Recommendations on what to buy...

[brewmaster15]

Hi all,
Help me out again everyone... Please post pics and give pointers of what you would call great discus. This should help novices to get the best, and forget about buying the rest.

thanks,
al

You go first Brew

Mike

[brewmaster15]

okay Mike,
I like to look for an overall healthy appearence. I Don't buy a fish if it has any sign of bacterial infection, as evidenced by cloudy eyes, frayed fins, sunken bellies. feces should be dark, and the fish should exhibit a healthy appetite. I personally don't put a lot of emphasis on eye color, but generally look for nice red eyes.

[brewmaster15]

A nice round shape is also a great parameter to look for. Fish that look like pizza wedges are too be avoided..
but round is good.... as shown here in some fish from Cary ..

[brewmaster15]

I think this fish has a really good shape to it. Its one of my favorite.... From Rocky Mountain Discus




-al,
ps hey Gary... they were hitting on the cone this am, maybe the curse has expired and I'll be able to get you some fry ;D

[brewmaster15]

If i visit a breeder, I like to see tank of fry that are all about the same size. It can be a good indicator that the breeder culls their fish and is not just looking to sell all the spawn. The fry swimming should be active , and again there should be no sign of disease.

I would avoid buying fry if any in the tank were dark and huddling in the corner (hexamita or capillaria is probable here). Could be the beginning of severe bacterial probelm.

Flashing may be a sign of flukes, but It is not something that I would be overly concerned with. Few fish are fluke free.

[lkleung007]

As always Al; a great thread!!

Love the pics, keep them coming!!!!

Regards, Lester

Most of my fish are bought sight unseen. When ordering make sure you ask tons of questions and tell them what you don't want.

[dm]

great fish guys. I wish I had a beauty to show but unfortunatly mine are nothig compared to those. I can't seem to get that good of a picture either for some reason. Oh well, I'll just look at yours.

[gary1218]

Al,

GOOD NEWS on your pair. Maybe my spell "expires" with the start of a new year ;D Which pair is it?

The pic you posted under the one from Rocky Mountain Discus with the Simply Discus logo, is that one of yours as well? I don't recall seeing it when Ron and I visited. I love the cobalt blue color. BUT, just in case you have it set up as a pair with another discus I won't tell you I want fry from it. I don't want to start "the curse" again for this year ;D

GARY

[brewmaster15]

Hi Gary,
Both those pics of the red turq are the same fish, under different lighting and about 3/4 year apart. The bottom shot was the earlier one.

Unfortunately, this is the male you were interested in fry from! :-\

-al

[gary1218]

So that's the HUGE, GORGEOUS red turk male you have in with the snakeskin female, correct? I have good taste don't I ;D

You should also post a pic of the blue turg female you had in with the wild male. I couldn't take my eyes off her when I was at your place. She's my idea of a "picture perfect" discus. Anything going on with that pair?

GARY

[bikhu]

What beautiful pictures.. I am so infatuated with the fish. What about mixing different age/size fish together? I have a 55gal, lots of filtering daily 50(ish)% H2O changes and 4 3 inch fish. Suggestions?

[Carol_Roberts]

Really it's best to grow out discus of the same size and age. Otherwise the bigger/older discus may bully the smaller.
Carol

[Rod]

When buying discus i look for active discus that are light in body color (if young), clear colorful eyes, clear anal and pectoral fins, no holes or marks on head area, discus that hold a nice posture (erect and alert) , nice round shape, eye and head size in proportion to body size, a balanced look.

Here are some examples of what i am talking about