What makes a grade AAA Discus

[RDavies]

I have been googling Discus for sale and seen some marked as Grade A, Grade AA and grade AAA. I am not after some super expensive thing, but I was wondering, what is the difference between an ordinary Discus and an A grade or even AAA grade???

[bleublaze55]

i would also like to know the answer

[Mr Wild]

I am no expert but I am not sure whether there really is such a thing as we know it.

All discus are graded on closeness to their type/strain, shape, eyes size and colour, shape, pattern, lack of blemishes, finnage, roundness, colouration and body size and weight and lastly their presentation.

My personal opinion is that Show discus would be the highest grade and of course the winers thereof.

I hope that helps.

Kath

[TW]

From what I've been told in the past, the Grade A's (and above) don't make it into Australia (or at least, not into LFS). There is not the demand for them, as most pple would be unwilling to pay their asking price.

[ILLUSN]

You do get some A grades filtering through, mostly as juviniles from any batch of 100 or so juvies you'll get 1-2 a grade fish.

Things to look for are the shape of the pupil, should be round and cenetred in the iris, colour of the iris should be uniform, size and positioning of the eye must be correct, then you go onto the shape of the fish, positioning of the anal fin etc, nice long pelvic fins not bent or crooked and of equall length.

color and markings is dependent on the strain, in any event coloring should extent right up to the gill covers, spotted or patterened varitieties should have markings here.

solids should have solid colouring across the entire doby, pigion strains or pigion derived strains should have no peppering.

finelined strains should have nice even spaced markings consistant from head to tail, if any stress bars are visable they should be straight and not bent.

tails is depentednt on strain again but by and large should be clear.

finally scales should be of regular sizes, not irregular and they should line up.

the book trophy discus has a nice rundown on what to and what not to look for in fish, very hard to pick as juviniles but if your patient you can find that 1 in 100 that will grow to be an A grade.

and a grade adult of any strain is expected to cost upwards of $400 if you can get one that hasn't been ruined by colour enhancing.

[TW]

I have that book Jothy. It's a good read for discus owners.

[RDavies]

I will buy the book, for good reading, not that I will be chasing an A grade Discus, for a start anyway. I was just after nice looking healthy fish, but if I happened to chance onto a good one in a bunch, I would naturaly snap it up.
Before Illusion answered my question, my idea of a good fish, was one that wasnt floating upside down.

[TW]

LOL

That certainly helps. They look much nicer when not floating upside down