longstocking
Members
Ok.. I'm being really lazy and don't want to look it up....
How do you sex discus?
How do you sex discus?
I'm Lazy ! Discus
- Thread starter longstocking
- Start date
Short answer? There is no sure way to sex them until they spawn, or have their breeding apparatus out at least.
Longer answer?
There is no sure way until they spawn, though people use various methods to get a good "guess". They include the shape of the forehead or the shape of the fins. These can sometimes work well, but they are NOT "sure" ways. I have a female with nice pointed fins that according to many sources is a male. But I've seen her breeding apparatus and those of her chosen, and she is the female. So.... while you can guess, you can't tell for sure.
Also, Discus tend (in my opinion) to be fairly picky about who they chose to mate with, and they pair up, often for life. Which isn't to say that if you give them no alternatives they will not "chose" who you want them to. But be careful! I've almost lost full grown discus (wilds, at any rate) when two decided that they wanted to be alone and they tried to kick (literally, often as not!) the OTHER fish out of the tank. I have some really wild pics around here about when the other fish decided Ranger, the female I took to Aquafest (won 3rd place too!) was no longer welcome in the tank. Watching 6"+ Discus try to kill each other is, frankly, scary!!!!
Hope this helps! And have fun with your new Discus!
Amanda.
Longer answer?
There is no sure way until they spawn, though people use various methods to get a good "guess". They include the shape of the forehead or the shape of the fins. These can sometimes work well, but they are NOT "sure" ways. I have a female with nice pointed fins that according to many sources is a male. But I've seen her breeding apparatus and those of her chosen, and she is the female. So.... while you can guess, you can't tell for sure.
Also, Discus tend (in my opinion) to be fairly picky about who they chose to mate with, and they pair up, often for life. Which isn't to say that if you give them no alternatives they will not "chose" who you want them to. But be careful! I've almost lost full grown discus (wilds, at any rate) when two decided that they wanted to be alone and they tried to kick (literally, often as not!) the OTHER fish out of the tank. I have some really wild pics around here about when the other fish decided Ranger, the female I took to Aquafest (won 3rd place too!) was no longer welcome in the tank. Watching 6"+ Discus try to kill each other is, frankly, scary!!!!
Hope this helps! And have fun with your new Discus!
Amanda.
DeeCee
Members
The one you picked up yesterday is too young to sex at this point, but it shouldn't be long and you should be able to make an educated guess.
It usually helps to have about 4-6 discus in a tank & part of that "educated guess" is watching how they pair up
Normally adult males will have some type of trailers on their dorsals, but Amanda is right - some females have them also. I dunno why. Maybe they just like 'em BUT - the males' dorsal normally ends in points rather than being rounded and will often have more of a "bull" forhead & throat than a female. All that can vary too though, depending on if you have Germans, Asians, or Wilds! HA! Confused yet?
If I were you, I wouldn't worry about the sex of it yet, unless you're looking to get another to eventually breed with it? He WILL be much happier and grow better with other discus in the tank with him though!
Good luck with him, he's gonna be purty!
DC
It usually helps to have about 4-6 discus in a tank & part of that "educated guess" is watching how they pair up
Normally adult males will have some type of trailers on their dorsals, but Amanda is right - some females have them also. I dunno why. Maybe they just like 'em BUT - the males' dorsal normally ends in points rather than being rounded and will often have more of a "bull" forhead & throat than a female. All that can vary too though, depending on if you have Germans, Asians, or Wilds! HA! Confused yet? If I were you, I wouldn't worry about the sex of it yet, unless you're looking to get another to eventually breed with it? He WILL be much happier and grow better with other discus in the tank with him though!
Good luck with him, he's gonna be purty!
DC
longstocking
Members
I was informed today LOL... that Bill wants to breed them. How is that gonna work when I do the water changes? ROFL ! ( I got suckered ROFL !... I thought he just wanted something to look at lol )
I know you are supposed to keep that at 86 degrees and do lots of water changes. That's all I really know ! Keep them in groups of 6 when they are younger and feed them things heavey in protien.
I do know a bit from over the years... but the specifics are beyond me !
I know you are supposed to keep that at 86 degrees and do lots of water changes. That's all I really know ! Keep them in groups of 6 when they are younger and feed them things heavey in protien.
I do know a bit from over the years... but the specifics are beyond me !
I agree completely with DeeCee on the more tank mates...
In fact, I was told (and have experienced) that with less then 6 discus in a tank, a single fish tends to be harassed, where if you have 6 or preferably more the aggression is MUCH less. I have 16 Adult Wild Discus in a 75 gallon tank. They are happy, and the aggression is split over all the fish, not on one of them. Which isn't to say that some aren't more aggressive then others... And I keep a close eye on the tank, and I intend to get the whole lot of them in a bigger tank soon. But I've found that with the wilds, the more (up to a point) the better.
Also, Discus are shoaling fish. There are few sights better then watching 8 or 10 large discus go "brine shrimp hunting" (on those very rare occasions I give them brine shrimp). And watching the shoal's behavior is great fun! Don't know if the domestics will do it, but my wilds have truly amazing social interaction in the shoal.
Later!
Amanda.
In fact, I was told (and have experienced) that with less then 6 discus in a tank, a single fish tends to be harassed, where if you have 6 or preferably more the aggression is MUCH less. I have 16 Adult Wild Discus in a 75 gallon tank. They are happy, and the aggression is split over all the fish, not on one of them. Which isn't to say that some aren't more aggressive then others... And I keep a close eye on the tank, and I intend to get the whole lot of them in a bigger tank soon. But I've found that with the wilds, the more (up to a point) the better.
Also, Discus are shoaling fish. There are few sights better then watching 8 or 10 large discus go "brine shrimp hunting" (on those very rare occasions I give them brine shrimp). And watching the shoal's behavior is great fun! Don't know if the domestics will do it, but my wilds have truly amazing social interaction in the shoal.
Later!
Amanda.
longstocking
Members
I know Julie just got some wilds in. So either I'm going to look for more cobalts or go with wilds. I know they don't do well as singles... I knew that from the start. I knew we'd be buying more. At 32 dollars for wilds... large size... make me want to go with wilds.
How hard are wilds to keep/breed ?
How hard are wilds to keep/breed ?
Hm.... 86 degrees is an ideal, but I keep mine at 82 degrees at the moment. Its like Discus Hans said, if everything else is good the temperature can be a bit lower with no problem. Also, with the German Discus the pH isn't going to be an issue. But if your going to get wilds, be careful. The Amazon river is around 6.0 pH most of the time. I don't think they would appreciate being kept at 7.6 or higher, though my wilds seem to do well at 6.8.
Another note on Wilds vs Domestic. Don't know if its just my fish, but my wilds are a LOT more aggressive then the domestics I have. And a lot messier. It takes me twice as much time to care for the wilds as it does the domestics. And a lot less picky eaters. So if your planing on mixing the two, your going to want to watch the tank to be sure your domestic is holding his own.
Hope this helps!
Amanda.
Another note on Wilds vs Domestic. Don't know if its just my fish, but my wilds are a LOT more aggressive then the domestics I have. And a lot messier. It takes me twice as much time to care for the wilds as it does the domestics. And a lot less picky eaters. So if your planing on mixing the two, your going to want to watch the tank to be sure your domestic is holding his own.
Hope this helps!
Amanda.
Personally, I"d go with the Cobalts, not the wilds in spite of the price, see my last post. (your posting faster then I am, so I'm a bit behind the curve....). The Stendker discus are hardy fish, from what I hear. It might be best to start with them to get your feet wet before adding wilds. Also, the small cobalt would almost certainly NOT hold his own against large wilds. Just my opinion, DeeCee feel free to contradict me! I've never (yet) mixed the two, so I'm going off of how much aggression I'm seeing between the wilds vs the domestic tanks.
Later!
Amanda.
longstocking
Members
Ok good to know ! Thanks for all your help !
And about typing fast ! Don't worry about ! At least you don't make TONS of typos in your posts like I do ! I type too damn fast for my own good !
And about typing fast ! Don't worry about ! At least you don't make TONS of typos in your posts like I do ! I type too damn fast for my own good !
DeeCee
Members
Easy decision: Get a tank of Each. (yeah I guess I'm still a discus-nut)
Get 6 sub-adults & put in the tank with your cobalt
Get 6 wilds for a tank of their own.............
I've never had wilds but have always wanted a nice big planted tank of them. IMO, you shouldn't mess with the PH unless you HAVE to, in order to get them used to your home PH. They're hardier than you think, but PH flucuations can cause LOTS of problems in discus. Ron has had Wilds, Germans and Asians in this PH and they've all been good with it. From what I understand, wilds are harder to breed than domestics, but again, that's just going off of what I've heard, and not what I've tried.
If those Wilds are $32 each for large, that's a nice price!
Yes, I'm drooling again. Tell Bill I'll cheer for GB if he gets the wilds. (not really, but that can be our little secret).........
Now that I've suggested that you BUY BUY BUY, I'll ALSO tell you to not drop alot of money on discus until you're past the learning curve on them. Until you get used to their needs, you may have some casualties. Over-filter & do small water changes frequently - at least 25% once or twice a week on an established tank, more if it's stocked heavy. The most I ever put into a 75 gal tank is 10 adults, so Amanda must be doing very well with them if she has 16 adults in hers! WOW!
DC
longstocking
Members
LOL... he gets 1 tank ! That's it. I must admit I've always liked discus... they are the only new world fish I've ever even contemplated keeping.
He likes the cobalts... so I guess I'll ask Julie what her price is for them.
I'll save the wilds for you Donna I let you know how they look when I go up there though
He likes the cobalts... so I guess I'll ask Julie what her price is for them.
I'll save the wilds for you Donna
I let you know how they look when I go up there though If "doing well" = "lots of work" I guess I am.... Mind, I don't RECOMMEND 16 in a 75. They are more crowded then I like, and they can't form a proper shoal with so many fish in the tank. So either the whole gang will be put in a bigger tank or I'll split them up, eventually.
I second the not spending lots of money on the Discus until you get the feel for them. Having said that, I'd personally recommend you get about 6 or so (for a total of 7 or 8) that are the same size as your cobalt and put them in a 75 planted tank, or just a 55 to start. I wouldn't recommend putting them in short tanks, or one less then 3 ft or so in length. If you chose the 55, or one of similar size, you might want a larger tank eventually, but as Discus Hans showed in his presentation, 7 or 8 can work in this size tank. I personally like the look of the 75 planted Discus tank.
Also, if you wanted some colorful tank mates, German Blue Rams or Bolivian Rams do well with Discus. Also, I personally like the look of some of the Apistogrammas with Discus, and at one point I had a pair of the REAL Siamese Algae eaters (not the kind usually sold as Siamese algae Eaters which are really the Chinese version of it and are mean) and they added a lot of personality to the tank. I also liked Rummy Nose Tetras in the Discus tank, and I've kept a few other types of tetras with them as well.
Later!
Amanda.
I second the not spending lots of money on the Discus until you get the feel for them. Having said that, I'd personally recommend you get about 6 or so (for a total of 7 or 8) that are the same size as your cobalt and put them in a 75 planted tank, or just a 55 to start. I wouldn't recommend putting them in short tanks, or one less then 3 ft or so in length. If you chose the 55, or one of similar size, you might want a larger tank eventually, but as Discus Hans showed in his presentation, 7 or 8 can work in this size tank. I personally like the look of the 75 planted Discus tank.
Also, if you wanted some colorful tank mates, German Blue Rams or Bolivian Rams do well with Discus. Also, I personally like the look of some of the Apistogrammas with Discus, and at one point I had a pair of the REAL Siamese Algae eaters (not the kind usually sold as Siamese algae Eaters which are really the Chinese version of it and are mean) and they added a lot of personality to the tank. I also liked Rummy Nose Tetras in the Discus tank, and I've kept a few other types of tetras with them as well.
Later!
Amanda.
animicrazy
Members
If you ever want to be considered a "Real" fish keeper: You Must have No Less Than 50+ anal retentivehardtokeepmessycontankerousspikeyouinaNewYorksecondwildassroundovalyoushouldn'dcarewhatWILDDiscus!!!!
YAAAAA!!!!!!
P.S. Make sure you feed them - lots of sociopathic Discus floating around.
takesonetoknowone,
P.
YAAAAA!!!!!!
P.S. Make sure you feed them - lots of sociopathic Discus floating around.
takesonetoknowone,
P.
