Raising discus in a 40 breeder

Collapse
X
 
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • neontetra777
    Registered Member
    • Aug 2015
    • 29
    • Frankie

    Raising discus in a 40 breeder

    I knew off the bat that I wouldn’t ever be allowed to have a 125 gallon tank or something that crazy to keep discus, but of all the tropical fish, fresh or salt water, I still feel most drawn to discus. I decided to try raising a group of 4 juvenile blue cobalts from the stendker’s line. The day they arrived in the mail was one of the happiest days in my life.

    I had some Peruvian angels, similarly sized, to act as dither fish. Over the years the angels died off one by one, mostly due to some weird intestinal issues that I never solved. I lost the smallest discus in the summer of 2023 for no apparent reason. One day I noticed that she was not swimming around or going after food as usual, and her body has darkened a bit. So I transferred her to a hospital tank and medicated. I wasn’t able to save her and I didn’t really figure out what had happened.

    (June 09, 2022)
    Click image for larger version

Name:	2022.06.09.jpg
Views:	15
Size:	85.3 KB
ID:	2762466

    I raised these discus on beef hearts for a year, and started introducing dry pellets and flakes. Eventually they are fully on dry food which saves so much time.

    I was concerned that the water quality will not be good enough given the bioload and the amount and frequency of my feeding. I had a lot of terrestrial plants to absorb the excess nutrients in the water. The whole 40 gallon tank runs on a Fluval canister filter, one of those all-in-one in tank filter, and just plants. I started off with sand on the bottom and subsequently removed it since it got dirty really fast and was also infested with snails. I had been very consistent with WC - 30% weekly with very occasional exceptions.

    (July 30, 2022)
    Click image for larger version

Name:	2022.07.30.jpg
Views:	12
Size:	122.7 KB
ID:	2762467

    (Oct 09, 2022)
    Click image for larger version

Name:	2022.10.09 - full thank shot.jpg
Views:	24
Size:	131.9 KB
ID:	2762465
    ​​

    (Oct 09, 2022) ​​
    Click image for larger version

Name:	2022.10.09.jpg
Views:	15
Size:	127.4 KB
ID:	2762469
    (March 04, 2023)
    Click image for larger version

Name:	2023.03.04.jpg
Views:	12
Size:	168.0 KB
ID:	2762471 ​​

    (December 10, 2023)
    Click image for larger version

Name:	2023.12.10.jpg
Views:	13
Size:	130.9 KB
ID:	2762468
    Fast forward to 2024, I attempted to breed a mated pair. They would lay eggs regularly in a 20 gallon breeding tank and the eggs would get to the wriggler stage but no further. I couldn’t get them to attach to the parents. I eventually gave up and moved them back to the main display tank.

    (June, 19, 2024)
    Click image for larger version

Name:	2024.06.19.jpg
Views:	13
Size:	127.5 KB
ID:	2762473



    Looking ahead, I’m currently QT’ing 4 juvenile discus from a local store. Malaysian breed, colorful, and pretty active in the QT setup. Looking forward to adding them to the main display and remove the egg crate barrier so it’s a nice group of 7.

    (Dec, 08, 2024)

    Attached Files
    Last edited by neontetra777; 01-05-2025, 12:12 PM.
  • Second Hand Pat
    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015
    • Sep 2010
    • 33291
    • Central Florida
    • Pat

    #2
    Hi neontetra777, did you intent to include photos with your first post? Are all seven discus going in a 40 breeder? If yes, that is a lot of discus in a small tank. I also would suggest upping the water changes to every other day.
    Pat
    Your Discus are talking to you...Are you listening

    Comment

    Working...