marg
Sat May 28, 2005, 08:18 AM
To the reader, Beware - this is pretty long winded (a saga really) :
It's really interesting reading everyone's comments contained in this Forum. Before I first started with my Discus (approx. 2 1/2 years ago) I had a 2 foot tank with an Undergravel Filter, and being a newbie I had evrything imaginable in the tank - very overcrowded - (Angels, Mollies, Platys, Neons, Albino Catfish, Colwn Loach and a small Knifefish -you name it, I had it) :oops: . Mega Overcrowded. The people in the Fish Shop didn't tell me that my Tank was overcrowded - they wanted the Sales and I was definately a real sucker. :evil: . Around that time I bought some Fish Books and worked it out for myself - Decided I had to get a bigger Tank :!: .
I Went into the local Fish Shop to buy some Fish Food, - sighted some Discus and I was gone big time :D . I ended up giving all the Fish I had away except the Clown Loach and the Knife Fish (still have them both today), the Neons and the Catfish. Next thing I sighted a 180 Litre tank for sale at a Garage Sale so I bought it, scrimped and saved (I unfortunately am on a Disability Pension) and added a smallish Cannister Filter to the Tank together with the Undergravel Filter and over the next couple of months purchased 4 Discus - a Blue Turquoise, Red Marlboro, Blue Diamond and a Brown).
I asked the Lady at the Fish Shop how often I had to change the water (she told me hardly ever :?: :?: :?: , and away I went. THEN the fun started : :x . Huge Algae Problems - methinks no worries, Change the water (All the water :oops: ). Cloudy Water - off to the Fish Shop to try and get something to fix that. :?
Eventually, no thanks to the Fish Shop Lady but through reading a Book I purchased on Discus, I learnt that they liked clean water, so commenced to do Weekly Water Changes and all began to settle down :D . To this day I still have three of my original Discus - the Brown didn't survive the horrors I put them through. I have since altered my Water Changes and do 30% every Second Day (if that is wrong, please correct me, but everything seems to be working fine at the moment).
I Can't remember the exact dimensions of the 180 Litre Tank (it was Cube shaped) but eventually because of my disability it became too hard for me to clean - I have a shoulder problem and had difficulty vacuuming the bottom of the Tank), and my family bought me a bare 4 foot (250 Litre) Tank setup. I transferred all the Plumbing into that Tank and transferred all my Fish into it, then sold the old Tank.
12 months ago I went to Sydney with friends and on the way home we stopped at Strictly Aquariums in Campbelltown, and I fell in love with a pretty pale coloured Discus with slight orange markings on it and as it was very reasonably priced I bought it. She coloured up beautifully and turned out to be a Pigeon Blood.
By this time I had decided that my Local Fish Shop was a rip off and vowed I would never buy anything from them ever again ( except Fish Food, until I could get a better source). 6 months ago we again went to Sydney and this time I purchased a small Red Turquoise.
I was reading the local Classifieds and found another 2nd hand 4 foot (340 Litre) Tank - this one also had a larger Resun AE-806 Filter with it, Light, Cabinet etc., and it was pretty reasonably priced so after a bit more scrimping (who needs to eat when you can cater to your Fish :wink: :wink: ) I purchased it. I moved everything except the Discus into it (after scrubbing it out for 2 days and transferring half the water from my other 4 foot Tank into it) and decided to sit back and watch what happened.
Of my Original 3, the Red Marlboro has paired with the Pigeon Blood, they have had numerous spawns and even got to wriggler stage on a few occasions but the fry failed to attach due to the size of the Tank. I did transfer them into the 2 foot Tank with a bare bottom however they only spawned once then promptly ate the Eggs after two days. They are on strike at the moment after spending three weeks in the small tank without doing anything but after conversing with Ladyred I am assured that this is normal - so I have put them back into the 4 foot Discus Tank and am watching them and at the first sign of anything I will transfer them back into the 2 foot tank (with a sponge filter that I have circulating in the discus tank).
The Blue Turquoise and the Blue Diamond are either Two Females, or one Female and a really Dumb Male - I haven't properly caught them in the act, but I have observed the Blue Diamond making runs over a Flowerpot in the Tank - the Turquoise makes a run every second or third time (I havent really been able to get a proper look at his/her plumbing when this is happening, cause the minute i try to look, he/she spins around, faces me and just sits there glaring!!) - the Eggs are really Orange - they both fan them lovingly for two days (and if I approach the Tank the Blue Diamond starts his/her Tuff Stuff up again and attmpts to have a go at me through the glass - about half stay orange and the other go white (obviously unfertilized) - and then they gobble them up :? :evil:, so I am still out on what the Blue Turk is. I know the Blue Diamond is definately Female as I have seen the eggs peeping out of her breeding tube, but I'm unsure about the Turk, who won't let me have a good look. I'll just have to keep on watching.
One month ago I went to Sydney with my son and we went to see a chap by the name of Col Stewart at Mount Druitt and I ended up coming home with 2 Gold Pigeon and 1 Pigeon Cross (Red Melon or Red Marlboro?) Juvenilles. I have put them into the Community Tank together with the small Red Turquoise to let them grow out, as they are all around the same size. When Money permits I intend to buy more Juvenilles as that is the only way I have been able to afford what I've got so far. I must be doing something right as so far I have only lost one, that being the brown, and I have had no major illnesses so far.
Col Stewart was really helpful (he operates as Prestige Aquariums - he builds tanks, Imports Discus and also sells Filters, Lights, Fish Food etc., he operates from home but boy has he got a lot of Fish gear. His Discus Room really blew my mind - I have never seen so many Discus together, I only wish I had an open Cheque Book). Col gave me a Card for the Australian Discus Association and I have contacted the Secretary James Tilley and have since applied to join same. James gave me their website address and that is how I got onto this forum. Boy am I glad I did, I am learning so much. Prior to finding this site most of the Sites I found were American and because I am not real Computer smart I found it hard to get into their Forums - and I wanted to find an Aussie site - it wouldn't matter how cheap their Fish were, I couldn't afford to buy into them.
I'm coming up for air now, but let me say that I really love this site and really appreciate all the information I am able to glean from it as I want to be in Discus for a long time.
I have just ONE Question :- Does anyone know what next weeks Lotto Numbers will be - I really really really want to buy more of these beautiful Fish :!: :!: :!: :lol: :lol: :lol: .
It's really interesting reading everyone's comments contained in this Forum. Before I first started with my Discus (approx. 2 1/2 years ago) I had a 2 foot tank with an Undergravel Filter, and being a newbie I had evrything imaginable in the tank - very overcrowded - (Angels, Mollies, Platys, Neons, Albino Catfish, Colwn Loach and a small Knifefish -you name it, I had it) :oops: . Mega Overcrowded. The people in the Fish Shop didn't tell me that my Tank was overcrowded - they wanted the Sales and I was definately a real sucker. :evil: . Around that time I bought some Fish Books and worked it out for myself - Decided I had to get a bigger Tank :!: .
I Went into the local Fish Shop to buy some Fish Food, - sighted some Discus and I was gone big time :D . I ended up giving all the Fish I had away except the Clown Loach and the Knife Fish (still have them both today), the Neons and the Catfish. Next thing I sighted a 180 Litre tank for sale at a Garage Sale so I bought it, scrimped and saved (I unfortunately am on a Disability Pension) and added a smallish Cannister Filter to the Tank together with the Undergravel Filter and over the next couple of months purchased 4 Discus - a Blue Turquoise, Red Marlboro, Blue Diamond and a Brown).
I asked the Lady at the Fish Shop how often I had to change the water (she told me hardly ever :?: :?: :?: , and away I went. THEN the fun started : :x . Huge Algae Problems - methinks no worries, Change the water (All the water :oops: ). Cloudy Water - off to the Fish Shop to try and get something to fix that. :?
Eventually, no thanks to the Fish Shop Lady but through reading a Book I purchased on Discus, I learnt that they liked clean water, so commenced to do Weekly Water Changes and all began to settle down :D . To this day I still have three of my original Discus - the Brown didn't survive the horrors I put them through. I have since altered my Water Changes and do 30% every Second Day (if that is wrong, please correct me, but everything seems to be working fine at the moment).
I Can't remember the exact dimensions of the 180 Litre Tank (it was Cube shaped) but eventually because of my disability it became too hard for me to clean - I have a shoulder problem and had difficulty vacuuming the bottom of the Tank), and my family bought me a bare 4 foot (250 Litre) Tank setup. I transferred all the Plumbing into that Tank and transferred all my Fish into it, then sold the old Tank.
12 months ago I went to Sydney with friends and on the way home we stopped at Strictly Aquariums in Campbelltown, and I fell in love with a pretty pale coloured Discus with slight orange markings on it and as it was very reasonably priced I bought it. She coloured up beautifully and turned out to be a Pigeon Blood.
By this time I had decided that my Local Fish Shop was a rip off and vowed I would never buy anything from them ever again ( except Fish Food, until I could get a better source). 6 months ago we again went to Sydney and this time I purchased a small Red Turquoise.
I was reading the local Classifieds and found another 2nd hand 4 foot (340 Litre) Tank - this one also had a larger Resun AE-806 Filter with it, Light, Cabinet etc., and it was pretty reasonably priced so after a bit more scrimping (who needs to eat when you can cater to your Fish :wink: :wink: ) I purchased it. I moved everything except the Discus into it (after scrubbing it out for 2 days and transferring half the water from my other 4 foot Tank into it) and decided to sit back and watch what happened.
Of my Original 3, the Red Marlboro has paired with the Pigeon Blood, they have had numerous spawns and even got to wriggler stage on a few occasions but the fry failed to attach due to the size of the Tank. I did transfer them into the 2 foot Tank with a bare bottom however they only spawned once then promptly ate the Eggs after two days. They are on strike at the moment after spending three weeks in the small tank without doing anything but after conversing with Ladyred I am assured that this is normal - so I have put them back into the 4 foot Discus Tank and am watching them and at the first sign of anything I will transfer them back into the 2 foot tank (with a sponge filter that I have circulating in the discus tank).
The Blue Turquoise and the Blue Diamond are either Two Females, or one Female and a really Dumb Male - I haven't properly caught them in the act, but I have observed the Blue Diamond making runs over a Flowerpot in the Tank - the Turquoise makes a run every second or third time (I havent really been able to get a proper look at his/her plumbing when this is happening, cause the minute i try to look, he/she spins around, faces me and just sits there glaring!!) - the Eggs are really Orange - they both fan them lovingly for two days (and if I approach the Tank the Blue Diamond starts his/her Tuff Stuff up again and attmpts to have a go at me through the glass - about half stay orange and the other go white (obviously unfertilized) - and then they gobble them up :? :evil:, so I am still out on what the Blue Turk is. I know the Blue Diamond is definately Female as I have seen the eggs peeping out of her breeding tube, but I'm unsure about the Turk, who won't let me have a good look. I'll just have to keep on watching.
One month ago I went to Sydney with my son and we went to see a chap by the name of Col Stewart at Mount Druitt and I ended up coming home with 2 Gold Pigeon and 1 Pigeon Cross (Red Melon or Red Marlboro?) Juvenilles. I have put them into the Community Tank together with the small Red Turquoise to let them grow out, as they are all around the same size. When Money permits I intend to buy more Juvenilles as that is the only way I have been able to afford what I've got so far. I must be doing something right as so far I have only lost one, that being the brown, and I have had no major illnesses so far.
Col Stewart was really helpful (he operates as Prestige Aquariums - he builds tanks, Imports Discus and also sells Filters, Lights, Fish Food etc., he operates from home but boy has he got a lot of Fish gear. His Discus Room really blew my mind - I have never seen so many Discus together, I only wish I had an open Cheque Book). Col gave me a Card for the Australian Discus Association and I have contacted the Secretary James Tilley and have since applied to join same. James gave me their website address and that is how I got onto this forum. Boy am I glad I did, I am learning so much. Prior to finding this site most of the Sites I found were American and because I am not real Computer smart I found it hard to get into their Forums - and I wanted to find an Aussie site - it wouldn't matter how cheap their Fish were, I couldn't afford to buy into them.
I'm coming up for air now, but let me say that I really love this site and really appreciate all the information I am able to glean from it as I want to be in Discus for a long time.
I have just ONE Question :- Does anyone know what next weeks Lotto Numbers will be - I really really really want to buy more of these beautiful Fish :!: :!: :!: :lol: :lol: :lol: .