Originally Posted by
bobsmo
As an US expat living in CZ for numerous years now, I can add to the question my own experiences.
LFS here import discus from Asia. However, being only 90 min away from Dresden, I can get Stendker discus quite easily. Also, Alexander Piwowarski ships here overnight no issues.
I have tried several times to keep the Discus from the lfs/Asia and the Stendker or Piwowarski discus at the same time (always separate though for the Strendker / Piwowarski).
And each time (i've tried about 4x) , the DE discus, be they Stendker or Piwowarski, die off after several weeks.
The first week usually they look great, are eating, and interacting (especially the Stendker...they are used to people it's clear). Then, after one or two weeks, you can notice that they stop eating and the interaction from them drops off immensely.
Then a few more weeks goes by, and they start to lose their color and within a day or two of that, they are gone. I've tried medicating, pre-medicating, etc, all to no avail. A costly experience to say the least.
LFS/Asian discus , are just fine though through it all.
For me, they just do not go together. And it's a pity, as the Stendker and Piwowarski strains are gorgeous v the local lfs/Asians one here.
So after trying 4x, I personally adhere to the statement, and next step will be to setup a Stendker only tank, but that will take awhile. Or maybe Piwowarski, not sure. At least with Piwowarski, you can get them much bigger already.