hey guys.... as i only started on discus a few days back and i wonder what de-worming is.... can anyone tell me why.... i have 3 1.5inch discus in a 2ft by 1.5ft by 1ft, will it be too small when they grow to about 4inch... thats all i wanna ask and please share your experiences as well...thanks
Hi, Sidious. To my experience, de-worming is to remove some of the harmful worms in the discus body by use of de-worming tablets.If ur tank is small, the discus will never grow to its potential size.To prevent your discus from having problems, just remember to change water regularly, maintain temperature at 28-29 degrees, try not to put any decorative items in the tank and you will not have any problems.
Deworming is to get rid of the intestinal parasites which were induced when you feed them live feeds like live tubifex worms and blood worms etc. It is recommended that deworming is to be done once a month. If you do not feed your discus live feeds, I think there is no need for you to deworm unless you noticed that they are having white poo. Medications we often use for deworming is MQ 5 and 6 (if i didn't remember the no. wrongly). Try to reduce the water by half before commencing treatment so that you will not need to use so much medication. Yes like what yaneo said keeping 3 discus will not allow them to grow to their full potential. Hope this helps
Best Regards
YongHua
then what should be a good tank size for 6 2 inches as i buying 3 soon... i just want them to grow at least 4inch
I would suggest you to get a 3 feet one. (min.)Originally Posted by Sidious
Best Regards
YongHua
hi sidious,
some points to note if you want them to grow as large as possible.
1. change water frequently. how much and often depends on your ability to devote time and what you feed. some breeders change water 100% daily. i find this a bit too time consuming and try to do 20% daily and about 50% on weekends. frequent water changes may mitigate a smaller tank although there comes a point where you really need a big tank for "growing space". the advantages of a bigger tank also means you can get away with less frequent water change regimes.
2. discus stop growing at about two years old. once they start breeding growth rate tends to suffer as its vitality is concentrated on reproduction. discus can start to mate as early as 9 to 12 months. females generally mature first. to prevent "premature" matings breeders usually "overstock" tanks. this prevents a pair to developing horny needs by not allowing mating space. which brings you right back to point 1 - frequent water change regime.
3. i assume you want them, eventually, for a planted tank. however, a planted environment is quite difficult to maintain if you want to bulk them by more feedings. one compromise i am making is to keep mine in bare tanks till the reach adult size for display before i send them to a planted one. this way you can maintain a planted tank without too much trouble from "overfeeding". for breeding bare tank is best.
4. discus always form a pecking order (dominance). you will find that your 6 discus will grow at different rates and ultimately end up in different sizes. generally, there will be a numero uno down to a stunted one (stunted because of little food as opposed to runt - small at birth). if this happens, leave the stunted one in the tank so it can take the blows so that the others may grow. or, put him in another tank so it may grow but another one in the main take will take over its place. a higher stock level with small and frequent feedings may reduce this tendency as no individual can prevent the others from eating by defending the food.
5. as someone said, white poo is not a good sign. discus doo doo should be a healthy dark/black colour. personally, i am in agreement to not use medication at all, if possible, especially during the growing age. most problems can be "treated" by... (yes the magic formula) frequent water change and simply raising the temperature to 32 degrees. this usually sorts them out by increases metabolic rate and appetites.
6. you may want to consider buying new fish of similar sizes to mitigate the dominance thingy. especially if the current fish are your favourites. if the new fish are a variety that you like and don't mind the current ones getting stunted, go ahead!
my personal opinion, with a good water change regime (20% daily), you may be able to continue using your current tank till they average 3" in size. but more space, as big as you can afford (time and money), is always better for discus.
water changes cannot be overemphasized.
hope these points will help you.
celticfish
celticfish
It is a good day to die!!!
I finally uploaded an avatar and Cupid is dead!!!
thanks celtic.... i wc every 2 days 50%..... now already decided only to keep three of them, same size, first.... feeding them spectrum grow, tubifex(can) and BW.... can you all show me 1 pic of a stunted discus and one of a normal discus.... hopfully 2inch ones.... cause i think mine is stunted... thanks guys
I should be working not posting
nice to see a new discus fan ask. this very trying as celticfish has put in really valuable info up. great advice. [i have been thru all you said, why never read this sooner!!!!]
first ask yourself what is your objective...
do you have intention to breed? even if you don't, they will pair up when have 6. trust me. unless you got 6 males or 6 females or all playing hard to get
the pair will be territorial and peck the rest for space. in which case you should remove the pair into a bare tank and let them mate in peace. a ton of info available if you intend to breed...just ask
if you have planted tank it makes it even harder to breed. not advisable because of tons of factors as the expert breeders will tell you. from eggs eaten by the worker fish[sae, mini puffer etc] or fries getting sucked by the pump, getting lost can't find parents .... da da da.
maybe info overload.
well i've attached a pix of stunted with normal discus. it can be seen thru proportion of eyes to body. the lss is only a month older than the red white but much bigger.
the stunted red white is healthy but will never reach it's true potential size.
btw, this is old pix and red white
so the defining look is the big eyes to body ratio. hope that was helpful.
Last edited by StanChung; 28th Jan 2006 at 13:39.
You can if you dare to fail - Stan Chung
nice to see a new discus fan ask. this very trying as celticfish has put in really valuable info up. great advice. [i have been thru all you said, why never read this sooner!!!!]
first ask yourself what is your objective...
do you have intention to breed? even if you don't, they will pair up when have 6. trust me. unless you got 6 males or 6 females or all playing hard to get
the pair will be territorial and peck the rest for space. in which case you should remove the pair into a bare tank and let them mate in peace. a ton of info available if you intend to breed...just ask
if you have planted tank it makes it even harder to breed. not advisable because of tons of factors as the expert breeders will tell you. from eggs eaten by the worker fish[sae, mini puffer etc] or fries getting sucked by the pump, getting lost can't find parents .... da da da.
well i've attached a pix of stunted with normal discus. it can be seen thru proportion of eyes to body. the lss is only a month older than the red white but much bigger.
the stunted red white is healthy but will never reach it's true potential size.
btw, this is old pix and red white
so the defining look is the big eyes to body ratio. hope that was helpful.
thanks standoyo........ but the thing is i feel is not stunted after compairing with other discus in fish shop.... but your pics like scare me a bit... i think i will post the pic of my discus asap... hopefully you all know the answer
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks