Odds of getting a breeding pair?

[Rossco]

Hello gang,
I have just gotten 6 Discus, 1 Red Turq, 3 Cobalt blue,1 Blue diamond,1 Pidgeon blood.

They are all about 5 to 6 cm in size.
What are my odds of getting a breeding pair out of em?
I have them all in a 4 foot long standard tank.
I also have 10 rummy nose tetra's in there and 3 albino cory's.

Do you think i should obtain another 1 or 2 young? same size.
Or do you think having 6 in a tank this size is good enough and my chances are fairly good?

Also what do you look for to find the male's and female's? and at what size can i expect to look for these signs? i think its to early at there size to pick female/male, or am i wrong?

hmm trying to find out how i can post there pics.

[Merrilyn]

Hi Rossco, and welcome to ther forum. Your chances of getting a breeding pair out of 6 fish is actually quite good.

Now you may not exactly get the pairs that you want, i.e. that two fish of the same colour variation pair up, but you should get at least one pair, and maybe even two pairs if you're real lucky.

Sexing fish of any age is filled with difficulties. The only guaranteed way to tell the sex of discus is to see them spawning, and observe the sex organs at that time. The male has a 'v' shape organ and the female has a blunt rounded tube. Other characteriscs can give an indication, such as more pointed dorsal fin on the male, and more rounded on the female, males having a broader head and larger overall size than females. But they are, at best, an educated guess.

Getting six or so youngsters and allowing them to grow and pair off naturally is still the best way. HTH.

[Rossco]

Thx ladyred,i like this forum very much,i will be around for a long time methinks.

My young 6 discus are about 3 months old,how much longer do you think it might be before i see any sort of pairing?

I am guessing 9 months time maybe?

My wife just loves the cory's,she thinks they are very cute,me/myself and i just love the Discus :D

Thx again for the welcome.

[Merrilyn]

Around 12 months of age you should start to see some pairing behaviour, and certainly by 18 months.

Now your first challenge is to grow them into big healthy fish, with lots of good meals several times a day, and frequent water changes. Discus are very intelligent and recognise their owner early on, so they are very rewarding. Good luck, and we are always here to help you, so feel free to ask away.