Do u guys really buy from one reputable source and never mix?

[dkeef]

ive been hearing a lot from some ppl who say only get your discus from one reputable place and dont ever mix it with others(discus or nondiscus) from local ppl selling and God forbid LFS.

is this how most hardcore discus experts operate?
cuz in my fish keeping life, i would always buy from multiple sources.
of course i know discus are different and i need to QT but getting it all from ONE source. thats totally new to me.

also lets say u get it from source, how do u know one batch is same as the next one?
for example, forrest's discus is always gonna have the same immunity and resistance to certain pathogens etc?

im still not sure if this is the norm...help!

[YSS]

I buy from different sources (reputable of course) and mix my fish. I never bought sick fish from reputable sources here (I have bought from five different sponsors wild and domestic) and never had issues mixing the fish.

[John_Nicholson]

Do as I say and not as I do....LOL.

There are a handful of people that I will get fish from. Some I have known for as long as 15-20 years. I do a fair job of QT. I have been around long enough to know what "type" of fish to avoid. I won't go into to much detail there but I have seen lots of people that get in trouble when dealing with what I call fish collectors. You might be buying from one importer but his suppler really only breeds a very small portion of the fish. The rest he buys from other farms and sends over. The more exposure the bigger the risk. Also if I get some fish in and start suspecting an issue I will simply bleach the entire tank. KIlling one tank of fish to save my other 23 tanks is a no brainer to me. If you are going to do a lot of mixing realize that you will probably be ok 90% of the time....the other 10%...you lose everything.

-john

[Discusgeo2]

I stick with 2 or 3 also who I have gotten good fish from and avoid most other unless I see something I need and are a quality looking fish. No fish goes in my room until it can pass the cull fish test and sits on my back patio in a 125 gal tank for 2 months with out any problems. Any real danger I will toss the bunch but worms and flukes I can fix. I won't waste too much time on them if they are sick and will never buy fish from that source again.

[Elliots]

I was going to stick with one source who sells domestics but I decided that I really like wilds so I bought a few fish from someone who sells wilds. I would buy from two LFS that I visit but they would have to have the Discus in their tanks for at least a week and I would look real close before I buy from either LFS. It has been cheaper to buy from the sponsors I bought from than the local fish stores. Personally I would not hesitate to buy from any SD sponsors but really I prefer to limit my purchases to where I can pick out and pick up the fish. The wilds I had to have shipped but I did see photos first.

[Discus Ranz]

Lets just say..... years ago, which I mentioned before, when I was a member here, I made the mistake of purchasibg Discus from whoever was selling them. From LFS's to ****bid to private sellers. Most of the time it went smooth. But when it didnt, well.............. I dont need to tell anyone how expensive it is to loose a tank full of Discus that at the time I paid anywhere from $40 to $150 a piece for.

Now........ I dont jump around as much......... but quarentine is everything!

~Ranz~

[dkeef]

lets say u stick w/ one supplier who consistently sells quality discus. and im gonna say kenny for example(cuz im getting his as my first discus).
lets say in 2 months or so after my first shipment, i see some discus i like and i order more.

do i still QT them again?
scenario #1 is all i have is kennys discus from first shipment.
scenario #2 is i have kennys first shipment plus few other non-discus(which went thru QT before adding).

[lifan23]

I have bought a ton of fish from Kenny, some from Mike Biel and Kraig Koontz. I QT for 3 weeks, if no symptoms, I do a light PP treatment for 4 hours then throw them into my main tank. I have never had a problem on this method.

PP is slightly harsh but it kills any gill flukes which are a ginormous pain if introduced to the main tank. It once took me 3 months to clear up all my tanks of Flukes because I put a LFS discus into one of my tank.

Oh buying all fish from one source does not mean it does not need QT because most sponsors fish comes from multiple sources. Kenny for example does an excellent job cleaning up the fishes before shipping them out but you should always do some QT no matter what.

[lifan23]

Do as I say and not as I do....LOL.

There are a handful of people that I will get fish from. Some I have known for as long as 15-20 years. I do a fair job of QT. I have been around long enough to know what "type" of fish to avoid. I won't go into to much detail there but I have seen lots of people that get in trouble when dealing with what I call fish collectors. You might be buying from one importer but his suppler really only breeds a very small portion of the fish. The rest he buys from other farms and sends over. The more exposure the bigger the risk. Also if I get some fish in and start suspecting an issue I will simply bleach the entire tank. KIlling one tank of fish to save my other 23 tanks is a no brainer to me. If you are going to do a lot of mixing realize that you will probably be ok 90% of the time....the other 10%...you lose everything.

-john

Just curious. why would you wipe out an entire tank based on a suspicion? Are you worried about discus plague? I'm wondering what kind of disease you would worry about that is airborne.

[timmy82]

I have brought from some different sources back at the start and now limit my suppliers 90% is to 1 supplier and their are a couple around town and people who I know I occasionly deal with them. I do QT all fish from what ever source for at least 3 weeks.

[Elliots]

If you buy fish from Kenny and then buy more fish from Kenny ask him what he suggests. Simple, he is the biggest expert on his fish not SD posters who may be Discus experts but in this case its Kenny who is the most knowledgable. It is a good idea, if you can, buy all your fish at once from the same supplier. If you want more fish later, buy them, buying all you fish at once from the same supplier is not a law but a good suggestion.

[John_Nicholson]

Just curious. why would you wipe out an entire tank based on a suspicion? Are you worried about discus plague? I'm wondering what kind of disease you would worry about that is airborne.

When you run 24 seventy five gallon tanks it is not worth the risk. Why try to save one tank at the possible expense of 23 others?

-john

[PP_GBR]

Lifan23

Way to go. And PP is cheap too. A little goes a long way.

[nc0gnet0]

Lifan23

Way to go. And PP is cheap too. A little goes a long way.

And ice cream cones are only 89 cents...........

[dkeef]

When you run 24 seventy five gallon tanks it is not worth the risk. Why try to save one tank at the possible expense of 23 others?

-john

so what do u do with sick ones in that tank your gonna bleach?

[dkeef]

Lifan23

Way to go. And PP is cheap too. A little goes a long way.

sorry newbie question here. PP stands for prazi-pro?
i got tetra paraguard that has prazi + metro. can i use that also towards end of QT?

[John_Nicholson]

so what do u do with sick ones in that tank your gonna bleach?

Give them all the bleach that they can take.....

-john

[a volar]

sorry newbie question here. PP stands for prazi-pro?
i got tetra paraguard that has prazi + metro. can i use that also towards end of QT?

PP = POTASSIUM PERMANGANATE

[John_Nicholson]

sorry newbie question here. PP stands for prazi-pro?
i got tetra paraguard that has prazi + metro. can i use that also towards end of QT?

potassium permananate

-john

[dkeef]

where do u get PP?

[lifan23]

you can get some from chemistrystore.com, just search for potassium permanganate. a 2 pound bottle will last you a lifetime. Its one of the best and useful medication for external diseases and parasites.

As a discus keeper, I have a bottle of PP, a 500g of Metro from Ken, some Furan 2 and that covers at least 90% of all medication I'll ever need.

[DonMD]

Having been through two separate serious infection issues, my recommendation is that when starting out in the hobby, stick with one reputable source, don't mix and match. Then, with a few years of successful husbandry, try mixing, using the proven QT methods. But for me, it will be a long time before I mix my sources.

[mmorris]

There are very few I will buy from-not just for quality, but for the ethics of the seller. I quarantine for six weeks not just in a separate room, but on a separate floor. Otherewise, I forget...did that bucket go with this tank or that? :( I don't see any point in buying from the same seller simply for health reasons. Did the seller get his fish from one and only breeder? Unlikely. If the seller does the breeding, did he buy any new fish since the last time you purchased from him? Possibly.

[PP_GBR]

Lifan23

Thanks for sharing your discus secret. That's all folks.

[lifan23]

Lifan23

Thanks for sharing your discus secret. That's all folks.

Anytime :thumbsup:.

[rickmiles]

Give them all the bleach that they can take.....

-john
:angel:

[j123]

I've always dealt with fish and other critters like women. If I see a fish or critter I like, I buy it. I don't give a damn others may say or think. I'm a big boy, if there's problems, I just deal with them.

[John_Nicholson]

I've always dealt with fish and other critters like women. If I see a fish or critter I like, I buy it. I don't give a damn others may say or think. I'm a big boy, if there's problems, I just deal with them.


LOL...spoken like someone that has very few discus.

-john

[JERRYKEVIN]

Or women John--LOL

[John_Nicholson]

Or women John--LOL

Good point.

-john

[Discusgeo2]

I've always dealt with fish and other critters like women.

Just find the right Critter that likes Discus and your set.

[mmorris]

I've always dealt with fish and other critters like women. If I see a fish or critter I like, I buy it.

LOL So what are women charging now-a-days? :)

Auntie Martha

[Elliots]

If you check the internet it is very variable. I am not a buyer on those sites but I have looked. I also never post on those sites if you can nor do I ask questions I just read and look at the photos. I refuse to post those site's names. I would say Discus are cheaper though. You brought it up Martha.

[Second Hand Pat]

Elliot, relax...Martha was teasing.

[Elliots]

I know. I did not go into any specifics because it would be very inappropriate on SD.

[Second Hand Pat]

Elliot, just smile and nod

[White Worm]

I'm a big research kind of guy. I plan and plan and then plan before I do something. Before starting with discus, look around at all sponsors first and see what really catches your eye. See what they continually bring in as stock. Wait to see a great deal of feedback. The best you can do is decide on one that has a great amount of variety, fair prices, great quality with positive feedback. If something does happen, you will probably be better off with the customer service aspect.

[White Worm]

John,
I have been by Jims here in Arlington and have some of his Blue's growing out right now but I really would like to stop by and see that set up one of these days.


When you run 24 seventy five gallon tanks it is not worth the risk. Why try to save one tank at the possible expense of 23 others?

-john

[John_Nicholson]

Just let me know when.

-john