Reputable breeder and QT are necessary, but IMO to get the select grade Discus we are personally satisfied with, I see hand-picking as the only guaranteed way to achieve this. I spent US$ 7,300.00 on the 43 Discus I've received since I started due to freight & import duty fees I also have to pay.
Currently have just six Discus from all this. I would have loved to keep one or two individuals from each of my orders, but I was dissatisfied with the vast majority of what I received even though most would consider them 'high quality Discus'. I realized pretty late in the game that there was no way I was going to get fish I was satisfied with, no matter how much time I spent corresponding with the supplier or how much money I offered them.
Heidi, if you're anything like me then I would suggest making the extra effort to personally hand-pick.