Dirk's Alencers

Discussion in 'General Discus discussions' started by pHish_man, Jan 31, 2013.

  1. pHish_man

    pHish_man Discus

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    Ok, just want to do a photo journal of 4 Alencer discus that @Dirk asked me to look after for him as the parents had spawned again and were hammering these 4 fish that were about 2weeks old on 28 September 2012.

    So I collected these fish and although I have yet to successfully breed discus, these were the youngest discus I have had to look after. I collected them from Dirk's home and brought them down to my premises in a small tupperware container and pegged the container onto a divider glass in my main discus tank's sump so that we could maintain the ideal water temperature for these little guys. I added an airstone for aeration and started a course of bbs that was in continuous supply. As these fish should still have been eating the slime off their parents, i didnt want them to grow out stunted for the lack of this, so i literally 'pumped' them FULL of brineshrimp.

    Here they are at 18 days old:

    IMG01023-20121009-1533.jpg

    On @Dirk's recommendation, I added a few ramshorn snails to this container to help keep the waste and uneaten brineshrimp under control. Water management was pretty easy as I would just hook the tupperware out, syphon out most of the water and just refill with water from my main display tank. As things worked out, I was doing a routine 3 week course of flubendazole on my main tank ( as well as angel tanks in my fishroom ) so Dirk and I figured that come the 4 week mark when discus fry are prone to gill fluke, these guys shouldnt be affected. The flubendazole treatment was a precationary treatment for worms in my main fish, but it also kills gill flukes. So by doing water changes in the tupperware with main tank water was ideal timing. oh yeah, then when i did my 3rd 100% water change for these guys before going home, I would put them in the jug pictured above and do a complete wipe down of the inside and outside of the tupperware.

    Here the guys are on 25 October, so that would make them about 6 weeks old:

    Alencer1.jpg

    Alencer2.jpg

    So now these guys started to outgrow their tupperware and were doing 3-point turns to catch their brineshrimp, so I moved them out to a 120litre cube. So that they felt more comfortable being in a larger group, I bought in a bunch of discus and put them in together.

    Here they are on 29 November:

    IMG_8055.jpg

    Then I sold off most of the other discus that were in with these, as they were slightly older and I bought in ANOTHER batch ( yes I have an addictive personality ) of discus that i figured to be about the same age as these guys. With my routine feeding and water managment, these fish have grown nicely and are now in with a group of checkerboard pigeons, red turquoise and Malaysian-bred Alencers. i have moved them to a 325litre cube and cannot wait for them to become adult size. My own personal discus journey is now almost a year down the line, and although I can still appreciate the 'bont' colour forms, Im now definately leaning towards the more wild caught colourations.

    Here are some pics taken of these Alencers today, so that would make them about 4 months old now:

    IMG_9626.jpg


    I will try and keep this post updated as these fish mature.

    I would also just like to take this opportunity to thank @Dirk once again for all the time and effort you have put into teaching me about discus. It has been an absolute blessing to have a mentor of your calibre living in the same town as me. And, as you have no financial interest in this hobby, your advice is always sound and is completely free of most of the other bullshit that flies around.

    regards

    Andrew

    IMG01023-20121009-1533.jpg

    Alencer1.jpg

    Alencer2.jpg

    IMG_8055.jpg

    IMG_9626.jpg
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 2, 2016
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  3. OP
    pHish_man

    pHish_man Discus

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    2 more photos that were taken today;

    IMG_9639.jpgIMG_9641.jpg

    IMG_9639.jpg

    IMG_9641.jpg
     
  4. HennieRoux

    HennieRoux

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    Great job @pHish_man looking good and healthy:beer:
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 2, 2016
  5. Hawk

    Hawk Clown Fish :-)

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    Nice looking fish. Congrats to both of you.
     
  6. oscar freak

    oscar freak

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    You should be proud,didn't sound easy.
     
  7. tracyp

    tracyp Lotus

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    Nice fishies Andrew! Can you please put a finger back into the tank or in front so we can do a direct comparison of their growth from the very first (very cute) pic?
     
  8. Firefly

    Firefly Pleco

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    Good job man!
     
  9. jpvd007

    jpvd007 Retired Moderator

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    Howzit Andrew

    I think I'll come and see them in the morning they do look beautiful. hahaha that will only be a 12 hour drive to see some fish and a buddy it will be worth it.

    Are those the checkerbords you were talking about growing out? they also look as they are doing well.

    Regards

    Jason
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2013
  10. Dirk

    Dirk Dwarf Catfish

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    Hi Andrew,

    Thanks for posting the pics and for all your efforts to help me out in the last couple of months. Those fishes really look in top condition and perfect shape.

    Andrew is training for when his Leopards, snakeskins and Oriental dreams start spawning in autumn. Andrew you must post some pics of those so that the folks can drool, those are some really healthy and well fed discus. With fishes that are as healthy as that Andrew will have an excellent chance of getting them to breed properly. Watch this space....

    Kind regards,

    Dirk
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2013
  11. Takumi

    Takumi

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    Those fish are beautiful
     
  12. OP
    pHish_man

    pHish_man Discus

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    IMG_0467.jpg

    These guys are now in my main discus tank and are starting to colour up.

    IMG_0467.jpg
     
  13. Titan

    Titan

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    Awesome man they are looking BEAUTIFUL:love:
    Well done you should be proud that was not an easy task:top:
     
  14. OP
    pHish_man

    pHish_man Discus

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    Not easy, but certainly rewarding
     
  15. OP
    pHish_man

    pHish_man Discus

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    Alenquer20Sept.jpg

    Alenquer20Septa.jpg

    Photo update

    Alenquer20Sept.jpg

    Alenquer20Septa.jpg
     
  16. Herve

    Herve

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    Very very nice Discus!!!
     
  17. HennieRoux

    HennieRoux

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    A grade like a boss! Well done!
     
  18. Firefly

    Firefly Pleco

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    Sweet!
     
  19. Pierré Schoonraad

    Pierré Schoonraad Rainbow Freak

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    :congrats::adore:
    Awesome fishes you grew up there. Respect dude
     
  20. 1300wipass

    1300wipass

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    nice!, what size and age are they now?
     
  21. OP
    pHish_man

    pHish_man Discus

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    IMG_4034.jpg

    My favourite of the 4

    IMG_4034.jpg
     

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