happygirl65
02-09-2008, 09:54 AM
How about a thread or sticky about how to choose a discus seller for people like me who HAVE to get them online or nowhere at all.:)
I learned a valuable lesson. When I first posted about where to find a good seller I was directed to check out "any of the sponsors" here and I wish I had stayed within those realms but before this experience I didn't know WHY I should buy from sponsors.
Surely there must be some sellers who are just so busy producing quality fish that they don't have time to post messages on the internet....right??? There probably are but mine wasn't one of them.
So, here are things that will be red flags to me in the future:
1. Make sure the seller offers overnight shipping or airport pickup. You need to get these guys to you ASAP, the longer they are in the bag, the more stressed and damaged they become.
2. Make sure the seller tells you exactly how they will package and ship them and doesnt just offer some glib response about how proud they are of their packaging and how you will see when they arrive just how great it is....IME it wasn't that great. Trust is earned and if you have no experience with them then you don't really know. And make sure that they are well fed but then fasted for 24 hours before shipping or they will foul the shipping water quickly. Individually bagged is also best. **note**airtight closure of the bags is important, zip ties do not keep much air in the bags! :mad: Rubber bands are better.
3. Anyone who says the fish can live for up to a week in the bag is feeding you a line, don't buy it.
4. Ask for more pictures. Even if it is an overall pic of the tank with tons of juves in it, you can at least see what to expect when they arrive. One very pretty picture of an adult of the same strain is asolutely NO indication of what YOU will get.
5. Ask about the pH and KH of the tank they are currently in and choose a seller that is at least CLOSE to what conditions you will be replicating at home. (Perhaps try to get the QT as close as possible and then slowly acclimate them over a period of time via small adjustments during water changes.)
6. If you can work with a sponsor here, do because they are already here helping people who have never paid them a penny which proves that they care to begin with. This is important because getting them to you is just the beginning. And a little support goes a long way.:)
7. READ READ READ reviews on this site and others. I had not seen a review about my seller...you can't really trust the reviews on their own site....they could have made them up for all you know.:o after I got the fish I found a thread with some not so good reviews and it made me sick to my stomach. And if you don't see a review about a seller you are interested in ASK....start a thread and ask!
8. Ask more questions about their arive alive guarantee....it should include IMO if possible fish that are struggling for survival, missing body parts or very badly damaged. No one wants to believe that their fish will be DOA but almost DOA is worse IMO because you have to nurse it back to health and may not know how! If it dies after delivery you have nothing. So make sure you know what you are in for. (My first seller made me prove they were dead by putting a toothpick through them and taking pics...it literally made me cry :( I was already upset that they were dead to begin with but he couldn't just take my word for it or even a picture of the fish out of water. I was sick the rest of the day.)
9. Find out what these fish are eating and get some so that they recognize the food you are giving them. The seller should be able to tell you how often they are eating and what. Then you will have an idea of how well fed they are to begin with. You don't want a half starved fish that will waste away after delivery.
10. A sellers assurance of the absense of any disease or parasite is no substitute for a proper QT. Stress can cause ailments and it is way easier to treat and observe for the need to treat in a smaller QT tank.
I hope this helps some of you avoid the problems I have encountered!
:)
I learned a valuable lesson. When I first posted about where to find a good seller I was directed to check out "any of the sponsors" here and I wish I had stayed within those realms but before this experience I didn't know WHY I should buy from sponsors.
Surely there must be some sellers who are just so busy producing quality fish that they don't have time to post messages on the internet....right??? There probably are but mine wasn't one of them.
So, here are things that will be red flags to me in the future:
1. Make sure the seller offers overnight shipping or airport pickup. You need to get these guys to you ASAP, the longer they are in the bag, the more stressed and damaged they become.
2. Make sure the seller tells you exactly how they will package and ship them and doesnt just offer some glib response about how proud they are of their packaging and how you will see when they arrive just how great it is....IME it wasn't that great. Trust is earned and if you have no experience with them then you don't really know. And make sure that they are well fed but then fasted for 24 hours before shipping or they will foul the shipping water quickly. Individually bagged is also best. **note**airtight closure of the bags is important, zip ties do not keep much air in the bags! :mad: Rubber bands are better.
3. Anyone who says the fish can live for up to a week in the bag is feeding you a line, don't buy it.
4. Ask for more pictures. Even if it is an overall pic of the tank with tons of juves in it, you can at least see what to expect when they arrive. One very pretty picture of an adult of the same strain is asolutely NO indication of what YOU will get.
5. Ask about the pH and KH of the tank they are currently in and choose a seller that is at least CLOSE to what conditions you will be replicating at home. (Perhaps try to get the QT as close as possible and then slowly acclimate them over a period of time via small adjustments during water changes.)
6. If you can work with a sponsor here, do because they are already here helping people who have never paid them a penny which proves that they care to begin with. This is important because getting them to you is just the beginning. And a little support goes a long way.:)
7. READ READ READ reviews on this site and others. I had not seen a review about my seller...you can't really trust the reviews on their own site....they could have made them up for all you know.:o after I got the fish I found a thread with some not so good reviews and it made me sick to my stomach. And if you don't see a review about a seller you are interested in ASK....start a thread and ask!
8. Ask more questions about their arive alive guarantee....it should include IMO if possible fish that are struggling for survival, missing body parts or very badly damaged. No one wants to believe that their fish will be DOA but almost DOA is worse IMO because you have to nurse it back to health and may not know how! If it dies after delivery you have nothing. So make sure you know what you are in for. (My first seller made me prove they were dead by putting a toothpick through them and taking pics...it literally made me cry :( I was already upset that they were dead to begin with but he couldn't just take my word for it or even a picture of the fish out of water. I was sick the rest of the day.)
9. Find out what these fish are eating and get some so that they recognize the food you are giving them. The seller should be able to tell you how often they are eating and what. Then you will have an idea of how well fed they are to begin with. You don't want a half starved fish that will waste away after delivery.
10. A sellers assurance of the absense of any disease or parasite is no substitute for a proper QT. Stress can cause ailments and it is way easier to treat and observe for the need to treat in a smaller QT tank.
I hope this helps some of you avoid the problems I have encountered!
:)