Jack Wattley Discus Breeding Process

Here is our discus fish breeding process at Jack Wattley Discus. We want those in the discus fish hobby to enjoy their discus and watching them breed is one of the most amazing aspects of keeping discus fish.

[@duenasj]

RIP Mr. Wattley. Thank you for everything you did for our hobby. Great video, Gabe! Very informative!

[@farm3gs213]

what happened ? i am going to ask him more information about the fish, but..wait a minute, i saw your comment ??

[@speeds1818]

Wut he died already ? 😫😫

[@ianjames8794]

He was 96. Good innings.

[@ErenJeager-pp7nk]

Mr. Wattley is NOT the person in the vid. Just in case you didn’t know.

[@duenasj]

@@ErenJeager-pp7nk Thanks, but I know who both of them are. I've been to the hatchery countless times. I thanked Jack for his contribution to the hobby and Gabe for the video.

[@josemontalvo4532]

I remember Jack Wattley as a teenager where I lived in NYC. He was a legend! Got away from the hobby for a spell. Glad to you took the helm! Bravo! I enjoyed watching! Thank you for sharing!

[@snewcsar1]

Wish i had found you before i got my discus. Recently messaged you about my community tank with 6 discus having babies but they are on the sponge filter not mom. So far they have eaten most of them. You are so helpful. I have had lots of eggs but these are the first that survived and were fertilized. Keepup the great videos

[@MRLMA001]

Gabe, your videos are Fantastic, it's amazing how you explain everything clear and simple, without fooling around. A real Master on Discus and kind to share all his knowledge and time with all of us. Should you think about writing a book about Discus, it would definitely become a reference book for current and future generations and a legacy of Gabe Posada

[@saltysphynxmuse907]

Awesome job, Gabe! My 7 Wattley discus are extremely healthy, high quality fish, and this video is a testament to those outstanding results.

[@insolentstickleback3266]

Thank You so much for being straight forward about this stuff!

[@maninacrowd2342]

Jack is simply my favourite breeder of all time! I’d kill to get his fish in Australia! RIP you are the man!

[@d.ccomillasakot3002]

Same to me

[@d.ccomillasakot3002]

my canel

[@UHPhilipA]

Just got some new discus that have been sitting in QT tanks for the last three weeks or so. Two decided to pair off and lay eggs tonight on one of the sides of the tank. Now I got some more learning to do. :-) Red spotted green parents are going to make some good looking babies if I'm successful!

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

Enjoy the journey.

[@wheatfieldproductions1564]

Gabriel es un tipo encojonao, como decimos los cubanos, gracias por tu dedicacion y por tanta ayuda que brindas hermano. Dios bendiga tu negocio y tu vida.

[@thefishylife6823]

My goodness these discus are phenomenal!!!!!!!

[@JimHanleyfishing]

More videos please. Info Coming from experts like you is extremely helpful.

[@evegtrrz28]

Amazing video thank you

[@patosteopath8796]

Thank you Gabe! pleasure to read you from Paris! 😎👍🇫🇷🍾

[@vicweast]

Thank you for these great insights, love the videos

[@Iq_Hussein_BMW]

I really like your experience ❤️

[@tp8025]

I love watching your videos and your information and the fact that you share good info. I wish I could afford a breeding pair of discus but till then I breed good quality guppies 👍🏻😊

[@dawntharme-mb5fi]

I love discus fish. I don’t own any yet! But yr video’s are so informative, and easy to follow.I will one day get some. What is the ideal tank size for a small group of discus.

[@davidbrant1396]

Hi gabe i watch your videos alot have got a lot of useful information.your tanks are 40 gallons from memory could you please tell me the demensions length,width,hight as i am wanting to buy 6 tanks and plum them up to my sump

[@dailodai9586]

i wish i can one day purchase a breeding pair or melons from you guys. its just much more than i can ever afford. one day i hope

[@kolkatadiscus3237]

Good video !! Greeting from Kolkata Discus ...

[@kaleemakhterkhan5210]

Excellent info. Looks difficult to breed till I have complete setup and knowledge.

[@alexandrucotolan9779]

Hi Gabe! I have a small problem coming with a question... And that is.... my NO3 is 100mg/l even after daily water change 80% almost instantly... I'm going crazy please enlight meeeee!!! BTW! You are doing a great job! No words that can describe the fountain of knowledge that you share with us! I love it! YOU ARE THE BEST! Maybe I will pay a visit of your hatchery in a day! REGARDS, Alex from Romania!

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

Check your incoming water

[@george_fish_room]

Hello, I follow your channel and love all for your work. I have a couple of questions and if you could give me some advice. I have two pairs of discus, they are separated in special aquariums according to all the rules for spawning, I use RO water Ph 6.8 electrical conductivity 80ppm. Everything works well until around the 7th day after spawning. mostly when the young start swim and start feeding from their parents. Then the problem arises because the parents start eating the young fish. I tried to feed the parents less during this period, but it was not worth it, I tried to feed them with frozen and live food, but then they started spawning and eventually ate the small eggs. How many and what kind of food should I feed the parents during the period when they have young?

[@jomyvarghese3888]

Hello .. nice video… i started it as a hobby having discuss fish and yes i realize its very hard but your advices n infomation has been a learning process … I have a question.. how the water flow should be in the tank … coz of my filter in & out it has high flow rate .. what do u recommend ? Is it ok or discuss prefers still or less flow rate? 2) in your videos in your tanks i only see the water inlet, where is the out let or how ur water is pumped out of the tank for change or filter? 3) could you do a video on water filtration for discuss fish tank.

[@brandonmurray2738]

Awesome Video 🤩, I notice a lot of breeding pairs are the same color, but I’m wondering if every breeding has to be the same color to result in healthy and colorful babies. I know there is a difference from Pigeons and other Discus, but what if you were to have a variety of colors of Stendker Discus and different colors were to breed? What about a Red and White Leopard cross or a Blue Diamond and Marlboro? Do you get 50/50 or a lot of peppering?

[@howtoaquarium7990]

Adter the egg hatches the baby start to vibrate, fungus problems cause them to turn white and then they die. Do you know how to prevent that thank you

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

Methelin Blue

[@kayatwinnstars]

Hi Gabe, Mario here in Berlin,, have you any video on genetics? A video showing what happens when you cross this Discus variety with the next ? Or a guide showing more on selective breeding?

[@daggi622]

😊Hi Gabe, I have a question about the egg yolk you are giving the little ones. Is the yolk raw or cooked? Is it just added to the small ones in the coffee filter and how much of it? Her videos make holding discus a lot of fun because you get a lot of information. 😊

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

We mix a raw yolk with a hard boiled. That's the paste we use to feed

[@daggi622]

😊Thank you very much for the quick reply. They have already helped me a lot in dealing with discus fish. 😊

[@adamcenteno6155]

How big do they have to be before the male knows what to do?

[@vipinpandey9713]

Great Information, Mr. Gabriel Posada!! Thankyou :)

[@goose1771]

Good stuff! Looking for more content in the future!

[@an_orthodontist_a_rider579]

Hi sir, lovely informative videos, I have a question for you. My discus bred the first time and the male ate the eggs and now they have stopped breeding all together, can I know the reason why, I'm sure you need alot more details. Please respond thanks a ton😊

[@KarthicRM]

What is conductivity? How is related to ph and gh? How to test it?

[@wyattsouth2085]

Hey man Ben a long time you probably won’t remember me I actually used to deal with your father more but after that I had a room in a buddy’s house that I was breeding discus for awhile because I was a manager at big ales fish store my buddy was who you would speak with he goes by AJ but his name is Anthony we had gotten an albino mated pair from you and a pair of blue diamond snake skin leopards.hopefully going to be getting back into tanks soon I’m up in vero beach now and was telling some people about your father and you and just looked him up and came across this video.happy to see man hope all is well with you.btw my name on face book is Wyatt south my pf picture is me wearing a face shield holding a largemouth bass send me a friend request if you don’t mind would love to stay in touch with you maybe we can get something going up hear you tap into a new area.

[@MRLMA001]

Hi Gabe, if you are running the 78 tanks on a wet/dry filter, how do you remove debris from your breeding tanks ? The bottom of your tanks look very clean :)) Do you siphon manually the 78 tanks ? Your Discus are amazing, thanks for sharing.

[@todortodorov1710]

Hi Gabe. Thanks again for all information you giving to us. I need some help and your professional advise. I have about 100 free swimming fry now but they not going near the parents, instead they stick on to the sponge filter. Please tel me what should I do to help them to attach to the parents.Thank you in advance!

[@sreeragken5406]

Greetings from India Can you please show and explain the gadgets and machinary used at your hatchery for maintaining water parameters, temperature, filteration etc

[@pnw_element9822]

Hey Gabe I have wrigglers now should I turn off my main filter cuz as of right now I turn it off and running an air stone and a sponge filter and I also lower down the water near the top of the spawning cone

[@googaajjj6099]

wow the temp has to be 82 fahrenheit. do you think we need to use aquarium heater to keep discus? or no need? bcs lot ppl say discus need to have stable temp 86-90 fahrenheit (warm water)

[@aliuzar91]

Hi Gabe , I wonder why all breeding tanks are not clean glasses. In Turkey we are always cleaning glasses and cones , we are making mistake ? Thanks for your helper videos. I'm waiting for a discus pair cross video.

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

I find that the more you disturb the pairs the worse off things become. Perfect example would be to look at their natural environment. Diatom Algae may look bad but it's harmless to them. Keep it clean, but just don't over do it.

[@donnamorgan144]

Thanks Gabe

[@TroyRossberg]

Hi! I'm looking to purchase your RODI system for discus breeding and was thinking about using Discus Buffer along with Neutral Regulator to reach a desired PH of 6.0 and I'm curious to weather you would recommend that I use a Discus Trace Elements with the the rodi or is it necessary ? I see that you use phosphoric acid with RO to lower ph and was wondering if I could use Neutral regulator to raise ph if need be and hold a stable buffer along with the phosphoric acid for a steady ph of 6.0? Or would I be better of with Discus buffer along with Neutral Regulator? Your help is much appreciated Gabe

[@MoizAMarvi1]

Hello there, Please let me know for how to reduce GH of tap water or how to get rainy water? Because currently that water provides with near to 300 ppm and the requirement for discus to breed is I think around 50 ppm.

[@joeyrivera8089]

Hey Gabe I was lucky enough to hatch baby discus, they were swimming with the parent after couple of days I started losing them. Any advice will be much appreciated. Thanks

[@markgorhk]

hi Gabe! quick question... my breeding pair have their first fry... they are now about 5 days old... the mother started eating the fry when they left the breeding cone... I removed her from the breeding tank... the father has been doing a great job.. there are about 22 fry remaining... but it seems he is losing patience and getting angry.. I am concerned he might start to eat those left... tonight I put baby brine shimp in the breeding tank... if the fry take to the BBS, can they survive without the father at this early stage? that is, with no parents in the tank? I have seen your videos on when they CAN be removed, I know its not now... but just wonder on chances of survival if they take to eating the BBS and cannot continue eating the slime coat... thanks for any comment you can make!!

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

As long as they are eating they can

[@markgorhk]

@@JackWattleyDiscus thanks! I watch diligently.. even if only to give the male a few hours off!! Thank you!

[@rjv2395]

thanks for the great vids. have you ever been able to find a substitute for the slime coating that contains similar nutrients for the fry? do you have any info on the body slime ingredients from the parents. I did some testing on a gelatin concoction with spirulina and egg powder spread on a non-woven paper base, hung in the tank. It supplemented the parents a little, but I didn't have a chance to fully develop the idea. just wondering if you have experimented with any such supplements. tks again for the videos.

[@rogeliomorales5970]

Amazing video!

[@arupmukherjee4110]

Verry knowledgeable person u r

[@daggi622]

😊Hello Gabe I need some advice. I have a pair of discus that have larvae. The larvae fell off the discus cone because the male was frightened and swam against the discus cone with full force, the little ones fell off. The couple left her on the floor. how can i raise them I'm looking forward to an answer 😊

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

Do nothing and leave it to the parents

[@daggi622]

@@JackWattleyDiscus OK. Thank you. It's nice that you take the time to help despite the stress. I have been in a wheelchair for a year due to illness. Fulfilled my dream of having discus fish for many years and I want the animals to do well. I've watched a lot of your videos and I'm really excited about your discus fish and your system. I would like to see your system live. That will probably be a dream that I will not get fulfilled. Thank you very much for your effort.

[@todortodorov1710]

Hi Gabe. Thanks for another awesome video! On this low conductivity, what is your KH and GH? Do you treat you water against fungus on the eggs? Thank you!

[@jayla1850]

What is your tank volume and dimension Read on some sites 20 falling with 18 inch high. Great videos.

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

20 gallon high. 16" high.

[@gerardcarvalho0123]

Very well explained.

[@Johnsondemello]

Hi Dave how you going? I have a pair of blue daimonds. The female has been laying eggs but the male is not at all interested in breeding. Can you pls educate me on this pls?

[@ashokprajapati1348]

Hello sir do we need light in night when egg become fries....and if yes what type of light brightness should be...

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

Ambient lighting is enough.

[@mohammadthalji9616]

Very informative, can you please share the breeding tank dimensions?

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

24 16 12 inches

[@davidlambert6171]

Mr. Gabe can you make a video on how to know a discus is male or female? Thanks!

[@MoizAMarvi1]

Hi there, I have a lot of AC water being reserved. And I want to keep that refrigerated water in the aquarium I used to keep Discus. I'm hoping to use that water for Discus since it is so soft water has very low TDS. Would it be great if I use that water for to keep my discus?

[@rajsolanki6223]

@jack can u make a video how much quantity of sodium do u add?!

[@WBkeyboardist]

Sir why is your most of the tank water brown🟤?? Please tell me thank you🙏🙏

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

Potassium Permanganate

[@alisheribragimov5091]

Hi Gabe, can you show your filtration system in the breeding tanks pls!?

[@CrowntailHalfmoon]

Could you explain how to identify male and females? Also how to identify if you have a potential pair in a community? Could you force a pairing if u know gender? What do you look for in breeders and how do u deal with egg or fry eaters ? What age do u breed discus from? What do u feed the pair for breeding and how often u do water changes on breeding tanks as opposed to community tanks? Can you explain how to identify quality discus and general rule of thumb for healthy discus

[@adamcenteno6155]

Please tell me How large do discus have to be on order to breed them? Nobody has been able to answer this question for me yet.

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

1 year of age. Age is crucial not size. Of your discus are stunted, they will pair off before they ever hit 5"

[@priteshnivangune3776]

Verry nice sir .

[@DEAexotics]

great video and information

[@guillermorodriguez7899]

También quisiera saber si puedo usar el agua de los posos que utilizamos para regar las plantas de jardines

[@aa50781]

You said you were using pure ro water which comes at zero tds so just by adding sodium carbonate u are able to increase the general hardness as well as keep d kh at a level which keeps d pH constant .. could u let me know an approximate measure of sodium carbonate you are adding ..

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

For breeding we need the lowest conductivity as possible. We do nothing to harden it, we use sodium carbonate to maintain the pH above 5.5.

[@clintmeylaq1777]

Hi Jack. Thanks for the informative vids. I have a pair spawning with 7 day old fry and after laying eggs they eat all the 7 day old fry. Shall i remove one of them?

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

Remove the eggs if they do it again

[@clintmeylaq1777]

@@JackWattleyDiscus thanks for replying

[@oyuncakTv-uw7qz]

Hello there For discus production, 50 × 50 × 50 cm of osmosis juice into the production tank is under pH 5.5. and this does not kill the male discus sperm. Your video is also available for sodium carbonat ph fixing! How should I apply for the reproduction of sodium carbonate to osmosis water to 100 liters, and how much should I add sodium carbonat ??? I am very happy if you can give me detailed information about this subject.

[@pharmaceuticalsugar4805]

How you improve discus fish quality and it's strain. How you avoid inline breeding? Please reply.

[@adamskippy3279]

My discus are breathing very fast ): any treatment you can suggest for that? Water quality is perfect. I think is fluke

[@joop6045]

Hi! Should I leave the light on wen I have eggs? Thx for the great vids!

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

Ambient only, not direct

[@bghancock84]

for me you are the best

[@MobbGuppy]

We were discussing Discus Breeding at our last aquarium club meeting. One of our club members gets them eggs to the wiggler stage and the fry does not progress from there... Interesting...

[@curtisdoyle5934]

Mobb Guppy water may be too hard for them?

[@jalindarkharade638]

Hi.. How many days it takes for a newly hatched spawn to get over onto body feeding.. Somehow i cant see them go on to the parents body .. Any tips on how to achieve it..

[@s.a.m.simplified4598]

It takes about a week for the fry to become free swimming.

[@jalindarkharade638]

@@s.a.m.simplified4598 Thanks a lot its being almost 10days now all frys are healthy and getting fed from parents body...

[@s.a.m.simplified4598]

Your Welcome.

[@lasithajayasinghe6851]

Hey gey please tel me how to add color feed for discus fish (carofel powder )

[@Larry-xd1sv]

Hola y en español no se olviden de nosotros saludos desde chile

[@Aquaman429]

I have a breeding pair but my make is being a little aggressive after moving on to new tank

[@aquaticmaldives1130]

How to Identify male or female please can you tell me how to do i guess it's very difficult

[@abhijithunni8965]

Sr ,,How to identify male or female in discus fish.i have six piece ,but I don't know identity male or female in my babies??.plz help me

[@pnw_element9822]

Gab what do I do after they lay their eggs and how long does it takes this is my first time and they laid eggs on the filter stick please help would love to have some baby discus and do I keep doing water changes every week ? I’m so new to discus just wanna do good

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

3 days to hatch if your water hardness is low. Continue to do everything you've always done. Don't change a thing because of the eggs. Most of all.....enjoy!!!!!!!

[@oyuncakTv-uw7qz]

gabe posada tank you veri veri goud.

[@oyuncakTv-uw7qz]

The medication and the proportions and treatments you give to the treatment of the fish in particular give us a lot of information. potassium permanganate and hydrogen peroxide, i have also applied my fish. The result is super. you are very professional in this matter

[@robertcaccamo]

Hi Gabe what do you keep the water parameters for the grow out tanks do you use ro or tap water

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

We raise the hardness to 300 microsiemens and the pH to 7.0

[@putrafajar966]

Sir Would ask for breeding tank or aquarium size of what?? Thanks

[@clownit92]

Hola Gabriel me gustaría ver este vídeo en español se ve interesante.

[@todortodorov1710]

Hi Mr. Posada. What is the key to prevent fungus on discus eggs? Thank you!

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

Good fertilization, soft water, and low fungus spores.

[@todortodorov1710]

Jack Wattley Discus Thank you! Do you recommend using methylene blue?

[@guillermorodriguez7899]

Mi amigo yo rompi las reglas i tengo 6 peces discos de un tamaño aproximado de tres pulgadas en una pecera de 20 galones , si yo les cambió el 50 porciento del agua una ves por semana i los alimento dos veses al día puedo mantener los parámetros del agua en los niveles correctos o tendré que comprar un acuario de más galones

[@exoticsandaquatics4381]

We keep them at 7.2 and have success breeding. I found when the ph falls the fish start acting weird and don’t want to eat

[@onixtron3730]

Sir next put about how did find gender in discus

[@ArdiantonoKadri]

Hi Gabe and Team, My Newbie Pair had laid 3 times this month but after 3 or 4 days they ate the eggs, water parameters is good. so what do you think is the problem? is it because of new parent? or it didnt get fertilized or fungus problem? Do I need methylene blue? Thank you!

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

What's your pH and conductivity?

[@ArdiantonoKadri]

@@JackWattleyDiscus my PH is 5.95 and water conductivy you mean well water right? its from well

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

@@ArdiantonoKadri if you are not using reverse osmosis and a conductivity meter you won't get any eggs to hatch

[@satuhobisaya-9229]

hi .. can u explain how you keep red pigeon discus clean from black peppered dot

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

All my tanks are very light blue in color. Pigeons pepper up when their surroundings are dark.

[@satuhobisaya-9229]

@@JackWattleyDiscus hi thanks for your reply ..highly appreciate

[@jalaljalal7265]

Fantastic

[@MT-jf1tn]

Great

[@speeds1818]

Hi can u pls help me what is the solution for this Why my discus is not eating anything even tho I feed them different kinds of discus food but I didn’t see them eating anything I just bought discus 4 days already but still their not yet eating Water temp: 29-30 Celsius 9 discus with other fishes like neon tetra, rainbow fish, otocinclus,dwarf gourami,and Denison barb 185gall triangle aquarium and Planted tank

[@jeremypinne409]

What size are those tanks?

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

20 gallon highs

[@petroman-cg8tt]

Gabe what size tank do you breed the Discus in. Thank you Joe H Navy Seabee

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

20 gallon high

[@petroman-cg8tt]

@@JackWattleyDiscus thank you Gabe

[@ritesh01naik]

Sir wht do u feed the parents during the breeding process.

[@ritesh01naik]

@@JackWattleyDiscus thanks Sir for ur prompt reply....best regards.

[@milko9876]

Hi Jack, i would like to know if its ok to cross breed different strain of discus, if so whay is pros and cons. Thanks.

[@milko9876]

And maybe you can create a video regarding this topic. Thanks

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

Crossbreeding is done when you want to get the best attributes out of two different strains. This will give you an F1 cross which on its own unstable and will never breed true.

[@milko9876]

If that so, we must atleast refrain or minimize the crossbreeding of different strain to avoid possible unstable discus. And for newbie, like me, who wants to start breeding of discus, the best option is to buy 6 to 8 pcs of fry, baby discus, and wait for the natural process to unfold itself?

[@milko9876]

Here in Philippines, some breeders tend to cross breed different strains.

[@gamcookin213]

What size tank for breeding

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

20 gallon high

[@harveym5627]

How do you get the fry to attach to the parents?

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

They do it on their own.

[@harveym5627]

@@JackWattleyDiscus I've got a discus pair and the fry never attach they are a red melon pair

[@MarcoRodriguez-en7rf]

what size tanks. are those?

[@JackWattleyDiscus]

20 gallon high

[@MarcoRodriguez-en7rf]

@@JackWattleyDiscus I thought they were, everyone says to go with the 29 like its a sin to go with the 20 high , but your success proves otherwise. Thanks!!!