Bob's questionnaire
Q - Please tell us all a little about yourself, what makes You tick? Single, married, attached? What do you do for a living? Other hobbies? Any significant non-discus achievements you want to brag about?
A - I am married and reside in New Jersey with my fantastic wife and nine year old son. The older two children which are 29 and 30 reside Florida and Massachusetts. I am a technical specialist for a healthcare equipment manufacturer. All of my spare time when not importing and doing water changes is dedicated to family and raising my youngest son.
Q - How did you get into discus? Where was the first discus you saw? How long had you been into fish first?
A - I have been into fish since I was a young boy, way back when I didn't know of any such thing as a water change but that surely has changed. I can remember visiting the Seahorse Aquarium weekly trying to acquire every color variation of Sailfin Mollie that was available when I was in grade school. Once I reached my teens it was time to acquire the “cool, tough guy fish”. Yes I had the Oscar, Jack Dempsey, and, Piranha.
I honestly never knew of or saw a discus until the year 2005. My first purchase led me to a stranger’s apartment building, while it was still dark, in Brooklyn, NY at 6 a.m. where I acquired six three inch Pigeon Bloods. Sounds pretty crazy and risky but I actually didn’t give it a second thought. From the moment I brought them home I was hooked and began acquiring more tanks and discus.
Q - What strains are you the most happy with? Which do you think need some work? Are you working on anything new and exciting now? What strain/s do you like best, personally?
A - My taste seems to change as far as a favorite strain goes. For the longest time I was a big fan of Albinos but that seems to have changed over time. Currently I tend to favor turqs. In the near future I plan on returning to some breeding as time allows with importing.
Q - What do you feed your discus?
A - I feed freeze dried blackworms, freeze dried beefheart, high protein content flake and Sera pellets.
Q - What is your most exhilarating moment with discus?
A - In 2009 I had a very nice Rose Red pair that spawned and hatched 600 fry. That’s not a misprint. Six hundred fry were grown to a sell-able size and scattered throughout the country. The thread on these can be seen here. http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showth...en-!&highlight
Q What is your most frustrating moment with discus?
A - My most frustrating moment also occurred later in 2009 when I special ordered one discus from a supplier. Although proper QT was followed, that one discus wiped out every discus I owned very quickly. That thread can be seen here and pics are on page two. http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showth...age2&highlight
Q - Do you have any future discus plans that you would like to share with us?
A - Besides importing Wayne NG discus here in the states, I would like to do some breeding again on a small but selective scale.
Q - How do those in your life feel about discus?
A - My wife is very tolerant of the time involved with them as her Aunt and Uncle used to own a fish store and the discus bring back good memories for her. My son occasionally will go and check them out but after a few minutes it’s time to move onto something else. Other family and friends are amazed that they get shipped in boxes across the country and as far as Alaska.
Q - Do you have any funny, amusing or interesting discus stories to share with us?
A - I would have to say the look on my wife’s face when I decided to make my own beefheart mix for the first time in her kitchen. The smell, the mess and my carving up animal hearts was quite a shock to her.
Q - Do you have any thanks or credit to give for your success with discus? Any mentors or colleagues who you think deserve some applause?
A - This may sound corny but the credit and applause I give is to my parents who raised me to be patient, dedicated, and responsible which are all qualities that I utilize daily in my discus keeping.
Q - What do you see as the future of discus keeping? More/less people? Any cool ideas for strains?
A - I predict more discus enthusiasts in the future due to the fact that there are so many sources to acquire discus from then there were many years ago. That accompanied by lower prices makes the king of the fresh water aquarium easier to acquire. Information on discus and the keeping of them is also readily available which eases the minds of those who feel discus are difficult to keep.
Q - Can you think of anything I left out you would like to bring up - either personally or discus related?
A - I don’t know. ASK ROD !
Breeding
Q - How did you decide to take the plunge into breeding as a significant part of your fishkeeping?
A - From the moment I acquired my first discus, breeding was the plan. It was the challenge involved that that led me down that path. There were many ups and downs but when done successfully it was very rewarding.
Q - What were the major obstacles involved in setting up as a breeder? Any advice for aspiring breeders?
A - The major obstacle was finding room for more breeder tanks. There is so much to learn, know and understand when it comes to breeding. There are a lot of knowledgeable people out there that can guide you through the process but you should choose your source wisely. I have been very successful breeding but I am and always will be learning. The key to success is listening and being open minded to those with more experience as there will always be others out there that know more then you.
Q - How many pairs do you currently have producing? How many tanks?
A - Currently I have no pairs. My place is set up for the QT and shipping of discus that we import for resale.
Q - Any tips on breeding or raising discus? Tricks or methods you use to encourage pairs to breed?
A - Many believe that discus are difficult to keep. In my opinion it’s rather simple. There are just two things to remember. Clean water and a good diet. Keep up with those water changes without excuses. Constant water parameters are a must. Be diligent with your husbandry. Feed them quality foods with a high protein level.