Juvenile Discus

[Sabrina]

Hi all,
Just a quick question regarding a juvy i brought last week because i could not resist him. He is much smaller than my other discus and they picked on him and he hasn't eaten for a few days now, i was wondering if i let him grow out in a 120L tank should i get him a buddy discus that is also the same size as him? He is 4cm from mouth to base of tail.. I know they like their own company so i thought perhaps get another one the same size and let them grow out together. Dose this sound ok?
Also getting another one will complete my discus school of 5, i already have 3 others.
Any thoughts welcome :)
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[Hollowman]

Small Discus do better in groups of 5 or 6. Please don't get more like this one. I mentioned before that this one is already stunted, so you have to be more careful choosing better fish.

[Sabrina]

Thank you Holowman,
Should i just pop him in with the other bigger discus and hope he makes it then?

[sayid]

Hi Sabrina;
I am growing 6 juvy in 200 l BB tank ,they are 5 months old and growing well apart from one who is a bit unsociable ,you always find one who always gives you hard time . i think he will be happier with the others as you said .
good luck

[Hollowman]

Being alone will make him sick I am sure, better with the others, but like Sayid says, there is always one who gets the rough end of the stick.

[Sabrina]

Hi guys!
Thank you for comments.. I put him in with the other 3 and besides a little bit of push and shove they are all getting along amazing! The little one (Dingo) is swimming around everywhere, he is much happier with the others!
I have another small Discus on hold at the pet store, should i get a photo of it and post here for you guys to see him before i buy him?

[Hollowman]

Hi guys!, should i get a photo of it and post here for you guys to see him before i buy him?
Yes, a few photos and I will say either good or bad if you would like my opinion.

What about quarantine ?

[Sabrina]

Ok i will try to get into the store today and get a few pics..
Yes i have a QT tank, a 2 foot fully cycled tank waiting for new fish :)

[Sabrina]

Here he is Hollowman,
Looks also stunted perhaps, but healthy and fins up etc..
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[shiney2512]

Honestly , I wouldn't waste your money , stunted, poor shape

[sayid]

Hi Sabrina;
There is no hard and a fast rule but most expert say that a good discus should have a shape of circle and should have a small sized eye compare to the size of the body and the way this is measured is that if you draw a line through the eye you should be able to fit at least 7 eyes on that line . There is a thread by hollowman 0n this site which he has drawn it with pictures . i suggest you have a look .The first picture is defiantly stunted and the second one a bit better but still stunted ,i feel trouble being negative to you since you have a lot of love and enthusiasm towards your hobby but you want the truth as well so here we are , having said that it still makes a lovely pet but you will not choose to breed it . The best thing i can advise you to do is to read read and read .
Hope this helps

[Sabrina]

Hi Shiney,
Thank you for your comments, i do see what you say about him. Now though im in a spot of bother as i have asked for the shop owners to hold him for me and its been almost a week, so i feel obligated to buy him :o
Considering my other Discus are also stunted and not the right shape i guess he wont look out of place in my tank, he will fit right in. So i guess i will have not so perfect bunch of Discus fish for myself. They will be known as the odd balls, but i will love them just the same!

[Sabrina]

Hi Sayid,
I didnt see your post before i wrote to Shiney. Thank you so much for your comments too. Yes i did know to fit 7 eyes in the head of the discus and i knew by looking at the blue one i could only fit 5 eyes in his head. But as i said to Shiney, he may not be perfect but neither are my other Discus, so i guess im going to have an odd bunch of fish. But i will care for them and love them like they are my babies even though they are not perfect. Perhaps after i have gone through this learning curve as a first time Discus owner i will know better next time. I have dreams of getting a much bigger tank in the near future, i know my Discus will out grow the 4 foot tank i just brought them, so i guess i will need a 6 foot next time round. My heart tells me that even though i know these fish are not of the best quality, they still deserve to have a loving home, and that i can do :)

[Hollowman]

Time to wait for better stock. Another key element in keeping discus is patience, you can find better.

[Sabrina]

Hi Hollowman,
Is it possible that even though my Discus are stunted they will grow up alright? Is there a chance they will be good in the future? :)

[Hollowman]

Its not going to win a trophey, but you can give it a good life and it will grow. Just do the best you can for your fish and enjoy them.

[Sabrina]

I will, thank you :)

[Hollowman]

Just as an example, here are some juvies I had a few years ago, about 7cm. Look at the eye ratio, meaning how many eyes can you fit in a vertical line up through its head. 6 to 7 is good. Then compare yours and you will see the difference

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg188/Discusboy123/BabyAlbinos.jpg

And as adults

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg188/Discusboy123/7small.jpg

[Sabrina]

Oh i see what you mean! Those are nice discus hollowman... Thankfully though, i wont be breeding mine so no problem there, unless they sneak babies in lol

[Sabrina]

Hi guys!
Its been a month roughly since i got the little grey discus Dingo and Little Blue the blue diamond. They are both doing well, sneaking in some food when they can as my 2 bigger discus are bullies to them :(
The little grey one is starting to color up, his getting blue through his top and bottom fins and his head too. They have grown a little bit i think.. Here is a recent photo of them..
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[sayid]

Hi Sabrina;
It is so nice to see your fish doing well ,especially when you watch them coloring up and transforming , i have got a BB tank but very much like your substrate ,i guest it is pool filter sand but the colour is very white which is what i am after ,if you like to share it with us as where you bought it from ,any way good luck with the two discus.
sayid

[Sabrina]

Hi Sayid!
Thank you, they are really growing and doing so well now. The sand i brought from my local pet store but you can also buy it online, it is superb sand, Its called Pisces Natural Sand, Sugar white. Here is a link to it for you:
https://www.aquaticsupplies.com.au/products/pisces-natural-sand-sugar-white-5kg?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=googlepla&gclid=CjwKEAjwjqO_BRDribyJpc_mzHgSJABdnsFW0AkyNM-SQ9jrSkJzsh-eXircPeG1tKQ9l_ErCSdqMRoCtIbw_wcB&variant=18414218567
It comes in 5KG bags and is triple washed, then i washed it again about 5-7 times before adding it to the tank. It takes around 10 hours for it to clear up after adding to tank, after that you just rinse out your filter media and your good to go! :)

[sayid]

Hi Sabrina;
Thank you for sending the link for the sugar white ,could you please tell me the name and address of the pet store ,i need to get a sample and test it and see it.

[Sabrina]

Sayid,
I can get the name and address of the pet store if you prefer that, or you can add me on facebook and i can send you a sample myself as i am going to buy 2 more bags of that sand and will have some spare. Look me up if you like, Sabrina Brook.. My profile pic is a discus poking its head out of a bell :)

[sayid]

The name and address of the pet store would be fine, thanks

[sayid]

The name and address of the pet store would be fine, thanks

[Sabrina]

Yep no worries :)
Pet Barn
Address: 293-301 High St, Kangaroo Flat VIC 3555
Phone: 0399085107

[sayid]

Thanks very much ,i appreciate it

[Sabrina]

Your welcome Sayid! :)