturing to do.
Pat

[Johanna]

Thanks Pat, I guess i was just being too optimistic at first... they were laying eggs every 5-10 days in the main tank so I though it would be easy, lol Nothing's ever easy with discus... or at least takes a lot of patience.

Today I'm setting up the 270 liter tank that will serve indefinitely as the home for two discus... the headstander female - yes, it's still alive in the small hospital tank and doing fairly well despite still having some balance issues - and the small one in the main tank that's getting too thin, fins starting to look frayed in the edges and needs time away from the bigger bullies. My plan is to try and see if I can condition these fish to move back into the main tank eventually, and if I can get a batch of fry to grow big enough this tank can also be used for growing them out.