looking for 8 Discuss

Hi guys
Is there some one in the PTA, Centurion, JHB area that help me with 8 discuss preferably an assortment of colour's. you can contact me by pm

 

thank you so much for the advice and the edit its much appreciated. I will try him thank you

 

If Marco can't assist let me know, I can put you in touch with someone who could help you out.

 

that would be great could you send me there contacts.

 

not sure what you meant buy 'Ifs' junk. yes i am looking for a good quality suppler. as well as good prices.

let me give you a brief description of my self.

Im very new at the fish game, started this year only with a 2 foot tank, and i was hooked. then i went on the search for a bigger tank. and was lucky enough to find some one selling all there tanks, was about 16 of them, from a 3m down to a 30cm including about 300 fish and accessory at very good price so i bought them.

since that I've bean lucky enough that the fish started breading (bricelnoes pleco, cichlits,gupys, sawtails,tetra..ect).I've ended up with quite the collection now and a bit to many fish. so i started first trying to sell them to pet shops which they where unable to buy from me. of if they did it was at extremely low prices, which on one hand i could understand but the other i felt cheated, but so be that.

then I started advertising online, and had people start asking me about fish i did not have so i started sourcing them and it was going well. I've had some hiccups here and there like people ordering fish and me not getting a down payment and then they don't come collect, as well as our lovely power suppler in this country going off and on I lost most of my new stock.

 

ah that will explain why I've lost so many fish thank you for that info thought there was something more at play then there being something wrong with my tanks.

 

Please post us some pics of your discus when you do get them.And do pleanty research on how to care for them to avoid dissapointment.Just bare in mind good discus arnt cheap and cheap discus alot of the time not good.

 

Hi @Niky Munro

I replied to your pm. Lets hope @hein24 can help you out.

Ill probably only have discus available mid year next year. Nothing until then.

Agree with @Reedfish - try get your fish from someone who knows what they are doing.
The Discus "arena" is full of ppl who pretend to have your best interest at heart....
As Quakeszn puts it - top quality Discus aint cheap - but Id like to add that in SA - exoensive Discus does not necessarily mean quality fish either. So be careful

Rgds

Marco

 

I suggest you contact Andrew (phish_man) on this forum. He breeds Discuss and works very closely together with the Prof (Dirk Belstedt) who is also on this forum.
The Prof has managed to import parasite free discuss from Germany and both him and Andrew can give you invaluable advice.
Speak to them.

Marco also seems to be a good bet, not sure whether he is still breeding discuss though.

 

Quite correct @Reedfish - I guess its probably a worldwide trend. Of course the breeders supplying the low quality fish does not do so only in SA - they will be outta business quickly and from the rubbish repeat imports in SA its clear they are still gowing strong.

Imust admit that there are 2 sides to this. I have always maintained that 95% of the people insisting on "Top quality fish" would probably not know it from the inferior ones due to lack of kniwledge and experience. On top of that - buying Top quality really aint cheap - unless you can source directly from the breeders - and not many people know the better breeders either.

Im going way of topic now but this has been argued worldwide for many years - where do you find the best breeders-Europe or Asia?
By the look of stock in SA its easy to presume Europe, cause we really have the worst type of Asian rubbish Discus coming here, but it actually paints a false picture. 9 out of 10 these inferior quality fish get compared to the TOP European breeders, and thats an unfair comparison.
Thats like finding a car in the scrapyard and tgen comparing it to a new car.
Should one however compare the Top European fish to Top Asian fish.....well then you have an entirely different scenario. Im of the opinion that there simply is no comparison-hence the reason that the Grand champion in Discus contests across the globe hails from Asia most of the time.
Unless no Asian breeders enter of course...lol

Rgds

Marco

 

And that is the reason I'm waiting and being patient's till a well know person on the forum has some descent fish...time is passing by but it will be worth the wait.

 

How long can line-bred strains keep going before crashing under genetic paucity? A responsible breeder should be culling fish not of acceptable standard, not trying to peddle such fish for a few bucks. And then, really only the best (read healthiest) fish should be allowed to breed. I think too many times colour/form genes win over health genes. And if one purchases fish, one should ask a discus expert whether they are good breeding material or not. Other breeders can still be displayed - no need to kill them. We see the same happening with dogs and cats, with undesirable genes being perpetuated by irresponsible breeders purely intent on making money rather than having the well-being of animals (and their owners) at heart.

 

Hi @Reedfish

Yeh I have also seen those hatchery trip type discussions and some of them really do look sensational. One can just see the standard of the facility exceeds the norm and so does the quality of fish. One such is Piwowarskis facility - Top European breeder with a worldclass system and fish.

The problem I have with the SA discus scene is that inferior quality fish are sold at very high prices, and then peddled as good quality fish. One is then told by "suppliers" that really really A grade quality is unaffordable - yet when you start investigating it becomes clear that you could import a box of fish from a Top breeder yourself and end up paying similar prices these guys are charging for rubbish. Now THAT blows my mind....
@dorff - I dont think its really a genetic issue caused by line breeding as such. Again-top breeders tend to line breed for longer to achieve specific results yet their fish remain excellent quality.
Unfortunately some Discus strains are more problematic than others-and this should also be kept in mind when buying your fish. You will get much further with say Red turquoise fish, which is a strong and old strain than you would with for instance Albino types. Its just weaker genetics - not nescessarily due to inbreeding though.

The trend nowadays - TOP grade fish can ONLY be bought from smaller "outlet" type breeders. Guys who specialise in 3 or 4 types only. They focus on all aspects of those types and try and strive for constant improvement.
Discus "farms" in the old sense of the term - they cpuldnt give a damn about the fish - to them its a simple add-on to the millions of guppy/molly/tetra sales they make and its used as makeshifts to push up box lots and save on freight. Quality for them is NOT a priority. Sad story. Now most Discus in SA come from those origins - and definitly NOT from renowned breeders.
I know some suppliers claim to sell Tony Tan fish, or Jeffrey Yang fish - but thats all crap!!! Its absolute rubbish. And IF they do - it would be Tan/Yang "culls" sold via agents as "Mixed Discus" and shipped along with these farm type gemors.

Solution to problem - my honest opinion - if a person really want top quality fish in SA then buy from a local breeder that can show you the parents, and guide you through the first few months. Otherwise import your own....but realise its gonna set you back quite a bit....

Rgds

Marco

 

If you take in consideration what you pay for i9mporting from reputable breeders like, Ricky Lim, Stendker, Forrest all of who do good discus compared to the crap you will get from wholesale guys, Rainforest and something phishy to name a few its hellova differant. Now take Andrew @Phishman hes got decent discus with proof here on the forum he will be much cheaper after taxes and import duties.And the fish will turn out as good as you look after them as they will be of good health when you buy them , hes gt real uniqe discus breeding at the moment.and top quality if you ask me and guess what hes not even a major breeder he is a hobbiest with a passion for quality.There are other reliable sources but be carefull.1 day sick discus cuases 1 day less growth