Discus groth rate.

[Steve_2]

Hello,

I've been keeping discus for about three months now. All four of my discus were purchased at Big Al's when they were barely 2". Fast growth is not something I was striving for, so I only feed 2-3 times a day, and I only do one 50% water change weekly.

The first two I bought were golden pigeons. One of these two has grown to a solid 3-" and looks really good. Its colours are 2X brighter then when I originally purchased it. On the other hand, his little brother/sister has barely grown at all and its colours don't look much better then they did at the fish store. It actually looks stunted. Can this be normal? Will this fish catch up to its sibling eventually? Both fish feed well(frozen commercial beef heart preparation, blood worms, mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, spectrum discus pellets, and tetra color flakes), and these two fish are the most outgoing of the four I have.

The other two are a marlboro red which seems to be growing at a similar rate as the bigger golden pigeon, and a cobalt which is the fastest grower in the tank. This little guy was not even 2" when I got him(a month after the golden pigeons) and he's already a solid 3" if not more.

Does this sound about normal?

Thanks!

Steve

[BigDaddy]

That's average.  I also find that more often than not, one juvie in the group will stunt, but eventually grow out later.

My 1 inchers became 6 inch plus within a few months.  But that was on a heavy feeding schedule and 100% water changes daily or every other day.

I'd switch out the flakes for the bits if you can.  Tetra Color Bits are one of my discus' favorites as they don't really like feeding from the surface where the flakes tend to stay.

[Steve_2]

I will definitely try to find some of those tetra color bits next time I am at the LFS. Thanks!

[apuppet]

i,    2nd that Tetra bits. they sure love them bits.

[Rocco]

I would honestly say for a juvenile discus tank, once a week for a water change is not enough. I am doing daily water changes with aged water. Discus are super finicky with water quality so the more often the better. I also find that keeping large groups ( keeping 6+) there is less chance of one being picked on the most often and thus being chased away from food and becoming stunted( I found out the hard way). Also for a juvie tank, most people keep a bare bottom tank, Its a lot easier to clean and thus keep water quality good.
Just my 2cents!

[Steve_2]

All good ideas, for the dedicated discus keeper. I unfortunately don't have enough time for daily water changes. Sometimes when I have extra time, I will do two water changes in a week, but on average I just do one. I do plan on doubling my discus population( as soon as I see some nice affordable discus at the LFS. As for the bare bottom, I agree with you, but this is an established community planted tank and I am not willing to take it apart. Thanks for the suggestions!