I Need Some Help With My Discus

[Sheilaf]

Ok Discus experts, I need some help. I need to figure out what I'm doing wrong. I have had my Discus now for 3 months. There are 7 of them and they are in a 55g tank with 1 AC110 and 1 Ac70 for filtration. I do 2 larger 60% water changes a week with several smaller ones in between. They get fed 4-5 times daily with a variety of foods (NLS, hikari discus, frozen bloodworms, colorbits and omega one flake). 2 have grown quite well and are fairly big now. 3 have grown somewhat although not very much in my opinion and 2 (my blue diamonds) don't look to me like they've grown at all. What am I doing wrong and what can I do to get them to grow well? I have a thin layer of sand as a substrate (1/4" or less) one piece of driftwood, some watersprite and one sword plant in the tank with them. The Discus are active, responseive and colorful, they are not skittish and do not hide at all. This is my first attempt at these fish so I'm still learning.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Ok Discus experts, I need some help. I need to figure out what I'm doing wrong. I have had my Discus now for 3 months. There are 7 of them and they are in a 55g tank with 1 AC110 and 1 Ac70 for filtration. I do 2 larger 60% water changes a week with several smaller ones in between. They get fed 4-5 times daily with a variety of foods (NLS, hikari discus, frozen bloodworms, colorbits and omega one flake). 2 have grown quite well and are fairly big now. 3 have grown somewhat although not very much in my opinion and 2 (my blue diamonds) don't look to me like they've grown at all. What am I doing wrong and what can I do to get them to grow well? I have a thin layer of sand as a substrate (1/4" or less) one piece of driftwood, some watersprite and one sword plant in the tank with them. The Discus are active, responseive and colorful, they are not skittish and do not hide at all. This is my first attempt at these fish so I'm still learning.

Probably has to do with the hierarchy and where they are all placed. Biggest are the dominant and each fish get smaller as they become lower down. Might also have to do with the quality of the fish.

If you want a faster growth rate then I would loose the substrate. It's much easier keeping a bare-bottom tank clean.

You are most likely going to end up with a runt or two that eat less, and stay smaller. Just a natural thing.

 

[Sheilaf]

I was wondering about the quality of the fish myself. It seems strange to me that 3 should be growing so well and 4 not so well when they all get the exact same care. The 2 biggest are definitely the dominant ones although they tend to squabble amongst themselves and leave the others alone. The 2 smallest (blue diamonds) are also the pickiest eaters so I don't think they eat as much as the others. Although when it's bloodworms on the menu they eat until they look like their bellies will burst! I have also been told that these 2 look stunted.

As for the substrate, I did have it bare bottom but the fish seemed more comfortable after adding a very thin layer of the sand. Their colors are nicer and they just seem happier.

Are Discus a slower growing fish? I've heard it can take 2 years for them to reach their potential size. I've also heard they should grow an inch a month, which to me seems more like what you'd expect from an oscar?

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

I was wondering about the quality of the fish myself. It seems strange to me that 3 should be growing so well and 4 not so well when they all get the exact same care. The 2 biggest are definitely the dominant ones although they tend to squabble amongst themselves and leave the others alone. The 2 smallest (blue diamonds) are also the pickiest eaters so I don't think they eat as much as the others. Although when it's bloodworms on the menu they eat until they look like their bellies will burst! I have also been told that these 2 look stunted.

As for the substrate, I did have it bare bottom but the fish seemed more comfortable after adding a very thin layer of the sand. Their colors are nicer and they just seem happier.

Are Discus a slower growing fish? I've heard it can take 2 years for them to reach their potential size. I've also heard they should grow an inch a month, which to me seems more like what you'd expect from an oscar?

Honestly, it really depends on your water changing routine, feeding routine, and like I said before, the quality of the fish. I have seen 6 inch fish that where supposedly only 5 months old. It will probably take a little longer then this though. Some Discus grow bigger then others as well. Anywhere from 6-8 inches is an acceptable adult size range. I am not sure if you blue diamonds will get to be that big though. Them being picky eaters is probably one of the reason contributing to their small size.

I can't really give you a definitive answer here, because I am not 100% sure myself. I have two Discus I got, each about 4 inches when I bought them 1 year ago and have been what looks to be full grown for a while.