My visit to Brewmaster15

[dandestroy]

Went down to New Haven CT this week-end to visit a friend, so I figure that I should stop by Al's place (Brewmaster15) to see what's cooking in his tanks.

First, the town of Northford is quite a nice little place to go. If you are stressed out, just go for a drive around there and have a look at the landscape, it will definitively solve your stress issue.

So I got to Al's place, after a nice welcome he brought me to see his fishroom.
I don't know why but I was under the impression from Al's posts that he did not had that many tank. But what a surprise! tanks everywhere, filled with big rounded discus... quite a sight.

So enough talking...time for showing.

(Al can comment better on which fish is what if you need particular information), but lets start with the non-discus stuff.
Also Pics quality is not always great, since normally you take 100 shots of the fish before getting a good one... to many fish to do so and not a lot of space between the tank...Too many tanks..haha


Guest who is who?
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The discus are so big that they need to eat chicks???:D
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The mighty Fish Guardian!
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couple of Koys
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Angels (sorry for the pics quality but they are real hard to shoot)
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Can't recall the name but Al told me that they are also known as Poor man discus...lol
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[dandestroy]

And now the Discus


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[dandestroy]

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[dandestroy]

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[dandestroy]

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[dandestroy]

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[dandestroy]

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[dandestroy]

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[dandestroy]

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[dandestroy]

One thing I forgot to mention...

Tank were spotless, so clean is unbelievable.

but...

I would not want to do his water change on that many tank :D

[Kindredspirit]

Francios! Good for you:) Took like 2 min to download this thread!....I kept trying to read your first post and it kept downloading more pics! You have oodles...:) And they are nice as well ~

What a great picture of you both!:D

So did ya get anything?....hmm........?

[dandestroy]

So did ya get anything?....hmm........?

No I could not, I'm moving form Quebec city to Boston in 3 weeks from now, and then I'm going to build my new setup before getting anything.

but there is a few that I would definitively want to have in my tank:D

I also have to make my Hans trip later on this summer!

[Ed13]

WOW, don't know what else to say!
I don't think we've seen those Melons before, they are really nice. My fav are the turqHeckels:D

I need to ask Al where does he get all those chicks from

[thang45]

Wow, must be a very big place to hold all those tanks. Very nice.

[Chrisb]

WOW
I KNOW AL WAS HIDING SOME FISH

[mmorris]

Great pics, Francois. You'll be back. Trust me. Now tell me, do you have as much trouble leaving Al's place as I do? :waaa: I can't quite seem to get out the door. The fish are so beautiful and the conversation is so stimulating. Martha

[dandestroy]

Great pics, Francois. You'll be back. Trust me. Now tell me, do you have as much trouble leaving Al's place as I do? :waaa: I can't quite seem to get out the door. The fish are so beautiful and the conversation is so stimulating. Martha


I had so much question but I forgot to ask them...lol

but hey I'm going to be living near (2hr drive), and its right on the way to my best buddy house in New Haven, so you can be certain that this was not a one time stop only.

[kaceyo]

Beautiful fish Al. And all look well fed and healthy. I didn't know you had so many domestics. Very nice.

Kacey

[phidelt85]

That is definitely cool. Al, you've got some really nice looking fish, but I'm sure you already knew that. Very impressive.

[April]

i would say...als...cut back..has now grown..back to at least 300..from his 200 discus..lol. so much for cutting back...
well al is too busy doing wcs..and running simply to toot his own horn. hes the worst of the worst..addicted discus people. face it. why do you think he has a discus forum. lol.
well nice to see the pics..and..all clean..and healthy..and well fed. obviously he practises what he preaches. : )
thanks for taking the time to post all the pics. your pics are pretty good.

[poddan]

Great pics and fish.

There were some really nics fish there.

[greyhoundfan]

Thanks for posting the pics. I would not have left either. Maybe even stayed overnite.:D Poor man's discus is the Uaru.

I bet Angela and Andrew will be eyeing out those Neon Turqs..;)

[alxjss]

Wow, beautiful. I am impressed, big time. And honered as well. Being a member here has really helped me learn not just about Discus, but all fish. Great pics Fransois. Must be nice to be able to spend time with Al. I didn't get to see Cary's fish room, but next time, i will try my best. Breathtaking:)

[Ryan]

Wow, they're all very nice. I love the heckels, the neon turks from Andrew and Angela, and of course all the white pigeons and WB x BD. Lots of fun stuff there in the fish room.

Oh, and that cat is a monster. lol.

[SLY]

Nice pics and fish..Al do something to your hair bro..ur getting bald for having too many discus.

[April]

lol sly..see thats what simplydiscus has been missing..observations according to sly. dont be a stranger..go buy some discus.

[Northwestcoastdisc]

LOL Sly,

AL, you have very nice lot of adult discus!


I would love to buy your heckel for my breed programs.

thanks for sharing.

Francois, Enjoy visiting Al's fish room! thanks for the photos of his fish!

Duncan

[Condor]

Francois, outstanding thread. Thanks for posting. Al, that is quite a fish room. Glad I got to peak inside.

Adrian

[brewmaster15]

HI everyone,
Thanks for the comments on my fish...Glad you like them.:)

Francois, It was very nice to meet you and Your finance...I'm looking forward to future visits when theres more time. Thanks for posting some pics of some of my fish collection as well...you did a real nice job on the pics.:)

April... you know me too well!!!!I'm hopelessly addicted.....Theres just too many discus out there and so little tank space.;)

Sly... unfortunately Bro... the hair is one thing I can't grow out:D My forehead looks more like a discus every day.

Duncan, thanks for the kind words..on the heckels ....I'm not going to be selling these as they are hopefully part of my program....but if I have any offspring we can talk.:)

Ryan... Is that 150 running yet?:D:D:D

everyone, thanks again.

Take care,
al

[chriss]

Pourquoi ne partages tu pas ces superbes photos avec tes amis de discus-discussion?

[brewmaster15]

Hi Chriss,
Francois can post them there if he does not mind. I don't mind if he post them on another forum.:)


-al

[chriss]

Thank you Al.You have a real nice collection of fish.I love the wilds .
Do you speak french ?

[brewmaster15]

Thanks Chriss,:)


Do you speak french ? no but I wish I did. I translated it with altavista's babel fish.;):):):):):):)


-al

[chriss]

:D

Al,you should use your translator on our french forum.;)We'd love to have more people with credibility.

http://discus-discussions.superforum.fr/

[billeagan]

Wow, Brew if that is down sized - I'm scared =)

[jack396]

Great pictures; thanks for sharing! Al, I'd love to come by and check those fish out myself someday - I'm only up here in MA.

The tanks are impeccably cared for, it is obvious. And the fish -they look they like it there! But, with WC and feeding and all that goes with keeping these demanding pets, what else are you able to do in your life??? Of course, when one is doing what one loves, it is not work. right???

Regards,

Jack:)

[brewmaster15]

Hi Jack,
If you ever want to come on down for a visit, let me know.:)


what else are you able to do in your life??? I fit in alot .... The discus and this forum are only one of my hobbies;) but before any of that comes my family......but truthfully theres never enough time for everything that we want to do...so you do what you can.

take care,
al

[April]

jack..brew doesnt sleep. thats his secret. hes not human...lol. hes a machine. a simplybot...post...clean fish...
he also has two cute kids he cares for etc..

[Boupette]

Bravo François! Beautifull pictures and beautifulllll Discus you have Al. Congratulations! http://smilies.sofrayt.com/^/aiw/clapping.gif You are really one that I would stuck to its place to learn if I was nearer. I hope someday to visit places like yours Al!

Thank you François to let us know on Discus-Discussions about this thread of yours.


http://discus-discussions.superforum.fr/index.htm

[jack396]

jack..brew doesnt sleep. thats his secret. hes not human...lol. hes a machine. a simplybot...post...clean fish...
he also has two cute kids he cares for etc..

April, it's funny, I was going to ask you the same thing about how you fit all of your fish into your life??? I know you are a frequent poster on the site and you have mentioned many fish in your life, too!!!

I have only four tanks, but it takes a sold block of my time each and every day. Good thing I enjoy it!!!

[April]

jack..i live..work and play fish all in the same place. i have a pet grooming salon..and the fish are in back. they get their water changes between dog baths. usually the dogs end up with cold baths..due to i used too much water...oops. but i do wish i could spend more time polishing.
i keep busy though...the posting is a break or distraction between dogs. i have my laptop. : ) but yes..it gets hectic.
but i do sleep more than brew..i need my sleep.

[jack396]

Hi Jack,
If you ever want to come on down for a visit, let me know.:)

I fit in alot .... The discus and this forum are only one of my hobbies;) but before any of that comes my family......but truthfully theres never enough time for everything that we want to do...so you do what you can.

take care,
al

Thanks, Al. By the way, what kind of heaters did I see in those tanks? I'm always ofn the search for a better heater. What do you find most dependable brand wise?

[brewmaster15]

Jack,
I've come to the conclusion that sooner or latter they all fail....I've tried many.. best bet... temperature alarms, and split the heater size need...ie..if you need a 300 watt....go with 2 150 watt heaters.

I find myself using visitherms and ebos most.. on the ebos.. I calibrate them often.

hth,
al

ps...on the sleeping...3-4 hours a night...rarely more:)

[April]

i have no idea how you can only run on 4 hours a nite. now get to bed. lol.

[Ardan]

Impressive to say the least!:):)
Thanks for sharing the pics. that is an awesome collection and you are very lucky to see it all first hand. Someday I hope to get out that way too:)

Ardan

[jack396]

Jack,
I've come to the conclusion that sooner or latter they all fail....I've tried many.. best bet... temperature alarms, and split the heater size need...ie..if you need a 300 watt....go with 2 150 watt heaters.

I find myself using visitherms and ebos most.. on the ebos.. I calibrate them often.

hth,
al

ps...on the sleeping...3-4 hours a night...rarely more:)

Al, A couple of questions. On the visitherms, when I checked they seem to be made by numerous different companies: Marineland, Watts, and Aquarium Sys, which are you refering to? Also, why not duplicate with the actually wattage heater needed? What is the advantage of halfing the wattage in duplication? thanks

[brewmaster15]

Hi Jack,
The visi-therms I use are aquarium systems.

the advantage to splitting the total wattage in half and using 2 heaters is if one heater sticks on...theres less chance of cooking your fish....then if the total heater wattage sticks on in a single larger heater.

hth,
al

[jack396]

Hi Jack,
The visi-therms I use are aquarium systems.

the advantage to splitting the total wattage in half and using 2 heaters is if one heater sticks on...theres less chance of cooking your fish....then if the total heater wattage sticks on in a single larger heater.

hth,
al

It did help; thaanks for being there with the knowledge!

Jack:D:D

[Rod]

Al , awesome mate. Your fish are great, i'd love to have some of them for sure. Those wilds are fantastic. You should post pics more often, you know between all those other jobs.

Thankyou francois, well done mate.

Rod:)

[Darren's Discus]

Francois,
Thankyou for sharing these pictures with us ! it allows people to see what can happen to you when you are truly hit with the discus bug as Al said himself he is starting to look like a discus his colour is a bit like a heckle all he needs is the stripe lol ! Al truly awesome fish love those heckles.



cheers

[AADiscus]

They all look great. Nice pictures. I really like the wilds! :p It's always so much fun to see someone elses setup. Makes you want to get more tanks and more discus!!! :D I never read anywhere.....did you buy any or were you just looking?

[walter level]

:)...hola hombre .....comment ca va....nice ...very nice......very very nice...i think that this poor man discus is an UARU....but a really beautiful uaru ...whit red eyes...one day i will be rich enough to shut down the St-Lawrence River....may be until Boston city...Good Luck Francois ...eh.... Adrienne and Rocky are still in love and say hello...good luck!:balloon:.... ok...ok...Starbuck said hello too...!

[dandestroy]

.did you buy any or were you just looking?

thank to all for commenting the pics!

No I could not buy any at this time, jsut about to move to the US at this time, but If I have a free tank this fall, I would know where to go!!!

[jack396]

HI everyone,
Thanks for the comments on my fish...Glad you like them.:)

Francois, It was very nice to meet you and Your finance...I'm looking forward to future visits when theres more time. Thanks for posting some pics of some of my fish collection as well...you did a real nice job on the pics.:)

April... you know me too well!!!!I'm hopelessly addicted.....Theres just too many discus out there and so little tank space.;)

Sly... unfortunately Bro... the hair is one thing I can't grow out:D My forehead looks more like a discus every day.

Duncan, thanks for the kind words..on the heckels ....I'm not going to be selling these as they are hopefully part of my program....but if I have any offspring we can talk.:)

Ryan... Is that 150 running yet?:D:D:D

everyone, thanks again.

Take care,
al

Hi Al,

Sorry for busting into the dialogue, but what is the "heckel program' that you speak of here? I too would be interested in a few of those beauties, eventually. Are the water requirements different for them?

Thanks,
Jack

[brewmaster15]

Hi Jack,
You can read a little about the heckel Project
here...

http://www.forum.simplydiscus.com/forumdisplay.php?f=108

I've dedicated a some tanks and $$$ to hopefully breed some heckels and heckel crosses... Others are looking to do the same.

Some feel heckels are more difficult than other discus to raise, most feel they are the hardest of the discus to breed.

hth,
al


ps...Thanks again everyone for the comments on my collection!..

Rod...I'll see what I can do about those pics!:)

[White Worm]

HI everyone,
Francois, It was very nice to meet you and Your finance...



:D I never read anywhere.....did you buy any or were you just looking?

From Als response here, I thought he may have purchased something also :D

[brewmaster15]

Ha Ha Ha Mike.:D

Ya meen mi spelin misslhed U.....:confused::bandana::bandana::bandana:


never was my strong point to be sure...:)

-al

[White Worm]

Lol, thats ok, as long as you stick to what you are good at, we all benefit.

[April]

lol..fiance' you mean? well hope you cleaned him out of his finances also with a "cheque" made out to cash.

[architect1]

WoW There beautiful. I love how you have so many. Nice fish hope to see some more pics soon.

[Kenny's Discus]

Thanks for the pics Francois and I'm sure you had a great time visiting Al-the-gentleman. Love all his fish, chickens, kois, etc...I want to visit the NEW CT zoo soon.:p

Al, no wonder you keep telling me that you don't sleep; now I know exactly what you mean.;)

Kenny

[brewmaster15]

Kenny,

I'm sure you had a great time visiting Al-the-gentleman. Love all his fish, chickens, kois, etc...I want to visit the NEW CT zoo soon.:p You would be most welcome anytime my friend!:)

Bring some of that Breeder magic you have..;):D
take care,
-al

[Kindredspirit]

Al, no wonder you keep telling me that you don't sleep; now I know exactly what you mean.;)

Kenny


....and you sleep?:D

[senso]

Great shots Francois. The interesting thing is that about a year ago Al had just a few Wilds left, possibly one or two heckels. One thing for certain when he sets his mind to it, he does it properly. As Francois indicated, although his photos are impressive, they do not fully do justice to the quality of the fish. Even better still is the conversation and hospitality. A real treat to visit.

[Apistomaster]

It was nice to see your outstanding collection of Discus, Al.

I am not very knowledgeable about the names of some of the Domestics but I was very impressed by the red/orange Marlboros?
Also the striated sky blue types, what are those called?

You have a fine group of Heckels. Maybe someday they will grant you the blessed event. I counted three more than I have. I think that having as large a group as possible is an advantange toward accomplishing the goal.

You definitely have "the fever."

Regards,
Larry W.

[brewmaster15]

Hi Larry,
Thank you for the compliments...

The Fish you mentioned

the red/orange Marlboros? ....these are gold mellons

striated sky blue types, what are those called? Young Neon turqs from Green Country Discus..


You have a fine group of Heckels. Maybe someday they will grant you the blessed event. I counted three more than I have. I think that having as large a group as possible is an advantange toward accomplishing the goal.
I hope so Larry, Theres actually quite a few of those Barred Beauties of various ages and collection locals swimming around here... fingers and toes crossed.:)

thanks again on the comments!

-al

[Apistomaster]

"I hope so Larry, Theres actually quite a few of those Barred Beauties of various ages and collection locals swimming around here... fingers and toes crossed."

I noticed that you had a variety of local types of Heckels.. I have two from somewhere else and the others are supposed to be from near the confluence of the Rio Branco and Rio Negro.
As per compliments, you are quite welcome. Your fish and good husbandry deserve them.

I think I could fall for that Blue Neon color variety.