Sunrise Tropical Discus in Bay Area??

[Kindredspirit]

Has anyone ever dealt with Sunrise Tropical in Daly City?? I grew up in San Francisco, and went to high school in Daly City, so i thought i would see if any discus stores down there, and i couldnt believe it! Right where we use to go when we cut school, soooooooo many years ago, there is this store! Looks awesome, but... expensive and so many...

Any opinions??? Discus Farm-Sunrise Tropicals USA

Carol, Barb, Jason, ... :confused: :p :confused: http://sunrisetropicals.com/id48.html
I know if i go i will have to buy the 55 gal and some discus to go with it!! But...i KNOW NOTHING... ...

Marie!

ps.. i have four young ones from gld, cary, but i want some grown ones, with lots of color! I just can't deny it anymore!!

[Barb Newell]

Hi Marie, I'm sorry I don't know anything about Sunrise Tropicals. Hope fully someone else does.


Barb

[Kindredspirit]

Thanks anyways, Barb for replying!!! :D


Marie!

[Dood Lee]

Wow. Those are some nice discus. Next time I go to visit my friends in "Little Manila" ( ;) ) I'll be sure to stop on by.

[Kindredspirit]

I know! i thought so too... but i dont know much!!! :angel:

[Westie]

Thanks for the info. I'm in the east bay and my local guy only gets a discus here and there, always stressed and, expensive. I've been looking for a place where I can buy a school!

[shalu]

I visit the store often and have bought fish there a few times. Here are my observations/experience:

While there are quite a few good places for mail order discus, quality LFS that specializes in discus like this one is very rare. There is nothing like walking into a store(in a busy shopping mall!) and see so many beautiful discus. Being able to pick your own fish is a great plus already.

I have never seen any seriously sick/dying discus in the store. Nor have I gotten any discus with nasty disease(occasional Hex due to shipping stress, yes).

Now some imported strains are brightly colored at small 3" size(leoperds and LSS, for example). You know what that means. I had my share of spotted fish dying from bloat.

Always ask Tony to feed the fish/tank that you want to buy before you buy, he is more than willing to do that. Make sure it eats well.

Call Tony and ask him when the next shipment is coming. Buy fish shortly after the shipment comes in so you have more to choose from. He does a lot of internet business, so nice fish sells very fast.

[Kindredspirit]

Shalu~

thank you for all the info...i dont know, however, what this means

Now some imported strains are brightly colored at small 3" size(leoperds and LSS, for example). You know what that means. I had my share of spotted fish dying from bloat


They were, perhaps, hormone injected?? I am soooo new at this....I can not believe that store is down there, i went to high school super close to that location....

Thank you for replying!


Marie

[shalu]

you got it. It is always a dilemma with those fish: buy the hormoned ones so you know that they have spots, or buy the brown looking fish HOPING that they will develop spots later.

[David_Hui]

Hi,

IMO you can't beat buying discus in store... You are paying for the exact fish that you see. I have many fish from Tony and some of them are over two years old. As Sha said, he does sell out his fish really fast. Some of the fish you see are sold within a day or two.

David

[David_Hui]

Sha,

I agree check out my RSG thread... But then they are F1

David

[shalu]

I want to add one more thing. When you buy a pigeon blood based discus, pay special attention. Tony uses light background on the tanks, so most fish will not show much black peppering in the store. But when you get them home, the peppering might turn black due to environment change. So examine the fish carefully for faint peppering spots.

[Barb Newell]

Hi Marie :wave: , I don't know if they hormone their fish or not... as I said I've never done business with them, they may not. Some people on the board may be able to help you with that.



Barb

[nacra99]

I have purchaced fish from Tony before and here are some of my unprejudiced observations.

I purchaced some PB through an AB auction which linked to his website. The fish i recieved were 2-1/2 inches and were very brilliantly colored with the characteristic patchy PB spots very prominent. Over the next couple of months, the color and patterns started to fade to a point where the patterns almost disappeared and they took on a more typical brownish hue. Only after they grew to about 4-5" did they start to put back the same deep orange and promininent patches and striations as before. A fellow local hobbyist who ordered some spotted strains recounted the same phenomenon. My guess was that they were indeed hormoned.

BUT in Tony's defense, He might not be the one that administers the hormones. Fish that arrived from his suppiers may already been hormoned. I've been to his store and unlike many other fish stores, his fish appear to be very robust and healthy. On top of that, he's a pretty nice guy.

Cheers
Marc

[Kindredspirit]

Well, lots of info to absorb here. Thank you all very much! Is it true that hormoned fish die like within a few months?? I thought i heard or read something to that fact!

His website is pretty impressive and i would love to go check out his store, since it is only 76 miles from me, but i would know i couldnt leave empty handed!

Thanks to all who have posted feedback here on this subject! I really appreciate it!!

Marie! :angel:

[rayw]

I live really close to Sunrise and visit Tony on a monthly basis. Mainly to buy Frozen BW and to check out his fish. I've got a few of Tony's discus. His fish are pretty nice, but expect to pay top $$.

I would not recommend buying the tank from any LFS. Instead go to craigslist.org and find a used one. After a good cleaning you wouldn't be able to tell it's second hand.
Be sure to get your tank set up and cycled before buying any fish.

[Kindredspirit]

But... IF he did rec'vd them hormoned, should he not have known that??? Or not? I'm thinking that if Barb, or someone as knowledgeable (sp), rec'vd a hormoned fish, they would know it right??

or perhaps not... i am sooooooo new to all this...but just bet they WOULD know cuz it looks too good to be true....But, Marc, if he knew they were hormoned , then .....it is okay to sell them that way? Would you buy a discus if you KNEW they were hormoned? So doesnt sound very good, does it??

hmm.....surely that can not be a good thing, nor is it right....i know i have lotz of questions...


Marie!

Thanks Marc!


and...Ray, i have a tank already, 30gal with four discus... but thanks for the advice.. i WAS going to buy a 50gal, but i am rethinking, cuz i am trippin over shyt on my 30 gal...why make it all bigger??? ya know.... but... having said that, i found a 50gal tank on a website posted by a member here, and i wish i could thank him , cuz i followed his advice to another, but i forgot who it was, :(, and....... this website had a 50 gal tank for $109..AND, Pets Mart, matches prices, so i called my Pets Mart, there 50gal was 220! can you believe that, and they said they would match it!!! Very cool, yes!! Never would have thought to do that!! I need to print out the page of the site, and bring it to them!!

SO THANK YOU WHOM EVER YOU WERE!!! I WISH I COULD REMEMBER!! :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

Marie!

[Westie]

I'm on the road all day with work so, I'm thinking of a detour this week to check the place out. I love new digs!

[Kindredspirit]

Cool! let me know what you think.....I so wanna go down there soon too....but I am thinking i am scared to buy any from a store now....since being on this site.... plus the ones i got from Cary are way cool with no worms or problems ever..well, in over a month i have had them! :D but the only one i did get from a LFS, Ms Pringles, the ***** of the tank, had worms when i wormed them all!


go figure....


Marie!

[nacra99]

.....it is okay to sell them that way? Would you buy a discus if you KNEW they were hormoned?

Gee Maire.. that's a question that would open a whole can of worms...In fact, there's an interesting thread of this topic going on in the "Special Topics".

I understand that some breeders/dealers need to hormone their fish in order to survive in this changing market. An honest dealer/breeder who knows their stuff would be frank with you if asked them. They may even offer you a choice.

Personally I would not get a horomoned fish. As a hobbyist who is interested in raising and breeding the healthiest possible fish i can raise, i wouldn't go for hormoned fish which in some cases lead to health problems and stunting. The downside is that if you buy them young, it is very difficult to tell what sort of coloration and patterns they will develop when they mature, so you may not get the color/ pattern of fish you hope for. But I think i speak for most hobbyists when i say that irregardless of what patterns they turn out to be, there's always this attachement (warm fuzzy feeling) to a fish which you personally raised from a fry.

Cheers
marc

[Kindredspirit]

Hey Marc!

I bet this topic is a fine line, ya think? I juss know that i would only buy discus from only a few, but i have only bought them twice in three months, soooooo... From Cary and a LSF....never again tho....cuz it had worms....Not GLD's...the LFS....

And i didnt know what i was doing, so i got babies...they are precious but now i want adults, and with oodles of color...when or if i get my 50gal tank and at this moment, im thinking, Hell no...cuz i juss flooded my 30gal with the python, cuz i wasnt payin attention!! what a F* mess!! Way to early for this shyt! lol :mad: :mad:

But in an hour or so , i shall be in a better frame of mind!


Thanks Marc!!


Westie: Let me know when or if you make it to Daly City to Sunrise!!


Marie!

[Westie]

Marie, sorry to hear about the flood. I had a 55g that blew its seal. Nice part was we discovered that under the carpet we had beautiful, slightly warped, hardwood floors. And, I will let you know exactly what I discover. I think I will be in Redwood City friday for business. Thats close enough for a detour and frolic!

[Kindredspirit]

Buy me a discus!! really really really round, no pointy nose, and periwinkle in color....


dont ask for much do i ? :angel:

[Westie]

What the h... is periwinkle? Um, called out there today and asked about stock. They said it was nil and, to call back in two weeks when they get their next shipment. Tick...tock...

[aloha_discus]

Aloha Marie, I just want to tell you that opinions are useful but I believe its better to form your own. I do not know Tony nor have I ever bought discus from him. If I see something I like hormoned or not and its healthy otherwise I buy it no matter of others opinion. What Im trying to say is your opinion is the one that counts. I hope Im not to harsh in writing this.

Ike

[David_Hui]

Marie,

If you are planning to buy adult discus, you don't have to worry about stunted fish due to hormon. And, there is no question about what pattern you will get.

David

[Kindredspirit]

Ike~

Thank You for your reply~ and you were not too harsh as i usually do form my own opinion!

and....David.....hmm....You had a really good point, cuz i DO plan on buy adult discus. SOooooooooo.....hormoned is not a good thing, cuz it can result in the discus being stunted? Growing to full potential is the main reason hormoning isnt a good thing....other than the fact itz not natural and sounds distasteful??

Thanks guys!![IMG]http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008_ZS'/IMG]

[american breeder]

Gee Maire.. that's a question that would open a whole can of worms...In fact, there's an interesting thread of this topic going on in the "Special Topics".

I understand that some breeders/dealers need to hormone their fish in order to survive in this changing market. An honest dealer/breeder who knows their stuff would be frank with you if asked them. They may even offer you a choice.

Personally I would not get a horomoned fish. As a hobbyist who is interested in raising and breeding the healthiest possible fish i can raise, i wouldn't go for hormoned fish which in some cases lead to health problems and stunting. The downside is that if you buy them young, it is very difficult to tell what sort of coloration and patterns they will develop when they mature, so you may not get the color/ pattern of fish you hope for. But I think i speak for most hobbyists when i say that irregardless of what patterns they turn out to be, there's always this attachement (warm fuzzy feeling) to a fish which you personally raised from a fry.

Cheers
marc
Hi Marc

ALL FISH FROM ASIA ARE HORMONED WITHOUT EXCEPTION AND THE IMPORTERS KNOW IT

DONT LET ANYONE TELL U DIFFERENT
M

[OEG]

Well i have bought a couple of fish from Tony 1 large ss and a Red Diamond and i believe another fish just cant eremember these were bought because i needed large males. The SS was nice and never fertalized for me 400.oo$ down the drain.The Red Diamond was greatly coolored when she came in with hundreds of nice red glowing spots on her, she lost color within a week I called Tony and asked him what he wanted me to treat her with or should I just leave her alone(since he knows the fish breeder and might now the breeders treatments). Well he told me what to do ...to make a long story short he never got better I called Tony and told him about my misfortune and asked if he might of been harmoned. Tony went off on me and started cussing and yelling on the phone, I told him i didnt want my money back for it I just wanted him to find out and maybee hold his fish a little longer to be sure they were ok.... ohh the price i belive for that one was 350.00 so bling bling, ring ring left me with nothing. Now thats my experiance with him and his fish but I mean no disrespect to the man.JMO

P.S The source for fish is Carry"the man" Strong............

Regards Oscar

[Green Country Discus]

JMHO,If a spotted fish looks too good to be true....it probably is!! Beware of unscruplious dealers. The good dealers will not deal in harmoned fish, however if your desire is spotted fish, consider this as your warning!!

[ppv1951]

marie...

if you're going to buy large or adult discus, be prepared to pay for them. one way to help pay for them is to buy a used tank. you can buy a 55 or so for around $50, complete (or nearly so). $1/gal. is the going rate used, if you're patient. i found 6-7, 50-65 gal. tanks for friends in vallejo in just minutes on craigslist.

www.craigslist.com

that list is for SF. go to "for sale... then general". then, type "aquarium" in the search field. right now, there are 4 pages of tanks for sale in the bay area on craigslist.

i've never done business with tony so i don't know if his fish are hormoned. call him. steer clear if they are. they have some very nice fish right now on their site that are larger fish and fairly evenly priced.

you can also try bing seto in alameda. he has adults (6") for $150. he's very well respected in the trade.

www.discusworld.com

there is also a place in antioch that has large discus.

www.universaldiscus.com

and, there's keith wong in the city that has wayne ng discus. i'm told he's out of fish now til he gets back from a buying trip in october. email him and see what he can do for you.

keithwng@gmail.com

you can also call mike reed. he's up near you. he doesn't sell fish, but tell him what you wanna do and see what he knows. he's got some of the best foods around too, and only 45 minutes from you.

www.mreed.com

overall, bing is probly your best bet for large fish at a good price.

good luck marie!

pat.

[srdiscus]

Hi Everyboby!
This is Tony from Removed For Commercial Content
I just want to say that I was not willing to ship fish to Oscar aka OEG. because I heard he had problems with other sellers ( Joe is one of them).
Well...He said he understands my strict policies and begged me....SOOOO I sold him a 7.5"-8" SS. The SS was was bred and raised by a local breeder in the Bay Area, NOT imported fish. He was very happy with the SS he received....he posted the picture on this forum. One month later, he made a second purchase from me, a 6" Red Diamond Turquoise.
He also posted the beautiful and healthy Red Diamond on this forum.
I refused to help him out when his fish got sick becuase he likes to blame on other people. He will never learn the inner secret of discus disease treatment.

Removed for Commercial Content

Edited to Remove Commercial Content - The Simplydiscus.com Team

[Kindredspirit]

Soooooooo, Tony....I see we got the man himself....I live in Sacramento, and noticed your site was near my old high school in Daly City..So i posted here to see if any one has been to your store~ I certainly didnt mean to cause all this.... :o

But....you never answered the Million Dollar Question, Sir.... Are your fish hormoned?


And thanks to all who shared their opinions and experiences as I am quite new at this~

I guess I am agree with Green County Discus...and from what i have learned from being on this site....a good breeder would not deal with hormoned fish....And OEG, i am sorri for your troubles, but i dont know the whole story, nor do i want to...but i thank you for sharing....American Breeder i have heard that as well...


Marie!


ps.. Westie... Hellooooooooooooo , Periwinkle is a color, my favorite! :D

[srdiscus]

Hi Marie,
I do not use hormone.
I do not import hormoned discus!
If people think my fish might be hormoned and they don't like hormoned fish, I would tell them do not buy from me because I don't like to argue.
There are so many great Ameican Local Breeders to buy from.
This imported Blue Scorpion might be hormoned because the color is SOOOoo intense. :) http://sunrisetropicals.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/50602fryfull.jpg

This Pair of Leopards were sold to a local breeder who has 25+ years discus breeding experience.http://sunrisetropicals.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/50905LeopPair033.jpg

[OEG]

Tony Tony Tony
My problems with Joe were over a long time ago he can do wha EVER HE LIKES ,i ALSO HAVE NO PROBEM WITH YOU YOU JUST SOLD ME A DUD AND A HARMONED FISH THATS ALL. YOU TOLD ME THE MALE HAD FERTALIZED BEFORE AND THEN YOU TOLD ME U WERENT SURE AFTER THE FISH WAS HERE. THE OTHER THING I NEVER ASKED YOU FOR MONEY BACK OR ANOTHER FISH. YOU GOT MAD AND HUNG UP ON ME AND NEVER ANSWERED ANTHER PHONE CALL OF MINE JOE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE FISH YOU SOLD ME. YOUI ARE VERRY UNPROFFESIONAL.... I WILL NO LONGER ADD TO THIS IT WAS JUST MY EXPERIENCE WITH YOU THATS IT. NO BAD FEELINGS NO BAD BLOOD HOOPE YOURE DOING WELL.
OSCAR@ DESSERT DIAMOND DISCUS/OEG

PS...ive sold plenty of fish to people on the forum not 1 was hormoned and not a 1 died maybee luck or maybee good fish ill leave the answer up to you.

buy fish from Carry Strong he will do you right.

[srdiscus]

LOL Oscar! This discus was imported in August, 2005.
He spawned with another imported discus at my store Edited to Remove Commercial Content on Sept. 8th, 2005. A local breeder George in Sacramento bought the pair on Sept. 26th. He will have fry for sale soon.
Anybody in Sacramento area looking for local bred discus may contact George.

[Jason]

ok everybody has had their say, lets keep this civil

[Kindredspirit]

Please?



http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-9/1084654/36_1_67[1].gif

[Kindredspirit]

omg!!! i am NEVER gonna get my smileys on here.... :waaa: :waaa:

[discusdave]

Hi everyone,
I purchased a group of 10 Ring Leopard and 10 Gold Leopard discus from Tony at Sunrise Discus earlier this year (mail order). They were beautiful fish. I intended to breed them after growing them out, but my schedule prevented me from doing this. Three of the Gold Leopards were not of the color pattern I wanted, so I sold them locally. You cannot always guarantee the way a fish is going to look. The remaining 7 gold Leopards had wonderful spots on them.

I sold the group to someone interested in breeding them.

The Ring Leopards were very nice as well. As a matter of fact, I have the largest one, a male, spawning with at least two of the females in the tank as I was selling them off. There were 4 clutches of eggs laid within three weeks time. There was one runt in the group that never really grew, but there is not way of telling this when they are only 2 1/2 inches long when you buy them. His pattern was as nice as any of them. He just never grew.

I sold the Ring Leopards to a guy who drove three hours to my house to pick them up, and he is ecstatic with them.

I made my money back when I sold the fish, and would buy from Tony again. He was very careful. He cares about his fish. He actually screened me about the tanks they were going into and gauged my level of experience before he agreed to sell to me.

I had a pleasant experience with him and even bought replacement pH controller electrodes (3 of them) after my fish purchase.

Dave

[CliffsDiscus]

Marie,
The only store front that has local bred Discus is actually near Sacramento,
this is Fintastic located in Antioch, see Phil he has been breeding Discus for
for decades. He has the lastest type like the SpottedLLS and the Albinox
Melons.

Cliff

[Greg Richardson]

Hi Cliff. Can you describe what Albinox Melons look like?
Or know of a picture somewhere?

[Kindredspirit]

Thanks Cliff~


I have heard of that store being near Sac...Thank You!!!


Marie~

[CliffsDiscus]

Hi Cliff. Can you describe what Albinox Melons look like?
Or know of a picture somewhere?

Greg,
Per request.

Cliff

[Dave C]

The best part about a shop like SR is that you can choose the fish. If you don't like the look of the fish, don't buy it. If you think it's hormoned, stay away. But I doubt the average fish hobbyist could spot a hormoned Discus. So if they can't tell it's hormoned when they buy it, they can't blame hormones later on. Fish change colors as they grow, hormoned or not. Gold Discus are very brightly colored when young but they tend to lose that brightness as they grow... not because of hormones. Patterns change & fade as a fish grows. If the fish you buy is healthy when you get it home and looks the way you wanted it to look then the vendor has done his/her job. They can't tell whether it's been hormoned any more then you can. They can have suspicions about certain fish & so can you. But they receive them sight unseen and with a store like SR you don't have to. So buy fish that meet your needs and skip the rest. I wish there was a shop like Tony's here in town. I still might not buy his fish but that would be my decision. Buying & selling expensive fish like Discus is not cheap, few can make money doing it in a retail store.

[shalu]

well said, Dave C

[Greg Richardson]

Thanks Cliff. Some reason that picture a bit blurry but it gives me an idea.

[David_Hui]

I third that.

[goldengatediscus]

I live in the Bay Area, and I have been to Tony's store several times. There is no harm in making a day trip to the SF Bay Area, and visiting Sunrise Tropicals, and others. Then you can see for yourself, and chose to buy or not buy.

FYI, I purchased 2 adult leopards from Tony last year, and they spawned and raised their babies. Another pair of adults showed no interest in each other, and I sold them off after a few months.
Brigitte

[Kindredspirit]

Thanks Guys!

Dave, you could not have said that ANY better, for real, babe! That was well said and not taking any sides whatsoever~

I live in Sacramento, and went to high school in Daly City... i use to live in San Francisco, and we go often, so i will plan on stopping by and checking out Tony's. I had always wondered if even the experienced eye could tell if a discus was hormoned or not~

Brigitte, thanks for your experience as well!!


Marie!


smileys dont work anymore at all....:(

[rayw]

I just passed by Tony's shop this weekend and he's got some really nice fish in stock right now.

Keep in mind that he's closed on Weds and Sun. I don't want you driving all the way down from Sac to stand in front of his closed door saying "open..open..open...":p

[Kindredspirit]

Thanks Raw!


But i never go any where without calling first....and i do remember reading that on his site as well~did you buy anything?? I would be so stressed on the way back to Sac, they would be in that bag for at least two hours:(


Marie~

[goldengatediscus]

Marie,
Fish shipped from Asia spend 24-36 hours in the bag, so I don't think you need to be worried about a 2 hour drive back to Sacramento! Anyway, let me know when you plan on coming to the Bay Area, and if I'm around, you are welcome to come and see my discus. I'm in San Mateo, another 20 minutes south of Daly City.
Brigitte

[David_Hui]

Marie,

I would suggest to contact Tony before you go because his fishes go very fast.

David Hui

[Kindredspirit]

Brigitte~


I know San Mateo well, I used to live in San Carlos and worked at the Penisula Humane Society! I would love to come and see your discus as well....

Perhapz i should wait til i win the lottery i never play??:D ..And Ms. Brigitte, i KNEW that, i DID....about them being shipped in a bag from Asia....


i did!

Marie! :angel:

[Kindredspirit]

Thanks David!


I have heard that before that his fish go really fast....When we go to the city we usually go to the beach and run our dogs, and the discus places were going to be a bonus...



So, any way i win! ( but one way, i shall be really really poor)But thanks for the tip!!


Marie!

[Kindredspirit]

Tony~

As you can see you are very well respected according to these posts.... When i originally posted this thread regarding your store, It was not my intention hurt you or yours in any way. And if I did, for that I am very sorry. I have heard all good things, and I know me, Tony...I listen, but ultimately in the end I do what I want anyways. Just like Dave said below. The man couldnt have said it better~

The problem with this forum, AND the good too, is one question can bring out sooooooo much~!

I didnt mean to bring out any unsatisfied people, but you know in business, you simply can not please everyone....This i know~I also thank you for coming on here to clarify....


Hope to meet you one day, Sir~


Marie~

[Kindredspirit]

Okay...one more and i am so done here ~


I wanted to post that last thread, cuz I felt bad and it was heavy on my mind that this gentleman felt like he had to come on here and defend his livelihood~

It was always bugging me....as that wasnt my intention at all~



Cali~