What to pay and what to look for in a breeding pair?

[Shawry]

I'm keen to breed and raise discus to sell. I've very little experience with Discus, in fact none. My plan is to get just one breeding pair for the moment for my 4x2x2. I understand this might end up being too big in which case I'll turn the tank into two sections, and get another pair. As for the moment though I've poked my head around the traps and found varying prices for breeding pairs. Now with never having kept Discus before I've no idea on the value of a breeding pair. I mean, just how hard is it to form a pair?
Is it worth just selecting a group of mid sized Discus and see how they go or would you think there would be a good possibility, say amongst 6 of them, that no pair would form? In which case I would of essentially lost profit.

Could anyone tell me what is the most sort after strains of Discus as once again I think my taste is in my #$$. You see I like the looks of the snakes and turqs but one of my mates was telling me they're not worth buckleys. You see, I've been fooling around with this new found hobby for twelve months now, spending far too much on far too little and I think it's about time I proved to my know it all girlfriend that keeping fish isn't just a quick way to spend money.

What's everyones favourite strain of Discus and how much would you pay for a mated pair of them?

[samir]

I think it's about time I proved to my know it all girlfriend that keeping fish isn't just a quick way to spend money.

good luck with that mate.

on the pair i think its a very bad idea. a good pair rarely sells and if you're inexperienced, trust me, you will need a good pair.
some of the things that can go wrong

1) pair too old
2) not a confirmed pair
3) pair fight and make each other sick with the stress.
4) one of the parents eats the eggs as soon as they are laid
5) one of the parents eats the eggs a day after they are laid
6) one of the parents eats the fry after they hatch
7) both of the parents do 4,5 and 6
8) male does not fertilise the eggs
9) bad parents, let fry scatter all over the place

most pairs sold have some of the above headaches attached.
buy 6 juveniles and you'll probably get one good pair, two if you're lucky.if you get three, you should have bought a lotto ticket instead.
hth
Samir

[Shawry]

Do you have to get them as juveniles for them to develop as a pair or will 6 mid-adults still be keen to match up?

[samir]

any size is fine, just not the huge ones.

[Shawry]

Ok thanks. I probably would of paid far too much for a pair anyways.
What strain would you consider to be the most sought after Discus?

[samir]

the most sought after discus are usually the hardest to breed. most types of reds usually sell well, but they can be very frustrating to breed initially.