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Got some new wild discus (oh, & a few domestics too). Ever since a friend beat me to the best of the wild browns at LFS recently, I have been talking to him about taking them off his hands.

Last Sunday was the day, so I collected his 3 wild browns, as well as 4 domestics he threw in for free to sweeten the deal. Thought 7 discus was a bit too many for my usual QT, so I removed the inhabitants from the 4ft and it's serving as their QT tank. Not ideal, as there is sand & plants, but under the circumstances, I thought it was the best option for them.

I couldn't get a decent solo shot of the 3rd wild brown, turq or albino red melon, but there are glimpses of them in the group shots.

Once they finish their QT, that's when I'm going to sort out my tanks so that all the wilds are in one & all the domestics in the other.

Anyway, hope you like them. Some of the pics have the wrong date on them. All were taken on 12 Oct 08 (the day I brought them home).

Wild Brown 1





Wild Brown 2




Albino


Domestic Brown



Random Group Shots



Can tell all are really healthy. Though I normally wouldn't feed on 1st day, they were coming to the front of the tank begging & they ate straight away for me.

Just as a precaution, they've had dose 1 of the de worming treatment

Cheers, Robyn

Cheers
TW

wow, those discus all look incredible.
ive never seen such amazing-looking brown discus

really nice fish TW! That 2nd wild brown is a hot fish!

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

coool discus, which LFS has wild discus?

Hi zachf92 & Wings - thanks for nice comments, I think the brown's hot too

desiredusername, they aren't around much & you have to be quick when they are. Aquapets at Bondi (Sydney) got 10 in on a Friday & I know they were all gone by COB Sunday. If you speak with Chris, he might do a special order. I've asked him if he can get me some wild tefe green discus, but don't have an answer yet. They weren't cheap @ $200 each (yes, yes, I know, much cheaper in the US). Wilds don't appeal to everyone, but I'm smitten.

IMO They look their best swimming over sand. Unlike other fish, who show better colours if over a dark substrate, my wild discus look duller/darker in that environment. The browns I had in here previously (moved them so these guys could QT) are now in another tank with part ADA AS / part sand. They looked much nicer over sand. Thought I'd mention this, as if you bought some & your gravel is dark, they won't be as bright as the ones in my pictures. Makes me want to rip out everything I have just done in my 7ft & change to all sand.

PS Wings - did you notice the annubias? See, they don't always die on me

Cheers
TW

You know... I didn't see that at first but not that I went back to take a look it does look rather lush.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

well done robin,THEY ARE SIMPLY GLOWING WITH COLOUR,talk about good looking fish,and your tank is very nice aswell,i can just see the post in a couple of months,I HAVE DISCUS FRY..i have to aggree with you on the sand too,it looks great,and they look cool swimming over it!they are not your crappy lfs discus thats for sure.so aquapets at bondi a,i mite have to take a drive over and check em out,im out at liverpool,so it will only take about 40mins,ill just jump on the m5.

they are not your crappy lfs discus thats for sure

know what you mean. There are only a few LFS where there are decent discus. Until I saw my 1st decent discus, I didn't think I liked them at all. Always looked yuck & dirty - full of peppering. Like they need a good wash LOL. One day, I saw a discus how they are meant to look & that's it, they are now my fish of choice.

Aquapets is only a small lfs & don't have a large display, but seem to have quality of what they do. Sometimes they get a few special things. Maybe see what they have before you take the drive http://www.aquapetsaquariums.com.au/?gclid=CN6y8JXgspYCFQ3jbgodXERHLA

Cheers
TW

Wow, those are amazing! I am totally out of touch ... what happened to the Africans? Did they move back to the retailer or did yor son get them?
Speaking of prices ... the Northeast of the US is much more expensive than my previous location, especially fishwise. The store where I got my wild Leopoldi from also has discus and they charge $95 US upwards for 2 inch fish! Slightly larger ones run at $200 and they are NOT wild caught. Amazing looking fish, nonetheless, but when I am finally ready for discus again I will order them online. Same source but different middleman and shipment instead of picking up at the store.

I am surprised that the discus look good over the light substrate, something that I will keep in mind but I understand that yours is pool sand. how would you get around the need for a nutritious substrate for the plants if you were to go with sand all the way?

Curious Claudia

I am surprised that the discus look good over the light substrate, something that I will keep in mind

Wouldn't have believed it either - I'm an accidental convert, as it goes against everything I thought I knew. This effect is noticeable in discus with brown tones - my albino, blue diamond etc look bright no matter what.

Examples
1st: wild browns & blue over bare bottom




All looking fairly light & bright


2nd: Same discus over full sand substrate



Still nice & bright looking, even if bad shots


3rd: Same fish hovering over ADA soil in planted tank (the ones immediately above Blue Diamond)


Looking darker now, I think. They do always brighten up when swimming above the sand or near ADA/Sand border. It all depends where they are in the tank as to how bright or dull they look & they can change in an instant. (Again - this seems mainly for the fish with brown tones, eg my wilds, including heckels & my alenquer [not wild].)

In the full sand tank, my nigerian reds look paler - so they stick with the theory that you need dark gravel to bring out the bright colours.

yours is pool sand. how would you get around the need for a nutritious substrate for the plants if you were to go with sand all the way?

You'd need to treat the sand like plain old LFS gravel & have a nutritious under layer. I found a good article the other day on this. I'll look again & link it for you, if I find it. Still not sure I'll do it. Waiting till I get a more consistent green cover over the ADA. Perhaps that will make a difference when I see less of the dark brown soil.

what happened to the Africans? Did they move back to the retailer or did yor son get them?

Poor son, rang him the night before I pulled the tank down & arranged that he was coming to collect the Africans in the morning. The African is hubby's fav tank, so he argued for them to stay. They're in what was previously the 3ft divided breeder. Son was a little disappointed to hear the next morning he wasn't getting them.

EDIT: BTW, these browns aren't my latest ones. New ones are slightly nicer IMO. Still like these as well.

Cheers
TW

cool thanx for the link robyn,jeez they have some real nice display tanks a?im still guna cruze over this weekend,my daughter loves discus,so she will get a kick from seeing them!she said she wants ones like yours,i said start saving your pocket money kiddo...lol!once again dam they are some nice discus,its funny you said that about the lower grade discus that dodgy lfs sell,theres some discus for sale at 1 of the lfs i use,and they look like they need a scrub,have those dots and things all over them,but your fellas look great,i can see why u ended up liking the wild ones,theres a big difference in looks..just think how good the babies would look if they spawned...lol