Beaky Discus

[4eye gold fish]

Hi all,

Will beaky discus get rounded out when it grows? I have a couple at 4.5-5 inch that has a beak, two that is more pronounced.

Thanks in advance.

[CliffsDiscus]

They call this parrot mouth. Unfortunately this stay with the fish.

Cliff

[4eye gold fish]

They call this parrot mouth. Unfortunately this stay with the fish.

Cliff

Thank you Cliff for your response. These are 3Rs and was told by the seller that this is normal for this strain of Golden based reds and that once they reach 5.5-6" it wont be noticeable. Hopefully this holds true.128973128974128975

[Willie]

Unfortunately this notch above the eye is unlikely to grow out. A depression below the mouth also contributes to a beaky appearance. I've seen that grow out with lots of water changes and heavy feeding.

Willie

[Vinni Smith]

Unless you plan to show the fish...Who cares?
That fish is beautiful.
Enjoy it for what it is.

[4eye gold fish]

Unless you plan to show the fish...Who cares?
That fish is beautiful.
Enjoy it for what it is.

Hi Vinni, I agreed and disagreed. I paid premium $$$ for them so I expected them to be premium fish. I bought 6 of these and 5 are beaky with two that is more beaky than the rest. Yes, I will enjoy them for what they are.128976

[Vinni Smith]

Hi Vinni, I agreed and disagreed. I paid premium $$$ for them so I expected them to be premium fish. I bought 6 of these and 5 are beaky with two that is more beaky than the rest. Yes, I will enjoy them for what they are.128976

I think they are gorgeous. Send them over here if you don't like that! ; ^ )

[4eye gold fish]

I think they are gorgeous. Send them over here if you don't like that! ; ^ )

Thank you, they are gorgeous, just that they should, could have been even more gorgeous...if you get what I mean. And sure you can have them for the same amount I paid, I wont charge you a penny more or less :P

[Vinni Smith]

Thank you, they are gorgeous, just that they should, could have been even more gorgeous...if you get what I mean. And sure you can have them for the same amount I paid, I wont charge you a penny more or less :P

I would arm wrestle you for them if I lived up the street. ;)

[4eye gold fish]

I would arm wrestle you for them if I lived up the street. ;)

left or right? :D

[danotaylor]

Have you started a dialogue with the supplier? Are they aware that you are not happy with the quality/price of your purchase? They may work with you. If it's an SD sponsor they're usually dedicated more to customer satisfaction than profit margins. I would reach out to them and see...

[4eye gold fish]

Have you started a dialogue with the supplier? Are they aware that you are not happy with the quality/price of your purchase? They may work with you. If it's an SD sponsor they're usually dedicated more to customer satisfaction than profit margins. I would reach out to them and see...

Hi Daniel,

Yes I have communicated with seller, he told me that this is very normal for this Golden Based Red strain.

This is his exact quote "This is considered very normal shape for Golden based reds. That is not consider beaky especially when they are still young. (they are 4.5-5") Once they hit 5.5-6" it wont be noticeable. Many of the sought after high body shape strains in Asia have similar forehead shape. Golden based reds like the 3Rs are rarer than normal pigeon-based and standard aren't exactly the same."

I paid $125 a piece, if you or anyone on this forum were in my shoes, would this have been acceptable quality/service for you? I did not start this tread to piss on seller, I just wanted to know what he told me about the beak going away after growing out is true.

I am very new to discus keeping and have read almost everything on this great forum. I have great respect for all SD sponsors/members and take every advice as gold.

Am I happy with the purchase?... If what I paid and gotten is correct standard then yes. With your expertise, can you say that I received a fair deal?

[danotaylor]

I cannot say either way mate. Golden based reds are certainly less common and therefore carry a higher price tag, but I did not know that about the body/head shape of the strain...that would have been good to know before buying for sure. Obviously the grade of the fish also plays into the price. What grade were they advertised as?
When I purchased from an SD sponsor I got multiple pics from different angles and several videos of the individual fish I was buying and was very happy with my purchase for quality & value for money. I would never buy site unseen, or from anyone who doesn't provide individual pics of the fish I am considering as that is really the only way I can have peace & confidence when spending money on high dollar fish.
All I can say is I hope in the growing out process you become more satisfied with the discus you received for the money spent.

[4eye gold fish]

I cannot say either way mate. Golden based reds are certainly less common and therefore carry a higher price tag, but I did not know that about the body/head shape of the strain...that would have been good to know before buying for sure. Obviously the grade of the fish also plays into the price. What grade were they advertised as?
When I purchased from an SD sponsor I got multiple pics from different angles and several videos of the individual fish I was buying and was very happy with my purchase for quality & value for money. I would never buy site unseen, or from anyone who doesn't provide individual pics of the fish I am considering as that is really the only way I can have peace & confidence when spending money on high dollar fish.
All I can say is I hope in the growing out process you become more satisfied with the discus you received for the money spent.

This SD sponsor does not allow picking from his selections pics on this forum or provides pics or videos. One just tells him what strain, price and how many. I have asked him of that the very first time I bought from this SD sponsor. He told me he can't do that because then he would have to do it for everybody. Anyways, lesson learned.
Yes, I hope that the fish will improve as it grows out.

[CliffsDiscus]

Thank you Cliff for your response. These are 3Rs and was told by the seller that this is normal for this strain of Golden based reds and that once they reach 5.5-6" it wont be noticeable. Hopefully this holds true.128973128974128975

I'm taking a closer after these pictures and it shows that some of the Discus have what is call saddle nose or dent right across from the eye. Willie calls this a notch.. Some high body Discus do have this trait take a look at the BullDog Discus.

Cliff

[Iminit]

My opinion about bull dog discus is they are just ugly. They are a deformity that should have been culled. Op I’d be upset! The fact that all of them don’t have that beak has me wondering. Will you be refunded at 6” if still beaked?

[4eye gold fish]

My opinion about bull dog discus is they are just ugly. They are a deformity that should have been culled. Op I’d be upset! The fact that all of them don’t have that beak has me wondering. Will you be refunded at 6” if still beaked?

Hi Tom,
I just emailed seller with that inquiry, will see what his response is. The more replies I read the more upset I am. I trusted this seller and bought blindly due to his great reputation and all.
At first I just wanted to hear from fellow members if what seller stated that this beaky appearance is normal and will eventually grow out, but now I read differently.

[jeep]

I do not consider this to be normal and I certainly would not be happy if I received these...

[Vinni Smith]

As beautiful as they are, if I paid that kind of $$$ for them, I would be upset too.
I think you have every right to pitch a fit over it.
Who was the dealer?

[Willie]

Just want to clarify what has been said here.

1. Cliff did not say these fish are bulldog discus, just that bulldogs also have a notch/beak when young. Whether anyone likes or dislikes bulldogs has no bearing on these fish.
2. I was concerned with the notchy appearance based on the first set of pictures, but the second set of pictures show that they're not nearly as bad as I was led to believe. I also said that the notchy appearance will greatly improve with lots of big water changes and high protein foods.

If you want discus with spectacular shape, perfect foreheads and round fronts, buy turquoise strains. If you go to a NADA or other discus competition, the toughest category is always the turquoise class. They're much bigger, better coloration and perfectly shaped. As you move toward Blue Diamonds, Brilliants (Flachens), etc., getting perfect foreheads are going to be less frequent. In newer strains, the shapes will be even less ideal. A turquoise strain with this forehead would not be in my fish room.

But the latest reds, e.g. 3R's, Rafflesias, etc., never had great shape. They were bred with uniform red coloration as the primary criterion. As you move into the pigeon blood categories, the shape is just not going to be there. These turn out to be a very new variety and I don't expect great size, shape, or likely fertility from them.

In the end, these are not culls. They seem healthy, they have good color and they just don't have a perfect discus shape. They are a world apart from the diseased, stunted, clamped discus often seen on this website from no-name sources. If you want glowing red discus that achieve huge size (6"+), with perfect foreheads, you're probably looking at > $500 each.

Willie

[Second Hand Pat]

Just want to clarify what has been said here.

1. Cliff did not say these fish are bulldog discus, just that bulldogs also have a notch/beak when young. Whether anyone likes or dislikes bulldogs has no bearing on these fish.
2. I was concerned with the notchy appearance based on the first set of pictures, but the second set of pictures show that they're not nearly as bad as I was led to believe. I also said that the notchy appearance will greatly improve with lots of big water changes and high protein foods.

If you want discus with spectacular shape, perfect foreheads and round fronts, buy turquoise strains. If you go to a NADA or other discus competition, the toughest category is always the turquoise class. They're much bigger, better coloration and perfectly shaped. As you move toward Blue Diamonds, Brilliants (Flachens), etc., getting perfect foreheads are going to be less frequent. In newer strains, the shapes will be even less ideal. A turquoise strain with this forehead would not be in my fish room.

But the latest reds, e.g. 3R's, Rafflesias, etc., never had great shape. They were bred with uniform red coloration as the primary criterion. As you move into the pigeon blood categories, the shape is just not going to be there. These turn out to be a very new variety and I don't expect great size, shape, or likely fertility from them.

In the end, these are not culls. They seem healthy, they have good color and they just don't have a perfect discus shape. They are a world apart from the diseased, stunted, clamped discus often seen on this website from no-name sources. If you want glowing red discus that achieve huge size (6"+), with perfect foreheads, you're probably looking at > $500 each.

Willie

Very well stated Willie :)
Pat

[4eye gold fish]

Just want to clarify what has been said here.

1. Cliff did not say these fish are bulldog discus, just that bulldogs also have a notch/beak when young. Whether anyone likes or dislikes bulldogs has no bearing on these fish.
2. I was concerned with the notchy appearance based on the first set of pictures, but the second set of pictures show that they're not nearly as bad as I was led to believe. I also said that the notchy appearance will greatly improve with lots of big water changes and high protein foods.

If you want discus with spectacular shape, perfect foreheads and round fronts, buy turquoise strains. If you go to a NADA or other discus competition, the toughest category is always the turquoise class. They're much bigger, better coloration and perfectly shaped. As you move toward Blue Diamonds, Brilliants (Flachens), etc., getting perfect foreheads are going to be less frequent. In newer strains, the shapes will be even less ideal. A turquoise strain with this forehead would not be in my fish room.

But the latest reds, e.g. 3R's, Rafflesias, etc., never had great shape. They were bred with uniform red coloration as the primary criterion. As you move into the pigeon blood categories, the shape is just not going to be there. These turn out to be a very new variety and I don't expect great size, shape, or likely fertility from them.

In the end, these are not culls. They seem healthy, they have good color and they just don't have a perfect discus shape. They are a world apart from the diseased, stunted, clamped discus often seen on this website from no-name sources. If you want glowing red discus that achieve huge size (6"+), with perfect foreheads, you're probably looking at > $500 each.

Willie

Thanks Willie,

Here are a few more pics. Anyways, seller and I was able to work things out.

129034129035129033