brewmaster15
10-05-2007, 10:03 AM
Hi all,
As promised ...heres September's Spotlight on Kenny Cheung... I know its now October but we caught Kenny at a Busy Time .. in any case... here is our interview of the month...
Q: Kenny, first let me thank you for taking time to talk with us and for being the subject of this month's Spotlight...Its much appreciated
Al, first of all let me sincerely thank You and all the Simply members for giving me the opportunity to participate in this. I'm truly honored to be here.
Q: I think the first thing we'd like to ask is about your family. Can you tell us about them...Who are the people behind Kenny Cheung?
Sure Al. My family consists of myself, my wife, my older(and only) sister, my dad and my mom. Even though my mom, who was the most important person to me my whole life, passed away earlier this year, I still always feel her presence in our family. I was born in Hong Kong and came to the U.S. when I was 15. I'm now 35 years old.
Q: As you can imagine, many would like to know exactly what your family and friends think of this "hobby" of yours?
Well within my family I think I'm kind of alone in this hobby here lol...my family haven't shown a lot of interests in discus but they have accepted the fact that discus is always "in my blood" so for that I'm grateful. Here's a good example: when I had to expand my setup and eventually turning the whole two-car garage into a discus fishroom I did not receive any objection lol...the only prohibition was I was told to not have any more tank inside our house! Quite a deal isn't it? :)
Q: Before you caught the Discus Bug, did you have any other aquarium hobbies or passions?
I caught on with discus at a very early age when I was about 8-9 years old in Hong Kong. I did raise some common cichlids and koi but that didn't last long at all once I was given a glimpse of the king of the aquarium. I have always been attracted by the high intelligence of this very special species.
Q: What does Kenny Cheung do when he's not playing with the fishes, on the forums, or fielding Fish inquiries on the phone? Do you have any non-fish related hobbies?
I love freshwater fishing a lot. I used to go five time a week fishing for salmons, steelheads, stripers, perch, smallmouth, catfish, etc... at different rivers. But at the moment other than discus I really do not have any spare time to fish. Other than work I'm just putting all my effort into taking care of my family and give them all I could. I would love to be able to fish again in the near future when time allows.
Q: Could you share with us how you got into Discus in first place? When did you actually get your first Discus? when did you breed them?
My dad introduced me to discus when he brought four brown discus home when I was eight in HK. I remember they had 5 bars but with very little color/patterns. At the time in HK they were called "Five Color Discus" and was considered to be quite rare. During those days I was the main food provider; I bought live worms for them and fed them everyday. I remember 50 cents' worth of worms would last for many days. That batch grew from 2" to about 6" in a couple years if I remember correctly. I started breeding them when I was about 16 and my first pair was of the Red Turquoise variety. After I saw wrigglers the first time I think that was when I passed the point of no return!
Q: You've recently taken the big step to becoming a commercial seller . The business... International discus has seen some very inspiring success this year...multiple shipments of quality discus, trophies at the ACA, warehouse moves... Its been an interesting year as seen from the sidelines... can you tell us what it was like being involved in all this?
It was a lot of work but it comes with a lot of fun Al. Before I started selling on your wonderful forum(without Simply none of this would have been possible) I've been selling locally in the SF area for a few years, mostly to casual hobbyists. At first there weren't that many interests but as time went on I was able to meet up with more and more enthusiastic hobbyists like myself and we kind of formed a network locally. When I started selling commercially I also had the honor to meet MANY, MANY great discus hobbyists and many of them are members here. It was definitely overwhelming in the beginning as I have to screen every shipments for quality, acclimate them, take pictures, talk to friends to try to understand exactly what they are looking for, hand-pick fish, pack and deliver them. But the feedback have been quite encouraging. I have told many buyers this and I'll like to say it again here: I understand how difficult it is to buy discus unseen over the net so it is very important for me to order the highest quality possible and deliver the best available to the buyers. Being a buyer myself(when I import shipments) I totally understand this process and I think it made me a better seller as well.
As for the ACA it was also a lot of work but it was well worth it because I got to meet many of my friends there! This was my first year in a discus show so it was quite an eye-catching scene to me. I think to those who have never been in a discus show they really should give it a try as it can be a very enjoyable event. I certainly enjoyed taking part in this year's event. Regarding the newly moved warehouse... it's in the finally stage. It should be completed in a week or two and after that the shipments will be back to normal schedule.
Q: Since going from Hobbyist to commercial seller, you still post many pics of fish with fry...you still come across as a hobbyist.. How do you see yourself now, and where do you see yourself a 1 year or two down the road?
Al, I'm always a hobbyist first and seller second and that will never change, and that comes from my heart. I can honestly say that I can stop selling discus but I don't think I can stop raising discus after all these years! I'm just like all the die-hards out there that every night before I go to bed(usually very late) I have to make sure that all of my fish are well-fed(I use their bellies as an indicator) and that they be given fresh, clean bath. No exception whether I'm tired or sick. I honestly believe if I were not to raise discus I will probably be able to sleep more but my life won't be as fulfilling lol. Breeding has always been the main part of my discus hobby. I just love seeing frys on the pairs' back since that's my ultimate goal for raising discus. To me nothing beats the scene of a healthy batch of frys feeding off their parents, not even a new-release Hollywood A movie! On the commercial side I will always look for the highest quality possible because I have a high standard for my fish along with my customers' fish.
Q: what fish are you most interested in working with?
Currently I'm concentrating in breeding non-pb reds, spotteds and trying my hands on some albinos and I hope to be able to create some nice-looking strains in the future.
Q: As Kenny the Hobbyist, what would you say was your greatest success so far and what would you consider is your biggest goal? What would you like to achieve?
I wouldn't call it a success but I really enjoy raising healthy fish and send them to my friends/customers. I think by doing this I can play a very small part of introducing more discus hobbyists to this wonderful hobby of ours. My goal will always be to raise and import healthy discus that people will enjoy.
Q: What has been most challenging for you? have there been any setbacks for you?
To me the most challenging thing has to be the time that I have to set aside everyday for caring my fish/shipment. It is really not easy to set aside at least 4 hours daily for the fish but because of the long love for this fish I have no complaints lol. I just hope that my fish are grateful to have me as their caregiver lol. As for setbacks, they are plenty and I think one simply cannot escape obstacles in raising discus. Along the journey one will encounter disease problems(who hasn't had a sick fish?), breeding questions, tank setup questions, etc...fortunately today we have a devoted forum like Simply where we can easily find answers for these kind of "setbacks". I remember years ago when the internet has not been developed into today's form everything is only through books or hearsay. It was very time-consuming because everything has to go through trial and error.
Q: Can you share with us what goes on in Kenny's Garage? Many have alluded to some kind of secret fish laboratory where Discus spawn like crazy? Can you elaborate on your setup and your water parameters ?
LOL Al! There's really no secrecy in my small garage fishroom. When it comes to discus spawns I don't do anything different than what most other breeders do. My setup is a very simply one. Individual tanks with pvc fill pipes and drain pipes are connected to the main drain of the house. There's no right or wrong but for me personally the reason why I didn't use a central system initially was because of the risk of contamination. In the future if I have to do it again I will probably build some kind of central system, at least sectional types. I also don't alter ph for juveniles and I keep them at 84-86 temp. Water for pairs I use Ro/Di to bring down the uS/tds. Tank temp for pairs are kept at 82-84.
The so-called magical "breeding bricks" are just myths LOL. It's not worth the $500 a piece that I'm currently asking LOL. j/k
Q. What kinds of foods do you feed your discus and what is your feeding regime?
I feed all of my fish BH+shrimp mix, FBWs, CBWs, pellets and flakes. I think to be able to get consistent spawns from pairs they need to be given a variety of nutritious food. Pairs are fed 2-3 times per day and juveniles are fed ~ 5 times daily.
Q: Is there any advice that you would like to give to Hobbyists out there just getting into Discus?
Al I don't think I'm qualified to give out advice as I still have much to learn yet. But for those that are thinking about getting into discus I would like to say for them not to be afraid about discus being hard to keep, as they really aren't if you do the basics like keeping the water quality high and feed them well. When possible buy your new discus from local sellers and hand-pick them out yourself. Choose those strains that you like and pick out the ones that have nice shape, good eye size, and those that are staying near the front of the tank looking at you when you approach their tanks(that's a good indicator of a healthy discus). If no local high quality sellers are available in your area you can check out many of the sponsors here on this site as many of them are hobbyists as well. During inquiry tell them exactly what you're looking for as far as strains/size goes and I'm sure our sponsors will do the very best in providing you with high quality fish that you'll enjoy for years.
Q: Are there any people that you would like to recognize as being a role model or teacher for you?
Definitely there are quite a few mentors that I'd like to thank from the bottom of my heart over the years. First Herman Chan of Fairy Lake Discus gave me so much advice when the internet was not readily available yet. Phil a.k.a Crimson Cross here on this site will always be a master and a good friend of mine. Mario a.k.a. turkis is another legend that gave me tons of pointers. Al of Simplydiscus, a.k.a brewmaster15 showed me what a classy person is like and has also taught me lots of things that are discus-related. Mr. Dick Au turned me into a better discus breeder & seller with his invaluable advice and knowledge. I would like to thank them all again and without them there would be no loverboy, International Discus or Discus Kenny. They will forever be a big part of my discus journey and it was my true honor getting to know them all.
Q: These spotlights are a great way to read about members in the hobby, but most also like to look at the photos, so... I'd like to ask you to share with some photos...so please post away.....
Al please accept my apology as I haven't taken many pictures lately because of the relocation of the warehouse. I will take some pictures of the new warehouse and my fish and post them soon I promise. :-)
Again thank you so much for allowing me to share this little world of mine here with all you discus friends. I wish everyone nothing but the very best and let us raise some monster discus together!
Thank you Al!
Kenny
International Discus
As promised ...heres September's Spotlight on Kenny Cheung... I know its now October but we caught Kenny at a Busy Time .. in any case... here is our interview of the month...
Q: Kenny, first let me thank you for taking time to talk with us and for being the subject of this month's Spotlight...Its much appreciated
Al, first of all let me sincerely thank You and all the Simply members for giving me the opportunity to participate in this. I'm truly honored to be here.
Q: I think the first thing we'd like to ask is about your family. Can you tell us about them...Who are the people behind Kenny Cheung?
Sure Al. My family consists of myself, my wife, my older(and only) sister, my dad and my mom. Even though my mom, who was the most important person to me my whole life, passed away earlier this year, I still always feel her presence in our family. I was born in Hong Kong and came to the U.S. when I was 15. I'm now 35 years old.
Q: As you can imagine, many would like to know exactly what your family and friends think of this "hobby" of yours?
Well within my family I think I'm kind of alone in this hobby here lol...my family haven't shown a lot of interests in discus but they have accepted the fact that discus is always "in my blood" so for that I'm grateful. Here's a good example: when I had to expand my setup and eventually turning the whole two-car garage into a discus fishroom I did not receive any objection lol...the only prohibition was I was told to not have any more tank inside our house! Quite a deal isn't it? :)
Q: Before you caught the Discus Bug, did you have any other aquarium hobbies or passions?
I caught on with discus at a very early age when I was about 8-9 years old in Hong Kong. I did raise some common cichlids and koi but that didn't last long at all once I was given a glimpse of the king of the aquarium. I have always been attracted by the high intelligence of this very special species.
Q: What does Kenny Cheung do when he's not playing with the fishes, on the forums, or fielding Fish inquiries on the phone? Do you have any non-fish related hobbies?
I love freshwater fishing a lot. I used to go five time a week fishing for salmons, steelheads, stripers, perch, smallmouth, catfish, etc... at different rivers. But at the moment other than discus I really do not have any spare time to fish. Other than work I'm just putting all my effort into taking care of my family and give them all I could. I would love to be able to fish again in the near future when time allows.
Q: Could you share with us how you got into Discus in first place? When did you actually get your first Discus? when did you breed them?
My dad introduced me to discus when he brought four brown discus home when I was eight in HK. I remember they had 5 bars but with very little color/patterns. At the time in HK they were called "Five Color Discus" and was considered to be quite rare. During those days I was the main food provider; I bought live worms for them and fed them everyday. I remember 50 cents' worth of worms would last for many days. That batch grew from 2" to about 6" in a couple years if I remember correctly. I started breeding them when I was about 16 and my first pair was of the Red Turquoise variety. After I saw wrigglers the first time I think that was when I passed the point of no return!
Q: You've recently taken the big step to becoming a commercial seller . The business... International discus has seen some very inspiring success this year...multiple shipments of quality discus, trophies at the ACA, warehouse moves... Its been an interesting year as seen from the sidelines... can you tell us what it was like being involved in all this?
It was a lot of work but it comes with a lot of fun Al. Before I started selling on your wonderful forum(without Simply none of this would have been possible) I've been selling locally in the SF area for a few years, mostly to casual hobbyists. At first there weren't that many interests but as time went on I was able to meet up with more and more enthusiastic hobbyists like myself and we kind of formed a network locally. When I started selling commercially I also had the honor to meet MANY, MANY great discus hobbyists and many of them are members here. It was definitely overwhelming in the beginning as I have to screen every shipments for quality, acclimate them, take pictures, talk to friends to try to understand exactly what they are looking for, hand-pick fish, pack and deliver them. But the feedback have been quite encouraging. I have told many buyers this and I'll like to say it again here: I understand how difficult it is to buy discus unseen over the net so it is very important for me to order the highest quality possible and deliver the best available to the buyers. Being a buyer myself(when I import shipments) I totally understand this process and I think it made me a better seller as well.
As for the ACA it was also a lot of work but it was well worth it because I got to meet many of my friends there! This was my first year in a discus show so it was quite an eye-catching scene to me. I think to those who have never been in a discus show they really should give it a try as it can be a very enjoyable event. I certainly enjoyed taking part in this year's event. Regarding the newly moved warehouse... it's in the finally stage. It should be completed in a week or two and after that the shipments will be back to normal schedule.
Q: Since going from Hobbyist to commercial seller, you still post many pics of fish with fry...you still come across as a hobbyist.. How do you see yourself now, and where do you see yourself a 1 year or two down the road?
Al, I'm always a hobbyist first and seller second and that will never change, and that comes from my heart. I can honestly say that I can stop selling discus but I don't think I can stop raising discus after all these years! I'm just like all the die-hards out there that every night before I go to bed(usually very late) I have to make sure that all of my fish are well-fed(I use their bellies as an indicator) and that they be given fresh, clean bath. No exception whether I'm tired or sick. I honestly believe if I were not to raise discus I will probably be able to sleep more but my life won't be as fulfilling lol. Breeding has always been the main part of my discus hobby. I just love seeing frys on the pairs' back since that's my ultimate goal for raising discus. To me nothing beats the scene of a healthy batch of frys feeding off their parents, not even a new-release Hollywood A movie! On the commercial side I will always look for the highest quality possible because I have a high standard for my fish along with my customers' fish.
Q: what fish are you most interested in working with?
Currently I'm concentrating in breeding non-pb reds, spotteds and trying my hands on some albinos and I hope to be able to create some nice-looking strains in the future.
Q: As Kenny the Hobbyist, what would you say was your greatest success so far and what would you consider is your biggest goal? What would you like to achieve?
I wouldn't call it a success but I really enjoy raising healthy fish and send them to my friends/customers. I think by doing this I can play a very small part of introducing more discus hobbyists to this wonderful hobby of ours. My goal will always be to raise and import healthy discus that people will enjoy.
Q: What has been most challenging for you? have there been any setbacks for you?
To me the most challenging thing has to be the time that I have to set aside everyday for caring my fish/shipment. It is really not easy to set aside at least 4 hours daily for the fish but because of the long love for this fish I have no complaints lol. I just hope that my fish are grateful to have me as their caregiver lol. As for setbacks, they are plenty and I think one simply cannot escape obstacles in raising discus. Along the journey one will encounter disease problems(who hasn't had a sick fish?), breeding questions, tank setup questions, etc...fortunately today we have a devoted forum like Simply where we can easily find answers for these kind of "setbacks". I remember years ago when the internet has not been developed into today's form everything is only through books or hearsay. It was very time-consuming because everything has to go through trial and error.
Q: Can you share with us what goes on in Kenny's Garage? Many have alluded to some kind of secret fish laboratory where Discus spawn like crazy? Can you elaborate on your setup and your water parameters ?
LOL Al! There's really no secrecy in my small garage fishroom. When it comes to discus spawns I don't do anything different than what most other breeders do. My setup is a very simply one. Individual tanks with pvc fill pipes and drain pipes are connected to the main drain of the house. There's no right or wrong but for me personally the reason why I didn't use a central system initially was because of the risk of contamination. In the future if I have to do it again I will probably build some kind of central system, at least sectional types. I also don't alter ph for juveniles and I keep them at 84-86 temp. Water for pairs I use Ro/Di to bring down the uS/tds. Tank temp for pairs are kept at 82-84.
The so-called magical "breeding bricks" are just myths LOL. It's not worth the $500 a piece that I'm currently asking LOL. j/k
Q. What kinds of foods do you feed your discus and what is your feeding regime?
I feed all of my fish BH+shrimp mix, FBWs, CBWs, pellets and flakes. I think to be able to get consistent spawns from pairs they need to be given a variety of nutritious food. Pairs are fed 2-3 times per day and juveniles are fed ~ 5 times daily.
Q: Is there any advice that you would like to give to Hobbyists out there just getting into Discus?
Al I don't think I'm qualified to give out advice as I still have much to learn yet. But for those that are thinking about getting into discus I would like to say for them not to be afraid about discus being hard to keep, as they really aren't if you do the basics like keeping the water quality high and feed them well. When possible buy your new discus from local sellers and hand-pick them out yourself. Choose those strains that you like and pick out the ones that have nice shape, good eye size, and those that are staying near the front of the tank looking at you when you approach their tanks(that's a good indicator of a healthy discus). If no local high quality sellers are available in your area you can check out many of the sponsors here on this site as many of them are hobbyists as well. During inquiry tell them exactly what you're looking for as far as strains/size goes and I'm sure our sponsors will do the very best in providing you with high quality fish that you'll enjoy for years.
Q: Are there any people that you would like to recognize as being a role model or teacher for you?
Definitely there are quite a few mentors that I'd like to thank from the bottom of my heart over the years. First Herman Chan of Fairy Lake Discus gave me so much advice when the internet was not readily available yet. Phil a.k.a Crimson Cross here on this site will always be a master and a good friend of mine. Mario a.k.a. turkis is another legend that gave me tons of pointers. Al of Simplydiscus, a.k.a brewmaster15 showed me what a classy person is like and has also taught me lots of things that are discus-related. Mr. Dick Au turned me into a better discus breeder & seller with his invaluable advice and knowledge. I would like to thank them all again and without them there would be no loverboy, International Discus or Discus Kenny. They will forever be a big part of my discus journey and it was my true honor getting to know them all.
Q: These spotlights are a great way to read about members in the hobby, but most also like to look at the photos, so... I'd like to ask you to share with some photos...so please post away.....
Al please accept my apology as I haven't taken many pictures lately because of the relocation of the warehouse. I will take some pictures of the new warehouse and my fish and post them soon I promise. :-)
Again thank you so much for allowing me to share this little world of mine here with all you discus friends. I wish everyone nothing but the very best and let us raise some monster discus together!
Thank you Al!
Kenny
International Discus