My First Batch of Discus

[Beanie Seagus]

So, with the impending BFD, I'm very tempted to grab a group of young Discus and see if i can't get a pair or two out of them.

Discus "R" Us seems to have a good deal going, offering 10% off and no Shipping costs.

I was thinking of getting between 6 and 10 Leopards w/ring genes. They would come at 2.5"-3" and with the provided discount, come at $35.10 a piece, not too bad for a Discus!

Here are my questions:

#1 Can anyone speak to the quality of Discus "R" US's stock? This would be my biggest fish investment to date, and i'd certainly want them to be show quality stock. The other option i guess, would be to wait a bit and go to discus Hans to see the fish first, but who knows if he'll have the same stock, and the prices are gonna be way higher. Is Hans worth the wait and cash?

#2 Is there any risk that these discus are going to balk at my water perimeters, and or just flat out die on me? I've got a fairly high pH, in the 7.6 - 7.8 range, but the rest of my fish (german blue rams, angelfish, jack dempsys, kribensis, peacocks, and demasoni) see to be doing well, and many are even spawning. I just wouldn't want to unbox $200 some dollars of fish and put them in a tank that will kill them. Should i be concerned? Also, even if they can survive, will they breed at all in these conditions, or will i realistically need to step it up to R/O to have any hope?

#3 Are Leopard Discus with Ring Genes a desirable strain? I ask, because while i really like the look of that fish, I am for sure trying to breed these guys, and will want a strain that is easy to sell for decent cash. Are Leopard's among the most popular? Or if you were looking to grow discus to sell, which strain would you look at, either due to ease of growing, ease of selling, or big bucks for selling?

Thanks in advance for your insights!

 

[dogofwar]

Talk to Jemes Perrenod of Discus R Us. Really knowledgeable guy...

Matt

 

[Becca]

You will not make decent cash breeding fish unless you're going to open up a full-blown operation, I promise. Having bred fish as a hobbyist for years, you'll invest way more in getting your fish into condition and keeping them alive than you'll ever make off of any surviving fry. If you want to breed them for your own curiosity, great, but I wouldn't anticipate making money off of it. Others may be able to speak to this better than I can, but I spent years working at stores and at hatcheries and I've spent years breeding fish (both intentionally and non... the latter always goes better). I even spent a few years breeding hi-color bearded dragons. It is extremely difficult to turn enough of a profit with a small operation to cover the cost of getting to the point of viable offspring.

 

[mchambers]

I agree with Becca. I think the best you can hope for is making enough to cover some of the out of pocket costs of the hobby.

I'm skeptical that you'll be able to breed discus in tap water. (Just guessing; I've never tried.) Also, a 55 gallon tank is on the small side for those fish. Also, discus require very clean water, with frequent changes, or so I'm told.

 

[Becca]

I agree with Becca. I think the best you can hope for is making enough to cover some of the out of pocket costs of the hobby.

I'm skeptical that you'll be able to breed discus in tap water. (Just guessing; I've never tried.) Also, a 55 gallon tank is on the small side for those fish. Also, discus require very clean water, with frequent changes, or so I'm told.

Indeed, a 55 is small and growing them to breeding size in a HEALTHY way takes time. We change 50% once a week on our tank, but I've not kept them in anything smaller than 150 gallons, even when starting with small (2" sized) fish.

 

[Beanie Seagus]

Ok, so I'm hearing you guys with regard to trying to profit off the fish. At best I'll hope to recoup some expenses from rearing them.

But that doesn't take away from the question regarding "what is a desirable strain", even if i'm just making (some of) my money back, in order to do it i'd still want to breed a strain that is popular enough to sell.

I'm also still quite curious if anyone could provide insight re: which supplier i should use to stock my tanks, Should I go Discus "R" US, a bit cheaper, and likely to have the quantity i want, but will purchase the fish site unseen,

or should i go Discus Hans, who perhaps will have (slighty?) better quality fish, but at a higher price. I will be able to see the fish first though.

 

[Becca]

Ok, so I'm hearing you guys with regard to trying to profit off the fish. At best I'll hope to recoup some expenses from rearing them.

But that doesn't take away from the question regarding "what is a desirable strain", even if i'm just making (some of) my money back, in order to do it i'd still want to breed a strain that is popular enough to sell.

I'm also still quite curious if anyone could provide insight re: which supplier i should use to stock my tanks, Should I go Discus "R" US, a bit cheaper, and likely to have the quantity i want, but will purchase the fish site unseen,

or should i go Discus Hans, who perhaps will have (slighty?) better quality fish, but at a higher price. I will be able to see the fish first though.

Hans' fish are definitely hardy, as far as Discus are concerned, but 6 will outgrow a 55 gallon relatively quickly. I do believe there will be some Hans Discus at BFD that you can get a look at, though his shop is certainly worth the trip.

 

[finzz]

I'm no expert on discus, but I've heard from some folks that raise them that many strains grow well & healthy in harder, less acidic water and some will spawn in water that's less than ideal for discus. This is second-hand info, so take it for what it's worth.

 

[YSS]

Regarding desired strains, get what you want and if you have healthy spawn from healthy parents, they will sell. In my opinion, you can never go wrong with classic red turq. Love them. Not a fan of pigeon strains. Hans has ton of variety of fish. His warehouse is a sight to behold. Also, Kenny's discus is also a great source of healthy Asian discus. Don't know much about Discus r' us.