Help me pick my discus....

[Hail2Pitt02]

I was hoping for some suggestions for three types of discus to start my small breeding program. I would like two solid popular choices (bread and butter discus if you will), and the third to be a good fish to try and spawn with one or both of the aforementioned discus to experiment with breeding for an interesting new variety. ( wow...there was an awkward sentence for you, hopefully you understand my gist :D )

Hopefully I am not being clear as mud. Would a snow white discus be a good choice for one?

Thank you as always

[nicholas76]

HI!

( mate when you get the chance can you list your location in your profile please )

breeding discus isnt an easy task its a challenge for some and impossible for others. I wish you well in your endevour , but remember patience is a virtue.

Generally developing strains or making a "new variety" will often result in breeders going through several generations ,, through several types of fish to get a desired end result.

If your starting out my suggestion is stick to the simple "stable strains" untill you work the bugs of breeding.

Exotic / new strains are often harder to breed and you can end up with a mixed bag in terns of fry type.


If I were you id stay away from white or albino fish ( remember fry will cling to darker objects )so fish like blue d's might be a first choice IMO. Also look at pigeons.

good luck

[mcloughlin2]

Snow white's and yellow coloured discus are generally harder to breed as the fry can't see their parents very easier so they often need surrogant parents.

I would reccomend a you go for some red/blue turks. Choose only one but as they look quite similar sometimes. I would then buy a strain of snakeskin. Probably one of the more common strains. I reccomend a blue snakeskin.

To add a mix into the bunch that will be good for playing around With strains i would buy a good quality pigeon blood.

To be more precise i would go for:

Red Turks
Blue Snakeskin
Golden crystal pigeon bloods. (If you want a challenge at breeding)

HTH

[Hail2Pitt02]

Great suggestions so far guys. I definitely understand the challenge of breeding these magnificent fish. I have been in the hobby for about 8 years and I feel the need for this challenge..... What started the "fever" was my attempt to find good a LFS with nice discus.....didn't happen and the gauntlet was officially laid down in my eyes. I am not jumping into this endeavor. By the time my first juvies start in their 75 gallon tank to hopefully be my breeders I will have researched these fish for about a year. When I start I will be as prepared as one can be without actually having the fish. As MAC's (mistakes are crucial) name implies I am prepared to make mistakes but I will be learning all the way and will apply what I have learned always. Not to mention I am testing the local market to sell these fish. If I can't establish buyers before the first set of fry hatch, then I won't pursue this scpoe of project. In that case I would get the discus I found most appealing, buy tons of plants and create the a few biotope tanks I have also always wanted to try.

Thanks for the support. You guys have been great so far, but more suggestions or feedback is always appreciated.

[mistakes r crucial]

They all sell Hail, everything does at the right price, it's a simple case of supply and demand of a good product, no different to any other business venture really.
MAC