Never owned discus and have some questions

[mryeburn]

I have a 75 gallon planted tank which is now empty except for cardinal tetras. The tank has been running for about five or six years. Previously I used to raise and breed angels. I am considering getting 6 discus for the tank.

I was thinking of ordering discus from a breeder, how long can fish survive shipping? Where I live shipping might be 24 hours.

I was wondering if the quality difference and price difference is very much if I get fish shipped from a breeder, versus buying from a store.

I was thinking of getting 2" to 3" fish and raising them in a BB tank for a while. If I do this should I prophylactically medicate, I was thinking of Praziquantel plus Metronidazole, or should I only medicate if I see symptoms?

[Dissident]

No need to medicate without reason, that can cause more problems than it can solve. The only preventitive treatmens you should really do is a prazi for worms because sometimes there are no semptoms.
Go through a breeder or a fellow hobbiest to insure the best quality and health. LFS do not tend to have very good fish and they over charge a lot. List something in the Looking-for forum and see if there is anyone in your area.
24hrs is fine for shipping.

Spend some time and read though the beginners section and in your case the show-tank/biotope/planted discus forum. You can never know too much.

BTW Welcome

[AADiscus]

Welcome to SIMPLY!!!!!!! The shipping is a tough question. One Simply member just had an experience with the fish lost for several days!!!! Some fish survived some didn't. Not due to the shipper or the buyers fault. It was due to the handler's job (Delta Dash) Fish normally do good with shipping as long as the shipper packages good. 24 hours is OK. But you really want them to there destination ASAP.

Buying discus from LFS I would advise against. You take the risk of bringing in disease, etc. LFS (not all) do not know how to care for discus the way they should be cared for. If you buy from a breeder or even a hobbyist wanting to get some fish off there hands you will have better luck due to the fact they have taken good quality care of them. The biggest thing if you order is the shipping price. But that is what it takes to get quality, healthy, happy discus.

If you have no other discus in the tank then I would go ahead and put them in the tank that is ready to go. Don't medicate for anything at first. See how the fish react within the first couple days or week. If they start showing problems then you can deal with that with if it arises. I am a fan of not medication unless really needed. The person you buy from will or should tell you how they have cared for them. Foods they have been feeding, etc.

The 2" - 3" should like a good call to me. ;)