the discus has taken a step backwards?

[flogger426]

only up until about about 2 months ago - i totally put the discus hobby on the back burner.

being out of the hobby for about 7 or 8 years, due to a very demanding job, wife, kids, trying to get ahead etc., i left this hobby when only a few strains (true breeding) existed. i hadn't picked up a TFH or FAMA mag in a long time. my last discus annual is dated 1991.

cobalts, red turks, brilliant turks, blue turks, royal blues, wilds - that was about all that was available. of course each breeder had his own version of the aforementioned fish - but for the most part that was it.

pigeon bloods and blue diamonds were just breaking out onto the scene. i loved the blue diamonds, but wasn't to crazy about the pigeon bloods.

tonight i discovered the photo section on this site and could not believe what i was seeing or reading. football shaped fish being complimented by other hobbiests. posters attaching well known breeders names to fish that they had crossed that look like next years NFL's stock of balls.

distorted mottled colors, ugly crosses due to the fact that they were probably the first pair that broke off in the group - crooked fright bars, big eyed juveniles and all the while other hobbiests showering these posters with high praises. never a comment or suggestion.

What has happened to this hobby? i know that if i was a breeder i would be totally pissed off to find my name attached to some of these creations.

the other day i got an apology from a breeder here that said: "my problem is not with you - but this site!" Now i know what he was talking about!

i never mention names - never!, but people we really need to take a hard look at our responsibility to these fish - not for our sake - but for the discus!

Flame away i don't care - ban me from the site thats fine! but if it helps slow down the demise of this great fish it's well worth it!


flogger

[Don_Lee]

Well Flogger, you do not mince words-so neither will I.
There are some "less than perfect" fish in the photo section, there are also some beauties. You are making a generalization that is not true nor fair. The photo gallery is not intended to be a contest. Believe it or not, there are a few people here who know discus a little bit, some who know quite a bit. It does noone any good to rip/judge every fish that is posted in the photo area. We have had several threads pointing out obvious flaws and good/bad points of discus. Click on the mission statement on this site, and you may better understand the purpose of the board.
Do you really think that banning you from this site will make one iota of difference in the quality of discus to come? I would say no. What might make a difference to the future quality of discus is all of the members here communicating and educating each other about the fish. Hopefully you will participate in a polite manner and be helpful, instead of another in the latest string of critical people who do nothing but criticize others fish/discus practices/opinions etc.

Don

[Tony]

Please be patient.
There are different knowledge level among membebers. e.g. I am still trying to keep them alive. Any live discus is a good one in my case.

I am sure you can make a lot of positive input and help to share your experience./ knowledge.

[slicksta]

I can not for the life of me understand why this fish can only be kept if it is a perfect specimen....
There isn't a perfect human out there, aside from myself and a few others....yet we let you live
I wish that I could start culling people.....then maybe I would not have to listen to this.....

[flogger426]

c'mon don,

i am being polite - i never mention names, although i should because that would be helpful criticism. if no one critiques how do people know thay are doing anything wrong?

for instance, wouldn't it make sense if people posted pics of a potential breeding pair etc. and asked the well informed breeders here (me not included!) what the spawn would look like? or is this just a crap shoot in the name of the fish?

No?

flogger

[flogger426]

slicksta,

be very careful! those statements have undertones of Nazi germany! were you or any of your family members of the SS? you could hurt alot of people with comments like that!


flogger

[slicksta]

I WAS BEING SARCASTIC.....
But that is the feeling you give when less than perfect fish are complimented and you object.....life is beautiful.....even in less than perfect specimens....some of us are in it just for the fun of it....not trying to create a world of The Perfect Fish

[Don_Lee]

Flogger-no hard feelings here! I figured since you could lay out your concerns directly, so could I. ;D
I think your idea of posting pics of possible breeding pairs would be interesting. Again, check out the site thoroughly and you will see that there are several areas where fish are critiqued openly.

Don

[Ryan]

Enough is enough. Flogger, I would suggest that you read the "Discus Morality" post very thoroughly by daninthesand. Not everyone on this site is here for the same reason. There are breeders here, and serious hobbyists, and obsessed discus keepers -- they all strive for perfection -- large, beautiful, round fish.

However, other members could care less about perfection, and just want nice, healthy stock.

If a member here is proud to show off their pets to us, then we should be happy for them. When someone shows me a picture of their newborn baby I don't say, "God, his head looks like a football, I think you should cull that one and start over."

There are many helpful threads in the Beginners board that tell newcomers to the discus hobby what to look for and what to avoid. If people are interested they can learn from those posts. Also people that ask for opinions of their fish can surely benefit from what we tell them.

However, there are some people here who are proud of their discus, regardless of whether or not we think it's perfect or up-to-par. If a hobbyist is happy with their discus, that is all that matters.

Discus hobbyists tend to be an elitist group of people but I do not think it's fair to the casual hobbyist who just wants some nice fish for a nice tank.

Ryan

[Carol_Roberts]

Some people see the cup as half empty and are only happy if they can find fault or point out flaws. Perhaps it makes them feel better about themselves.

Other people see the cup as half full and try to point out the nice things. They look for the good points in a picture to help newcomers see what is right about their discus.

The best teachers don't alienate their students by criticising their first efforts. They make learning fun. I've posted pictures of some of my first discus and pointed out flaws as a teaching aid. That way no one had to be embarrassed.

This is a hobby for most of us, not a job. There is no test to pass at the end. People come and go all the time on these forums. Those that are true diehards read all the threads, look at all the pictures and quickly learn what a good quality discus looks like. It's pretty easy to figure out.

In the mean time I'll be saying nice red eye, or lovely pattern on that pigeon or whatever. And I'll be answering all the questions I can - even if they are the same ones over and over, LOL

New posters are all excited about discus. They are the prettiest fish they've ever seen. They want to share their pictures with us. I know I did.

I figure my mission here is to help them learn how to keep discus to begin with, the rest will come on it's own.

[engineguy129]

Hey Flogger,
If you do not like the site, beat it! I dont see anyone holding you down here. I, among many think this is a great site

Rob ;D

[Johnlee]

You know this doesn't have anything to do with with:

Re:the discus has taken a step backwards?

But maybe this post from a while back fits in.

http://forum.simplydiscus.com//index...;threadid=5737

Johnlee

[SLY]

flogger show us what've u got and what kinda quality discus u have..I would be very eager to give you my comments but I doubt you will even have the courage to show anything here other than running the mouth.

P.S Can someone show him the internet troll thread? or if ur not the intelligent kinda troll..this pic can explain a bit.

[Johnlee]

Sly
Only 30 seconds ahead of you.
here it is again.

http://forum.simplydiscus.com//index...;threadid=5737

Johnlee

[SLY]

rofl thanks john