Discus Breeding For Profit.

[JoeTurner14]

A friend and fellow MFK'er (Undermost) and I are contemplating starting a small scale Breeding Project, in the hope of dealing to willing buyers around the UK, and Local Aquatic Stores. After doing some research, I think we have decided that Discus will most likely bring us the most profit (aside from rays, not enough space!).

Now, neither of us have any experience in keeping Discus, let alone breeding them. However, I have successfully bred Keyhole Cichlids, Blue Acara's and many species of livebearer. For this reason, I am compiling this thread to ask for as much advice as possible on how to begin this project. Any help is gratefully recieved.

So...

1. Out of all species and strains of Discus, which one will be most likely to bring us the most profit? Factors such as avaliability and ease of breeding apply.
2. Currently, we have 2 empty tanks ready for use. A 25 Gallon (36"x12"x15") and a 20 Gallon (30"x12"x15"). Will the 25G be big enough for a pair to breed, and the 20G enough room for a growout? We are willing to source other tanks if need be.
3. Filtration. In my breeding setups, I have only ever used air-powered sponge filters. Will this type of filtration be sufficient in a Discus breeding setup?
4. Live food supply-Also, in my breeding setups before, I have harvested newly born Brine Shrimp, from a DIY Hatchery. Will this be an adequate food source for newly-borns? We will obviously have other foods stored for growth, such as beefheart, livefoods (bloodworms etc), and quality dried foods.
5. Is lighting essential in breeding tanks? If so, what kind? I have heard that normal daylight can suffice.
6. Water Quality-We understand that optimum soft, acidic water is essential for Discus to live in. To source this we have been looking at RO units (Reverse Osmosis) to purify water. Here are a couple that we have been looking at. 1. 2. Does anyone know of any better or less expensive method of achieving Discus water? If not, which of these two units should we invest in?

I understand that this is alot of demanded information at once, and we appreciate anh help on our queries, even if it's just a quick answer.

When we do eventually begin this exciting project, we will update this thread with advances, pictures and general setup designs, as we'll need all the help we can get. So, watch this space...

P.S Fellow MFK'er discount on Discus??

 

[Undermost]

Breeding.


Is usually done successfully with one pair of fish to a tank of 18 gallons upwards although in larger tanks the fry may have trouble locating their parents. They will breed in a planted or community tank but success will vary.
One sure thing about breeding discus - NOBODY DOES IT THE SAME WAY!!.
What works for one breeder may not work for another. General guidelines for a breeding tank are 18" (45cm) x 18" (45cm) x 18"(45cm) tanks with a heater, an air driven biological sponge filter and a spawning substrate (cone, piping, brick etc). Soft water with a PH of 5 to 7, a KH of around 2-3º and a GH of around 2-5º. Temperatures around 84º to 88º are needed. When the pair are ready to spawn they will start bowing to each other, quivering and doing some 'tail slapping' which is fun to watch! They will also start to c lean off the site where they will eventually lay the eggs. This may not be where YOU want them to lay. They often lay eggs on the glass or the heater. In this case patience is what is required. They will eventually lay on the correct substrate all they need is a little practice.


Spawning.

Spawning takes place usually late in the day.
The pair will clean the site and the female will make "dummy runs" with the male looking on and waiting anxiously for his time to perform. She can lay anything from 50 to 300 eggs at any one time, turbo spawns of 500 are rare but possible, the norm is around 150.
They will take it in turns to guard and fan the eggs which will hatch in 48 to 60 hours if they have been fertilised. It is usual for one of them to go very dark in anticipation of the fry hatching. Through all this the parents are still fed daily. The parents might move the wrigglers to another site, so don't panic too much if they look as though they've disappeared.!! It's thought they do this to fool any predators.

Top​

Free swimming.

After a further 72 hours the fry should become free-swimming.
We usually turn the air down even more during this time so that the fry don't get too battered around by the current. It makes it easier for them to find the parents who, by this time, are dark so as to attract the fry to them in order to feed off the mucus they are producing.
If all goes well, you'll see all the fry over the backs of the parents. This is a wonderful sight to experience. It is also a crucial period for the fry. When you are changing water, it is necessary to replace with aged water which has the same parameters and temperature as the tank. Fry at this stage are very delicate and susceptible to changes.
Once they are free swimming it is advisable to leave a light on over the tank all night so the fry can continue to feed. They will feed off their parents for as long as they can, if allowed to. On about the 6th day of free swimming we usually offer baby brine shrimp (nauplii) to supplement their diet and to also start to wean them off the parents.
After 10 days or so the fry can be removed to another tank, if desired, with exactly the same parameters . They can be left in with the parents as long as the adults do not get too stressed or have 'holes' eaten in their skin. Discus fry have extremely sharp teeth and when feeding can, and often do, make grazes in the skin. If you watch them carefully you will see them tearing into the mucus lining of the adults.

First month.

After a short settling in period, you will be able to see how your fish are doing.
They should be bright; feeding eagerly and coming to the top of the tanks when you put your hand there or when feeding them. You will have been doing 2 or 3 water changes a week and the fish should be growing well.
The bigger the waterchange with small fish, the better as far as we’re concerned. Asian discus breeders change up to 98% at a time and sometimes twice daily!
It is also worth remembering that if you can manage it feed small fish a varied diet and as often as you can up to 6 times a day. It’s also worth remembering that the more you feed, the more they will pollute the water so the more water you will have to change to obtain optimum growth.
You will have been practising good husbandry by cleaning the bottom of the tank off and wiping down the glass once a week to keep bacteria down and checking PH, GH, KH, nitrite and nitrate levels to ensure the parameters are suitable for the fish and that the filter is coping with the new load placed upon it by the introduction of the fish.
A routine must be established in order to keep the discus happy. I happen to maintain that we are water keepers and not fish keepers as it really is the water that is the key to keeping healthy discus.
Bits of info i found at Discus-South.com

 

[jdvue]

Strains depend on where you are. just take a look around your LFS and see what they dont have. Thats the only way to make profit. If you sell fish strains that they already have, you'll break even at most.
the spotted-eruption strains of discus are some of the newer strains.
I'm able to sell their quarter sized fry at 3 for $100, with 100% sell out every batch.

A 25gal for breeding will suffice. But a 20gal grow out is small.
I'd have a 55gallon ready. Imagine 50+ discus living in a 20gallon.. not gonna happen unless u do the 98% wc a day haha.

And yes, a sponge filter is the best way to go.

My discus breed in tap water just fine.

 

[JoeTurner14]

Strains depend on where you are. just take a look around your LFS and see what they dont have. Thats the only way to make profit. If you sell fish strains that they already have, you'll break even at most.
the spotted-eruption strains of discus are some of the newer strains.
I'm able to sell their quarter sized fry at 3 for $100, with 100% sell out every batch.

A 25gal for breeding will suffice. But a 20gal grow out is small.
I'd have a 55gallon ready. Imagine 50+ discus living in a 20gallon.. not gonna happen unless u do the 98% wc a day haha.

And yes, a sponge filter is the best way to go.

My discus breed in tap water just fine.

That's some really great info, something I had never thought of thank you very much. On the tap water idea, you're located in Wisconsin, whereas we're in Scotland, so the water is very different. Although saying that, more research is needed!!

 

[intrepidmax]

A hell of a lot to think about....

remember its ok getting the Discus to lay the eggs ...its even ok getting them to wriggler stage.... but after this ...its a long term affair...

Make sure you have plenty grow out tanks... 2 tanks per 18 cube for a pair.

Regards
Mark.

 

[jdvue]

That's some really great info, something I had never thought of thank you very much. On the tap water idea, you're located in Wisconsin, whereas we're in Scotland, so the water is very different. Although saying that, more research is needed!!

Pure hard water is not good though haha.

Here's my water parameters for fry raising:
PH 7
Temp 85F
Ammonia 0ppm
GH 160ppm
KH 130ppm
Nitrate 10ppm
nitrite 0ppm

50% water changes a 5-6 feedings a day.
You have to have a lot of free time to make sure they are fed every two hours of the day. And then do a water change atleast once a day. If you have nothing to do but stay home, then i guess discus are perfect for you, they keep you busy all day.
It's a lot of work. but well worth it.

-however, getting your discus to actually breed and spawn is a different story

 

[CoryWM]

I wrote an article on breeding for profit on my Blog. I actually advise against breeding discus.

It may work however since you're in the UK. You do have problems getting a lot of varieties over there it seems. The information in the article holds true though. Keep your costs down, and do your market research. What you and your buddy are into, might not be what everyone else is in the area. It's easy to flood any one area with discus.

Breeding for Profit.