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Hi DevotedToDiscus
Just wanted to say this is a great thread - glad to see you are finally having some luck. Looking forward to seeing more pics when they get bigger - when do they start looking discus shaped, as it were?
Keep up the good work!
I feel for you. Their behavior and temperament is the only area I really don't know how to change yet, and it is my biggest stumbling block with these two fish. I think it has a lot to do with age, as they really are quite young. I know that I should sometimes just let them fight it out, as it is all part of nature, but it is hard to watch as I think they might hurt each otherWhat an odyssey this has been! I have been a devoted thread watcher since the beginning and am ecstatic that have gotten them so far this time! I have a pair of angels who are having the same trouble. Dad punishes mom intensely after every failure, and I guess the stress is starting to stunt her growth, so I have decided to strip their eggs for awhile and feed and condition them before allowing them to try again. They get to almost free swimming, then the fry die, despite pristine water. The da chases the mom away and stops letting her take care of them. If I remove the da, she ignores the babes anyways and they die.
I did switch to using RO water and lowered the Total Dissolved Solids as low as is safe(60ppm), but that was to get a higher egg fertilization rate so that I could get a better number of fry. So if you are getting fry in the first place then no need for this. I use Seachem Acid Regulator to adjust the RO water to a pH 6. I try to avoid chemicals were possible, and have found the addition of Eheim Torf Pellets(Peat) in the filter has really help the water quality, and triggers spawning. If you are not running an external filter, then you can simply hang the bag of peat in the tank.I feel the same, as my pair is also quite young. Their bodies are the size of an american half dollar. The tank I am using is a 55 us gallon, so I believe I have stable enough water parameters, I feed the fry with a wash of fry food using a bulb syringe washed gently over them.
What, if anything, have you done differently this time that you feel has brought you so far? I totally stole your filter idea so there is little or no current in the tank, and the last batch did make it further than ever before.
How do you soften and lower your waters ph? I see seachem discus buffer, but am nervous about trying it without another,more experienced opinion. How often do you feed bs to your pair to keep them in condition?
Sorry about the questions, but discus and angels are so closely related in behaviour and husbandry needs, I figure your my go-to guy!
