Random Pics of my Discus

[Spardas]

Some random shots of my discus fishes.

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[Cliff]

I don't know a lot about discus, but your pics & fish look great

How big is the tank they are in ?

[rich311k]

Great looking fish!

[Spardas]

Thanks for the kind words.

The last one in post #1 is a pigeon blood that's nearly 8 inches . He's one of my biggest "dinner plates", lol.

Those discus fishes in the picture are in 220 gallon long tank.

Here's a few more pics:

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[Spardas]

Took this picture of another community type tank and they're all up to my side begging for food:

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[octoxpuss]

In Post #4 The very last picture i like the bubbles hitting the discus in the upper right hand corner. Perfect focal point. These Discus look truly amazing.

[Northernguy]

Nice shots!
You have some great looking discus!thumbs2:

[Kazenouta]

Gorgeous, gorgeous fish! I think I'm still too much a beginner to keep Discus but your pics make me want to!

[EmmanuelJB]

Those discus look AMAZING!! thumbs2: :19: thumbs2:

[Spardas]

They're not difficult if you do research and put some effort into maintenance. This is more true for juveniles.

Juveniles discus require more care because they will require a lot of food to grow. Therefore, you have to feed them at least 6 times a day if you want to see some good growth. This would foul the water fast and you'll need to change the water as much as you can.

Just for reference, I wanted to show some folks how much debris will be leftover so I put some perfectly white and clean filter floss on the filter intakes as a test. The result is usually like this after 5-7 days:

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This belongs to my regular 55 gallon tank with 8 medium sized discus. They get 6 meals a day (Beefheart Mix in morning, varied flake, pellet, and freeze dried food in meal 2/3/4, Seafood Mix in 5, and live blackworms in meal 6). I also do 2 daily water change of 80%. The water changes are done right after each feeding of Beefheart and Seafood Mix. The mixture can really foul the water quickly.

The adults only get about 3-4 meals a day and I fast them once in awhile.

[matthewdk455]

Wow your discuss are absolutely stunning! Beautiful. I'm sure they love that they have the opportunity to school (shoal?).

[waack]

2x 80% water changes a day WOW you must have a lot of time on your hands lol

[Spardas]

Lol, quite the opposite, it's mostly automatic so it doesn't take too long. Water drains in all tanks in about 10 minutes and then pump refills it back from storage bins and then new water is stocked again, aerated, conditioned, and heated for the next change. Usually, it takes about half an hour for everything.

Aside from this half an hour in the morning and at night and the morning feeding, late night feeding, I rarely get much time to look at my fishes as I'm busy throughout the day in the office, :scry: .

[rothenb1]

Holy moly that's a lotta discus! They look great!

That whole automatic water change deal you've got going on sounds awesome. I'm sure that's the secret as to why your fish look so wonderful!

[Spardas]

It's all about water quality and diet.

It's also a good idea to feed medicated deworming flakes every few months for a week to help them clear their stomach. It's also good to keep a cabinet of medicine always on standby. But you'll rarely get a chance to use it if you keep up with daily water changes and a fortified, balanced, and nutritious diet. I haven't had any diseases in the main tank in over 9 months. Discus fish can be very strong if done right.

[Lady Hobbs]

WOW. You have a gaggle of Discus. Very nice.

[Spardas]

Some more random shots:

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[Spardas]

More ...

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[taralm13]

Those are some of the coolest looking fish I have ever seen! If I was not so afraid of big fish I would get some :)

[FishyPastor]

I want to get into Discus but there so darn expensive 60-75 dollars and up. Is there as cheaper way to buy them?

[Spardas]

I want to get into Discus but there so darn expensive 60-75 dollars and up. Is there as cheaper way to buy them?

There are three main factors that decide a price of a discus. It is size, strain, and shape & pattern.

Albino discus will command for the highest price, like and ARGD can go for $385 for one. Larger discus will also be more expensive. The better the shape & pattern for that strain; the higher the price.

Smaller fishes in the range of 2.5 inches to 3 inches are less expensive ($20 and up). You can try to get them from good breeders locally or reputable online sellers.

Do your research on where to get your discus from. Good quality discus will be the first right step in raising discus.

[FishyPastor]

Thanks for the reply I will do my research and check it out. Is there anyone you would recommend?

[Spardas]

I highly highly highly highly highly recommend Kenny's Discus.

He currently imports from the breeder forrest and their breeding group and brings in a lot of great quality discus at reasonable prices. His upcoming July shipment preview will be posted soon on another forum. I'll send you details via PM.

Also, don't be afraid to call him to ask questions about the whole process. His customer service is excellent and his reputation is as stellar as his whole operation.

Check his previous shipment threads to see the pictures of the fishes he brings in.

[mac]

I want to get into Discus but there so darn expensive 60-75 dollars and up. Is there as cheaper way to buy them?

They are wonderful fish. Great looking ones to.

Man that cheap. Discus in NZ generally sit from $130-$190 each

mac

[Bourbon]

Beautiful, beautiful fish. Well done.

[AlabamaFish]

WOW, awesome! You are certainly dedicated to your fish... They are lucky to have you. :shappy:

[Spardas]

Thanks for the kind comments.

They're not hard to keep at all. They just require more work, lol.

[FishGirl-Seattle]

Wow, no wonder your discus are so beautiful, you put more effort into feeding them than I do feeding my husband! :ssuprised:

[MCHRKiller]

Your discus are an example to us all of what healthy discus should look like. :22:

[Spardas]

Thanks for the comments.

But really, the credit should go to the original breeders for creating great quality stock and the importers for being thorough with their QT procedures. I simply build upon their work.

However, I must say that keeping discus has increased my knowledge greatly in so many ways. That is if you want to keep discus successfully, then it's definitely more work involved.

The fruit of your labors don't go unrewarded though. To watch them feast on the food like ravenous piranhas when they're young. To watch them grow and develop their beautiful patterns. To feel accomplished when they're big and healthy adults always ready to breed. All of this makes it worthwhile.

[MCHRKiller]

Being one who has kept and bred discus over the years I must say that you can take a champion bred discus and ruin it in a short matter of time from poor keeping. Bloodlines or not your work with them is definatly the key factor here, IMO. Out of curiosity sake...would you state the water parameters these fish are living in?

[Spardas]

For smaller discus in grow out tank:
Temp at 86 F
0/0/nearly impossible to measure nitrates due to constant water changes
pH 7
KH 120
GH 210 ppm (modified soft water from tap to moderately hard)

For adults discus:
Temp at 82 F
0/0/nearly impossible to measure nitrates as well
ph 7
KH 120
GH 25 or 210 ppm depending on what kind of tank

[FishyPastor]

I never realized the water is so warm foe discus.

[Spardas]

I never realized the water is so warm foe discus.

Yeah, sometimes I would even bring it up slowly 1 degree each day if the fishes aren't eating and can go up to about 92 F to get them eating before I bring it back down.

[Rob66]

they look a little crouded.....

[Spardas]

Yeah, even with 1 per 10 gallon rule, these big discus really takes up a lot of room.

This summer, I'm planning a huge show tank so wait for it, :hmm3grin2orange: . I'm rather excited about it.

I'm just trying to figure out the logistic behind it all right now (location, lighting, humidity control, weight support, plumbing, electrical wiring and routing, layout of tank, substrate, wood, plants, livestock, rock work, the whole 9 yard ...).

I'm also trying to find a suitable time to take off from work so that not too much work piles up when I get back. :scry:

[dawrtw]

I bought some from a guy in Wilmore, KY. He has them as low as $14.00 ea. Now you won't get the big ones for that but he has some of the larger ones for $35 - $45.00 ea.

kingdomcomediscushaven.com

[dawrtw]

Do you have any problems with mixing the angles and discus? I'm told you can't mix them but they come from the same areas.
I want to add some to my tank but have been stalling.

[Spardas]

You can mix angels with discus. The thing is you have to go through proper QT procedures as always.

I also know the Kraig, the person you get your discus from in KY; he has a decent selection and his QT procedure is good. I believe he posted that method on his website.