Identify this Discus please

[MakeNbacon]

What kind of discus is this ? Any idea how much one would cost or where I could buy one at ?

Has to be the most beautiful freshwater fish I've seen !91372

[pastry]

Check out sponsors on here. Best place to look due to their integrity, stock, customer service, and it's like a one-stop shop on here so you don't have to surf the net. Shipping and prices scare some but in the end people find out its cheaper and most satisfying.

[Eddie]

It's a pigeon blood variety, with quite a bit of peppering for today's standards.

[John_Nicholson]

A relatively low quality pigeon blood of some sort.

-john

[jdhuyvetter]

Why would this be considered low quality?

[John_Nicholson]

Poor shape and color. To much peppering. It is what I would have expected 10 years ago.

-john

[jdhuyvetter]

OK, since I've been out for about 12 years, that would make sense. Personally, I like the color and the peppering. Last batch of pandas I had, this would have been one of the best fish as far as color is concerned. To me, that is not a quality issue, it is in the eye of the beholder. Or more to the point, the latest fashion trend.

As for shape, I see your point. Again, for me personally, not as big an issue. But, I did not get back into discus for breeding purposes. I wanted to convert my reef/show tank into a FW plant/show tank to make my life easier and cheaper. Of course, that should tell you something about my state of mind if I think discus are easy and cheap!! As a show fish with no intention to raise any offspring, this would be a happy addition for my tank if I went the panda route.

[MakeNbacon]

A relatively low quality pigeon blood of some sort.

-john

Then I'll take a dozen at the low quality price point please :)

[discuspaul]

Then I'll take a dozen at the low quality price point please :)

As an apparent newcomer to discus, I see your point and I can appreciate your enthused thinking.

However, John is quite right, it is in fact a relatively low quality discus with somewhat odd-coloring that many discus-keepers would avoid getting, particularly in view of it's shape & peppering.

If I may suggest, spend some time going through the many paged "Strains List" in the Discus Basics section, and I think you will come to a different outlook as to what is desirable in a discus in terms of color, pattern, and shape.

[Eddie]

Poor shape and color. To much peppering. It is what I would have expected 10 years ago.

-john

Lol, I was gonna say about 15 years ago.

[Filip]

Then I'll take a dozen at the low quality price point please :)

You will start with them, and if you stick to discus for some time eventually you'll see and want to buy and have much better ones.
Yo will want the latest fashion as mentioned above :)
It's just human nature :)

[jdhuyvetter]

And then 20 or so years down the road you will go "old school". When I got out, Blue Diamonds and Pandas were the rage. I paid top dollar to get some of the first ones available. Now that I'm getting back in, I'm going with wild types. Granted, several generations removed from the wild so they will have better color, but still your basic discus.

Ditto with my orchids. After 10 years, I tend to only purchase "species". Very rarely will I purchase one of the hybrids that are out there.

[Eddie]

I'd still buy pandas today, lol. Wattley's red pandas were insane.

They looked sort of similar to these pigeons.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?84427-Integrated-Aquatics-Malaysia-Farm

[strawberryblonde]

Maybe this will help you see what everyone is talking about when they say that it's shape isn't the best and there is far too much peppering.

The photo itself is very misleading. It has a deep blue contrast with lots of purple fringing because of low lighting and over processing in the camera. The white areas are the giveaway. If you look at the white markings on the face of that discus you can see the purple cast and on the fins where there should be white, the high contrast has produced the brilliant blue/purple effect.

So, I've adjusted the white balance and contrast in photoshop so that you can see the true colors of this fish. I can't remove all of the blue contrast and purple fringe, but I can get most of it out.

Here's what this discus looks like in real life:

91393

You can now see the black peppering on its face and fins and the black halo effect on the edges of the fins.

And here's a golden pigeon that I owned a few years ago. He wasn't what I consider to be a good quality fish, his shape was off (and this pic didn't do much to make him look any prettier) but here you can see what they look like when they don't have all the peppering and the white balance on the photo is normal.

91394

[MakeNbacon]

I am a bit of a newb to the discus world. So far I can see there are several different types of aquarist and its no different to compare them to any other hobby, especially to cars. There are those that want the mystique, shape, bloodline, breeding potential factors etc and there are those that are just looking for color and something to display at home with no intentions of anything more. Some people want the authentic 1967 Shelby Cobra while others are happy with the fake kit car version.

I've had a lot of aquariums (all fresh) in the past and got out of it for a LONG time as my career came along. Recently bought a 75gal and am in the process of getting it setup and my initial thoughts are having a live planted tank at first for few weeks before adding any fish. I've never had discus before so I'm still doing my research to determine if I want to give them a shot (which if I do then I will consider buying 4-6 of them from one of the online breeders). For my tank I wouldn't want more than 6 in it and I think that might be pushing it a bit. Of course I've made no decisions on whether to go down the discus road or not....but the colors I've seen on them is pretty amazing, even those on the low price end which confuses me a bit on what are you paying for besides differences in what size of fish.

As mentioned in a earlier comment above from someone that had discus years ago, the hotness back then in the most wanted fish isn't the hotness of today so I can imagine that prices goes hand in hand with current trends.

[warblad79]

The fish you're looking might no longer exist and don't breeding them anymore so you're stuck with the new generation.

[brewmaster15]

91393


Sigh, I have had alot of these in by gone years, and Classic Pbs have always been one of my favorites. I like the contrast some pepper gives orange and red fish. I often find myself in the minority on the Pepper issue,but I like what I like, not what's necessarily in style. A little Pepper doesn't bother me as long as I know that that's what I knew I was getting when I bought it. ..unfortunately for many hobbyists they get a pb and don't know about pepper, or have been sold a fish by today's standards that should not have pepper or so much of it...then they are disappointed or feel cheated.

al

[strawberryblonde]

It's true that you do pay more for the latest and most popular color and pattern fads when you purchase discus.

But the other thing you pay for is quality and health. And even then, you can spend a ridiculous amount of money on a discus and if you don't know what you're doing, you can end up with a sub-par fish.

The best option is to purchase for a known importer/breeder with good credentials. That way, even if you don't know what constitutes a healthy, high quality discus, you can count on the importer/breeder to know, and to only sell you the best stock.

This forum has a list of sponsors to choose from. They have been vetted by not just the owner of the forum, but also by the scads of satisfied customers.

And not all of their discus are expensive! Here's some quick examples for you:

From LiveAquaria.com

This is their photo of a 2"-3" Ocean Green discus. It is priced at $69.99 before shipping costs. What's wrong with it? Well, for starters look at the eyeball and the football shape. This discus is extremely stunted and will probably be lucky to ever reach 4".

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=830+834+1549&pcatid=1549

And this is their photo of a 2"-3" blue diamond discus. It's on sale for only $48.99 before shipping. And again, look at the huge eyeball and the football shape. And this guy has a deformed dorsal fin to boot!

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=830+834+1610&pcatid=1610

And here are 2 of my newest discus from Kenny, a sponsor here on the forums:

This is a photo of my 2 Golden Lollipops. I paid $88.00 each for them before shipping and they were just under 3". Note the small eyes and the very round "discus" shape of the body. I've had them for just over 3 months and they are already 6".
91397

Or you could get one of these 4" guys:
91398

Or these:
91399

For me, it's worth paying the extra $18.00 to get a discus that I know is in excellent health and has good shape and color.

[strawberryblonde]

91393


Sigh, I have had alot of these in by gone years, and Classic Pbs have always been one of my favorites. I like the contrast some pepper gives orange and red fish. I often find myself in the minority on the Pepper issue,but I like what I like, not what's necessarily in style. A little Pepper doesn't bother me as long as I know that that's what I knew I was getting when I bought it. ..unfortunately for many hobbyists they get a pb and don't know about pepper, or have been sold a fish by today's standards that should not have pepper or so much of it...then they are disappointed or feel cheated.

al

I agree with you Al, I have had pigeons with a bit of peppering and never minded it. My jumbo Marlboro had a thick dusting of freckles on his nose and he still looked great!

I think where the problem with the original photo on here lies isn't with the peppering. It was the fact that it looked so vibrantly blue and purple on the fins and facial markings. That was what got the attention and made it seem desirable. But that wasn't the actual colors of the discus, it was just the way that the photo turned out due to low lighting and over saturation of the colors.

I didn't want anyone to purchase a discus that looked like this thinking they'd get a yellow spotted discus with bright blue and purple accents. And for me, the peppering is just a bit too much too. And it's not as round as I like them to be. Uh huh, I'm a snob when it comes to fat, round discus. =)

[rickztahone]

I am a bit of a newb to the discus world. So far I can see there are several different types of aquarist and its no different to compare them to any other hobby, especially to cars. There are those that want the mystique, shape, bloodline, breeding potential factors etc and there are those that are just looking for color and something to display at home with no intentions of anything more. Some people want the authentic 1967 Shelby Cobra while others are happy with the fake kit car version.

I've had a lot of aquariums (all fresh) in the past and got out of it for a LONG time as my career came along. Recently bought a 75gal and am in the process of getting it setup and my initial thoughts are having a live planted tank at first for few weeks before adding any fish. I've never had discus before so I'm still doing my research to determine if I want to give them a shot (which if I do then I will consider buying 4-6 of them from one of the online breeders). For my tank I wouldn't want more than 6 in it and I think that might be pushing it a bit. Of course I've made no decisions on whether to go down the discus road or not....but the colors I've seen on them is pretty amazing, even those on the low price end which confuses me a bit on what are you paying for besides differences in what size of fish.

As mentioned in a earlier comment above from someone that had discus years ago, the hotness back then in the most wanted fish isn't the hotness of today so I can imagine that prices goes hand in hand with current trends.

You would be correct in your last assumption. However, there are some discus out there that IMHO are very good looking discus for not a bad price. You can purchase them younger and save in the short term, but truly, I believe if you start with 4"-5" discus, you are simply better off because most of the grunt work has been done for you.

[Woodduck]

I am a bit of a newb to the discus world. So far I can see there are several different types of aquarist and its no different to compare them to any other hobby, especially to cars. There are those that want the mystique, shape, bloodline, breeding potential factors etc and there are those that are just looking for color and something to display at home with no intentions of anything more. Some people want the authentic 1967 Shelby Cobra while others are happy with the fake kit car version.

I've had a lot of aquariums (all fresh) in the past and got out of it for a LONG time as my career came along. Recently bought a 75gal and am in the process of getting it setup and my initial thoughts are having a live planted tank at first for few weeks before adding any fish. I've never had discus before so I'm still doing my research to determine if I want to give them a shot (which if I do then I will consider buying 4-6 of them from one of the online breeders). For my tank I wouldn't want more than 6 in it and I think that might be pushing it a bit. Of course I've made no decisions on whether to go down the discus road or not....but the colors I've seen on them is pretty amazing, even those on the low price end which confuses me a bit on what are you paying for besides differences in what size of fish.

As mentioned in a earlier comment above from someone that had discus years ago, the hotness back then in the most wanted fish isn't the hotness of today so I can imagine that prices goes hand in hand with current trends.

Hotness is what I like. I could care less what other people have. It's the same with Harley Davidson bikes. Some, like mine, have been tweaked, added to, completely making it a one off. Others write a
check for a "cookie cutter" bike that there's a good chance you'll see your bikes twin every ride. Just my opinion.