Is the Discus Market saturated?

[ventura]

I haven't had discus for about 10 years now but the more I look around the more I see how much its changed. When I kept them they were a rare hard to get fish. Mostly through magazine ads like wattleys or at local pet shops. The choices were not many either. Then keeping them alive was a challenge.. there wasnt as many free resources to learn at. I DO WISH I HAD KNOWN ABOUT SIMPLY THEN! What an amazing free resource for a hobbyist. I hope its around for years to come.

One thing I have noticed is that discus have become,dare I say it,common. There are so many sellers now. I have drooled over the sites sponsors fish dailynow. on social media it seems everyone is selling discus with overseas sellers marketing directly to potential buyers.

For someone newly back after years its a totally different world and I have to wonder , is the market over saturated with all these sellers and fish? Have discus lost that special place they held? Dont get me wrong . I have been dreaming of having discus again for years,thats not changed.

Lou

[brewmaster15]

Lou,
I don't know about it being saturated but I can appreciate how it must look to you. The hobby has definetly grown in many ways since the forum has been around (by the way..thanks for the kind words there!).

There are quite a few sellers now of discus but few really last very long. Its a hard business to really survive in andin most cases the bar for quality and health has been raised dramatically over the years.

I think Discus are still a special fish species to raise. Sites like this one with its knowledgeable base has helped to make it easier to be successful but they are still a demanding fish for most hobbyists and still a beautiful one.

I like to think the future is bright for the hobby but as it doesnt matter to me if the fish market is saturated or discus become common. I have had discus for so long its hard to think of ever not having some.

Look forward to seeing yours!
-al

[angel101]

The market has become saturated, saturated with a lot of rubbish fish. There were fewer fish when I started out in the early 80's, but the quality was much better. There are more strains now, but I don't want bright orange footballs.

[ahmari1]

The market has become saturated, saturated with a lot of rubbish fish. There were fewer fish when I started out in the early 80's, but the quality was much better. There are more strains now, but I don't want bright orange footballs.

I have to agree with you!

[White Worm]

The market may be more saturated than it was in the 80's with the invention of the internet but there are some quality discus being imported/sold right now that weren't readily available in the 80's.

[CheChe]

From my perspective, the market is not saturated. When I decided to look into keeping discus, I went to my local fish stores and found discus in the stores, but they all looked horrible. The colors drab, the fish were skinny, and they all look to be suffering in some way or another. I asked at one of the local fish stores their maintenance schedule for their discus tank that housed 2.5" juveniles (they looked super rough and skinny) and he said that they do monthly water changes on the tank. I asked if they had a lot of fish die out of the tank and he just stared at me blankly. I then told him that they needed to be doing a ton more water changes and feeding the young discus more often and he looked at me as if I had lost my mind.

So, guess what? I will not buy my discus locally.

So, I went looking for resources on the internet and found some pretty amazing fish. It looks like MY best option is to order online. Even buying online, my options are fairly limited if you think about vendors who can ship with the least amount of time in flight.

Just my thoughts on the subject.

[farebox]

In San Antonio there are two local fish store I've seen discus in tanks and their fish were very expensive and sickly looking and the other had the one I had they were runts and selling for $60-$90. What ever you do order from any sponsor listed on Simply Discus. Don't make the mistake we all do when starting out by buying the most less expensive product from some sellers that be online. Alway start out with quality fish!