keeping wilds

[lou1]

Hey I'm looking at getting 4 wild blues or rsg . Just waiting for my tank to mature a bit and plants to grow out a bit . My question is how different are they to keeping standard discus . I've currently got a 6 x 2 x 2 tank with 8 standard discus and a 3 ft breeding tank ( but stupid fish keep eating eggs ) as I won't be ready for the wild for around a month or two I'm doing as much research as possible , so any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated

[Merrilyn]

Keeping wilds is not very different from keeping domestic discus. Their water requirements are a little more stringent. They really demand their water to be very clean, they can be a bit more picky with foods, and breeding is quite a challenge.

Heckels are probably the most difficult, and must be kept in a tank on their own, or at the very least, with other wild caught fish. Blues and RSG are a bit easier, although I'd still rather keep a tank of wilds separate from any domestic fish.

Worming your wilds as soon as you get them is really important, as is keeping them in a quarantine tank for at least 8 weeks prior to mixing them with your other wilds.

On the up side, if you can get them to breed, they make great parents, as all the natural instincts are intact, and not affected by being artificially reared as many domestic strains are.

I've kept most wilds, including heckels. Happy to help you with any questions.

[lou1]

where do you guys source your wilds from? ive heard ea and sls do get them in on ocasions but their websites dont really show what they have in stock . i wont be ready for them until next month but if you guys could point me to somewhere that sells them that would be great.

[nevsfish]

hi i heard that aquarium industries in melbourne has wilds at the moment.check out there web site it will have a list of whats avaliable.but they dont sell to the genaral public you will have to get your lfs to order them in.