Buying a fish with an imperfection

[archiebellacoco]

Hey guys

So I found my dream pair of fish for sale but there are a few issues

So for one they were a breeding pair until the next owner bought them and then the female stopped spawning
The male has since fertilized and raised young with another fish that has paired with another male of her own kind since

The other issue is the female has a hard lump on her cheek
Apparently it hasn't changed in size since getting her 6 months ago
I spoke to someone who is very knowledgable when it comes to discus who viewed them today and he said that worst case it's a tumor or best case a harmless granuloma
His guess is that they are around 3 years old

I have some raffs almost at adult size that I could put with these guys to see what happens but I'm wondering what you opinions are
They are blushing red discus that are not too common in Australia so I really would like them for just my discus but would really love them to pair also if possible


What would you do if these were your fav fish that you have always wanted but never been able to get?

[Keith Perkins]

Interesting circumstances and you didn't even toss in your upcoming import law changes. There are a lot of questions that could be asked here, but I guess I would start with how are they priced? Are they priced as a spawning pair or more like two random discus for sale? If you can live with the bump and they are priced well personally I'd buy them.

Ps. - I wouldn't put much stock in the age guess.

[archiebellacoco]

Interesting circumstances and you didn't even toss in your upcoming import law changes. There are a lot of questions that could be asked here, but I guess I would start with how are they priced? Are they priced as a spawning pair or more like two random discus for sale? If you can live with the bump and they are priced well personally I'd buy them.

Ps. - I wouldn't put much stock in the age guess.

I'm not sure if you know aus Dollars but to give you an idea
A pair from a shop is priced between $800-$1000
A pair from a hobbiest 400-600

The pair is priced at $400 and was originally bought for $450

I just got told it appeared all of a sudden in her care and she thought she might have hurt herself on the heater
It has not changed in size and she believes it to be a growth
Not badly priced but still enough to make me consider the circumstances
Especially if worst case it was a tumor
I would be annoyed lol

[Keith Perkins]

And what might you pay for a random adult discus?

[DISCUS STU]

I can't address the economics but if you have a proven pair and really want to get into breeding then a slight imperfection may not be as important as having a good breeding pair, which isn't always easy to find, get, or create. Discus are prone to mechanical and biological imperfections the same as other animals, including people. If it's a good deal I would say go for it.

Of course this doesn't always mean that they will breed for you in your setup. If this is a proven pair, emphasis on "proven", then it may just be worth it.

[FishFanMan]

I believe genetics has some role in tumor development and so if I were offered some juvies from a parent with tumor(s), I would not buy them. If I were a breeder, I would think twice about breeding this discus. Just my 2 cents here.