Discus Fry Feeding

[fozziebear]

most breeders use things like these for discus, but it requires their own tank with nothing else in it for them to lay on.

 

[Cameronb_01]

@mikey11 : yes the parents are still present. However, I was under the impression that it was beneficial to leave them together for a week or so; in order that the fry can benefit from the parent's mucus coat which contains antibodies etc.?

@fozziebear : I bought some gutter-mesh to make a cone guard but after observation I did not notice the parents eating the eggs, (and since they were isolated in a separate breeding tank), I decided against putting it in to avoid disturbing the eggs- clearly they managed to dupe me on the egg eating front.

 

[mikey11]

@mikey11 : yes the parents are still present. However, I was under the impression that it was beneficial to leave them together for a week or so; in order that the fry can benefit from the parent's mucus coat which contains antibodies etc.?

i have never done that.....i have always removed the parents right away and let the eggs hatch on their own,

once those guys begin swimming i have a feeling you might lose more

 

[Cameronb_01]

@mikey11 does this mean that I need a third tank? Or can I just keep the fry in the breeding tank and return the parents to the community tank?

 

[mikey11]

@mikey11 does this mean that I need a third tank? Or can I just keep the fry in the breeding tank and return the parents to the community tank?

i just return the parents to the original tank after they lay the eggs

 

[Cameronb_01]

Do you think it might be a viable experiment to try leaving the fry with their parents for as long as possible, (until they get to a size where the feeding might become a hazard to the parents). At which point I remove the parents and try feeding the not live food and see if they go for that?

Because at that age they would be much more mature and one would assume more likely to catch onto the idea of what food was. In addition, they would then have the example of their parents feeding to inspire them.

Worst case scenario the parents eat the fry- so I start again and follow the orthodox method of removing the parents then feeding live brine-shrimp.

Best case scenario: new super cheap and super low-maintenance method for breeding discus!

 

[fozziebear]

it is very much dependant on the particular parents, they will all be different, some may not need removing, some may need removing earlier etc.

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?85917-When-to-separate-discus-fry-from-parents

 

[AbbeysDad]

It's true that live baby brine shrimp is a food of choice for Angel's and probably Discus, Although I've raised Angel's with frozen baby brine shrimp followed by high quality flake food and they seemed to do just fine.
But I'll confess that I have much more experience with live bearers having recently become an accidental breeder. I've farmed out some 54 fish to LFS and am growing out another couple of dozen (Mollies and Swordtails).
I've never used Repashy powder, Instead, I grind high quality Omega One Tropical Flakes into very small flakes and nearly a powder to feed to fry. They seem to grow very well with it. I feed fry several times a day to ensure they have plenty to eat even thought the tank is well planted and there's always something to eat.

 

[fozziebear]

I've farmed out some 54 fish to LFS and am growing out another couple of dozen (Mollies and Swordtails).

Nice!

 

[mikey11]

I've farmed out some 54 fish to LFS and am growing out another couple of dozen (Mollies and Swordtails).

a bit off topic but....

just wondering if they give you anything for fish like that?

LFS around here won't even take fish like that for free!

 

[Chief Brody]

I like to force them to eat all the algae of everything in the tank

Sent from my SM-G730V using Tapatalk

 

[AbbeysDad]

a bit off topic but....
just wondering if they give you anything for fish like that?
LFS around here won't even take fish like that for free!

First let me say that I'm retired and just a hobbyist (50+ year fishkeeper) with a couple of tanks, not an intentional breeder with a large fish room. I've just wanted a nice community display tank. But 'stuff' happens!
It's not what I'd call serious money as I'm just getting store credit of $1.25 per fish. I'm guessing if I was to sell them for cash money, it would probably be like $.50 per fish.
If you were to cost out the time, labor, and fish food for the 4-6 months to grow them out, it would probably be a business destined to fail! Still it's a win/win as he gets quality fish with no assumed loss risk (unlike wholesaler shipments), and he'll sell them for twice what he gives me and I'll use the credit to buy other fish or supplies for raising these accidental broods. (oh, and he'll make an indirect profit from me on that end too!).
To me, in a way, it's just an extension of the hobby (and I'm keeping the picks of the broods). I've toyed with the idea of slowly expanding it to a 'real' business, but I'm not there and not really sure if I'll ever be.
Apologies to the OP for the sidebar.

 

[mikey11]

It's not what I'd call serious money as I'm just getting store credit of $1.25 per fish

wow....that's actually very good money for those fish....i'm surprised they give you that much

LFS around here only give about 1/3 the price, but they will only take more "fancy fish" to use a polite term, like angelfish, discus, africans, etc