Checkerboard Pigeons

[mikeychdiscus]

Thought i would throw myself open to the hungry hoards. Heres is some new pics of my checkerboard discs. Added a vid too. I have had them now for the better part of a month. I started with a completely bare tank, but i have found that they have responded better with some things to hide behind. Anyone elsefound this? They eagerly greet me at the front of the tank now.

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad353/Michael_Chanter/th_P1000734-1.jpg (http://s951.photobucket.com/albums/ad353/Michael_Chanter/?action=view&current=P1000734-1.mp4)

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad353/Michael_Chanter/P1000716.jpg

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad353/Michael_Chanter/P1000725.jpg

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad353/Michael_Chanter/P1000729.jpg

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad353/Michael_Chanter/P1000730.jpg

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad353/Michael_Chanter/P1000733.jpg

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad353/Michael_Chanter/P1000732.jpg

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad353/Michael_Chanter/P1000738.jpg

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad353/Michael_Chanter/P1000745.jpg

[mikeychdiscus]

I have to admit i do "get it" now, the with the whole thing with discus. Even after this very short time they have endered themselves to me like no other fish i have had. Even my partener who generaly rolls his eyes at me when i start talking fish, has comented quite a bit on them. Thankfully he quite willingly indullges me in my interests. I can understand how many a relationship may have become strained by this hobby.........

Interesting question.... Your parterner/wife/husband... or your discus? LOL

[Merrilyn]

Well done mikey, thats a great looking set up. Keep
pushing the food and big water changes to maximize the growth rate.

I love to see a bare bottom tank, especially when growing out juveniles, but agree that they do feel more secure when they think they've got somewhere to hide.

[lpiasente]

awwww cute little babies you have there

[Mattzilla]

stunning

[Hollowman]

Yeah, nice group :) ...... but, if they have somewhere to hide... they will. I mean, you have to keep a good eye out for the one that 'hides' too much.

[mikeychdiscus]

Wow, thanks Guys for those comments, much appreciated.

Hollowman funnily enough one of my discs is still hiding a lil bit , but its more like he is playing peekaboo now,whereas before he would be cowering in the back of the tank, breathing heavily and obviously scared whenever i approached. Ill be keeping an eye on that one. For now though its eating well and isnt showing distress, so ill let it go for a while and hopefully he will become more gregarious. Or maybe he just doesnt like my ugly head LOL

[Hollowman]

lol, yes, could me that :wink:

[mikeychdiscus]

So ive done my first Discus rescue you could say LOL. Didnt take long. I needed a a bigger tank to rehouse my group in and i came accross a guy with a 48x18x18 with all the bits and pieces and 3 Discs for an absolute song. I believe they are a Malboro red, a cobalt, and an albino ( happy to be corrected on any of those). The cobalt isnt the best example, when i got her she was almost completely black. I had read that they change colour by OMG. Anyway 4 weeks later whe is looking healthy enough. Amazing what a difference good clean water can do. She is about 5 inches nose to base of tail. She is paired with the malboro but i have no intention of breeding from them, im keeping them together just because they are a piar and i magine would be happier together than with the rest of the group.

The malboro is the biggest of the 3. he is about 6 inches

The albino is about 4.5 - 5 inches. He is a bit on the thin side. But he is eating well now. I have put him with my other guys and they are all schooling well together. I believe he is thin because really he was the odd one out with the other two and was being bullied. i noticed this happening while i had the three in QT. BTW i am unsure of the sex of this fish.

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad353/Michael_Chanter/P1010102.jpg

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad353/Michael_Chanter/P1010099.jpg

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http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad353/Michael_Chanter/P1010090.jpg

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad353/Michael_Chanter/P1010115.jpg

This one is a video. Click to watch

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad353/Michael_Chanter/th_P1010111.jpg (http://s951.photobucket.com/albums/ad353/Michael_Chanter/?action=view&current=P1010111.mp4)


http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad353/Michael_Chanter/P1010112.jpg

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad353/Michael_Chanter/P1010113.jpg

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad353/Michael_Chanter/P1010114.jpg

[Hollowman]

Remember, dont mix your new and old (checkers) together unless you do a long qt ok.
ALso, imho, even though you are excited you have a pair formed, dont let them breed as the result will be a lot of heavily peppered undesirable offspring. The pair are from two very different strains, and we see too many of these mongrels in lfs's everywhere.

:wink: H

[mikeychdiscus]

Yep i totaly agree Holowman. Like i said at the top, i have them together becasue they are happy in eachothers company. if they spawn, hopefully it will be on the cone so i can just remove the eggs. I;m unsure what i am going to do with them at this stage. Obviosly the blue isnt compatible with any of the other Discs i have (except the albino), But im in no rush to
do anything so i might just see how things play out.

[Hollowman]

After another look at the 'cobalt' I am thinking it is also of pigeon genes, therefore, you might not get the peppering problem, but not 100% about it. The second thought is becuase the face is too yellow for a regular cobalt. So, therefore, I would call it one of those mongrels I was talking about. :?
The one you call 'albino' is in fact a Ghost, I from memory, dont believe they it has any albino genes at all. All my albino's have either a a plum or red colour pupil.

I guess I have mentioned on the forum many times my thoughts on breeding true lines to better the quality of discus, but breeding is an education in it'self and quite fulfilling. I just say, dont inflict unwanted offspring to the wider community, it does nothing for the gene pool. Cull hard, only ever keep the best. SO, enjoy the journey. :wink: