Has anyone bought Discus from LiveAquaria.com?

[Jim Curtis]

Hello everyone, my first time posting here.

I've had a pair of discus for about 2 months now in a 55gal tank with a group of tetras. The reason I only have a pair is so far those were the only 2 fish I have been able to find locally that meet my requirements for size/color/quality. I have had no luck tracking down decent fish. There really is only one good LFS in my area for Discus. I purchased my pair of snakeskin discus from them but everytime I've gone back Snakeskins/royal blues and turquoise have been all they had in stock, with Maybe one or two other oddballs. I want a more colorful fish, a bit more variety. Im really interested in a set of Pigeon Bloods or maybe even red marlboros or Royal Reds.

As a result im considering ordering 3 pigeon bloods from LiveAquaria, unless anyone has any reasons why I shouldnt or can point me in a better direction. I'm looking for fish about 3-3 1/2 inches.

Thanks,
Jim

And for those who are going to ask, The two fish are getting along well except the sligthly smaller one gets bullied after they are fed. It usually cools off within a few minutes and they get back to being buddies again..

[Jim Curtis]

Ok, Well I found a thread that kind of helped me answer my question. The only problem is they mostly just threw out names of people I dont know. However it did point me to the direction of this site and these fish.
http://www.choiceaquariums.com/products/pigeon_blue

The only issue I have is that the fish pictured are all very inconsistent as far as pattern and color go. I see what I want but I may well end up with the nearly solid red fish which is not what I want...

But still, its nearly $70 less including shipping.. I dont know what to Do.. I really want pigeon bloods.

[*Polka dots roc*]

I would say order from someone on simply ex. Kenny, April and lots of others. I don't know anything about LiveAquaria so can't comment on that. But if you get discus from a simply sponsor you'll be assured good quality:D

[Ed13]

...if you get discus from a simply sponsor you'll be assured good quality:D

Worth repeating!

[Jim Curtis]

I posted a reply earlier but for some reason its not showing up. But anyway. Who is April? Sorry but that really is not that helpful. If you could give me links that would be.


I found Choice Aquariums being discussed in another thread and I found fish that sort of fit the bill. I made a post earlier but its not showing up, I guess because I linked to a site? Anyway, it looks kind of promising. They have something that interests me, Pigeon Blues. The price is good and the shipping is more than fair, BUT The pic that they have posted of a tank full of Pigeon Blues. The fish coloring is really inconsistent. Half of them look like what i'm looking for while the other half do not. I dont want to end up with a bunch of the boring looking solid red fish.

So if Kenny or April want to sell me 3 Pigeon Bloods or something similar im up for it. Im located near Buffalo, Ny. Where are they?

[*Polka dots roc*]

hmm.. not sure but heres Kenny's email/number if you want to phone him and find out..(650) 290-1283 and http://kennysdiscus.net/
He's a great guy to deal with
Hope something works out for you:D
And if this is what you are talking about I'm not sure of the quality http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=830+834

[Jim Curtis]

According to Kennys website he dosent even have any fish. But thanks.

Yea that was the site I was talking about originally, Live aquaria. I think I may have to just take a bit of a risk and order from them.

[brewmaster15]

Jim,
Many of our sponsors like Kenny frequently import and sell out fast...My advice ....go thru our sponsor section and see what the sponsors have been selling and what members have said about them... and then contact those that have been dealing in fish you like...odds are if they don't have them...they will shortly ..

Take your time in finding the stock you want...its worth waiting for fish from a reputable source...rather than giving in to the "i want discus now" urge..

hth,
al

[stallion150]

hey Jim, I bought two discus form liveaquaria back in February---they fish were really well packed and were healthy. It was a pleasant experience.

[dwilder]

i would stay away from discus from LiveAquaria if i remeber right i dont think they get their discus from very reputable people and the sponsors here get gorgeous fish that youll be very happy with

[*Polka dots roc*]

looking at their stock I'm a little confused will one of you discus experts tell me if I'm wrong or not.. the neon blue looks like either a cobalt or a blue diamond to me and the picture of the red turq is the same picture as the ocean green... ok and last but not least is their blue diamond a blue diamond it to me doesn't look like it?

[April]

choice aquarium is good. contact www.greatlakesdiscus.com. hes they gu..who works there. hes in michigan. if im correct..hes the discus god of usa. he also has homebred ones. best to call and ask for cary or call kenny.
im the april they speak of..but i cant be of any help to you. im in canada. but my discus are supplied to me by kennys discus. kenny will have stock very soon . he sells out..but he puts up his list here on simplydiscus under kennysdiscus in sponsor section. a phonecall or an im and he will go out of his way to please. theres alot of new strains now..cleaner and clearer versions of the old pigeons. less pepper etc. example red covers or melons or red golden diamonds are the newer version of marlboros.
theres others on here as well who have beautiful discus. inlcuding brewmaster the admin and owner..whos in connecticut and jack of discus kc or angela and andrew of green country . etc etc. go to the sponsor section here and have a look. theres also dan who has a new discus warehouse . etc. all the sponsors are screened and have to live up to a code of ethics etc and htey go out of their way to please as we are all simply members.
live aquaria and others..are online stores which get their fish from clearing houses or big farms . the big farms..get the lower grade fish from the breeders who wouldnt sell to people like kenny etc. you are also dealing with big stores who have employees who dont know discus at all. just filling orders.
the sponsors on here also carefully do proper quarantine procedures to be sure the discus are healthy and not ill . alot of discus from lfs and big suppliers have fish coming in from different sources and they can be carrying pathogens which are transferrable to your stock .

[White Worm]

On Simply Discus front page, scroll down where it says simply sponsors. If one of the sponsors doesnt have what you are looking for or know where to get it, it doesnt exist. No where else are you going to find a higher quality mail order system for discus then in simply's sponsor section. You can pre-order with Kenny and he will do his best to notify you when his monthly shipments come in and then he will most likely hold them for you. You just have to let him know what you want ahead of time because they go fast!!

[Jim Curtis]

Thanks April. I thought I knew what I wanted but it seems there is a ton of variety within each species and the common names seem to be nearly useless.

Polka Dot if you want confusion check out choice aquariums, they have about 12 different names listed and the difference between about 6 of them is nothing that I can see.

All I know is im looking for a pigeon blood pattern with yellow, white and red around 3". Hopefully delivered for under $150.

Like this, but there are quite a few similar looks that I would accept..
http://www.cichlids.com/uploads/tx_usercichlids/01_l_a583bab3717c56edcbfcc9902d74d31e.jpg

[White Worm]

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=65222
Post 15 & 17

[Jim Curtis]

Waaaay out of my price range. If thats typical of what he charges I'm back to square one. I understand those are superb quality and large fish but thats why I specified 3" fish as being what im looking for. It looks like he deals in larger sizes.

[*Polka dots roc*]

Actually he has 3" fish just not that strain for that shipment. If you look at the top of the page there is 3" fish and cheeper pricing...

[kaceyo]

Hi Jim,
I don't know why you were refered to posts 15 and 17 as they are not even close to what you're looking for. Check out some checkerboard pigeons, I think Dan at Gulf Coast Discus has some 2 or 3 inchers for $30, and some 4" golden sunrise for $40. Well worth a look.

Kacey

[seanyuki]

Hi Jim,

Kenny last shipment has bigger discus than usual....just wait for his up coming shipment...perhaps some discus may interest you....Good luck to your next purchase.

Cheers
Francis:)



Waaaay out of my price range. If thats typical of what he charges I'm back to square one. I understand those are superb quality and large fish but thats why I specified 3" fish as being what im looking for. It looks like he deals in larger sizes.

[Kenny's Discus]

Hi Nicole, Ed, Al, April, Mike, Francis; thanks so much for the kind referral and comments.

Hi Jim, after April this is Kenny here. How are you doing?

Yes the last Aug shipment of mine, the strains were mostly of bigger size fish and newer strains. Looking at the pigeon picture that you posted, it seems like you're basically looking for the older pigeon strain. Most sponsors/sellers on this forum carry some form of pigeons at most times, and I dare to say the quality of them will far surpass your expectation. Cary at Choice, Michael at Central Ohio Discus, Angela/Andrew at Green Country Discus, Hans of Discus Hans, Jack at Discus KC, Dan of Gulfcoastdiscus, etc...and the list goes on and on...all you have to do is like what Mike said, click on any sponsor's link on this page and browse around their sales threads/ read the feedbacks by their customers. You will be happy ordering from any of them, as they have high ethics and also know their fish well.

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/

Sometimes, you might also be able to find good quality discus releasing by experienced home breeders at reasonable prices in the Buy, Sell, and Trade section on this site, for example:

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=65280

In all honesty we are all just trying to help here as like Al said, we've together seen many similar cases when new hobbyists could not resist the urge of needing to have the fish right away(without doing their homework), and then end up feeling disappointed afterwards.

Although this following shipment of mine were also sold-out, you can see that discus prices are mostly determined by rarity of strains and sizes. Rarity could mean strains that are newer on the market, thus in shorter supply, that were created after years/generations of work by the breeders. As for sizes for instance a 4" fish can sometimes be double in price as compared to the 3" ones. It takes more time, food, effort to grow a 3" inch fish to 4" as compared to from 1" to 2".

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=63918

Lastly, you can also expect fish coming from different breeders to have different pricing.

Take care and happy discus shopping Jim! Hope this helps.

Kenny

[Jim Curtis]

Thanks Kenny. I am a bit anxious to get a few more discus in that big bowl to help ease a bit of the tension between the two boys I have now. But they have havnt killed eachother yet and its been a few weeks so I guess I could hold off awhile. I would like to get 3" fish while mine are still close to that size. Im not really a fan of the newer strands, they seems a bit boring to me but I guess people who have been in the hobby for awhile are just looking for something different...

When are you expecting another shipment?

[White Worm]

I want a more colorful fish, a bit more variety. Im really interested in a set of Pigeon Bloods or maybe even red marlboros or Royal Reds.

or can point me in a better direction. I'm looking for fish about 3-3 1/2 inches.
..
I might have been a little off on size but we all change our minds once we see something we like even if it wasnt the size we were thinking.



I dont want to end up with a bunch of the boring looking solid red fish.



I thought I knew what I wanted but it seems there is a ton of variety within each species and the common names seem to be nearly useless.

All I know is im looking for a pigeon blood pattern with yellow, white and red around 3". Hopefully delivered for under $150.

but there are quite a few similar looks that I would accept..



http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=65222
Post 15 & 17

All things considered, I'd say I was pretty close. I didnt take the time to check all the available sizes and prices (ahh, whats a couple extra bucks?). ;)



I don't know why you were refered to posts 15 and 17 as they are not even close to what you're looking for. Kacey

Wow, you know what he wants more than he does, lol. :grin:

[OIF03VET]

Did anyone else see the Wild discus on LiveAquaria.com for $229! Yikes for the price of four you could probably fly down there and catch your own.

[*Polka dots roc*]

lol

[kaceyo]

Wow, you know what he wants more than he does, lol. :grin:

Hi WW,
After re-reading my post I see that I did come off a bit critical there, and I apologize. It wasn't meant that way. I was just going by his discription of what he wanted, a yellow, white and red pigeon in the $30 range.
I really don't think it matters who he gets his fish from as far as Simply sponcers go. It's just a matter of who has that type of fish in and I remembered Dan's thread.
Searching the various suppliers is a big part of the fun IMO. So take your time and enjoy!

Kacey

[White Worm]

I've read enough of your posts to know that you werent making an attack Kacey, no problem. :) I agree, it doesnt make a difference which sponsor as long as its here at simply because we know the quality that comes with them. Many times I have gone to buy something (not just discus) with a price, size, manufacturer, etc in mind only to find that I wanted better quality, size, shape, practicality (is that a word?), etc when I'm there in person and that usually comes with a higher price. I'm a Kenny fan by personal experience and I just remember those standing out to me when I first scanned the photos. OOHHHH, but those reds too, wow! Nope, havent purchased from LiveAquaria but why would I, lol. I'm sure one of the sponsors will be able to fit the bill pretty closely to what you dream of swimming around in your tank Jim. :thumbsup:
Edit: I remember the first time I went to buy quality discus (not lfs). Was thinking of smallish discus to work with in the cheaper range.....got them but also walked away with a beautiful pair for $200, lol.

[April]

another point that everyone is forgetting is..you have two discus from where? and how recent? from a lfs? they could carry a pathogen that they are immune to..and if you add new fish without quarantine..the new ones could become ill. or..if you got from liveaquaria..they could be carriers and not show it..and your other ones or all could become very ill and lose all of them.
the sponsors fish are quarantined and safer..but adding them to fairly newly acquired fish who have been mixed with alot of fish from clearing houses, fish farms, wholesalers etc..could be bad news. best way to start with new fish is a new tank,.new fish..group of 6.
i know..your anxious to add a few more to make a group of all your fish togeather..and all could go well..but when it doesnt..its exremely upsetting. a bunch of black huddled fish in a corner from skin infections or other pathogens.
if youve had them for say over 6 months..then id say fairly safe as long as you havent added any new fish or plants for a long time. we've all been through it..and most of us have had to deal with one disease or issue at least once..and its not fun.
we are all just trying to help you with a good experience discus are very enjoyable when they are healthy happy and eating and thats the way it should be.

[kaceyo]

Absolutley right April. QT is a must. I don't think it matters if you've had your current fish 2weeks, 2 months or a year. Always QT new incoming fish.

Kacey

[Jim Curtis]

So you're saying to throw my fish out? Ive had them for about 6 weeks and they show no signs of illness. They were in a 20 gal QT tank until about 2 weeks ago.

Im confused by what you are trying to tell me. I shouldnt buy fish from the sponsers then? They get sick easily?

[*Polka dots roc*]

what shes saying is that when you but new fish you need to qt them before even thinking about putting them near you other fish... if you don't you could end up spreading disease and even end up with dead fish.

[kaceyo]

Don't throw out your fish, LOL! Anytime you buy new fish they should be kept in a QT tank, seperate from your current fish, for at least 6 weeks, even if both groups of fish are 100% healthy. They can pass on diseases to each other that each are immune to but the other group, new or old, aren;t able to deal with.

Kacey

[Jim Curtis]

Im not new to keeping fish, just Discus. My fish are not sick. You guys are being somewhat nieve to think that all Discus bought outside of this forum are low quality crap. For all we know my LFS bought his fish from a forum sponsor. Everything is going to be ok guys. Have faith in me.

[*Polka dots roc*]

thats not what we are saying even fish bought on the forum have to be qt this is because a fish that you have had could be immune to a disease but not a disease onthe new fish whether it be through the forum or not.:D not saying to throw out your fish or that fish bought anywhere else are crap. They probably are gorgeous fish:D:D
I would really like to see pictures of your two fish if you can...?:D

[April]

ok well..add the new fish to your old fish. chances are it will all go well. if not..well the ones who got sick are the innocent ones. if your old ones get sick..the new guys were the cause. if your new ones get sick..its the old ones who were carriers. they can look perfectly healhty but at one time had a virus or pathogen and are carriers.
the reason we all say that..is we all started with a few discus from a lfs. most of us learnt by having issues .
.
another place you could look..is craigslist. theres quite often alot of people in your area who decided to sellt heir discus off tank and all. sometimes you can get nice big discus all grown out and supplies etc for great deals. or look in the selling section here..as some members for whatever reason have to sell off their fish to move or w.h.y.

[DiscusOnly]

Jim,

You appeared frustrated and this thread is getting all over the place.

Let's recap.

#1. Your original question is feedback on LiveAquaria.com for Discus.

There is livestock section on this site and if you do a search, you will not find a lot of review (positive or negative) on LiveAquaria.com's discus. To me, that said a lot. It's a red flag for me that I would be taking higher risks in ordering Discus from them. In term of quality and shipping. Remember, you are ordering discus without the ability see and hand pick what you want like you would have with someone local. This brings you to point #2

#2. People quickly responded with recommendations on using one of the sponsor. Please don't take it as members here trying to tell you that you absolutely have to buy from a Simply sponsor. The recommendation is based on positive experience that folks have in dealing with the sponsor here. In my experience with sponsors here, THEY GO OUT OF THEIR WAY to make sure that you have a good experience getting discus from them. I don't think you are going to get that type of service from LiveAquaria. I believe most of the sponsor here are going for repeat business. Not only do they bring in quality discus but they are able to do proper QT and prep work to deliver strong discus. A LFS may even get strong healthy discus from one of the sponsor here, what happens 2 weeks later is a different story.

#3. I don't believe anyone said that the 2 Discus you currently have is inferior to any discus that sponsor are offering. People merely suggest that since you already have discus, make sure you QT any new discus you get (from whomever you wish to get them from). It's so true that it's easier to start out with no discus to get new discus then it is to have some and you add more. DO YOU HAVE TO QT? NO.. that's your decision but it does increase the risk of getting either some or all your discus sick. I am sure there are member here that have gone without QT and I'll be honest and say that I have done it myself without problem. How did I get away without QT? I was LUCKY! that's all.. I could do it again and get lucky again but it's a risk each time. It's a coin toss.

Bottom line is that.

1. It's too risky to order Discus from LiveAquaria (not enough positive feedback).
2. QT your new discus to reduce risks of killing all your fish.

[*Polka dots roc*]

well said

[Jim Curtis]

"another point that everyone is forgetting is..you have two discus from where? and how recent? from a lfs? they could carry a pathogen that they are immune to..and if you add new fish without quarantine..the new ones could become ill. or..if you got from liveaquaria..they could be carriers and not show it..and your other ones or all could become very ill and lose all of them.
the sponsors fish are quarantined and safer..but adding them to fairly newly acquired fish who have been mixed with alot of fish from clearing houses, fish farms, wholesalers etc..could be bad news. best way to start with new fish is a new tank,.new fish..group of 6. "

This is the post I was replying to...

I do QT my fish. I have had a bad experience in the past when I didnt. The automatic assumption that I didnt QT my fish is annoying.

"best way to start with new fish is a new tank,.new fish..group of 6. "

Huh?!

I really dont understand what you guys are trying to tell me. This person said to set up a new tank and start from scratch. Not going to happen. I dont have room for another large tank. I do QT my fish. I put my Discus in with a school of tetra. The tetra are still alive. My fish are healthy. Im not going to post photos, mostly because all I have a cell phone camera, but also because im not interested in what you think of my fish. I know they are healthy. I do a ton of reading on fish keeping. I know the basics as do my parents who have kept aquariums for years. When I was a kid we had a house full of tanks including a 125 gallon reef tank. Granted Discus keeping is different, but I've done my research. I really dont want to mail order fish, I trust my LFS, I'll ask him where he gets his discus from if you want.

I know about fishless cycling. I test my water frequently, I can spot disease. You guys are laying into me worse than you did the guy who bought 10 discus and threw them into an uncycled 50 gallon.

I honestly dont want to buy full grown Discus. Having them grow is part of the fun for me...

[*Polka dots roc*]

me too:D I love watching them grow. I'm sorry If we came on a little strong... actually I just got fish from kenny's last shipment beautiful fish and really if thats what your getting than great.:D

[Jim Curtis]

Id be more than happy to buy from Kenny if I dont find what I want somewhere else first. I'm not trying to be a jerk, I can handle criticsm, and I wont be buying from Live Aquaria.

Thanks everyone for your help. I think this thread has run its course. I got the answer I wanted plus plenty of extra...

[April]

well that was me..sorry if i came off wrong. you have two..you said they are sparring. two youngsters dont do well togeather..hence thats why you wanted more. three is not good either..four still theres alot of dominancy..the reason i said a group of 6 is it spreads the aggression better and they feel more secure in a group . but 5 would do . just better to get them all at one time from the same source.
as far as where they get their fish..its not impossible they get them from a sponsor. hans of discus hans usa wholesales german discus to alot of lfs in north america.
if you can get them soon as a new shipment comes in..then of course thats the best time as good selection and you can handpick the strongest and best ones.
sometimes typing on a forum , I dont come off as well as speaking. if you have alot of experience..then im sure you will do well .
the only reason we react..is we have heard sad stories over and over of people collecting at different times..adding new fish..and then having issues.

[Jim Curtis]

I dont mind suggestions. But I find it hard to believe that people dont add to an aquarium after the initial stocking. What if a few fish were to die? Either flush what you have left or wait til the last one is dead before getting anymore? I understand that there is a small risk of disease, but theres also a small risk of me getting run over on my way to the store. IMO, There is such a thing as being overly cautious. The whole point of keeping fish is enjoyment. It gets to a point where you may as well just go to the grocery store and stare at the lobster tank.

Is there anything else I can do within reason to decrease the risk of spreading disease between 2 different batches of fish?

[White Worm]

I do QT my fish. I have had a bad experience in the past when I didnt. The automatic assumption that I didnt QT my fish is annoying.

"best way to start with new fish is a new tank,.new fish..group of 6. "

Huh?!

I really dont understand what you guys are trying to tell me. This person said to set up a new tank and start from scratch. Not going to happen. I dont have room for another large tank. I do QT my fish. I put my Discus in with a school of tetra. The tetra are still alive. My fish are healthy. Im not going to post photos, mostly because all I have a cell phone camera, but also because im not interested in what you think of my fish. I know they are healthy. I do a ton of reading on fish keeping. I know the basics as do my parents who have kept aquariums for years. When I was a kid we had a house full of tanks including a 125 gallon reef tank. Granted Discus keeping is different, but I've done my research. I really dont want to mail order fish, I trust my LFS, I'll ask him where he gets his discus from if you want.
I know about fishless cycling. I test my water frequently, I can spot disease. You guys are laying into me worse than you did the guy who bought 10 discus and threw them into an uncycled 50 gallon.
...
Sounds like you've got it all down...Let us know how it works out with your lfs discus. 6 weeks of discus experience with 2?


. I'm not trying to be a jerk, I can handle criticsm . I got the answer I wanted plus plenty of extra...
I beg to differ but we aim to please.


Im not new to keeping fish, just Discus. My fish are not sick. You guys are being somewhat nieve to think that all Discus bought outside of this forum are low quality crap. For all we know my LFS bought his fish from a forum sponsor. Everything is going to be ok guys. Have faith in me.
I would have to say that you have received some good advice here and discus keepers that are here on simply have gone through the troubles and have had the experiences. You can buy your fish from whoever you want, we just figured you wanted the road with less gamble considering money sounds like an issue. Naive is a strong word for a beginner to be tossing around a group experienced discus keepers on a discus forum when asking for advice. Whats naive, is thinking for one moment that a lfs can bring in discus (from any source) and give them the same attention that a breeder or a sponsor here would. Its naive to think that a lfs doesnt just drop them into a tank with other fish, non-compatible fish, low temps, low feeding, etc. I'm sure there may be some but it will not be your average lfs. They will probably specialize in discus similar to sunrise tropicals.


I dont mind suggestions. But I find it hard to believe that people dont add to an aquarium after the initial stocking. What if a few fish were to die? Either flush what you have left or wait til the last one is dead before getting anymore? I understand that there is a small risk of disease, but theres also a small risk of me getting run over on my way to the store. IMO, There is such a thing as being overly cautious. The whole point of keeping fish is enjoyment. It gets to a point where you may as well just go to the grocery store and stare at the lobster tank.

Yes, some have had to flush their crap and start over when getting discus from a bad source because you would never want to mix them or even keep them in the same room. A new tank with 6 is the best way to start discus when you dont have any. I've easily flushed $100's worth of lfs discus before I found better sources. You will just have to learn for yourself.

[Jim Curtis]

Thanks for the tips White Worm.

"Its naive to think that a lfs doesnt just drop them into a tank with other fish, non-compatible fish, low temps, low feeding, etc. I'm sure there may be some but it will not be your average lfs. They will probably specialize in discus similar to sunrise tropicals."

I asked my LFS where he gets his discus from. He said he ate 6 boxes of Frankenberry and sent in the box tops for them. I

No, seriously, Im tossing all my fish into the toilet right now. Ill bet the forum sponsors will hook me up with a great deal on a tank, filter, and everything else I need too. Ill just post my CC info right in this thread.

[White Worm]

Lol

[Ryan]

I dont mind suggestions. But I find it hard to believe that people dont add to an aquarium after the initial stocking. What if a few fish were to die? Either flush what you have left or wait til the last one is dead before getting anymore? I understand that there is a small risk of disease, but theres also a small risk of me getting run over on my way to the store. IMO, There is such a thing as being overly cautious. The whole point of keeping fish is enjoyment. It gets to a point where you may as well just go to the grocery store and stare at the lobster tank.

Is there anything else I can do within reason to decrease the risk of spreading disease between 2 different batches of fish?

I think there has been some sort of misunderstanding.

No one is saying that you cannot mix fish after you initially stock your aquarium. It's entirely possible. It's just that in the discus world, great care is taken to quarantine any new arrivals before mixing them with your current tank residents. Discus are not cheap fish, especially when you buy them in groups which is often recommended due to their hierarchical social structure. No one wants to lose $200 or more worth of fish because of the lack of quarantine.

What people are suggesting is that, in the future, you buy all of your discus at once from the same source to eliminate the need for quarantine and to avoid behavioral problems like bullying and fighting. Most people start discus tanks by buying at least six young discus and raising them together.

My suggestion is to use the 20 gallon QT tank you mentioned in your previous post to house your upcoming purchases for four to six weeks for observation. This gives them time to settle in, adjust to your water parameters, and build their immune systems back up after the stress of being shipped and relocated. Even healthy fish can get sick if they become stressed and their bodies cannot fight off pathogens. This is why everyone here urges quarantine. No one is assuming that you don't know that, but it's always worth repeating in a thread such as this one where a newcomer to the discus world has questions. Remember, there are tons of guests who visit this board just to read and research. You may understand the importance of quarantine, but someone reading this thread may not.

Please be aware that it's almost impossible to determine what an adult pigeon blood will look like at 3" in size. Most haven't even gotten their full pattern at this point. If you require your fish to look a specific way, it's probably easier to buy adult fish that you can pick out based on the markings and colors you're shooting for. Otherwise, juvenile discus may or may not grow up to look exactly like pictures that you've picked out. Some strains are pretty easy to predict the outcome on (blue diamonds, red turks, and so on) but the striated/patterned pigeons are usually not one of them.

I am re-opening this thread. Hopefully we can all move forward without the attitude.

Ryan

[Kindredspirit]

Yes, some have had to flush their crap and start over when getting discus from a bad source because you would never want to mix them or even keep them in the same room.


This is true ~ have you spent some research time in the Disease and Illness section of this forum?

Read. And read some more:)

[Discus-Hans]

678 hits, can you have a better promotion for your company without being a sponsor?????

Hans

[MSD]

Well, their discus can't be better then very average, the pics I've seen of purchased stock are just fair. But hey, I could care less where you buy from, how or if you QT, the point is why come in here and then get mad at the people who are taking their time to help you? I saw you mentioned your parents so I guess you are young, so we can chalk up all of this to youthful arrogance. You won't get far in this world with your attitude, and never with discus either.

[Jim Curtis]

Please lock this thread there's no point to it. I'm getting slammed for considering buying fish from somewhere other than this forum. And thats the bottom line.

"I could care less where you buy from, how or if you QT, the point is why come in here and then get mad at the people who are taking their time to help you?"

Yeah, clearly, that's why you took the time to post.... I'm not mad at the people who tried to help me.. I'm mad at the people who talk down to me for asking a fair question. Why is everyone here so defensive? I didn't mean to upset the herd. If you don't like new members than why let anyone else join?

Everyone here is making assumptions about me that are totally inaccurate. According to this thread I'm a broke 12 year old who works in advertising for that fish site. I never gave out any information suggesting that. Strangely I'm less irked by those assumptions than I am the ones suggesting I cant handle raising a fish.

Ask me questions if you want but don't just jump to conclusions. I'm sure based solely on the fact that I'm new I have no chance of getting a fair shake and having people see it my way. But whatever, most every question has been asked, and since I don't feel the need to post self congratulatory post about how pretty my fish are I can pretty much get by here as a guest. I'm done posting in this thread. Its fruitless. I should'nt have to defend myself. I asked a question about a vendor. I don't need people cramming QT information down my throat. Theres only 1,000 threads devoted to the topic. I'm capable of clicking on them if I decide to. You guys are like the quit smoking campaigns with that crap. Its pretty much the end result of every thread on this forum..

"You won't get far in this world with your attitude, and never with discus either. "

Actually.. I've done pretty well for myself, and I think my attitude has had a lot to do with it. As for getting far with discus.. im not trying to **** em, I just want to buy some nice ones.

http://forums.tformers.com/talk/style_emoticons/default/lock.gif

You might just want to delete this whole thread, its going to put off potential new memebers..

[Ryan]

I'm not really sure why you're getting such an attitude. If you don't like someone's advice, leave it. You got the answer to the question that you asked, it's just not the one you wanted to hear: there isn't much feedback on the fish from liveaquaria.com so it's hard to form an opinion one way or another.

Their prices are no better or worse than most of the sponsors selling fish here, yet with the sponsors you'd get to see the actual fish and there is plenty of feedback to back up your decision to purchase from them. Besides, liveaquaria.com is a branch of Drs. Foster & Smith and as such is probably a large operation that has pet store quality fish, discus and non-discus alike. I doubt they take the time and care to hand-select good quality specimens.

I'm locking this thread.

For the record, I don't appreciate your little digs at this message forum. Simply is one of the largest and most successful discus forums on the internet and we've helped a lot of hobbyists from newcomers to advanced fish keepers. If you don't like the atmosphere here, you're more than welcome to move along.

Ryan