# Tank full o' wild discus **NEW ADDITIONS**



## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

From this morning. Hope you like it  Oh, and don't worry about them getting spooked around 1:35 - I took this just after a large waterchange and one of the XP4's was burping and gurgling at the far end of the tank. The little guys are bleeding heart tetras who normally school with the discus throughout the tank.

In the tank:
2 solomons, 1 cuipeau, 2 tefe greens, 3 heckels, 1 heckel/ica hybrid, 1 japura, 1 red cover throwback (the only domestic who survived the plague) and the rest are "blues". 27 bleeding hearts, and 1 feeder guppy who was too fast/smart for them and is now too big for them to even try eating 






Shelley

***NEW ADDITIONS** from Dec 4, 2010*I LOVE these guys!!! Goofy angle - don't worry, they don't look like Nerf footballs. Settled in VERY quickly. No melted fins/tails; eating the first night. I want a tank full of these  By the way - these weren't even the best in the group  Thanks, April


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## hp10BII (Apr 23, 2010)

Very nice, Shelley! Are some of those Dale's fish ie. Solomons?


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Those are amazing...but I don't see any other fish.  What size tank is this? Oh wait they're there on the other side of the tank near the end of the video. It's like a stand off on West Side Story.


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## Peterchow (Apr 21, 2010)

-N/A- said:


> From this morning. Hope you like it  Oh, and don't worry about them getting spooked around 1:35 - I took this just after a large waterchange and one of the XP4's was burping and gurgling at the far end of the tank. The little guys are bleeding heart tetras who normally school with the discus throughout the tank.
> 
> In the tank:
> 2 solomons, 1 cuipeau, 2 tefe greens, 3 heckels, 1 heckel/ica hybrid, 1 japura, 1 red cover throwback (the only domestic who survived the plague) and the rest are "blues". 27 bleeding hearts, and 1 feeder guppy who was too fast/smart for them and is now too big for them to even try eating
> ...


Wow, very nice collection, Shelley !!!!
I like hugh discus and yours look very healthy. The tight crowd will definitely give them a strong sense of community + security.
Now, you make me wanting to look for space for a wild tank.


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

hp10BII said:


> Very nice, Shelley! Are some of those Dale's fish ie. Solomons?


Yes - 4. The first fish in the video on the left is the large male Solomon. The second shows up around :23 in between the two blue intake tubes. I believe she's a female, but not confirmed. The female cuipeau is also from Dale and she is right below this Solomon - she's darker and is a golden color. She's a beauty. The japura is the goofiest looking fish in the tank - it has that terrible pointed/pinched head that April is always talking about in wilds. Not a clear shot of it in this video.



2wheelsx2 said:


> Those are amazing...but I don't see any other fish.  What size tank is this? Oh wait they're there on the other side of the tank near the end of the video. It's like a stand off on West Side Story.


Gary, if I told you what size tank I have 16 discus, plus 27 tetras and a warrior guppy in, well you'd be calling the SPCA on me  It's a 90 gallon, but remember I run two XP4's on the tank, have plenty of aeration (two ceramic airstones and two bubble walls - which the discus LOVE surprisingly, some of them take turns and stand in them!!), and do 50% w/c's at least every other day.


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

Peterchow said:


> Wow, very nice collection, Shelley !!!!
> I like hugh discus and yours look very healthy. The tight crowd will definitely give them a strong sense of community + security.
> Now, you make me wanting to look for space for a wild tank.


Thanks, Peter 
There's ALWAYS room for a wild discus tank and they are SO much easier to keep than those fancy schmancy designer discus  April is going to shoot me! I'm testing your 1 discus to 2 gallons of water theory 
Shelley


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

-N/A- said:


> Gary, if I told you what size tank I have 16 discus, plus 27 tetras and a warrior guppy in, well you'd be calling the SPCA on me  It's a 90 gallon, but remember I run two XP4's on the tank, have plenty of aeration (two ceramic airstones and two bubble walls - which the discus LOVE surprisingly, some of them take turns and stand in them!!), and do 50% w/c's at least every other day.


Doesn't look overly crowded at all since there is nothing in there but fish.  I think some people forget that once you put in gravel wood, rocks, plants that a lot of the water volume is lost. I surprised myself when I moved the 20 gallon across the room to make room for the cube. To do the move I just siphoned out 95% of the water, discus water change style (had shrimp and tetras flapping on the plants ), and shoved the whole thing across the room. What shocked me was that 95% of the water was 2.5 buckets which are 5 gallon buckets! So my 20 gallon only holds 14 gallons of water at best!

Either way, this tank looks great and the fish look unreal. Should you ever get tired of them, you know who to call.


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

Hey Shelly Your tank and discus collection are looking great. Glad to see they are doing well. Well I destroy the 1 fish per 10 gallon rule in my 170 domestic tan. I think at last count there is 24 and that is after I gave the 6 wilds there own home. You need some driftwood and anubias in there to help them feel more at home.


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

bonsai dave said:


> Well I destroy the 1 fish per 10 gallon rule in my 170 domestic tan. I think at last count there is 24 and that is after I gave the 6 wilds there own home. You need some driftwood and anubias in there to help them feel more at home.


I love Peter's formula and it works for me  The wilds spook a whole lot easier than the domestics. It's hard to tell from the video, but the big Solomon is at least 8 inches across as is 1/3 the height of the tank. When he spooks, he hurts himself. I've had driftwood that was covered in moss and he still managed to almost take his eyes out. He heals fast, but the gouges he used to have almost every morning, well, it just wasn't worth it. They are usually quite calm, but like I said, the XP4 was making unusual sounds this morning as it was releasing trapped air. Every now and then I back down and put in hanging silk plants which they love, but they hide so well I never get to see them


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## MELLO (Apr 21, 2010)

Shelley your the "Queen of the Wild". Nice discus.. Good to see you yesterday


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

MELLO said:


> Shelley your the "Queen of the Wild". Nice discus.. Good to see you yesterday


I was going to call this thread: "Hey Mello - This One's For You"!! It's getting there, eh? There are a couple I'd like to cull from the group, but I'm too much of a softy to let them go 

I'm working on DISCus (Discus Inthusiasts' Social Club - yes I KNOW Inthusiast is spelled wrong, but DESCus doesn't work ) I'm planning the "by invite only" guest list!!!!

Always good to see you, my friend.


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## josephl (Apr 21, 2010)

Beautiful fish. Love that solomon


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

josephl said:


> Beautiful fish. Love that solomon


Those two solomons that I've all but BEGGED you to take - FOR FREE even??!! It really is a shame about your travel bubble


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## josephl (Apr 21, 2010)

-N/A- said:


> Those two solomons that I've all but BEGGED you to take - FOR FREE even??!! It really is a shame about your travel bubble


A man's got to draw the line somewhere .

I know of a great shipper who triple bags all his fish though and guarantee's live delivery


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

josephl said:


> A man's got to draw the line somewhere .
> 
> I know of a great shipper who triple bags all his fish though and guarantee's live delivery


See????? That's the Irish in you AGAIN!!!!!


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

A nice looking group of wild's you got there.Iam so biased when it comes to the wilds , so natural and elegant.+ 1 for the driftwood wreaking havoc with the wilds running into it if they get startled.My group is the same, but they some how manage to heal themselves up quickly.Who knows , water changes-good diet-tankmates play a part i guess. Thanks for sharing !


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## seanyuki (Apr 22, 2010)

Nice wilds Shelley.....one day I will get some but now still addicted to designer discus .....by the way long time no see u lah


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## thefishwife (Apr 21, 2010)

So wonderful to see those beautiful Discus, glad you have another nice group now. Congrats Shelley.


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

Luke78 said:


> A nice looking group of wild's you got there.Iam so biased when it comes to the wilds , so natural and elegant.+ 1 for the driftwood wreaking havoc with the wilds running into it if they get startled.My group is the same, but they some how manage to heal themselves up quickly.Who knows , water changes-good diet-tankmates play a part i guess. Thanks for sharing !


More than welcome! I'm kinda proud of this tank. Almost all of these fish survived the plague this summer that wiped out my entire collection of domestics  They are pretty tough beasties. Would love to see pics/video of yours. Wilds are the greatest (IMO) 



seanyuki said:


> Nice wilds Shelley.....one day I will get some but now still addicted to designer discus .....by the way long time no see u lah


Well hello Francis! Right you are - been a VERY long time  Sometimes addiction can be a good thing  Hope you're doing well.



thefishwife said:


> So wonderful to see those beautiful Discus, glad you have another nice group now. Congrats Shelley.


Hi Kim! Wait 'til you see the pics I'm going to post later this weekend. I scored two new tank puppies yesterday that are just gorgeous. The blues and greens, the crazy red eyes, the kazillion red spots......drool. But they need to settle down a bit before I can start taking pictures of them. Thanks for the post.

Shelley


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Shelley,

I will post some updated photos hopefully in a day or two, videos iam clueless  Current setup with my wilds is near complete as to where i would like it to be , but i dont want to "steal your thunder" sort of speak with this thread !  Glad to hear your bunch is doing well , and hopefully stay like that for years to come.



-N/A- said:


> More than welcome! I'm kinda proud of this tank. Almost all of these fish survived the plague this summer that wiped out my entire collection of domestics  They are pretty tough beasties. Would love to see pics/video of yours. Wilds are the greatest (IMO)
> 
> Well hello Francis! Right you are - been a VERY long time  Sometimes addiction can be a good thing  Hope you're doing well.
> 
> ...


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

Luke78 said:


> Shelley,
> 
> I will post some updated photos hopefully in a day or two, videos iam clueless  Current setup with my wilds is near complete as to where i would like it to be , but i dont want to "steal your thunder" sort of speak with this thread !  Glad to hear your bunch is doing well , and hopefully stay like that for years to come.


Steal away!!!! I wish there were more wild keepers on the forum or maybe there are but no one posts. Please feel free to post here or start another thread. Would love to see them


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

-N/A- said:


> Steal away!!!! I wish there were more wild keepers on the forum or maybe there are but no one posts. Please feel free to post here or start another thread. Would love to see them


Maybe there will be more soon, and even some who like to take a lot of pictures.


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> Maybe there will be more soon, and even some who like to take a lot of pictures.


"Hmmmmm.....I wonder what Gary could mean???? It's cryptic, but I'll try to see if there could be some hidden meaning in his message....."  
Can't wait to welcome you to the club! I just picked up two more.....and two angels and a festivum (don't ask about the last three - I'm still not sure how I got talked into them )


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

I put my plecos and tetras in the cube today (3 hours of work and my aching back). I'll post up some pics tonight. Got some cycled media in there, so I should be ready to go after my business trip next week. Can't wait to join the club.


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> I put my plecos and tetras in the cube today (3 hours of work and my aching back). I'll post up some pics tonight. Got some cycled media in there, so I should be ready to go after my business trip next week. Can't wait to join the club.


I'll be checking for the pictures, Gary. Are you having fun yet??!! And I bet Daniel is happy that you're able to work on your tank - keeps you from asking about the canopy...."Is it done yet? Is it done yet? Is it done yet? Is it done yet? Is it done yet? Is it done yet? Is it done yet? Is it done yet?"!!!


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

-N/A- said:


> I'll be checking for the pictures, Gary. Are you having fun yet??!! And I bet Daniel is happy that you're able to work on your tank - keeps you from asking about the canopy...."Is it done yet? Is it done yet? Is it done yet? Is it done yet? Is it done yet? Is it done yet? Is it done yet? Is it done yet?"!!!


The new tank part, yes. The old tank with filthy filters and plants full of algae (been neglecting everything in anticipation of the transfer, so my own fault), not so much.

Loading pics as I type now.


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## discuspaul (Jul 2, 2010)

Gary,
Can't wait to see the end result of that cube set-up, and all the livestock you eventually put in it !
Best of luck !!!
Paul


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## onefishtwofish (Apr 21, 2010)

Gary, if I told you what size tank I have 16 discus, plus 27 tetras and a warrior guppy in, well you'd be calling the SPCA on me  


dialing animal 911................looks great shelly


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

onefishtwofish said:


> Gary, if I told you what size tank I have 16 discus, plus 27 tetras and a warrior guppy in, well you'd be calling the SPCA on me
> 
> dialing animal 911................looks great shelly


I was hoping to add a mermaid, but that guy seems to have disappeared!! Still the funniest all time BCA thread - it made you immortal in my eyes, K 
All I can say is thank goodness for overfiltration and pythons 
Do you have any angels left or did you clear the whole lot out?


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Seeing this happens to be a "wild discus thread" i wont start another thread and add my updates here i guess.Well...this weekend was not a good one for me.I lost one of my wilds to something i couldnt figure out.Very disapointing and a little upset.Not only that , i lost my longtime plakat betta too.Both were looked after extremely well , but the time came and this is the end result.Here's a few pics for everyone to see of my growing group of wild tefe's


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## josephl (Apr 21, 2010)

They are all beautiful but that blue one in the first picture is outstanding


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

Luke78 said:


> Seeing this happens to be a "wild discus thread" i wont start another thread and add my updates here i guess.Well...this weekend was not a good one for me.I lost one of my wilds to something i couldnt figure out.Very disapointing and a little upset.Not only that , i lost my longtime plakat betta too.Both were looked after extremely well , but the time came and this is the end result.Here's a few pics for everyone to see of my growing group of wild tefe's


I just realized, you're the one who has the tank that has been haunting me for months now!!!!
http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/member-photo-gallery-17/wild-tefe-discus-6378/
Tefes are my absolutely favorite wild discus - I just love their coloring and those crazy red eyes! When I saw your "natural" tank, it was exactly what I wanted to do - an all tefe tank. I have an empty 50 gallon in my living room and every single time I look at it, I think of doing it up like your tank. And now that my tefe count is up to 6, I'm even more tempted!!

Your tank looks awesome. Thanks for posting and reminding me about your thread.

Any more wild keepers out there? Would LOVE to see your fish.
Shelley


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## onefishtwofish (Apr 21, 2010)

-N/A- said:


> I was hoping to add a mermaid, but that guy seems to have disappeared!! Still the funniest all time BCA thread - it made you immortal in my eyes, K
> All I can say is thank goodness for overfiltration and pythons
> Do you have any angels left or did you clear the whole lot out?


yes i have several angels left. they will be the last offspring of my breeding pair as he is getting old and tho he tries hard his eyesight doesnt allow him to cooridiante with the female for picking up fallen eggs and stuff and i tihnk she gave up. i have some beauties left....especially a trio of silver clowns. i was tihnking of posting some pics.


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## onefishtwofish (Apr 21, 2010)

I was just wondering. $500 is a lot of money so i was wondering if I get the shrimp packaged with out the water can I get for less than your standard price as this will save much weight and not be so much money. i can fluff them back up when i get them. thanks.waiting.

> Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:44:56 +0100
> Subject: Re: shrimp
> From: [email protected]
> To: [email protected]
>
> yes i will do so and this is my standard price so get back to me now

it may not be too late to get that mermaid..................


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

onefishtwofish said:


> I was just wondering. $500 is a lot of money so i was wondering if I get the shrimp packaged with out the water can I get for less than your standard price as this will save much weight and not be so much money. i can fluff them back up when i get them. thanks.waiting.
> 
> > Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:44:56 +0100
> > Subject: Re: shrimp
> ...


Oh my....I remember sitting at home in front of the computer just killing myself laughing with that thread. Honestly, that was one of the funniest things I have ever seen in my life. Didn't someone ask at one point if he could get them a blue whale or a dinosaur? 
Would love to see pics of the angels. I guess laser surgery is out of the question for the old guy, eh?


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

HEy Shelly Here are some pictures of my wild caught discus. They are finally getting better and coming around after a few months of dealing with capillaria worms The got it from fish bought from Discusdugger and the harsh meds i need to use to get rid of the worms. I have lost 1 wild blue and 1 wild green discus during that time. So in my collection. I have a breeding pair of wild blues a lg heckel and 2 wild greens. This is only a temporary home until the new year where. I'll be getting them a new home. Enjoy.


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

Thanks, Dave! Crazy fish - all that room and they all huddle in one corner  I LOVE heckels; that's quite the pronounced centre bar.


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

-N/A- said:


> Thanks, Dave! Crazy fish - all that room and they all huddle in one corner  I LOVE heckels; that's quite the pronounced centre bar.


yeah they love that one corner for some reason. But I had to move them in to the big tank for a few weeks. I have more wilds coming in a few days i need a qt tank. Hey are feeling a lot better in the 170 . I love the heckel too I'm hoping he 'll pair up with the female blue I have. I'm looking to get a few more heckels in a few weeks


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Josephl,

Thank you he's my prized one sort of speak , the king of the group coming in at about "5 inches , got them at about "3-3.5 from charles in august of this year.



josephl said:


> They are all beautiful but that blue one in the first picture is outstanding


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Shelley,

Lol haunting you with my setup huh , wait until i post some updates in the next day or two.Well lets get a move on ,  a brainstorming session needs to take place soon! Just here to help everyone out with any ideas they have of creating a similar 'biotype' for their wild discus , whatever breed they are.Trust me they will thank you ten fold.



-N/A- said:


> I just realized, you're the one who has the tank that has been haunting me for months now!!!!
> http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/member-photo-gallery-17/wild-tefe-discus-6378/
> Tefes are my absolutely favorite wild discus - I just love their coloring and those crazy red eyes! When I saw your "natural" tank, it was exactly what I wanted to do - an all tefe tank. I have an empty 50 gallon in my living room and every single time I look at it, I think of doing it up like your tank. And now that my tefe count is up to 6, I'm even more tempted!!
> 
> ...


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Discus Dave,

Beautiful group of wilds you got there.Heckels are my next project, come the opportunity to get my hands on some.Good shape, colour,even bars on all of them , thanks for sharing !



Discus Dave said:


> HEy Shelly Here are some pictures of my wild caught discus. They are finally getting better and coming around after a few months of dealing with capillaria worms The got it from fish bought from Discusdugger and the harsh meds i need to use to get rid of the worms. I have lost 1 wild blue and 1 wild green discus during that time. So in my collection. I have a breeding pair of wild blues a lg heckel and 2 wild greens. This is only a temporary home until the new year where. I'll be getting them a new home. Enjoy.


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

Luke78 said:


> Discus Dave,
> 
> Beautiful group of wilds you got there.Heckels are my next project, come the opportunity to get my hands on some.Good shape, colour,even bars on all of them , thanks for sharing !


Thanks Luke. I 'm hoping my heckels x babies work out.If not I'll be getting some heckels next year . But i need to find some more time. do deal with all the babies i already have and I have more babies coming from dale in a few weeks . So if every thing works out I will have another 170 or more gallons wild discus tank....


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