need a few runts-- st.louis area

[gearhead1911]

hi- im new to the forum and new to discus keeping. However I have maintained planted and fish aquariums sucessfully for about 10 years. I have been researching discus fish for about 6 weeks and have decided to give them a shot despite local fish stores saying how "difficult" they are.
My tank is 40 gallons at 82F ph 6.8 with amazon swords. ammonia and nit. are 0. it is filtered with an emperor dual bio-wheel spray bar HOB filter. It has been running for 6 weeks. planted for 2. I am accustomed to the frequent water changes discus require-- i change 30% twice a week in all my tanks-- so one or two extra times a week will be no problem for me.
However, i am a realist and i know anything can go wrong with a new experience and i do not want to purchase expensive perfect fish. I am looking for someone breeding discus fairly close to st.louis, mo. that is willing to sell or donate a few of their runts. Also let me know if you guys see any problems with my water parameters.
Sorry for the long post- and thank you for a great website- lots of good info,
mason

[Amadhunter]

Hi, welcome to Simply.
I had the same idea as you when I first came here. Several of the members, great folks by the way, suggested I go with good discus to start. If you plan on failure, that's what you'll get.
So, I bought some from BethS, great fish!! And followed the advice obtained here, and so far, great results.
If you buy, or otherwise obtain "runts", or fish with substandard health, you will probably only be dissapointed. Go ahead and get a small group of nice discus, you'll be happy you did.
JMHO

[KD]

I agree, I would go with quality. I got back into keeping Discus - I have done so in the past - A LONG TIME AGO!! And I am so happy I went with quality not quantity. I did a month or so research on this board (waiting for my tank to cycle) and asking lots of questions and was confident enough to start back up a Discus tank. The people here are happy to help out. The only difference is I have a bare bottom tank to grow out my babies. I purchased from GLD and was more than pleased!!! I am going back for some more ;D. I don't think you need to buy runts - some colors are cheaper than others and you can get some nice sized and shaped fishies.

[gearhead1911]

thank you for your advise-- I guess i should jump right in-i have a good track record of not losing new arrivals. However i am on a tight budget and the fear of having an expensive discus die on me is the only thing stopping me at the moment. I need to revise my question, does anyone know of a local breeder or keeper that would be willing to part with some of their fry for a cheaper than perfect fish price, or should i wait till i have the extra cash to buy perfect fish. The LFS around my area--jefferson county-- have sickly, giant eyed, tiny body ones or dont stock them- and they want mail order prices! Dont get me wrong-- i dont want sick fish at any price-- im just not choosy about how perfect the coloration and pedigree is. If i am stuck with mail order- please let me know the best ones-- ive looked at greatlakesdiscus.com and was impressed- plus people on the forum seem to love them.
thanks for putting up with my long winded posts ;D
mason

[aquamanstl]

Hey gearhead,

Hold off on buying anything. I have 2 runts that I'll give you if you are still interested. I live in St. Louis as well. Let me know if you are still interested.

Nick

[gearhead1911]

ok- sounds great-- e-mail me at m_larsen@sbcglobal.net or if AOL IM me @gearhead1912. I will also PM you my phone #

[paul_burney]

Hi Gearhead
Mike Misuraco is in St Charles he is a small time breeder who has good fish for sale you can give him a call his # is 636-926-3535 ( ps they are usally priced form 12 to 20 dollars each for 1 1/2" to 2" ) give him a call. HTH
Paul

[gearhead1911]

thank you paul - i will definately give him a call. i was wondering how many 1.5"- 2" fish you can grow out in a bare bottom 30 gallon. as they grew and cleared quarantine they would be split into a 55 and a 40.

BTW- nick the two i got from you are doing great and always happy to eat. everytime i pass the tank they come to the front and stare at me, hoping to be fed. the smallest of the two appears to have gotten larger over the past week, they seem to really like having all the space to themselves.

thanks,
mason

[Discus_KC]

Mason,

I've been to Mike's with Paul !!!!! It is worth the trip !!!!!!!

Jack

[aquamanstl]

Mason,

I'm glad the two discus are doing well. I think you'll notice a lot of growth for a while now that they have the tank to themselves. Keep me informed of their progress.

Nick