Do I need to separate parents from fry?

[Kathy H]

Hi Guys
Im a first timer!! at breeding discus and the internet thing so be gentle.
My discus have bred successfully I have around 100 young and now am wondering when I should separate them from the parents and how large does the tank the fry go into have to be?
Thankyou kathy

[mcloughlin2]

I dont noe at wat size u seperate the parents from the babies but u should leave them in with the parents for now because the babies feed of the parents slime coat thing that they develop...

Just wait though till someone with experiance in breeding discus replies like Ladyred or someone b4 making any decisions... :D

[nicholas76]

Congratulations on the spawn they look fantastic

what age are the fry in terms of days/ weeks?

the picture suggests that they are no longer dependant on the parents for food is this correct?

what are you feeding the fry at the moment ??

I move my fry after about 3 weeks dependant upon how the fry are developing and if the parents are becoming aggressive with the fry.


best of luck!!! update us with some answers!!

[Kathy H]

Thanks
I feel a bit out of my depth my daughter set this tank up for me and then left me with it.
It must be ok for them though because everything in the community tank is bonking like crazy!!
I just wish the same colour discus would breed god knows what colour will come from this pairing.
I definitely will wait for some advise from Lady red she sounds very knowledgeable.
I havent checked the PH in my tanks at all and I do a water change every week.Both tanks have been full of fish since May and I have had no deaths should I be changing what Im doing now or not!!
Kathy

[nicholas76]

HI Kathy,


most discus owners would kill for this kind of success so well done again.


in relation to diffrent coloured discus spawning i really wouldnt worry too much. You will get a mixture of mum, dad some in betweens and some throw backs!!

:D


In relation to your routine maintain it at present. You are clearly doing somthing right so why change!

As the fish develop you will need more room for those babies. Answer my questions and df members update you with further.

[skoom]

how much room is needed? i have about 50 fry at ten days old. Still feeding off slime but also nibbling at live baby brine shrimp.

one parent with 50ish fry in an 2ftx20''x12'. i guess about 90L/20ishG.

When is it a good time to move? I have a 3x20x14 handy, about 160L/40G. is the jargon 'grow-out tank' right?

many thanks.

[Kathy H]

Thanks for the vote of confidence Nicholas76!!
In terms of age these fry are about three weeks old, i must sound like I dont take this seriously enough, its just that Im used to pets that are a little less fussy about their enviroment and now that Im reading about the amount of effort everyone is going to to keep the water quality right I feel like something is going to go terribly wrong.(I dont even know what type of discus I have)they seem to like me though and like I said my daughter bought me 2 red ones and 2 blue ones and she bought the red stripey one because it looked lonely,now its stolen the blue one and the other blue ones stolen the red one and theres one lonely red one left.
What a saga!!(maybe someone could enlighten me on the species)
My first breeding pair ate their eggs five times before they turned into swimmers and then the cardinals I have in the tank gobbled them up and I stood there and cried, I got so upset that I went out and bought another tank so they could breed in peace,and now the rest of them are doing it.
Horney little things arent they.
So it looks like I have to go out and buy another tank,OH WELL.
Theyre lucky they are so cute,I might end up with wall to wall tanks hey!!

[Kathy H]

Hi Nicholas76
sorry got carried away with the story
Feeding babies brine and bloodworm.
They are swimming free and at last count I think there are about ninety.
Kathy

[Proteus]

As per previous replies...

Congrats... well done

[Merrilyn]

Hi Kathy, welcome to the forum. Looks like you have done a wonderful job with those fish, and congratulations on those babies.

At three weeks, your fry should be a bit bigger than in the photo.Nitrates in the water will inhibit the growth of fry, so that's why we do lots of water changes (I do one twice a day) on fry tanks. They also need to be fed very heavily, to ensure you get maximum growth rate. I try to feed fry about 8 times a day in the early weeks. Naturally this produces a lot of waste, and so you need daily waterchanges.

Time to include a good quality flake food or crush something like Tetra Bits for the babies. Beef heart is another very good food for fry, as it is very high in protein. I like to make at least three of the meals beef heart.

Your pair look to be a turquoise (the blue one) and the red stripey one is a pearl pigeon.

I'd leave the babies with the parents another week, as they need a bit of an extra boost from the parent's slime, increase the number of meals, and make those water changes daily. I think you'll find a big increase in the growth rate.

Good luck. You've done a great job so far.

[jim from sydney]

Hi Kathy......i love your fish........welcome to the best forum ever......we have a great bunch of people here....nothing is too much for them.....ask and you will get the best answers (not from me i am a novice like you, and trying)....i feel very comfortable knowing all the caring buddies i have around me....anyway were are you in Sydney town????
Jim

[Kathy H]

Hi Jim From Sydney
Im from the Sutherland shire Jim and I definitely have a lot to learn about these little fish.looks like I must be starving them Ive only been feeding them three times a day.
How can you feed the babies eight times a day if your at work from 7till 7
does anyone know if I can get an automatic feeder.
It might be a better idea if I take them to an aquarium,I dont want them to die.
Kathy

[Kathy H]

Hi Lady red
thankyou for the advice i would like to know a bit more about the beef heart.
Where to buy it?
Is it a preparation or actual beef heart?
How do you present it to the fry?
Kathy

[jim from sydney]

Kathy......try to look after them for a while, they are pretty tough....taking them to a place where they may not care as much as we would is not the right thing to do.....if i were you i would not panic about things just try what you can do....if you find it impossible ask our members some-one will help somehow...believe me i know....Jim

[Merrilyn]

Kathy, the worst thing you could do is take them to an aquarium. They will not be given the care that you can provide.

Now those little fish are certainly not starving, so don't worry about that. Lots of folk work, and are able to raise fry, just like you have. It's all just a matter of fitting as many meals as you can, while you are home. Try doing one feed, the moment you get up, a second one as you rush out the door, another when you first get home, and then another two during the evening. That way, you've managed 5 meals without too much trouble. Easy.

Now the beefheart is really good stuff. All the overseas breeders feed beefheart. You can buy it in frozen in packets from your local fish ship, or you can buy a beef heart or ox heart from the butcher and prepare your own mix. You'll find some good recipes right here on this forum.

You've done a great job this far. You should have some nice babies to sell in a few more weeks.

[Ben]

Well done Kath!

Some people find it very hard to breed discus, but you have an excellent pair in your tank! And the babies look very healthy!

Cheers,
Ben

[Kathy H]

Thanks Everyone
Ill keep plugging on!!
Ive just got out of bed and fed the babies and cant believe how big they can get overnight.
talk soon
Kathy

[kalebjarrod]

hay cath

nice work

just another hint, add a automatic feeder (the digitals are great)

this can do a couple of feeds while your at work!

there you go where up to 7-8 feeds :wink:

also another trick is to add a small handful of crushed shell grit to the frys new tank (when you move them) this helps with there bone growth

[jim from sydney]

Keep plugging away Kath...u ( and babs) are doing fine...Jim

[Kathy H]

Hi Everyone
I was told to put a couple of handfuls of shell grit in the frys tank when I separate them from the parents. Do I just put it in the bottom or do I put it in a bag in the tank.
cheers
kathy

[DR.V]

Hi Kathy, love those babies arent you ??

I also got about 100's (maybe less) of white butterfly babies right now.

After 2 weeks I separate them from the parents and put them in a 4ft tank. Lots of space to grow.

I feed them about 6-7 times a day. Baby Brine Shrimp, flakes, tetra bits , and beef heart.

Good luck.

[Merrilyn]

Shellgrit is excellent for adding calcium into the water which contributes to good bone growth.

I simply scatter in the bottom of the tank, but I guess it's neater to put in a bag and hang in the tank. Either way works fine.

[Kathy H]

Thanks Everyone
This is all really great info.
Bed Time
Cheers
Kathy

[Merrilyn]

Good luck with those babies Kathy. Keep us posted on their progress. :P

[jim from sydney]

Kathy......great to hear that you are going on with them, instead of selling to a shop....can you post some pics now and then please....Jim

[Kathy H]

Hey Jim
I did the bolt to the aquarium shop today and bought a 90litre tank to move the fry into(that should be big enough shouldnt it?). Either that or I could move the two adults in there to breed but they seem really happy in the four footer.
I fed the fry some beef heart today WOW talk about piranahs they gobbled it down and looked like they wereall toting beer bellies afterwoods.
Ive got a little runt in the tank...just one... still about 3mm and hes a real speedy gonzales,Im calling him Wally ...every morning Iget up and play wheres Wally and low and behold hes still hangin in there.Hes definitelya survivor(I think he'll have a spot in the big tank).
cheers Kathy

[jim from sydney]

Kathy......you are doing fine......your pic is out of focus, could be because you have it set to automatic focus and hence the focal length will be adjusting itself on the glass instead of the fish......just check it...if so set the focal length manually and then shoot again...you may need to practice a bit.......the tank looks great...Jim

[Kathy H]

Thanks jim
When I originally downloaded the pictures they looked really good but I mucked around to shrink them to 120x120 and then when I brought the size up again I couldnt get them in focus.
Will get the camera out tomorrow.
See you
Kathy

[jim from sydney]

Kathy...how is it going now???? :angel

[Kathy H]

Hey Jim
Every thing is going really well with the discus family!!
Im so sorry to here about your death I finally browsed through the other topics and came across your unfolding drama. So Sorry...
My latest drama is transfering my photos onto this site I took some reelly good ones last week but im going to have to do some major shrinking to get them sent through......dont hold your breath........Im technologically challenged!!!

[Kathy H]

I hope I can get these to the right size.

[Kathy H]

Im on a roll now!!

[Kathy H]

They never stop eating

[jim from sydney]

Kathy.....great pics you are a good "mum"
Keep up the good work, you are not bad for a novice.......well done...Jim

[Merrilyn]

Kathy, they look like wonderful, healthy fat babies.

Congratulations on the spawn.

You've done a wonderful job of raising them.

[Kathy H]

Thanks guys!!!
Im moving the babies into their own tank tomorrow because the parents are getting all thingy and look like they are going to breed again.
What size is the best size to sell them..... and where do I sell them?

Cheers Kathy

[DR.V]

you can start selling at about 50cents coin size ...

but better to wait untill they grow a bit bigger so they worth more ...

you can start selling here !! in the classified section

good luck

[Kathy H]

Ok ...Shall do DrV thanks for the advise

[jim from sydney]

Thanks guys!!!
Im moving the babies into their own tank tomorrow because the parents are getting all thingy and look like they are going to breed again.
What size is the best size to sell them..... and where do I sell them?

Cheers Kathy

Kathy..wait until they are older 4/6 months is good....cull the bad ones.....advertise on this forum yuo will get plenty of customers ( maybe me too)...Jim