Rainforest Farms International...?

[VisionQuest28]

Anybody done business with Rainforest Farms International? They seem to have a decent selection of fish and reasonable prices. Heres a link to the strain im REALLY interested in...http://www.rfidiscus.com/images/rd.jpg. Rainbow Dragon...looks pretty similar to the White Butterfly pics ive seen, but the RD has more red. What do you guys think??

[Bainbridge Mike]

The first discus I purchased was from Rainforest Farms. I ordered 6 and they arrived ill. Delivery was rescheduled several times. Multiple fish were shipped together in one bag. All but one died. In the replacement order, four had chipped eyes. However, one of the 12 fish I got (3 years ago) from RFI is still alive and grew into a really nice snakeskin. (see my avatar). One other fish turned out ok --but it is a cobalt and I never ordered a cobalt. In any event, 2 for twelve is not a good average. I cannot recommend RFI. :(

Mike

[Desert Diamond Discus]

VQ,
I have dealt with tommy from rfi many times and all i can tell you that you have to be very direct and let it be known that you know your stuff and ask for specific strains no substitutes. Tommy will get away with as much as he can if you let him; you must be in his face direct and accept no BS. I have orderred adults from him before and honestly thats the only thing i would order from him- this way you can ask for pics of specific fish. I did get one of the best fish i have ever owned from him it was a very nice red based SS female that was awesome and has been my favorite fish ever.
O

[Asago]

I wish I would of known this back in february....I too was a victim, lost 5 of 6 first week, like a dummy I bought more and he gave me a couple free (haha), they are supposed to be RSG's...I have four that are now grown, 3 have chipped eyes, one is downright ugly with broken bars, the others are just brown. I recently purchased some RSG's and super samurai reds from Larry in Ohio and they are excellent and very healthy.

[devonpond]

Anyone ever order Discus from Rainforest Farms Tropical Fish located in IN?

A previous thread:

Link (http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=57124)

[Midwest Discus]

Good luck. I had a terrible experience with them many years ago. But, maybe they have new management now.

[stallion150]

I ordered from Tom a few months ago---He's really personable and great customer service (2 discus died in the first shipment, and he quickly replaced them). But the discus looked nothing like those on the website, but still ended up being healthy. So I wouldn't order from him again, but it wasn't a totally bad experience either.

[Midwest Discus]

If the discus looked nothing like what you ordered, how can you consider it a decent transaction. I would be ticked off. He did that to me 12 years ago. I see he is still at it. I could see me sending blue diamonds to someone that ordered tangerines. My customers would be very unhappy.

[stallion150]

The fish he ended up sending were beautiful and healthy, so that's why i said it wasn't a horrible experience. but like i said, i would not order again because I want to receive the fish that I expected to.

[ckimseyjr]

To all that are thinking about doing business with Rain Forest Farms and Mac's Discus-BE WARE! I have ordered Discus from both these places and have had bad luck. Rain Forest Farms and Mac's both DO NOT send you what you paid for. They advertise these beautiful pics on their web site and send you something different...edit.... They are literally false advertising. If you are interested in the Rainbow Dragon at Rain Forest Farms, forget it man. I ordered 2 of them and all I got was some orange washed out looking pigeon blood types. I mean they aren't even good looking pigeon bloods. There is absolutely no red in them what so ever. Barely any white. They're just orange and peppered. The pics of this fish on rfi are probably not even their fish. It's one of those "licensed to advertise situations", if you know what I mean. Also, the fish I received were infested with fungus. I got them through it and they are all still alive but they are not the fish I ordered or PAID for. Dont let the breeders/dealers feed you a line of crap about how the colors will come in later as they get older. This is a lie 95% of the time. Everyone who has ever actually raised a clutch of discus themselves knows DARN WELL that discus have developed 95% of their color and markings by the time they are about 3". If you order a Rainbow Dragon Discus and you get it at 3" or larger and it does'nt look 95% like the pic on the web site, YOU JUST GOT RIPPED! The only type or strain of discus that has some late color development are pigeon blood strains. They are also the only ones that pepper to. The Rainbow Dragon Discus is obviously a pigeon blood strain but will still look almost just like it's parents by the time it reaches 3". As far as Mac's Discus goes, the fish were all disease free but all in-bred. Some did not match the pics advertised and the others were dwarfed. I have 2 of them that are 3 years old and still only 3". Their eyes have grown to proper size but their bodies and colors never developed. If you want an honest discus breeder and dealer that sends you what you ordered and looks just like the pic you see on their web site, then you need to visit - Rocky Mountain Discus. com. Al Johnson is an honest man that knows his stuff. You will never have to worry about diseased fish. I've been dealing with them for 3 years and have had not 1 problem-not 1. The 3 breeders I have mentioned in this posting are the only breeders I have delt with. I am sure there may be 1 or 2 more honest people out there but I wouldnt hold my breath. SUPERMAN67

[Midwest Discus]

Stay away from Rain Forest Farms. I was ripped off by Tom about 10 years ago ......edit... I was contacted by at least 10 people who also suffered my fate.

[smsimcik]

I was also ripped off by Tom about 8 years ago after seeing his ad in TFH.
Steve

P.S. By the way, I also got ripped off by Macs after seeing his ad in TFH. I posted a review in another thread further down if anyone wants to check it out. It's a doozy.

[tony rinehart]

****edit***. I've dealt with Tommy now for about 3 yrs, & I've had no problems with his livestock's health or quality, or the way he represents / sells his animals & merchandise. I bought my entire setup & all my fish from him. A 225 gallon planted Amazon tank with an R.O. system and CO2. I have an Eheim 2260 canister w/ a 900gph pump and 2400 watts of lighting. It is heavily planted and contains about 140 fish including 10 georgeous discus. In the last 3 yrs, I have had MANY problems with my system, mostly as a result of poor local water quality. (liquid rock!!) Tommy has been there for me every painful step of the way, I call him up screaming about some wrong thing or another, and he works with me to resolve the problem, invariably to my satisfaction. RFI is a constant, knowledgable source of live fish, plants, equipment, and answers to my questions that make sense. In the farther past, I've dealt with Mac's and a few others, and had no problems, BUT.... I go where the selection, quality, price, and ease of access is best and simplest. Don't mean to sound like a commercial ****edit** this man is NOT difficult to work with nor does he misrepresent his business. I firmly wish other breeders could or would do what this guy does. If you want healthy, purty discus or other tropicals, by all means try Rainforest Farms Intnat'l. I seriously don't think you'll regret doing so. Good luck to ya!!! T. Rinehart

[Marisa]

My husband and I, are new to the discus world. We really do not know much about these fishes. However, this much we know. My husband and I went to Toms facility and were pretty impressed with his set up. He had an extensive collection and was very organized. We bought several small ones of different strains. So far, they have been very healthy and growing fast. Tom had emailed and called to see how the fishes are doing and if we had any concerns. Now, that is what we call, customer service. If we had to buy more discus, we would not hesitate to buy from Tom again. Thank you for the opportunity to voice our opinion.

[joefusko]

I purchased some new fish from Rainforest Farms a little over a year ago and have been very happy with the products and service so far. I was so happy that I have recently ordered more to add. Tom is very helpful and knowledgeable and happy to troubleshoot personally with his customers. Tom is an honest businessman and salesman, with better prices and selection than I have found elsewhere, which is why I ordered from him again even though I relocated... and as for fish arriving unhealthy or dead -that's why RFI has the live delivery guarantee- it sucks that you have to pay return shipping but the bottom line is he will replace the fish if you act right away, and certainly there are going to be circumstances where the fish get roughed up during shipping, its inevitable... I trust Tom to be fair and as long as you provide evidence of your claim he will work with you.

[brewmaster15]

HI all,
I've gone thru and cleaned this thread up...There were many posts by people that did not have first hand experiences and were only commenting... Thats not the purpose of this section... If you want to comment on something thats posted here...send the person a Pm or email...

If you have first hand experiences with a paricular vendor then share them here..these can be either good or bad experiences.....be specific as to when the event happened..and if relevant make use of pictures to illustrate your point....


Any comments that are not first hand will be removed from the Live stock and Product Review section of this forum....

Thank you,
al

[itsfallagain]

I currently have 2 125 gal. and a 150 gal. and I have been dealing with Tom for about 4 yrs. I have personally been to his hatchery, seen his stock, and purchased fish from him. His is extremely knowledgeable and is very honest in his advertising. He has beautiful, healthy discus and an assortment of other fish and quality supplies. I would recommend Rainforest Farms.

[Big Tuck]

Ive held off posting this for 6 mo. because i wanted to make sure of what i was saying.I bought 10 fish from Tom and was supposed to get 5 different strains,and i paid extra to get 3.5 in fish.As it turns out the only fish that was even close to what i ordered was a pair of gold melons.Nothing else i received is worth having.The fish have grown good and now are 4to 5 in. but ALL are so peppered up they are worthless for breeding.The 10 fish ended up costing me 820.00 dollars with shipping and all.When they arrived nothing was 3.5 they were 2.5 and smaller.Tom is a very nice guy to talk to and gives the impression he really cares and wants to do you right,but im convinced he is not a honest man.I feel bad about needing to post anything bad about another person,but i feel its my obligation to members of this forum.I feel very sorry for any person who goes thru life cheating honest folks just to make a few bucks.What goes around comes around....Some day he will get his!!!!

[johnm]

Thumbs down. I called him friday looking for altum angelfish of which he had in stock but didnt want to sell me any because my order wasnt large enough and he had some other larger orders he wanted to fill. he said to call back monday and now he claims he is out of them. Why not just say they were all spoken for friday? Instead he was trying to sell me other fish of which i dont need or have room for. I wouldnt ever do business with someone like that or conduct business in that manner.

[amegason]

I have purchased fish from Tom twice in the last 3 yrs, very nice guy and he has some good looking fish. Very communicative and seems to really know what he is doing.

[William Palumbo]

I purchased 18 Discus from RFI in the early to mid 90's...18 Discus...3 strains. ALL turned out to be the same strain of fish...sick from the start...and grew horribly. THE worst Discus transaction PERIOD. I can only hope to meet him one day...as it is a small world...Bill

[hedut]

bought some discus from them but not good at all:mad::(

[hedut]

I bought 4 fish from them 2 of them not the same size and after 2 week two of them died :mad: only the display picture are nice the fact their fish so ugly

[born2lovefish]

I just went and saw Tom's setup this week. I did not buy any discus, but I got some tetras and cories from him. I will say that the bad experiences people are talking about appear to have taken place a number of years back. After talking to him for a while, I think I know why some people had bad experiences with him in the past. I'm not going to go into details, but People can and do change over time. From my experience he is a great guy and has some of the nicest rummy nose tetras I have ever seen and for a great price too!

[William Palumbo]

I doubt he's changed. But tell him if he sends me 18 QUALITY Discus like I ordered from him years ago...or refunds my $600.00+ dollars I will forgive him...Otherwise I will NEVER recommend him or have anything good to say about him...Bill

[Big Tuck]

Your right Bill,he hasent changed one little bit.He called me last week after reading my post.He was civil but was only interested in refuting my statements.He refused to aknowledge that i paid extra for larger fish even though i have the rcpt. showing the exact amount.He made a big deal out of the fact that 4 of the fish were of the blue and purple strain therefore could not be peppered.They werent they were just very black on the heads.and still are,(the 2 survivors)Like Bill i to would never recomend him in any way. Tuck

[Discus_Dezign]

Hi all I'm new here. So I purchased my first online order with RFI back in March of 2008. I had 400.00 to spend and I saw RFI who had a interesting discus fish called Rio Red Ica, it is still up on their web page, anyways I placed my order and when the shipment came after I spent a fortune maybe not a lot to others but to me I was still attending school, the discus were not at all like the ones on his web page. These were small and being first time ordering online, I was pissed and just took my unhappy lost. I asked Tom about the discus a month later which he advised me it will color up. I was amped after two months passed by finally posted the picture on DAAH
( Discus As A Hobby) and was told by almost all it was a Red Turq so basically I was ripped. I think if your a so-called breeder and want to try and earn a reputation that is a shameless way to go, trying to rip people over the internet. IMO I will never do business with this company ever again and for the discus, 3 died 2 months later and the other just passed away before X-mas so sad. Well anyways I just recievd my new shipment from Sunrise Discus my second online purchase and WOW my GLSSs and GRingLs are totally insane. They were bigger than what I expected and the service I got from Tony terrific, well thats another thread.

[tienchienchen]

I have bought 5 discus from Tom in January 2009. Discus I order are all 3", but they are all small. In person, Tom is a nice guy, but his fish is not. I can hardly tell what my order is because those discus are too small. All 5 arrive alive, but 4 of them dead in one month. Among 4 dead, one has dropsy, 3 starve themselves to death. I am very disappoint with this purchase. Stay away from Rainforest farm international. I wished I have read this post before I made this purchase.

[Midwest Discus]

I try to be very fair with everyone I deal with. I think it is pretty obvious that this guy has screwed many people over including myself. I hope anyone reading these posts will pass the word and save others from suffering mine and many others horrible fate.

[scowley]

It seems that there is a great amount of fraud with the online fish dealers. I have had first hand experience with 4 of them now. I ordered Siam Gold from Tom because they are not a pigeon strain and don't pepper but even after discussing this with him I got heavily peppered fish and not nearly the size I ordered. At least some of his photos are out of a book and not actuals and he dodged sending actual photos. While skimming the web I came across the book with the photos. Perhaps that is just the luck of the draw on baby discus. However, of 11 discus I have purchased online none have been the size the dealer said they would be. If there is any lesson it is buy in person and buy at least 3-4 inchers so you know what you're getting. Also never rely on the glowing customer feedback, some may be factual but negatives are never posted except on Ebay.

[tienchienchen]

I bought 5 3" discus from him in January 2008. 4 of them dead in one month. His discus are not interested in food at all. It does not matter how good he is personally, it is a bad deal for me to have so many fish died. I will never do business with him again. Discus order from him are chipped eye, small and weak. I can not even tell what color these discus are. Do not buy Discus from him. You will regret and loose your money.

[William Palumbo]

I cannot believe people are still buying from him. My advice is this...if you come to Simply to post how bad he is, take the time BEFORE you buy, do a search on him, and them get some QUALITY Discus from the sposors. I got burned by RFI because I did not have a resorce like this to help me many years back...Bill

[fishmamas]

Sadly to say, I to have been dupped by Tom. I should have done research, but for some reason this time I did not. I recently ordered 13 discus from RFI and they all came in with frayed fins and by the next day had infection on them. Within a week and a half all but 2 of the fish I ordered have died. They were not as big as they were supposed to be nor were they the colors I ordered. Tom starts out nice to talk to, but if you challange him on anything he then starts putting all the blame on you. I have been keeping Discus and many other fish for over 20 years and have never had a loss like this. I have 20+ aquariums in my home, salt and fresh. So I too will NEVER buy from or recommend him again. And I for one will not stand still for, "It states clearly on my site that the only guarantee is "Arrive Alive". Anyway I have said my peace here and if anyone would like to join my crusade to stop him send me a private message here. Thanks for reading.

[darkknight87]

Alas. I joined this forum to help figure out how to cure the sick discus I recieved from Rainforest Farms. I recently ordered 6 discus and one Altum angel. I too had problems with how not only the discus looked, but the altum as well. i lost three out of 6 discus within two weeks, and the angel( that looked more like a regular silver angel..highly disapointed.) I tried to get a partial refund from Tom, but he hasn't responded..and I doubt he will. The fish were sick and defanately misrepresented....compared to my other orders this one was a shame.

Steer clear of RFI.

[darkknight87]

Yeah..same here Fish mamas..i will be sending you a message as soon as im allowed to.

[VIOLIN33]

ive dealt with tom several times always great to me and my friends,i quess everybody has a bad day...

[LoveLiza]

I went to his facility in person a week ago. I had a general idea of what kind of fish I wanted. He was nice in that he let me look around and point to the types of adults that I liked, then gave me the babies. He knew that this was my first discus tank and was pretty well a novice as far as color varieties go and all. The fish that I got from him are all very healthy and eating well. He gave me what I asked for and cut me a very good deal because he knew that I was on a budget. I really appreciated all of that. He also gave me some beautiful plants for a price I couldn't find anywhere else. Basically, he hooked me up and spent an hour and a half helping me get what I wanted and was pretty nice. I also didn't see any sick fish at his facility. Just a lot of clean aquariums with happy fish.

I have heard good and bad things from various people around town about him. However, my experience was an overall positive one.

That being said, I can't agree to that lifestyle choice/mistake he made in 2008...and if I had known about it, I wouldn't have gone over there in the first place!!

[VIOLIN33]

i have been to tommy's home and found him very nice and willing to help.have bought many fish and am always happy...:)

[Pardal]

This is the worst place you can ever buy anything from. I bought two of the so call White emperor, and an overpriced coari it was sold to me for 6" and was meerily 3.5". One of the supoused white emperor died next day, and the
other grow to be a male pigeon with a severe peppering.
When I confronted Tom Meador, He tells me he will give me credit on the next order. What a funny guy.
Also beware of him charging more of the original price.out of nowhere, that was another battle.
Julian.
I do recomend Discus Sunrise Farm. and Gabriel Posada from Jack Wattley.
Julian.

[kush]

The first photograph is what I ordered, and the second photograph is what I got. What should I think?

[kush]

Hmm I hope thats not what you really got

Actually, I got four but three of them died. I also got four tefe greens, which all died, and five red icas, which all died.

[kush]

...perhaps ask him if there was a miscommunication.

An example of communication was that the 2" red icas were listed at $45 on the website but, according to subsequent communication had been, and I quote, 'discounted to $70.'

[Midwest Discus]

I'm sorry but this thread makes me sick!! I can't believe how many people this guy ripped off, including me about 10 years ago!!! I actually had a local customer in my fishroom a few days ago and he told me about how Tom ripped him off also.

[darkknight87]

Ive spent the better part of two months trying to email him back and forth about a refund. He kept telling me that he sent me a refund, showing me on his "statement" where he sent it out..but I never got a thing, and Ive spent hours on the phone with my bank to see if maybe it didnt go through, but nothing. He does everything he can to ripp some one off but try and sound slike a reasonable carring guy.

[brewmaster15]

Everyone,
I realize that when people read about the negative experiences others have had that the natural response is to get angry and comment.... but thats not the purpose of this section of the forum...Its not a Rant, bash, flame and trash section.....that kind of posting does not belong anywhere on this forum.
Our livestock review section is for people to share their first hand experiences with vendors...so that potential customers know better what they may expect.... First hand means "your personal experiences with a seller" not hear say or jumping on the wagon when someone has a bad experience.

I know we have been very clear about this in the past...the present and hopefully won't have to be in the future....

questions still?????...contact me.

-al

[GrillMaster]

Or I can jus lock it again!! ;) :D :D :D

[Proctoid]

Based on my recent experience I would not recommend using Rainforest Farms International. As a matter of fact I would be emphatic about going anywhere but there for Discus. The guy is arrogant and a fraud peddling inferior Discus at best. In my particular case he sent sick fish, damaged fish, and the wrong fish. And of course denied it. Furthermore, he packaged the fish in bags that leaked and when I opened the box the fish were literally partially out of the water. Not good! After many phone calls and emails I finally accepted the fact that I had been ripped off and chaulked it up as a learning experience. He will never get business from me again.

[born2lovefish]

I personally have bought from Tom a few times. I mainly have gotten different tetras and cories for my planted tank. Never had any problems, but I always pickup my fish up from him. Can say that I have not seen a lot of the stuff he has on his website when I have been to his place. He told me once he keeps his high dollar discus at another place.

[tcmemphisbbq]

This is just my personal experience, Tom brought me my two fish I bought from him and a few plants to my Bbq joint 8+ months ago when i first got into discus, The plants were great... he brought me a "green snakeskin", which hasn't grown even an inch, I also wanted a yellow discus and what was to be a "golden sunrise" on his site turned out to be a CB, nice one but wrong fish none the less. Also when I ordered my live rock from him (my first experience), the box leaked and fell apart in shipping and fed ex had to barrell all of the "precured live rock" and it sat in a truck over the weekend..... I've dealt with him via email mostly other then meeting him at our place as he was passing through, face to face (at least to me) he came off as not a decent guy, but I definately will not do business with him in the future since finding a home at SD, any future discus I buy will be from SD sponsors and SD sponsors ALONE.

That is just how things went down for me as a customer. Knowing what I know now and experience I wish I would have researched it more, but I didn't, his place is only 45 minutes from my place so I thought I was helping a local business.

[tcmemphisbbq]

This is just my personal experience, Tom brought me my two fish I bought from him and a few plants to my Bbq joint 8+ months ago when i first got into discus, The plants were great... he brought me a "green snakeskin", which hasn't grown even an inch, I also wanted a yellow discus and what was to be a "golden sunrise" on his site turned out to be a CB, nice one but wrong fish none the less. Also when I ordered my live rock from him (my first experience), the box leaked and fell apart in shipping and fed ex had to barrell all of the "precured live rock" and it sat in a truck over the weekend..... I've dealt with him via email mostly other then meeting him at our place as he was passing through, face to face (at least to me) he came off as not a decent guy, but I definately will not do business with him in the future since finding a home at SD, any future discus I buy will be from SD sponsors and SD sponsors ALONE.

That is just how things went down for me as a customer. Knowing what I know now and experience I wish I would have researched it more, but I didn't, his place is only 45 minutes from my place so I thought I was helping a local business.

Im sorry I ment he came off as a decent guy in person the first time I met him....

[TURQ64]

A case of cabin fever has me making this post. Not a rant, more of an expensive joke...My experience with Tom was - nice to talk with on the phone..That's where 'nice' stops...Shipping was atrocious; poor choice of heat packs, and the banding machine didn't seal the bags tight enough, so no air...I ordered six Cardinals, a breeding trio of German Blue Rams, and five Discus..two of a strain he named 'Sunset Flame',(supposedly from a golden background), and three Blue Scorp's...What I received was..four Neons, two Cardinals, three tiny Electric Blue Rams, two pidgeons the size of a quarter, one Blue Turk, and two Cobalts..The discus were poor q. besides being small, one died on arrival, one badly mis-shaped, (both should have been culled early on)...Quite the joke compared to my order..never returned email or phone call...you decide!

[Discus Origins]

It appears that a lot of people have been duped by Tom's fancy RFI website. After a few years without fish I decided to get back into them a few years ago and found his site informative and nicely done compared to other breeders on the web. That's about where the nice things I have to say about him run out.

He sold me 6 juvenile Heckels (he claimed he bred them himself) and 6 F1 RSGs. He shipped all 12 three inch fish in one box, 10 of the 12 came in leaking with barely enough water to wet the fish. All of the RSGs were black in the bag, I called him right when I opened the box and he told me to add salt to the water and turn the temp up to 88 degrees and call him the next day. Next morning I had 2 fish alive, the other 10 all hanging up in a corner all black and slime sloughing off and they slowly died off throughout the day. These fish went into a 90 gallon biotope tank that had 30 cardinals that cycled the tank for 2 months.

He claimed that the cardinals must have given the discus some disease, then he claimed acid burn (ph was 6.5 in the tank, same as the water in the bags). After a few minutes he offered to replace the fish if I paid for another 5 at regular price. I would also have to pay shipping again. So he wanted me to pay for 17 fish and end up with 10. I told him no thanks on the juveniles because I wasn't going to try them again. I told him that I liked some of the red dragons on his website, did he have any extra breeding pairs that he would sell to me. He said sure and would ship me one pair of red dragons and charged me 1/2 price for the pair ($200 instead of $400). I received two bland colored pigeon bloods, both oblong in shape, peppered and snub nosed, looking NOTHING like the picture of the pair that he sent me of the pair. I emailed him pictures of the fish and he claims that I didnt take pictures of the fish he sent! After a few minutes of not so nice words, he finally told the truth and said he didn't even pack the fish himself and that the shop help must have shipped me the wrong fish.

At this point I was livid and paid shipping TWICE and ended up with 2 small and 2 adult fish that I didn't want. He told me to ship him back the two adults, he would pay for the shipping and then ship me another pair of quality breeders. I told him that I had a friend who would take the fish for the $50 in shipping that I had paid if he was fine with it instead of him having to pay shipping back. He said ok and would get back in touch with me on the pair.

I emailed him several times after that wondering when I was ever going to receive a breeding pair of the fish that I picked out. He never emailed me back and never returned my voicemails. He took my $800 and all I got out of it was 2 small discus that I gave away to my LFS.

NEVER ever deal with Tom. He acts very nice when trying to get your money....but if he can't trick you or realizes you know your stuff that all goes away. Tell everyone and anyone who is thinking about buying discus to stay away from RFI.

Mark

[TURQ64]

I hear you, Mark!....I have one stunted, ugly little fish (as far as Discus) To show for the whole deal..It's not what I ordered, and around 1 3/4". I've had it going on 4 months..Keeping it alive for a photo shoot comparison!....What a slimeball, eh?
Gary

[amyers]

I am new to this forum and the site on a whole, I am usually the type that like to read and look at pictures on the internet, I only got back into discuss keeping in December 2009 after 13 years, back then i was doing it on a small carribbean island were i work. I bought my first tank a 75 gal for my home in Ft Lauderdale and bought a few small fish from wattley' s in miami to start with, my wife took care of them and most died since she was new to this hobby. we tried another batch, and basically the same happened,I travelled back and forth and was determined not to give up on my dream. I did not want to breed themIi just wanted to have these beatiful creatures to look at when im at home. With the guidance of gabriel pasoda at wattleys we got it in 3 months. Ok it was time , no holding back now I had acess to wattleys supply warehouse and on each visit I was selecting the biggest and best he had , didnt care about the price. I travel alot, and when im not there my wife went long distances to purchase blackworms to feed thes fishes daily, its fun loking at them eat with agression, by December 2010 I had three tanks 120 g the largest and a little over thirty discus, some were up to eight inches. late February I decided I wanted a bright yellow discus so I decidedto go online, I've been looking for months at fishes on the internet and was always attracted to the ones on RFI disus [ please be aware folks its now RFI Tropical fish]. I ordered two yellows ie a pearl flame and yellow ica, 2 rainbow dragons ,2 blue scorpions and a super red melon,.The owner called me that nite and said the box can hold two more bags, so i agreed to take two more "SPECTACULAR" colours that he recommended. I paid extra to get 4" fish instead of 2" fish. When the fishes ariived they looked harassed, and the water smelt bad, I thought probrably it was the journey that had them that way. They were all 2 inches and less plus the extra two fish I ordered wernt in the box, and none were the types I paid for , I acllimated the fish and let them loose in my small 65 gal tank with a couple other fish. when I called up the owner of RFI Tom, he said give them time the will get colour, and hell send the other fishes with the next order, he'll also throw in a free fish with the next order, when I asked if he charged for them , he said he dont know check my account on the website, this showed he did not charge, but when the credit card bill came there was an extra charge of 200 + dollars. Anyway the other discuses in the tank started to act stange by staying on the top of the water in a corner of the tank and not eating. i did a water change and left the country to go back to my job. The fishes started to die one by one , my wife was emailing me pictures of dead fish every day, and I just coudnt figure out what was happning since I never encountered any disease like this. I did some research and discovered the disease discus plague, all the tetras and othe fishes were ok and only two of Toms fishes died eventually , they were apparently immune to what it was.It spread to another tank and in all I lost around 25 of my prized collection. I followed the advice of the variuous articles and started treating with antibiotics. The battle is still ongoing but so far I managed to keep about a dozen of the big fellas alive. were now treating for ick,I think this week , everything will be ok, This was believe me one of the most panful experience in my life some of those fishes allowed me to pet them with my hands like dogs, we were really close, how can a human being be so cruel. I was betrayed by this man, not to mention blatantly robbed, I will never be able to replace some of thes fishes, the head on some of these fishes were over an inch thick. I told him my fishes were huge ang costed alot of money, he should have just kept my money and not send anything. Not to mention i now have to deal with an irratic wife who is blaming me for this mess. Anyway people thats my story, in future I'll stick to my one supplier. But something needs to be done about this guy and soon, I was always one to think that this kind of behavior in buisness was not possible or tolerated in the USA, and im sure there are others like me who feel that way. He needs to be stopped, if there is anything that can be done let me know I'll be willing to help financially or otherwise. Please warn other people out there, so they wont have to have this horrible experience. P.S . Tom has also blatantly refused to refund the money for the fishes that weren't sent.

[TURQ64]

I got a new chip for my camera yesterday, so sometime today when the fishroom duties slow down, I'll post one of his 'beauties'.....ugh!

[Elite Aquaria]

HI all,

I've gone thru and cleaned this thread up...There were many posts by people that did not have first hand experiences and were only commenting... This is not the purpose of this section... If you want to comment on something that is posted here...send the person a Pm or email...

Please Click here (http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?83559-Feedback-...ALL-READ-THIS!!!!!) and read Al's comments on this section before you post here.

Any comments that are not first hand will be removed from the Live stock and Product Review section of this forum....

[TURQ64]

Well, the card that came for my camera is the wrong card,so..here's a photo from my wife's cheapie..all fish pictured (quite a 'salad', never mixed strains before) are within a month or so of each other as far as age and size when purchased...can you guess which one is RFI's 'sunset flame'?...

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv319/Royaliste/Fish/SDC15846.jpg

[TURQ64]

Well, there's an end to the story of RFI and me...As if it knew it's photo debut had come and gone, the little thing was firmly impaled on a filter intake this a.m....now on my roof to feed the migrating Graeckles...

[LKSDiscus]

I too had a horrible experience from him order 6 fish all of them dead two arrived dead and he would not even acknowledge even with pictures that I sent to him. Would not order anything from the web until just recently from Kenny and Mike and got some awesome fish. Sometime you need to pay a little more for quality

[LKSDiscus]

Thought I show you what I order from them, it finish me from ordering from online.

This one died the same day I got him

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=66172&d=1302837234


This one eventually died a few days later in QT tank

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=66173&d=1302837235

I did not get restitution he just ignore my email and calls.

Linda

[amyers]

Well folks I see the saga goes on, like i said in my earlier post the website has been renamed to "Rainforest tropical fish" , no doubt to catch unsuspecting enthusiast like myself. This guy must be a millionair by now, charging people for poor quality goods at premium price, I paid $70 bucks for sick 2 inch fishes that was supposed to be 3.5 - 4 inch. Its only a matter of time before he does it to the wrong person and he'll be stopped.

[mteel7237]

Well, obviously this guys has issues. I purchased my first 4 discus from him several years ago and I had the same problems most people here had....dead fish, poor quality, bad customer service. He messed up on the shipping date (after having two conversations with him regarding when to ship). so my first shipment sit at my door step for 24 hours in 20 degree temps. No one survived. I nearly quit before I got started. My wife was giving me the "your discus career is about over" look.

Then I read about Hans on this board. The complete opposite. Great healthy fish, friendly and informative. I'm so happy to have meet him and his discus.

[treker5]

I hate to say it but I was also a victim of Tom from RFI. I wish I did a search on his business but I paid the price for not doing so. I had ordered six discus from him, two out of the six were ok; purple cobalt that had a dwarfed anal fin, two red spotted lemon f2 which turned out to be red checkerboards, and a cerulian blue which was sick and died. I also bought the plant package for the discus tank was infested with snails. Till this day I'm battling with snails in my tank.
I was so upset with this purchase and being a newbie with the discus hobby I decided to make the best of what I got. From this experience I am skeptical buying discus via internet.
I like the darn critters too much that I will definitely buy through word of mouth and thank goodness for this forum that I can read and hear members voices and perhaps good discus vendors.

[dagray]

I too purchased from this outfit and was severely disapointed when the package arrived on Thursday 28 Feb 2013. One bag had leaked and it contained one live and one dead fish. The bags weren't inflated in the slightest, the shipping water smelled like a stagnant ocean tidepool and was full of debris. The fish are probably the right color strain (Red Alenquer) as they are starting to show the color pattern, but they were listless and not swimming upright (more like at a 45 degree angle). Of the eight fish I ordered I recieved seven live and they are still swimming (maybe I got lucky).

I found this business when doing a search for Alenquer discus and came across a photo of a Red Alensquer Discus so did an internet search for that color pattern and only got this one hit in the search engine that showed the pattern I was looking for. I wish I had known about this forum sooner.

I do have some experience with discus as I purchased seven dime sized discus not quite six months ago and raised them up in a breeder box inside my 75 gallon tank until they were 1/2-dollar sized when I turned them out to the main tank with the angels. Now the five discus that made it (lost two at dime to nickle size due to them getting stuck in the slots in the bottom of the breeder box when I was at work) are 3.5-5 inches with the exception of one that is about the two inch size. In fact one of my discus is in my avatar.

I will not deal with Rainforest Farms International on anything and will just chock up the loss of the one fish as shipping charges as his "live arrival guarantee" would have me paying shipping for the replacement fish and quite frankly my thought as a business owner is that if a product doesn't get to my customer in the condition expected that the shipping to make the situation right is on me.

God Bless,
Dave

[dagray]

Update: I have been doing 25% water changes daily and when I can twice a day in the 20 gallon tank. This evening at 5:00 when I got home from work there was a dead one on the bottom of the tank and my mother in-law said it had been that way since 8:00 this morning (must have died after I left for work). That leaves six discus with two looking very black in color (I know this isn't a happy/healthy color). Also noticing clear stringy fecal matter not the poop I am used to seeing from my other discus and angels in my other tank.


Needless to say I am disapointed and frustrated.

Dave

[peglegderek]

bought a few pigeon based fish that had more peppering than a pepper shaker!!! could never tell which fish was wich!! this was about 6 years ago

[darkknight87]

I feel for you Dagray, I bout 6-7 from them about three years ago..and that sounds exactly what happened to me. After a week they were all dead.

[dagray]

I feel for you Dagray, I bout 6-7 from them about three years ago..and that sounds exactly what happened to me. After a week they were all dead.

I may if things don't start turning around and after contacting this vendor to see if they will make it right (i.e. refund for the dead fish) contact my credit card company (USAA) and see about reversing the charge at least on any animals that die in the next week if the vendor won't be accountable. I think I would call him and if no action then e-mail him and then send the e-mail plus any response to my bank.

with the tank lights off most of the fish are a light red to light brown as young discus should look (comparison of my discus when they were that size and their color to the color of these). One of the fish looks like a white faced marlboro red and not the red alenquer I ordered.

Dave

[DiscusLoverJeff]

I think what you are experiencing Dave is common when people don't know much about a company. Sure it has a flashy name to it, but from all posts I have read, they sell some poor quality, not taken care of fish. Buyer beware as they say.

You had many suggestions regarding buying from a sponser or member of Simply Discus. There are many reasons why you should, repeat and satisfied customers.

No not everyone has the knowledge on where they can buy fish, but there is always "Google", The Better Business Bureau, and many more resources.

You have the right idea about cancelling your credit charge with them, but that could be a long drawn out issue. It is extremely sad that people will take advantage of others in the same manner as you. Hopefully your post along with others here will help when someone decides to buy from this company.

[dagray]

I agree and I wish I had found this when searching for the discus. Unfortunately I did a search for alenquer discus found a photo of the red alenquer discus and did a search for them neglecting to do a search on the business name. I know I could order fish from anyone here or TAF II (a primarily angelfish forum) without any problem as I have purchased dime sized angels and discus from a breeder on Aquabid and grown the fish up with no problem as well as buying angels and other fish from vendors on aquabid with great results.

we were trying to get some other color than blue in the 75 gallon tank.

[DiscusLoverJeff]

If I lived near you I would give you some of my juvies. Sorry this happened to you.

[dagray]

If I lived near you I would give you some of my juvies. Sorry this happened to you.

I appreciate the offer. I take responsibility for making the order and as such would insist on paying for your discus to at least help with the cost of our hobby. Also small discus (dime size) shipped from Florida via USPS priority have reached me in great shape it's all about the packing (and these weren't packed well at all).

Dave

[darkknight87]

Good luck with that. I tried to get him to do that with me, and for months he claimed he sent a refund that my bank just didn't accept..( which I didn't buy ofcourse) The owner is a very shady guy.

[Northwoods Discus]

I can't believe this guy keeps on screwing people. He sounds like a good guy and has a nice website, but you get poor quality, not the strain you ordered in poor packaging that always breaks and leaks. If there was some way to place reviews on him where unsuspecting potential buyers could see easily, he would be out of business in no time. He obviously knows his way around that.

[dagray]

And to top it off his "Live arrival" guarantee isn't too great as he keeps making money on the shipping as he claims he will replace the fish if the customer pays the shipping even if the dead fish is due to the vendor's negligence. That should have been a clue.

Oh and I did call him he said he would replace the one dead on arrival even though I didn't have a photo (I figured it was more important to get the fish in clean water than take a photo) and the one that died yesterday if I would pay the shipping. I won't deal with this person/company again. I have dealt with Joe Gargas on Angels and discus and always received what I paid for and it was packed well; I have also dealt with AngelMania (Lee Gordon) for angels and the packing was exceptional as well as buying some Khuli loaches and fresh water shrimp from various vendors on Aquabid without issue.

The box that came from Rainforest Farms had lots of empty space so the bags could shift as opposed to having the empty space filled with newspaper or other filler, the bags the fish were in were 1/3 full of water and not even semi-inflated to keep the oversized bags from collapsing on the fish, the shipping water was very cloudy and stinky and full of fecal matter showing that the fish hadn't been prepped for shipment by fasting them for a few days prior to shipping to keep the shipping water cleaner (free from amonia and other harmfuls due to bio-waste).

Dave

[dagray]

on 07 Mar 2013 two more died making a 50% loss and the other four are still very stressed (tank lights are off, keeping steady water temp, doing water changes daily, adding a little Kent Marine garlic extract to the food to try and entice them into eating).

Dave

[dagray]

As of this morning the last two didn't make it. So I will suck it up, clean out the tank and get it to disinfecting, and start again only this time with fish from a reputible source.

God Bless All and thank you for your support,
Dave

[darkknight87]

Yeah..exactly what happened to me. May I recommend Hans or Kenny.

[dagray]

I talked to Hans. I am looking for those red alequer or small(i.e. juvenille) Cuipeua red or maybe juvenille Cuipeua Red Royal so I can put them in the 20 gallon quarantine tank for a month before introducing them to the 75 gallon planted tank that has the five Blue Snakesking crossed with the Blue Pearl (as described by the breeder Joe Gargas.... while maybe not the best breeder at least I have always gotten what I ordered from him and the fish arrived in good health).

I have bleach/water mix (a little strong on the bleach as every time I turn on the HOB filter or airstones I get foam) in the 20 gallon tank to disinfect it, then I will fill it with filtered tap water and add some dechlorinator (1000mg of vitamin C enough to dechlorinate 50 gallon ) and let it run for at least a week to make sure the tank is disinfected and rinsed well and then I will drain and fill again with filtered water and get a cycle going by putting a filter floss bag full of used carbon into the tank to get the good bacteria started and run for a while.

Once I am satisfied the tank is ready I will order. I also want my wife to help pick the discus as she isn't as enthusiastic about the fish tank as I am ( I put it in front of the dining room window, she doesn't like its location).

Thank you all for your well wishes and insight.
Dave

[Midwest Discus]

Amazed that this guy is still cheating people after all these years. I got taken by this guy 12 years ago.

[Discus Origins]

It's his flashy website that tricks unsuspecting buyers into spending money on fish pictured that he doesn't have. And he deletes negative reviews off his website. It's a scam from beginning to end, he got me years ago also.

[yogi_58718]

I just got taken last week for $550.00 for 2 mated pairs discus. The biggest fish out of the four was 3 3/4 inches. This guy is a crook.

[dagray]

Yogi,
I wish you had come here first and seen this.

I was able to dispute the credit charge on my card and win, but I had documentation including a couple threads like this that I submitted to my card company.

Dave

[yogi_58718]

Thank you for the info I am working on that right now as we speak. some one has to stop this guy from doing this crap to people. Have you ever seen his picture scary. go to http://www.monroehumane.org/news/article.php?=280 it will jus make you sick.

[yogi_58718]

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y525/yogi_58718/ThreeinchWhitefacecherrydrago001_zps2f8e22f5.jpg (http://s1279.photobucket.com/user/yogi_58718/media/ThreeinchWhitefacecherrydrago001_zps2f8e22f5.jpg.h tml) This is one of the fish he sent me its 3" its mate died from a lack of water well it had water it was in the bottom of the box

[Chefduvin]

I have recently re entered the tropical fish hobby after a long layoff and a friend recommended that I check out Toms fish.
I recieved my first order in perfect condition,colors and sizes were both more vivid and larger than I had anticipated and was just thrilled.so happy was I that a second order was placed and these were even more to my liking and I wouldn't hesitate recommending Tom or purchasing more of these amazing specimens.
My initial order was 3 pairs of 3" fishes,which all easily exceeded my expectations,with bright vibrant colors and eating right out of the bag.2nd order of 10 more fish,were perfect specimens as well.
I could not have been happier,even more to my astonishment has been Toms continual contact to be sure that all is well with my purchases.
If I had to do it again,it's a no brainer,what more can you ask for, Tom breeds the fish,feeds the fish,answers the phone ,takes your order,packs your fish,ships them and then takes the time to call and make sure that all is well in the world.
If you have had a problem with Tom or his fish in the past,I can only advise that you should give this professional a second chance,I cannot for the life of me think of a reason not to as it seems that the sour grapes in this forum seem to be from many years ago.(it is a completely new world shipping packages now from 10 years ago,maybe that's where the problem lies)
Anyway,that's my tale,good luck.

[Ryan]

Chefduvin, are you local to Tom so that you can pick up fish or did you have them shipped?

[Discus Origins]

Chefduvin,

When you get a chance please post pictures of the fish that you received so the rest of us can judge for quality. A picture is worth a thousand words.

[mteel7237]

Years ago I had the displeasure of purchasing discus from this fellow. After my experience I started to do a little research online about the company. Lots of complaints (this is how I discovered SD), I even discovered that at one point his website was promoting testimonials from fake customers with photos of their aquariums. Someone had noticed that several of the photos used in these testimonials belong to them, though they had never done business with the guy. So, if he was capable of faking testimonials, dropping in a bogus entry here, would seem to be par for the course.

[Chefduvin]

There you go making assumptions ,you are 100 percent incorrect,again

[INTidefan]

Approximately 1 month ago I visited The Rainforest hatchery in Bloomington, and they had many tanks filled with beautiful and healthy looking discus. I bought 4 fish, which Tom allowed me to pick for myself. The discus today are eating well, growing and show beautiful colors: the stars of the tank. Additionally, Tom has followed up via phone to make sure all is well, and I am a satisfied customer. All of this for a price per fish below that advertised by other on-line breeders. I may, of course, only speak for my own interaction, but as described above it was nothing but positive, and thus Rainforest Farms International receives my wholehearted recommendation.

[Discus Origins]

I'd just like to see some pictures of these fish instead of paragraphs of words that don't mean much. Proof is in what the fish look like.

[Ryan]

Okay, Simply members -- I have edited out most of the past few pages of this thread. This is for first-hand experiences only and the goading and pictures/memes and all that are wholly unnecessary. I get where you're coming from and I have my suspicions too, but as per the rules of this section, every member is allowed to post their experiences whether we agree with them or not.

Having said that, a few things to keep in mind: If you are new to Simply and your first post (or your only posts) are to critique or support a vendor/breeder/importer, please be aware that this will look suspect in the eyes of active forum members. A little participation goes a long way in boosting your credibility. If you really are a discus hobbyist, why not share more about yourself, your aquariums, and your fish? Venture out into other parts of the website, participate in some discussions, and show us that you're not just here to sing the praises (or complain about) a specific company or individual.

It would also be helpful to back up your claims with pictures or videos showing the fish you received. This goes both ways; it could show the quality of livestock/items or the lack thereof. That old saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words" really does hold true in matters such as these.

I will talk to Al and take Hans's suggestion about a minimum post count requirement for this section into consideration. It's probably a good idea, if only to weed out potentially fraudulent claims, made either in support of or against, various vendors.

[INTidefan]

I happened on this site a few months ago when I decided to begin raising discus fish. I read many threads, including positive and negative about RFI, but decided my risk was low if I could visit the hatchery and pick out my own fish. My "gamble" paid off, and I was rewarded with some beautiful fish at a very reasonable price.

I read the beginning of this thread as a solicitation for all experiences, not just negative, and so posted my own. On a quick scan of this thread I find at least 6 other ringing endorsements for RFI, which makes it seem curious to me that the board believes I would make something up simply because I have not posted before. I assure you I am quite real, and my experience with RFI is real as well.

I am not challenging those who say they had negative experiences. Every business transaction is different, as every person and the way they react to others is different. If my business with RFI had been negative, I would have said so, but nothing could be further from the truth.

I have had two very positive buying experiences with RFI, and one with a local Uncle Bills, and I believe that is newsworthy for discus enthusiasts. I am sure Hans, as an importer, uses reputable breeders, but in our area the price of his fish is almost double RFIs, and for a person of small means, like I, that is something that has to be considered. I certainly am no photographer, but I have a picture of a beautiful White Saphire discus and a beautiful Red Mosaic discus I bought from RFI, which I took with my cell phone, I would be more than happy to e-mail upon request.

Cheers discus fans, Cheers!

[DiscusLoverJeff]

I think if this thread is to continue it should be by actual photos and then commentary. It is so hard to judge a seller whether a sponser or not based on words and not actual proof. Until that is supplied we should keep opinions closed.

If a new member is/was reading this, they would not be able to make a rational decision based on what is supplied.

We all know we have some great sponsers here so lets wait until proof is supplied before going forward?

[Pnorton]

I purchased discus from RFT, they arrived 11/27/13. I was disappointed when I opened the box first because, the water was cold, I did not take the time to check what it was, I felt it was better to get them warmed up. Second, he substituted 2 small Mandarin discus for the larger one I ordered. He had called when he was packing, I did not get the message, telling me he was willing to do this. I think since he did not hear from me he should have shorted the order instead. Third, I ordered dwarf baby tears which were not in the box and I still do not have them or a refund. The two Mandarin were very thin and one did not make it. This order was for: cherry red Marlboro, rainbow dragon, red passion, Mandarin, red snakeskin, gold melon. I have to say these fish ate well from the beginning and have not had any problems even when others in the tank have. I will need to get a photo of the Mandarin today.

81192811918119081189

[Pnorton]

I have attached the photo of the mandarin, sorry it is so blurry but he is a busy little fish and my phone does not track very fast. I also want to add, if I had seen this thread I would not have ordered. I did not and other than the mandarin, the fish are probably worth what I paid. Two of them are like little twins of fish I have gotten from a sponsor here. Would I purchase again? Probably not without seeing photos but my tank is full so it is not an issue. I have posted these photos for others to see what I received. I paid the listed prices on the website. They were suppose to be 3-4" fish which all were except the mandarin which was substituted. It is up to the viewer to decide if they want to place an order.

[rickscics]

Having read all the reviews from over the years I decided to give Tom, the Owner of Rainforest International Farms, a call. I left a message I was interested in some Wild Discus. He called me back withing an hour and we talked for twenty minutes. He sent pictures of the various wild Discus he had in stock which include some not seen ,at least by me very often. The option of buying 2 1/2 or 3 inch inch baby Wild caught discus is a real plus in my book. They are just doing remarkable well and I can't wait to see how they turn out. Pretty damn awesome!

I bought six 4+inch Manacapuru Royal Red ,5 Rio Jupara Royal 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inch and six Coari Red Spot 2+ . They are all eating well after just six hours of acclimation in my amazon biotype tanks.
I will try and post some pic's when they settle in a bit more.

[Second Hand Pat]

Please continue the discussion about the RFI wild discus in this thread http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?120558-Wild-Discus-from-RFI. I moved the related posts to the link thread.

Only first hand experience with this vendor should be posted in this thread.
Thank you,
Pat

[Thebake911]

95827never again!

[Michiganman2353]

Hello, My name is daniel. I just ordered from rainforest farms International before seeing this forum.. Im hoping the issues people had on here have been dealt with and am looking to give my personal experience. I have a 55 gal and 75 gal tank.. I ordered a pricy Large Pink flash blue crawfish and a few guppies and planted tank.. I should have these by thursday and will be back on here with my update.

[tkvestall]

I FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST THIS MAN, I AM TAKING MR. TOM MEADOR TO COURT!!!, AND IT WILL BE TELEVISED, BE SURE TO TUNE IN, JUDGE JUDY IS INTERESTED IN MY CASE, Not only did I buy 12 fish from Tom, Cichlids, that is, but they came into my tank with ICH, killing 10 of my most prized fish. I hope after all these years, he gets humiliated on national TV in front of 10 million people and that will cut his business down some. Oh and all his pricy fish died as well.

[BrettBeMe]

I bought a dozen dwarf cichlids from Rfl, it was suppose too be 4- trios. It wasn't. I ended up with 9 males!, and they all died, and infected the ones I had. I literally had to dose my tank TWICE with Maracyn 2 just to get things in order.
Not only did they die, but when they arrived they all looked bent, like they were swished as babies. WORST CICHLIDS IVE EVER SEEN!!
Won't ever use them again!