Sexing Discus

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Discuss all topics related to freshwater and planted tanks.


a70m1c
 
Posts: 51
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:39 am

Sexing Discus

by a70m1c

I have 2 Discus....any guesses at sex? I want to get a pair but dont want to buy any more discus than nesescarry because i really only want 2.
I wont be purchesing any more untill these 2 are bigger. I have had them for over a year now.

I think Left is female and right is possibly a female too. I am going by the angle of the dorsal fin with realation to the tail.
The below website outlines this method.

http://www.zestweb.com/articles/sexing/sexing.html

Higher quility pic here:
http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/photo-main.php/22717
a2ee9-IMG_1604.JPG


FishyManHarry
 
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2008 4:31 pm

by FishyManHarry

google it


a70m1c
 
Posts: 51
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:39 am

by a70m1c

i have - see link i posted above?


a70m1c
 
Posts: 51
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:39 am

by a70m1c

this website sucks....what a waste of time......


cedricandcandy
 
Posts: 134
Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2008 1:36 am

by cedricandcandy

Hi there a70...they're a nice pair of discus you've got there but I can't tell from the photo what sex they might be.

Have you bred discus before?

I am hoping to begin breeding discus in the next few months and would love some tips....


a70m1c
 
Posts: 51
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:39 am

by a70m1c

hey there,
no i haven't bred discus yet but i hope to. i did a fair bit of research before i bought them with regards to tank conditions etc. I had the tank setup for a month before i added the 2 discus keeping a carefull eye on hardness and PH.
i keep them in 3 foot tank

i added peat moss to the bottom of the tank and than put sand over the top of the peat moss. this keeps the PH and hardness quite low (ph 6.2 with a hardness of 1 DGH)
the plants got nuts when the roots hit the peat moss.
I keep some Krebs and Killi fish with them and they all got along well.

I am lucky because the water that comes out of our tap is very soft with a netural PH.



The 2 discus i have are always swimming together...like best friends lol

as everyone knows discus are expensive fish and i am too scared to spend $400 AUD on a breeding pair in case something happens.

I think the best way would to have about 5 or 6 and hope that 2 pair off.

from a discus book i have:

"if you where to purchase a group of large discus and and a group of small discus that where spawned at the same time, you could assume that 90% of the large discus would be males and 90% of the small discus females.

Often sex can be determined by the formation of the lips and nose. in adult female discus, the lips are relatively the same size, where as the upper lip of the male discus protrudes. additionally, in the male the nose is some what crooked instead of straight.

this observation is true about 50% of the time.

another way way of sexing discus is to look at the anal fin itself. in males the anal fin is straight while the females is curved. this is accurate about 70% of the time.

the most accurate way of sexing discus is is to remove the discus from the water and look at the breeding tube of the discus suspected to be female with a magnifing glass.
it will appear broader and rounder while the males is pointed"


hope this helps.

I have massive libary of fish books (100+) even with the internet i still find the best source of information from my books.

I have read alot about discus am pretty sure the my assumption that both of my discus are females is correct i was just hoping to get a few opinions before i buy some more.

I bought them because of their beauty not to breed but it would be nice to know that it could happen some day.....


cedricandcandy
 
Posts: 134
Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2008 1:36 am

by cedricandcandy

Thanks for that info a70...sounds very similar to angelfish really...I personally think the easiest way is to wait for the breeding tube to become obvious.

Sounds like you've got really good water where you are too..we're very lucky here in where I am in southwest WA - the water is perfect for tropical fish and there is very little to worry about.

You'll probably find even if your 2 discus are both females they'll start laying eggs when they're ready, but obviously there'll be no fertilization so no fry. And then if you want to breed I guess you'll have to make a decision to add another and hope its a male...

Sexing Discus

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