What would you buy from a hobby breeder?

[RogueDiscus]

Going off of the recent thread looking for hobby breeder fry.

Since there's no real money in it, I do it for my own satisfaction. But it wouldn't hurt to know what folks would like to see available. I realized I've got a couple pairs I've been ignoring in favor of a couple others. I could have fun with them too, and maybe there's more interest in their strains. Not going to mention what they are, just want to throw this out for discussion.

I think people want to buy from hobby breeders because they hope to get a group less expensively. Any other ideas?

What would you like to be able to buy from a hobby breeder?

Steve

[mmorris]

Wild-type Alenquers!

[RogueDiscus]

I'm thinking wild-type doesn't necessarily mean recent, as in F1 to F...(?) relationship, but with Alenquer background? I like it!

[pastry]

I bought RTs (derived from Piwows) from a former guy here (Harry) and they were AWESOME. My heart though are brown based reds. I certainly would buy from hobbyists but would need at least a video chat session to see fish live AND of the actual fish I would receive from the group

[brewmaster15]

Going off of the recent thread looking for hobby breeder fry.

Since there's no real money in it, I do it for my own satisfaction. But it wouldn't hurt to know what folks would like to see available. I realized I've got a couple pairs I've been ignoring in favor of a couple others. I could have fun with them too, and maybe there's more interest in their strains. Not going to mention what they are, just want to throw this out for discussion.

I think people want to buy from hobby breeders because they hope to get a group less expensively. Any other ideas?

What would you like to be able to buy from a hobby breeder?

Steve
Something unique . You can buy some strains anywhere as imports and they tend to be very inexpensive if common. Working with rare strains and crosses may be a very strong selling feature with some customers. Wild types seem to be the rage as well

al

[sanjay21]

Why buying from Hobbyist is better?

When you are considering grow outs and really passionate about it, you have 2 options to go with - buy from a seller online or a hobbyist. Buying online you do not know how the parents of the Juveniles look, most of them already develop patterns and colors which is not natural ! and you do know how old they are. But, when you buy from a hobbyist you get to see the parents and where the parents are originally from, how old are the babies and also any other necessary tips you can get from hobbyist (like fav. food). I'm not saying buying online is bad ! in my opinion its a gamble.

I contacted Martha yesterday and would be buying some growouts from her. She was nice enough to send me tank pics of the babies and also know how the parents look.

[LizStreithorst]

I am a hobby breeder. I feel a tug in my heart toward the brown based reds but I can only breed one strain and I decided on Blue Spotted Snake skins. I have a particular type in mind where the base if the fish is a good blue and the spots are divided evenly over the fish's body including some on the gill plate. I don't want spots on top of spots like and Eruption. I want a more natural look.

I'd have bought from a hobby breeder if I knew of any who was breeding what I wanted. Both times I bought my breeding stock I bought from importers because they had or could get what I wanted.

[Altum Nut]

Great topic Steve :)

I have always had a passion for the classic RT's as was mentioned above derived from Piwows.
Particularly a group from one of our SD members RichT.
I was fortunate to get a grow-out group from a hobbyist breeder here in Canada which I still regret to this day selling off the whole group at adult stage.

...Ralph

[Discluv]

I am interested in wilds and "wild-types."
More subtle and natural coloration's are more appealing to me after keeping discus for 17 years. Didn't start that way- but progressed to this preference.
Right now I have a F1 Alenquer pair and a Stendker "Tefe" maybe-pair.

[LizStreithorst]

The Stendklers sure do have that wild type look. I like them too.

[brewmaster15]

What about red turqs. Classic red turqs? I know they arent fancy but they are one of those lines that never go out of style. Im not talking about highbody turqs but more of the old fashioned ones... I have always had a soft spot for the original red turqs...strong distinct red patterns, turquoise base. That will probably be my next project.

I dont know if anyone remembers the red turqs that they sold in petshops a few decades ago. ..they were called "Candy Apple Red".. more mosaic than striated but they were some of my favorites at the time even if they were fully patterned and juiced at 2.5 ".lol

[LizStreithorst]

They were always Nicholson's favorite but I haven't seen him post for a couple of years,

[RogueDiscus]

What about red turqs. Classic red turqs? I know they arent fancy but they are one of those lines that never go out of style. Im not talking about highbody turqs but more of the old fashioned ones... I have always had a soft spot for the original red turqs...strong distinct red patterns, turquoise base. That will probably be my next project.

I dont know if anyone remembers the red turqs that they sold in petshops a few decades ago. ..they were called "Candy Apple Red".. more mosaic than striated but they were some of my favorites at the time even if they were fully patterned and juiced at 2.5 ".lol

Like these!

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?118618-Red-Turks

They seemed very strong. I sold them in favor of others I wanted the space for.

[brewmaster15]

Very close!

[Gabriel13]

I saw a strain this morning that was call blue turquoise. I was impressed. They just seemed to glow with a nice deep hue of blue. I would go for some of those for a grow out.

[sanjay21]

What about red turqs. Classic red turqs? I know they arent fancy but they are one of those lines that never go out of style. Im not talking about highbody turqs but more of the old fashioned ones... I have always had a soft spot for the original red turqs...strong distinct red patterns, turquoise base. That will probably be my next project.

I dont know if anyone remembers the red turqs that they sold in petshops a few decades ago. ..they were called "Candy Apple Red".. more mosaic than striated but they were some of my favorites at the time even if they were fully patterned and juiced at 2.5 ".lol


I recently purchased a Red Turq pair from a local breeder here in Utah. He originally purchased a group from Hans. After 3 generations of select breeding them -

115663

[LizStreithorst]

Good fish!

[Gabriel13]

115666 This was the strain referred to as a blue turq. I dont know if it is or isnt but I like it and would buy some.

[hardcore_freak]

Maybe because discus is almost readily available here (Singapore) therefore I would rather buy their alternative knowledge(if any) of discus keeping/breeding, food receipts, medications etc...

[shime]

I would purchase most if not all of his breedings.
石橋健次
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100012084282054
and Piwos old RT

[Hidan]

This answer would be a lot more interesting if you could ask the casual discus keeper as I am guessing they would be the main customers of a hobby breeder.
Take my example, I bought from a hobby breeder, got videos of his Discus from him and just had him send me 3 each of the species that I liked (he had a limited variety as most hobby breeders usually do)

It would be interesting what a first timer into Discus would pick up rather than you experienced guys who were born with Discuses :D

[brewmaster15]

This answer would be a lot more interesting if you could ask the casual discus keeper as I am guessing they would be the main customers of a hobby breeder.
Take my example, I bought from a hobby breeder, got videos of his Discus from him and just had him send me 3 each of the species that I liked (he had a limited variety as most hobby breeders usually do)

It would be interesting what a first timer into Discus would pick up rather than you experienced guys who were born with Discuses :D

lol..."Born with Discuses".. I suppose it would seem that way to a novice when they see someone with years in the hobby. We were all actually novices at one time.:) ..a long time ago.in a galaxy far far away.

Your post does bring up a good point and potential question.. What
does a new hobbyist Look for in a breeder and what they looking for in discus? Color, shape, value, etc. It seems to me you have a another thread of your own in the making.:)
al

[mmorris]

lol..."Born with Discuses".. I suppose it would seem that way to a novice when they see someone with years in the hobby. We were all actually novices at one time.:) ..a long time ago.in a galaxy far far away.

Your post does bring up a good point and potential question.. What
does a new hobbyist Look for in a breeder and what they looking for in discus? Color, shape, value, etc. It seems to me you have a another thread of your own in the making.:)
al

I remember being annoyed because sponge filters didn't come with instructions. :) I know what a hobbyist is looking for - whatever it is the breeder is NOT breeding!

[brewmaster15]

I remember being annoyed because sponge filters didn't come with instructions. :) I know what a hobbyist is looking for - whatever it is the breeder is NOT breeding!

Amen!

[bluelagoon]

I like the turqs and wilds with halos.

[discuspaul]

They were always Nicholson's favorite but I haven't seen him post for a couple of years,

Not wishing to take this thread off track, but I too haven't seen Nicholson posting for a very long time. He seems to have been lost to us for whatever reason, and I for one miss his interesting posts. (albeit a few of them may have been considered a bit 'tasteless', or uncalled for, to some of us at times- lol).

He was very colorful though, and I can't help but think Simply could use more of his off the wall type of commentary, to spark interest if nothing else.

Apologies for straying off-subject, I just had to get this thought out there.

[RogueDiscus]

The word is he's been busy building a house and/or moving, but I wouldn't be surprised if he got a bit tired of trying to convince folks to do things the 'right way.' I understand he will be working at the NADA show.

Steve

[lastflea]

As a total beginner with discus, and after reading up mostly here about how to look after them, also the advice from everywhere that says "buy the best fish you can afford", I'd find it very difficult to buy anything from a local, hobby breeder. Chances are I could be missing out on some great deals, and beautiful fish, but the truth is, I wouldn't really be able to tell if the fish were bad, unless they had some really, really obvious signs of stunting/poor health. I received a message yesterday on here from someone who mentioned a UK advertising website as a source. I took a look at it, and from what I can gather there's anything from superb to the worst. There was even an advert openly selling a stunted, dark discus. At least they were honest.

The first picture is selling these at £85 for 10, and as far as I can see that's a good price for some fairly decent looking fish. The second is selling at £12 each. Also a good price, but to me I thought some of their eyes looked a little big. Both are local/hobby breeders. I'd be interested to know what you think of them.

For the time being, I'll stick to reputable, licensed sellers, so I know for sure exactly what I'm getting. Especially as my plan is to grow a batch of 12 2/3"....

[RogueDiscus]

Hi Rob,
I wouldn't disagree with you at all about where to buy. I've bought all my fish from Kenny. Especially for someone less experienced, buying from a reputable dealer (like our sponsors :) ) is probably the best way to have a successful start, even if they're small. But part of this hobby is having fun breeding, so folks have fish to sell from time to time. If a hobbyist can get their foot in the door and earn a good reputation by doing things right and raising nice fish, then someone who knows what they're looking at might choose to buy from them.

From your picture, I kind of agree with your assessment. The first pic looks to be some brown-based reds, with nice shape for their size. The fish in the second pic are older, and look to be not as round in general, and I wouldn't want the eye any bigger.

Sorry, I don't know the exchange rate, so I don't know about the prices.

Just my opinions.

Steve

[lastflea]

That's interesting you agree Steve, and feel I should give myself a small pat on the back there ;) The top picture, the seemingly better ones are only £8.50 each, so maybe $12 off my head. The bottom picture, they're about $19 each. After looking at the ads again they're being sold as 2.5/3" or 3" respectively. To me it's still a minefield, and I don't have the knowledge or experience to be asking all the right questions, and properly gauging the response. From what I see of juveniles it takes a very good eye to spot the potential, years of experience. I'm not after show fish, nor ever wish to attain that level at any point in my hobby, but I don't want to risk starting my first run with a poor batch. I'm lucky to live within 2hrs of two prize winning, licensed breeders. Maybe some hobby bred fish will catch my eye in the future. Happy days if they're the same price as photo 1. Cheers :)

[Hidan]

I don't think it is that difficult buying from a breeder and I for one would happily do so, in fact I did.

I asked to see the parents to see what they would look like, spoke to the hobbyist in length to judge his interest in fish, rather than just interest in making money, asked for pictures of the fish for sale and posted pictures asking the experts how they looked and if they were stunted.

You are probably not going to get discus the quality of Stendker or professional breeders, but nowadays with all the knowledge available from these forums and many more, hobbyists do know the way to breed and grow out the fry in the right way. I could afford much larger discus at cheaper prices to what I would have had to pay for tiny fry from a more established and professional breeder and the fish only had to remain in a bag during transport for 1 day, improving their survival chances.

[sanjay21]

I don't think it is that difficult buying from a breeder and I for one would happily do so, in fact I did.

I asked to see the parents to see what they would look like, spoke to the hobbyist in length to judge his interest in fish, rather than just interest in making money, asked for pictures of the fish for sale and posted pictures asking the experts how they looked and if they were stunted.

You are probably not going to get discus the quality of Stendker or professional breeders, but nowadays with all the knowledge available from these forums and many more, hobbyists do know the way to breed and grow out the fry in the right way. I could afford much larger discus at cheaper prices to what I would have had to pay for tiny fry from a more established and professional breeder and the fish only had to remain in a bag during transport for 1 day, improving their survival chances.

+1

[Teleman]

I would love to see some of the "wild" type strains being bred today. I have a deep love for Tefe Greens and would love to stock the 320 gallon tank I am building with them. Unfortunately,it is not easy to find true wild Tefes at a reasonable price that are healthy right now. So I would like to find something that looks like Tefes that are domestically raised.

[Neo922]

After researching for quite a bit about getting into Discus, I wanted to get some nice cobalt with good shape that came from a reputable breeder (But got Priced out :) ), So i ended up looking for some small ones that i can grow out from local hobby breeder's. As i was looking to get the experience of keeping discus for the first time and making sure i understand what all goes into keeping them healthy, I was more interested in seeing if they young ones look healthy and at their price :) (Didn't really focus on the strain / shape / Parental history)