Discus color fading

[Mavzta]

Hey all, I have a question but first my story.

I bought 2 tiger leopards today. Once I put them in my tank I noticed how bright and colored they are compared to my other fish. This caused me too look into this a little closer. The fish I have bought in the past come home bright but they seem to fade and dull off a little. I have bought from several different aquariums so it can't just be the supplier.

My biggest noticeable one is my "fuji red". This fish was bright red when I bought it almost a year ago (there should be some pics on my profile) now this fish is turning light orange.
Unfortunately my photobucket has frozen and I can't upload a pic for you too see.
I ought the 2 today from this same store where I bought the fuji red and he was surprised and said no one else had this problem with any. He imports these often.

Also mine don't seem to grow huge and fat like some I see in shops.
My mate's grow quick and huge too.

I will research into this but I thought I'd ask you pro's first.
Thanks for any info.

[mattgoanna]

Hi
Most red based males will fade out over time if they have been hormoned. It can take a long time. PSB in AZOO discus foods will help, but I have not seen many males that retain their full red.
Matt

[Mavzta]

Hey Matt, I have the Azoo red colour pellets mixed with blue one too.
Still not much colouring. Have been feeding them that close to a year I think.
I actually ordered online some food that someone suggested on another forum.
Called CR5 by White Crane. Thought I'd give it a try. Have you heard of this before?
Cheers

[ILLUSN]

welcome to discus keeping, most imported fish are colour enhanced.

there's not much you can do to keep the colour.
best bet try and stay with brown based reds and buy of local breeders where you can view the parents.

Just as an FYI white crane is evil, if your going to feed it do so for 1 week max then stop and feed no more often than once a fortnight.
I'm being serious use this food at your risk.

[Mavzta]

welcome to discus keeping, most imported fish are colour enhanced.

there's not much you can do to keep the colour.
best bet try and stay with brown based reds and buy of local breeders where you can view the parents.

Just as an FYI white crane is evil, if your going to feed it do so for 1 week max then stop and feed no more often than once a fortnight.
I'm being serious use this food at your risk.
Thanks for the warning.
Why do you say this though. What have you heard about it?

[mattgoanna]

White Crane has been around for a long time but is hard to get now in Australia as a result of people being negative about it. I have used the product a lot over the years for discus and I did not notice any problems.
It has a lot of PSB in it (same as AZOO but a lot more) and dramatically enhances the colour of your fish. African cichlid breeders use it to identify species as it forces females to turn the colour of males.
As Illusn recommends, use it for 7-10 days and then occasionally to keep the colour.
The biggest problem you will have is getting discus to eat it.

[ILLUSN]

Matt has said it well, it's super high in protein and enhancers for colour. It's way too rich to feed daily. Feed for 7 days then once a week.
I find it evil because the more you feed the better the colour enhancement right up to point you do irreversible damage to the fish.

[Mavzta]

Thanks for the warning guys. I just thought I'd give it a try, but I'll be extra careful too.