How to tell the quality of the discus?

[fishes4ever]

hi guys, Im new to discus. If I want to buy discus, what kind of discus do you think i should get? How do i know the value and the quality of the discus? Thanks in advance.

[yim11]

It's good you ask before you buy. Here are some links that will help:

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?33300-Selecting-Discus

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?46982-What-not-to-buy

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?27180-Beginners-Information-Index

[Jhhnn]

hi guys, Im new to discus. If I want to buy discus, what kind of discus do you think i should get? How do i know the value and the quality of the discus? Thanks in advance.

The easy answer is to buy a group of at least 6 from one of our sponsors- all the same variety, the largest fish you can reasonably afford. You'll get better value with the less expensive strains- cobalts, turqs, snakeskins, pigeons, blue diamonds, some of the red varieties. For hobbyists, quality is healthy vibrant stock with good conformation. For inexperienced buyers, that's hard to figure out on your own, but you don't need to do that- you can benefit from the experience of others on the forum.

I got lucky when I found Simply, and doubly so when I chose to buy from Kenny Cheung. If he's not the best supplier out there, he's certainly among them, judging from my own experience and from the praise of others. I can't say enough nice things about Kenny and the discus he's provided to me.

[Chipper jones]

You are Sooooooooooooo right! Buy adult fish from Kenny, he's having a sale right now.Bill at empire discus,he just delivered the most awesome cobalt 4-5"and he has more.Hans has adult fish as well, just ordered a 6" FIRE RED.If you have a good system these fish will be around for years and years so buy quality adult from a good source if you can!

[strawberryblonde]

For me the easiest way to figure out what a good quality discus looked like (when I was new here) was to print out pictures of a couple of the nicest fish I could find. I used discus pics from Discus Hans and Kenny's Discus websites.

I knew that the rounder, the better, but I wasn't sure about eye size, super high fins, etc, so printing out the pics helped. From there I went to the one LFS that sells discus and I compared my pics to the fish in his tanks. It was pretty obvious that his discus weren't good quality when I could put that pic up next to the tank! I also could clearly see the huge eye size, compared to the eye proportions in the pics.

After that I did a google search for discus and went to several stores that sell online (who are not sponsors here). Again, I compared my pics to the pictures they had on their site. Big difference. Most of the fish looked like footballs and/or had big eyes that reached nearly to the top of their heads.

I heard about peppering in pigeon bloods and did yet another comparison. I knew that if I bought a juvie or sub-adult pigeon blood I'd be risking having some peppering, but that it was also genetic, so how the parents looked would be a pretty good predictor if I bought sub-adults.

Take some time to really look at quality discus online, and then compare them to what you see when you do a standard google search. You'll figure it out pretty quickly. =)

[Jhhnn]

For me the easiest way to figure out what a good quality discus looked like (when I was new here) was to print out pictures of a couple of the nicest fish I could find. I used discus pics from Discus Hans and Kenny's Discus websites.

I knew that the rounder, the better, but I wasn't sure about eye size, super high fins, etc, so printing out the pics helped. From there I went to the one LFS that sells discus and I compared my pics to the fish in his tanks. It was pretty obvious that his discus weren't good quality when I could put that pic up next to the tank! I also could clearly see the huge eye size, compared to the eye proportions in the pics.

After that I did a google search for discus and went to several stores that sell online (who are not sponsors here). Again, I compared my pics to the pictures they had on their site. Big difference. Most of the fish looked like footballs and/or had big eyes that reached nearly to the top of their heads.

I heard about peppering in pigeon bloods and did yet another comparison. I knew that if I bought a juvie or sub-adult pigeon blood I'd be risking having some peppering, but that it was also genetic, so how the parents looked would be a pretty good predictor if I bought sub-adults.

Take some time to really look at quality discus online, and then compare them to what you see when you do a standard google search. You'll figure it out pretty quickly. =)

Research is fine & all, but not really necessary. I knew instantly what quality discus looked like when I unpacked the first batch of fish from Kenny over 2 years ago. Show quality? Nah- I didn't pay enough for that, but they were big, fat, sassy, well shaped, and extremely healthy, with no dings or runts among 'em. All I needed to know was how to take care of 'em and get 'em to grow...

Pics of 2 batches, taken last year- the scorps were all grown up, the RSxAF well on their way-

http://s908.photobucket.com/albums/ac286/Jhhnn/fish/

[LizStreithorst]

You are asking for a simple answer to a difficult question. Knowing good from medocre Discus takes time and experience. First off you need to be blessed with an eye for quality. Some have it some don't. Then you need so spend a couple of years with the Discus you decide to buy and look real hard at your own. Given time your "eye" will learn and mature.

The sponsors here sell quality. Check out their sites and the pics they post and their feedback and buy from the one whose fish most ring your bell. After that, look at your own fish with a critical eye. If you have it, you will be able tell what's best among your own fish. If you dont have it, it won't matter.

A word from someone who knows Discus...An eye for quality can be a mixed blessing. I'm in a hell of a position. Unless I know the background of the fish and take a chance on juvies from show winning stock (which are rarely available) I have to buy at a fish show. Having high standards is hard, because 'bout nothing you see is good enough, and if it is it's the wrong strain. The NADA show comes but once every two years. I will have to wait a full year to buy my next fish. It ain't easy waiting that long. It would be easier on me if I weren't so selective.

[terps]

Look at lots of videos of the discus shows on youtube. You'll then get an idea of what high quality discus should look like.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=aquarama+discus&aq=f

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=duisburg+discus+show&aq=f

This guy's youtube channel has lots of quality discus videos you can view.

http://www.youtube.com/user/n03lzz

And check out the videos posted on this link:

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?83882-Post-your-favorite-discus-videos

[strawberryblonde]

Research is fine & all, but not really necessary. I knew instantly what quality discus looked like when I unpacked the first batch of fish from Kenny over 2 years ago. Show quality? Nah- I didn't pay enough for that, but they were big, fat, sassy, well shaped, and extremely healthy, with no dings or runts among 'em. All I needed to know was how to take care of 'em and get 'em to grow...

Pics of 2 batches, taken last year- the scorps were all grown up, the RSxAF well on their way-

http://s908.photobucket.com/albums/ac286/Jhhnn/fish/

Research is actually better than fine. You can buy from a sponsor, and "know" that you have a nice fish, but still have no clue what the difference is between a healthy fat fish and one who needs extra attention because it's losing the fatty pad at the top of its head or getting stunted.

If you don't research, look at pics and learn about quality you're bound to miss things like split fins, fins that start too far back on the body, parrot beaks, etc.

I'm assuming the OP really wants to know what a quality discus looks like, not just blindly purchase from one of our trusted sponsors. Hence my longwinded reply to him. =)

[Jhhnn]

Research is actually better than fine. You can buy from a sponsor, and "know" that you have a nice fish, but still have no clue what the difference is between a healthy fat fish and one who needs extra attention because it's losing the fatty pad at the top of its head or getting stunted.

If you don't research, look at pics and learn about quality you're bound to miss things like split fins, fins that start too far back on the body, parrot beaks, etc.

I'm assuming the OP really wants to know what a quality discus looks like, not just blindly purchase from one of our trusted sponsors. Hence my longwinded reply to him. =)

I apologize if I seemed flippant or critical- that wasn't my intention. My assumptions were different. I was under the impression that our querist wanted to know what to look for when buying discus in person from some place other than a sponsor. That's a really tough learning curve, so I tried to steer them in a direction that would be easier, giving them quality specimens. I think it takes a lot of exposure & a truly discerning eye to tell the difference between solid stock & show quality specimens, & that it doesn't matter much for most hobbyists, anyway. I've learned a lot more about discus from actually keeping them than I ever did from the pics or the literature- which ones are closer to what's considered ideal, which ones aren't. None of which means I have any expertise, at all. The few experienced discus keepers who've seen the fish I obtained from Kenny have been quite complimentary, & nobody left saying to themselves "Wow, that guy really got screwed!"

It's easy to end up that way buying discus- all too easy, particularly for beginners. Following the forum, we both see it too often, and what I've seen in LFS is more than discouraging. OTOH, it's tough to go wrong with any of our long term sponsors, which is why I recommend them so strongly.

[walan20]

If you want to dodge the desease bomb, then order from Hans or Kenny. Kenny has a 25 percent off right now, but some of the strains are weird. Anyways, just get your fish from a reputable breeder.

[walan20]

BTW this guy sounds like me... just sayin :D

[mikmaq]

sorry for jumping in on yout thread, but who is the best sponser to get from if you live in Canada? does Hans and Kenny both ship to Canada?

~ Mike

[discuspaul]

Here's a couple in Canada:

April's Aquarium (April Ross), Vancouver, B.C. - She imports only Forrest fish from Malaysia. (Kenny Cheung in Daley City, Ca. also imports Forrest fish, so you would expect they're quality discus.)

Upper Canada Discus in Barrie, Ont. (Bob Garside). Bob imports Wayne Ng, and Jeffrey Ang discus - high quality fish as well.

April is a sponsor here, and I'm not certain (didn't look it up beforehand), but I believe Bob is as well.
(Sorry Bob, if my memory failed me, or if I boobed here.)

[mikmaq]

Thanks