Dealers in Seattle Area?

[markwill]

I've bought my discus from Macs and I am pretty happy. However, some have pointed out that he's a tad expensive so I would at least like to know my options. I live in Woodinville, about 20 miles from Seattle. I've seen some older threads suggesting there is a dealer in Auburn (Hank?) but it's not clear to me whether he's still active or whether he has a web site. I'd MUCH prefer to visit a local dealer than order by mail. I like to see my fish first and obviously mailing costs add a good deal.

I'm pretty eager to buy 3 or 4 more discus - perhaps even this weekend - so if anyone knows if a reliable dealer near me please let me know.

Thanks in advance.

Mark

[Gold Mt Discus]

Hank has awesome fish for sale right now on aqua-bid.
Frank
PS: I live in Port Orchard. Look on the DAAH site under fish for sale (22 future breeders) I purchased these from Hank. It will show you the quality. Hank's handle on that site is joyofdiscus.

[markwill]

Hank has awesome fish for sale right now on aqua-bid.
Frank
PS: I live in Port Orchard. Look on the DAAH site under fish for sale (22 future breeders) I purchased these from Hank. It will show you the quality. Hank's handle on that site is joyofdiscus.
Thanks Frank. I am generally get put off by "overselling" language like this :-)

"Trust me, no body in the US is willing to sale their RD pair. I must be out of my mind to sale them."

But I have heard Hank's fish are good from a couple of sources now. So, I may give this a shot. I wish Hank had a web site (I can't locate one).

Thanks again.

Mark

[Gold Mt Discus]

Mark,
No website that I know of. Hank is not a dealer, he is a private breeder.
As a disabled combat vet I was a little uneasy visiting Hank as he is Vietnamese but soon realized he is an awesome person and loves to talk discus. He made me feel welcome and we had an awesome lengthy conversation while I was there. That is where I feel there is a difference between dealers and private breeders. The dealers need to push to sell their product, the breeders really do not.
I purchased the 22 and came home with 26 adults and 9 fry for the same price and I came home feeling real good about the fish, Hank and myself.
If you contact him in person, he will be good to you, I am positive of that. And you will enjoy the visit even if you don't buy any fish.
Frank

[kaceyo]

Hi mark,
For future reference you'll want to keep Seattle Koi & Discus in mind. I think the owner is on vacation right now but is supposed to be coming back eventualy. I don't know Hank but have heard nothing but good things about him and his fish. If I had a car I would have paid him a visit long ago. I don't know what your looking for but I've got a few small (2"and 3") Yellow Crystals and some nice Browns available at good prices. Hank I'm sure has got more variety of strains and sizes. Also there is a thread just for people in the NorthWest to keep in touch and you may find some folks with discus for sale there too.
Good Luck,

Kacey

[markwill]

Hi mark,
For future reference you'll want to keep Seattle Koi & Discus in mind. I think the owner is on vacation right now but is supposed to be coming back eventualy. I don't know Hank but have heard nothing but good things about him and his fish. If I had a car I would have paid him a visit long ago. I don't know what your looking for but I've got a few small (2"and 3") Yellow Crystals and some nice Browns available at good prices. Hank I'm sure has got more variety of strains and sizes. Also there is a thread just for people in the NorthWest to keep in touch and you may find some folks with discus for sale there too.
Good Luck,

Kacey
Thanks Kacey. I'm eager to see Hank's fish and have PM'd him. Sadly, tomorrow isn't an option for me so - ever impatient - I'm holding out on the very slim chance that he'll respond today :-)

Thanks again.

Mark

[markwill]

Mark,
No website that I know of. Hank is not a dealer, he is a private breeder.
As a disabled combat vet I was a little uneasy visiting Hank as he is Vietnamese but soon realized he is an awesome person and loves to talk discus. He made me feel welcome and we had an awesome lengthy conversation while I was there. That is where I feel there is a difference between dealers and private breeders. The dealers need to push to sell their product, the breeders really do not.
I purchased the 22 and came home with 26 adults and 9 fry for the same price and I came home feeling real good about the fish, Hank and myself.
If you contact him in person, he will be good to you, I am positive of that. And you will enjoy the visit even if you don't buy any fish.
Frank
Thanks Frank. I can't wait to get down to Hank's and have a look at his fish. As I say, I'm very happy with Mac's Discus but I think it's always good to have an alternative. I did note that Hank's fish on AquaBid are at the high end (some hundreds of dollars), which is more than I want to be spending. So, I'm hoping he has a wide range.

It's not easy to say the type of discus for which I am looking :-) I've seen some really wonderful fish on the web but simply want to see a fish live before I order. And those mailing charges are a big turn off! I have to say some of the "firework" discus here (6th posting) looks truly amazing!!!

http://forum.simplydiscus.com//showthread.php?t=43385&highlight=eruption

But I don't know if I should be expecting spectacular fish like that from a local breeder.

Anyway, I have to see to know :-)

Thanks.

Mark

[joyofdiscus]

Hello Franks and others,

Lately, I haven't been on the the discus forums due to my busy schudules. I have been doing other projects and not enjoying my discus enough. But, I do 4 to 5 W/C weekly. This is one of the reasons why my discus is for sale.

Frank, thank you very much for the nice comments. You are such a nice individual. I don't know how your wife keeps letting you buy so many fish? HaHaHa. Usually, I always have to keep that to myself. But, lately she is warming up to them. After, my wife saw some of my tanks are empty she asked me why I am selling them? This could be a good or bad signs. Either, she is worrys I'll spend more money in getting new fish or she is actually missing them. But, she knows the reason why.

Are your fish pairing up? They're at the right ages and are big enough. I am pretty sure, you will not have any runt pairs with that group.

Also, I just met a couple living in Olympia visited me last week. They're addict to discus just like you and me. They have about 10 to 15 tanks with all kind of fish. What a nice couple that share the same hobbly. What a wife. Also, they buy some of my fish.

Mark, I think you're misunderstanding me. Like Frank mentioned, I am just a hobblyist enjoying my fish. For me, I like to collect beautiful round discus and have them in my collections. Sometimes, when you ordered bunch of discus and they are not what you're looking for, I usually culled them and only keep the best. I am not in this hobbly to make money. I spend alot more money then I make. But, my pairs do breed and that's how I can support this hobbly.

As for me "overselling my fish" comment, I am just speaking the truth. I have been in this hobbly for a long time and have not see anyones selling their Reflective Deep pairs. I stand behind what I have and I do think this pair is really beautiful. When people come and buy my fish, I always help them to pick out the best. Anyhow, I hoped you understand.

Also, by this weekend I don't have alot of fish left. I will be delivery bunch of fish to a customer flying in frorm California to Portland.

Hank

[markwill]

Mark, I think you're misunderstanding me. Like Frank mentioned, I am just a hobblyist enjoying my fish. For me, I like to collect beautiful round discus and have them in my collections. Sometimes, when you ordered bunch of discus and they are not what you're looking for, I usually culled them and only keep the best. I am not in this hobbly to make money. I spend alot more money then I make. But, my pairs do breed and that's how I can support this hobbly.

As for me "overselling my fish" comment, I am just speaking the truth. I have been in this hobbly for a long time and have not see anyones selling their Reflective Deep pairs. I stand behind what I have and I do think this pair is really beautiful. When people come and buy my fish, I always help them to pick out the best. Anyhow, I hoped you understand.

Hi Hank. Yes, I did initially misunderstand and thought your were a dealer. Greg kindly put me straight when we spoke by phone, so apologies for the error.

In terms of the "overselling" comments, that's just a style preference (I personally dislike this type of language but that is nothing more than a preference). I suspect you don't actually believe you are insane (or whatever the language was) :-)

I'm eager to see your fish but I am in less of a hurry now. Mac's got a new batch in and I went yesterday and bought two fish that will be - by far - the highlight of my tank (a Red Melon and a Red Leopard Snake Skin which was the roundest fish I have ever seen!!!). I am delighted with them even though I paid a pretty penny :-) The timing just turned out bad this time around but I am sure I'll be back for me.

Thanks again.

Mark

[joyofdiscus]

Mark,

Congrats on the new fish and it is always good to buy fish when Mac just get them in. I like to QT myself.

You can also check QA Aquarium in China Town. He got some nice looking leopared and LSS at about 3" for $100.00 each.

Like I said, I don't have alot of of individual fish for sale by the end of this week. Most of them will be gone. I will mostly have pairs left.


Hank

[kaceyo]

Hank,
Is QA the shop thats kinda down an alley and just a few blocks from King's?

Kacey

[joyofdiscus]

No, that is Lam's place. Not a lot of discus to look at. He has mostly 2 to 3" discus. I think he is getting his stock from Mac, not sure?

QA is on Jackson St./4th Ave. I don't have the address but it is on the left side if you travel W/B. He usually not there doing the day time. the time to catch him at the pet shop is around 5 to 7 o'clock. There is an old Chinese man working while Andy (pet owner name) is not there. I don't think this old man can help you much, since his english is very limited and he don't know much about discus.

Andy imports lot of discus and other fish regularly. Sometimes, if you visit the shop often, you can really get some grade A discus.

Hank

[Bainbridge Mike]

Markwill:
I went with Frank to visit Hank and see his fish. Hank is a gracious host and an honorable guy.

Mike W.

[markwill]

Markwill:
I went with Frank to visit Hank and see his fish. Hank is a gracious host and an honorable guy.

Mike W.
Thanks. I have no reason to believe otherwise - all indications suggest he deals with customers just great. In the next month or so (I've been buying 2-4 per month) I hope to get a look at his fish.

Mark

[Bainbridge Mike]

I would not really call the people Hank sells fish to "customers." Hank is not in it for the money. There are importers who deal large volumes of fish, and then there are serious hobbyists like Hank who have extra fish available from time to time that can be sold or traded with other hobbyists. I've bought a lot of fish over the last year and I think it is a lot more fun to get fish from a friend/fellow hobbyist than to buy them from the big importers. Check in every few days and you will see postings on this site from people in the area with fish available. Anyway, best of luck to you.

Mike

[markwill]

I would not really call the people Hank sells fish to "customers." Hank is not in it for the money. There are importers who deal large volumes of fish, and then there are serious hobbyists like Hank who have extra fish available from time to time that can be sold or traded with other hobbyists. I've bought a lot of fish over the last year and I think it is a lot more fun to get fish from a friend/fellow hobbyist than to buy them from the big importers. Check in every few days and you will see postings on this site from people in the area with fish available. Anyway, best of luck to you.

Mike
I'm not sure why but everyone seems to want to tell me that Hank's sells as a hobby, not as a "dealer" :-) Greg told me, Frank told me, Hank himself told me and now you have told me. I understand that (and have said so above):

"Yes, I did initially misunderstand and thought your were a dealer. Greg kindly put me straight when we spoke by phone, so apologies for the error."

Not sure what I can say to ensure people know I understand :-) If the word "customers" was what did it then I'll even withdraw that word (replace it with "people" if that helps). That said, I wish I had a hobby that involved selling fish for hundreds of dollars :-).

Mark

[Gold Mt Discus]

Its the kick backs Hank gives us.....hahahaha Not really, its finding a fellow discus nut with good fish who is honest. They are hard to come by.
Frank

[joyofdiscus]

Thanks guys. It is nice to heard from you Mike. Hey, now I know where to spend my time. I love to see local hobblyists starting to post on Daah and Simplydiscus forums. I remember the time when only few members in Washington were posting and sharing their ideas. That's so great. Keep it up guys. We might have something special going on here. I know lot of guys who love discus, but their english are limited so it is very hard for them to put their thoughts together. Sometimes, I have the same problem but I'll continue to share what I know.

We must thank you Greg for starting the threat on local breeders or hobblyists in the Seattle areas.

One of the reasons why breeders or importers who sale their fish expensive are due to the cost of buying high quality fish. I have done lot of researches on importing fish and how to obtain high quality discus and let me tell you, they're are expensive.

I have paid a lot of money to get all my breeder pairs. I usually culled alot to achieved my desire discus. The pairs I am selling are my breeder pairs. At of right now, I don't have the time to take care of them and giving them TLC.

Also, when they have babies, I was selling them to "PEOPLE" dirt cheap. A 2" discus was sold at $5 to $7 dollars. I understand how expensive it is to keep Discus. Keeping Discus, it likes a disease, you won't know when to stop buying. You can ask Frank. Hahaha.

I am hoping to get some nice discus this coming year when I am ready again.

Hank

[CliffsDiscus]

HI Guys,
Is that pet store Crystal Aquarium still in business in Chinatown? I remember
he had a few Discus for sale.

Cliff