So is Liz going to....

[b125killer]

That would be awesome if they raised them both. Good luck with them

[LizStreithorst]

They won't raise them both.  I know of only one Discus guy who had parents that raised both spawns.  I'll be happy with one batch.

[Mugwump]

They won't raise them both.  I know of only one Discus guy who had parents that raised both spawns.  I'll be happy with one batch.

Then you'll be the first gal, right? 

[LizStreithorst]

As I expected, the parents ate the youngest batch when they went free swimming this morning.  The older batch is doing great.  They finally started really going after the BBS this morning.  Up until now the parents were producing so much slime for them that the babies didn't care about BBS.

[Mugwump]

SUPER !!!!......eating bbs is great, now they really start growing well..

[LizStreithorst]

A larger spawn would have started eating it between 3 and 5 days of free swimming.  Until then their mouths are too small.  These guys are a decent size for their age, but they didn't care about the BBS because they were getting all they needed from their parents.  It's fun to see them leave their parents sides and hunt it down when I toss it in now. 

[LizStreithorst]

I just culled my first one.  I gave it to the cat but she wasn't interested.  I guess it will flop to death.  This one was smaller than the others and didn't swim right.  Not a belly slider.  I have had no belly sliders.

They will start showing their finnage in another week and it will be time to do a second cull.  It's hard to start culling for shape until they are 4+ weeks old.

[PaulineMi]

Liz!!!  .  Do you put the culls on ice or use some sort of "quick kill" method normally?

[LizStreithorst]

I am inhumane with fish are this small.  I gave it to the cat live.  Found out that the lazy ass cat didn't look at it.  All John Nicholson has to do is toss a live Discus out the door and His Dachshund recycles it immediately.  None of my 10 dogs nor my cat appear to like live fish.  Next cull, I will go back to my old humane way.  I will net them out and slap them down hard on the concrete.  They are dead in ia instant.

I know about clove oil.  I know about the freezer.  I like my way better.  It's hard enough to cull with out someone questioning me about my methods.  I am a breeder.  Culling is necessary. I don't enjoy it but I have to do it. 

[PaulineMi]

Absolutely culling is necessary.  I've done it myself and agree it's not pleasant.  Putting the method out on the forum does leave it open to questions and discussions though.

[Mugwump]

I use ice water, with lots of ice....the second they water they're goners....freezers to slow for me, seems cruel, the slow death...

[PaulineMi]

I ice them also.  Have used clove oil with and without vodka and the freezer method.  When I learned about ice and used that method it seemed to be the quickest. 

[LizStreithorst]

Slapping them on the concrete is the fastest way

[Mugwump]

Slapping them on the concrete is the fastest way

noisiest too....LOLOLOLOLOL...couldn't resist it

[PaulineMi]