My bubs are growing up!

[sammigold]

Well I thought I would post a couple of pics of my Babies that I got off Crocky early this year....

My Brown/turq has really taken off and he/she is starting to get some lovely patterning... Not what we expected but still very pretty!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a328/sammigold/100_3110.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a328/sammigold/100_3146.jpg

My other baby Solid Blue Snakeskin has not grown as quickly as his friend and I have subsequently moved him into his own tank where he gets fed more often and what he wants which just seems to be frozen brine and a bit of discus dinner (have trouble getting him to eat flakes or tetra bits etc) and will hopefully have a growth spurt..(he was getting chased around all the time by other baby and was not looking too happy)
I am worried that it is too late and I have already stunted him/her but am hoping for the best as it is still young... anyway opinions would be appreciated....

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a328/sammigold/100_3358.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a328/sammigold/100_3371.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a328/sammigold/100_3352.jpg

[mcloughlin2]

Sammi, your brown/ turk has grown up lovely and has some nice colouring starting to appear... :D

However in pic # 2, the discus on the right hand side is very skinny and the same goes for the one on the left... Try feeding more and doing extra water changes...

As for you smallest discus, i hate to say it but there is little hope for him....his eye is about 3 times the size it should be (You should be able to fit 6-7 eyes if you follow a line from below the eye to the top - see the picture attached)

Try doing two water changes a day of about 30% depending on the size of the tank for a few weeks and see if it improves...it will not reach full adult size but may still grow a bit...

This picture shows the extent of the stunting...you should be able to fit twice that many eyes on a discus that has been grown up in ideal conditions.... :) ..However this may just be a "runt" which in that case it has nothing to do with your level of care... :D

Sorry if i sound to rude,

HTH

Sam :P

[shayesmommy]

i thought they eye thing only really count if they were grown. cause it takes awhile to grow . but if they start growing and there is no change that means they are stunted somewhat. but if hes still somewhat of baby it isnt really a huge deal.

omg i just read this and was like wtf is wrong with me. wrong words and really bad spelling sorry. must be losing my mind. :P

[mcloughlin2]

Yes your right shayesmommy - it is usually not that big i thing while the fish are still young...

I just need to correct myself though, as its still young the 6-7 eye method thingy will not be accurate but i still feel its very stunted... :)

[marg]

Mac,

Thanks for taking the time to explain the "eye thing" - I often hear people refer to small eyes/large eyes - it is good to have an exact definition as to what size the eye should be.

Now I'm off to examine all my tanks :D .,

Marg.

[shayesmommy]

k at least i can help with some things and im not just "blah" lol.
marg- i had already took some pictures of my fish and tested it out when i read that, with an edit post.
good thing most of them are well. :)

[goldenpigeon]

there is one problem with the "eye" method. some discus have an more oval shaped body than other (which is normal) and other are completely round and some discus have a high body but small length (if that makes sense lol).

those discus with a high body will easily fit in 7+ eyes. a more oval shaped body may only fit up to 5 in. sometimes more than 5 but it all really depends on the fish. the "eye" method is only a guide.

sammi i think both of them are very nice! i like the top one the most myself but i think the smaller one just needs to be given some time. it still looks very young and so i dont think anyone could say its stunted yet. it has a more oval shaped body, thats not a bad thing because you might notice that many fish are sort of like people - they grow up a bit, then out a bit, then up a bit more etc.

keep up with the good care because i think he has potential.

:D

cheers
David

[sammigold]

thanks for your comments...

Mccloughlin, I know that the two discus you mentioned are skinny, the blue turk is recovering from what I think was a bout of hex... He was really dark, with white poos, I treated him with a course of metro and also wormed him with levamisole... He was getting bullied by my Pigeonblood but that seems to have settled a little...
and he (blue turk) has started to get his colour back and I think weight gain will follow...

The blue diamond is actually not that skinny I think it was the angle of the shot...He has never really been a healthy fish from the moment I got him... we nearly lost him to some sort of bacterial stomach infection but managed to save him.. but he still seems to have "turns" every now and then where he has similar symptoms to his previous illness without stomach swelling...(this is a long post, sorry) anyway he isnt skinny but I am resigned to the fact that these boys are stunted and I have a feeling that they may have been that way when I bought them as I never knew about eyes or stunting or shape etc when I bought them (I just liked the colours!)

My discus get fed four or five times a day a mixture of tetra bits, flakes, a pellet food, frozen brine and treats of discus dinner every couple of days.... anyway I will keep persisting...

[G-1000]

Sammi

The first fish is great !

However the "runted" fish is exactly that. Im not trying to be offensive, but that fish has a very large eye for that size and thus, on that basis is a definate runt. It will have a small stature when older for sure. Have you tried deworming it with prazi ? Then Levamisole? then a prophylaxis with tetracylcine in a hospital tank?

I know you look after ur fish well - but I just think something is wrong with the second one - it is way too small. Keep an eye on it mate.

G

[mcloughlin2]

Sammi

The first fish is great !

However the "runted" fish is exactly that. Im not trying to be offensive, but that fish has a very large eye for that size and thus, on that basis is a definate runt. It will have a small stature when older for sure. Have you tried deworming it with prazi ? Then Levamisole? then a prophylaxis with tetracylcine in a hospital tank?

I know you look after ur fish well - but I just think something is wrong with the second one - it is way too small. Keep an eye on it mate.

G

Talk 'bout trying to OD a fish! :lol: :lol:

It would be worth looking into though sammi...i would worm them & see how they go... :)

However im with G on this one - that last one is a runt and there is not much hope as i have already said in my previous post...

[Crocky]

Hi Sammi

I will have to say he's going to be a runt.I only ended up keeping one fish from that lot they didn't grow out like they should have.Next time ryan come up to pick some fish up i'll send another discus down for you.I will pm you about where you pick it up from, I thinks he's only around the courner from you.

Brad

[sammigold]

Hey Brad,

I dont mind if hes a runt... I just cant wait till he gets some colour... I know snakeskins take longer to colour up and I am willing to go the distance as I want to see what colour he ends up.... (as you know I just love the solid blue snakeskins that you had up there and even if he/she doesnt get to a "full size" Im sure he/she will be beautiful!!!

Ps. This little one also had the metro and levamisole treatment at the same time as my blue turq... although I havent treated them with prazi...

She/he has a nice red eye and seems happy and eats heaps of what it wants to eat...(frozen brine LOL) I occaisionally suck it in to eat some flakes but I think it catches on pretty quick and says "Hey wheres the real stuff?" it also eats discus dinner but turns its nose up at tetra bits...