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View Full Version : breed guppies not discus (less time more money)



Crocky
Wed Dec 28, 2005, 03:02 AM
Hi All

I am scratching my head at the moment where i am try to sell young discus and people are not prepare to give any more money for them that you would sell a guppy for.I would like to sell them to people that would take care of them instead of selling to pet shops ,but some of the offer i have had i would be better off putting them down the toilet.

brad.c

Proteus
Wed Dec 28, 2005, 03:10 AM
First off, dont flush them (it is actually illegal to do so, aside from the cruelty aspect of things)

Given the rise in interest in Discus, and the amount of locally bred stuff available, the value of young fish has dropped remarkably. Considering you can buy a 6-8cm fish now for as low as $30-$40 (retail) anything smaller or on the private market will be worth a lot less (unless you had a desirable strain or type).

G-1000
Wed Dec 28, 2005, 03:14 AM
Mate - dont be upset by the situation. Fish are only worth what somebody is willing to pay. If I were you I would put them on sale for like 5 or 10 bucks and you will sell every single one of them.

Also, if you have to sell them to a LFS for a few bucks each - then keep some of the best specimens for yourself and grow them up to adults. You can then improve the quality of fish you breed and be challenged all over again.

JMO


G

Crocky
Wed Dec 28, 2005, 03:45 AM
Hi-1000

$10 that all I am asking and adult fish are fish i breed.

Hi Proteus your right on the toilet thing,but to buy a discus 6-8 cm from a retailer for 30 to 40 bucks you will be lucky to grow it out to 10-12cm.Your better getting 3 younger one to 1 older one and keeping the best if you want to get a nice group of big discus in a display tank.

thanks for your input.

brad.c

Proteus
Wed Dec 28, 2005, 03:51 AM
$10 private sale is a good price...

maybe contact a store and see if you can offload large numbers and give a bulk discount, say $6-7 for orders of 20 or more???

as for buying a Discus at 6-8cm, it depends on where you source your fish from. I have many fish that are 15-18cm that were bought as larger sized juveniles.

Crocky
Wed Dec 28, 2005, 04:16 AM
But if get them small and look after them, you get less runted fish and some times a few really nice ones you never will seen sold in a retail shop.

I'm sorry I just dont here many good stories about discus imported to Australia, breeding pairs mostly.

Brad

Proteus
Wed Dec 28, 2005, 04:22 AM
I'm sorry I just dont here many good stories about discus imported to Australia, breeding pairs mostly.

given that I see several hundred imported Discus every month, I would say for the most part they are of excellent quality (it comes down to where they are sourced from). Obviously there are always a few that slip through, but given the numbers that isnt too bad.

At the end of the day it really comes down to where the fish come from. At this stage there arent enough breeders in the country to support the hobby, hence why so many get imported. as I suggested previously, why dont you call up some of your local stores and see if they are interested in them?

Ben
Wed Dec 28, 2005, 08:58 AM
Hi Brad,

dont dispair mate, one thing to remember it is xmas time and a lot of people go away over the next few weeks so sales for us hobbist breeders will be slow.

Maybe try swapping a few discus for some food or aqaurium equipment at your LFS, this way everyone wins!

Dont worry mate, keep breeding them!

Cheers
Ben

Dee
Wed Dec 28, 2005, 12:38 PM
Heya Brad,

First up let me say your young Discus look great and are priced very well mate. From memory your from the Wangaratta area ... I remember your post about your fish loving Wanagaratta water, any way just thought I would mention some people may find that distance from Melb a fairly long drive, if you put it in round trip distance. From memory it's around 2 hours from Melb to Wangaratta, 4 hour round trip. Anyway what im trying to say it's a expensive added cost to buy well priced Discus and may put off a few buyers ... and slow sales down a bit, I could be totally wrong though. Maybe you could offer delivery, obviously for a fee, and do a round trip through Melbourne on a weekend or something. Just thought I would offer an opinion, I could be WAY off the mark. Best of luck with the sales mate, they are great fish and extremely well priced :thumb

Cheers,

Dee :)

Crocky
Thu Dec 29, 2005, 02:36 AM
Hi Discus D

Your right distance seems to be the problem and have thought of that myself of doing a trip down to melbourne.I just thought for 10 bucks for a young fish,a 2 hour drive is nothing as I have jump in my car and drove to melbourne myself when a local breeder had lots of young discus and also had them for 10 dollars.Its a nice trip to Wangaratta too,you dont have to come up the freeway if you live south /east melbourne you can drive threw Bonnie Doon.I have got alot of p.m's but nearly all from nsw /act people, only one or two victorian.

Thanks for your input

Brad

Trebs
Thu Dec 29, 2005, 03:10 AM
I'd try to get close up pics to give people an idea of the quality of the fish you have. At the moment I can't really see how good they are. People may be more willing to make the drive if they can see what you have to offer.

Ben's pics of his blue diamond's is a good example of this, you can get a good idea of the quality from those.

Also pics of the parents can help a lot when selling small fish, people get an idea of how they are likely to turn out.

My 2 cents.

Crocky
Fri Dec 30, 2005, 12:03 AM
Here some pics of the parents and juvi's.
I will post a pic of another juvi from these fish which is a couple of months older to show what they will look like as close up of the small still dosen't show you anything but there got red eye,perfect stress bars,gills and fins.

brad

Crocky
Fri Dec 30, 2005, 12:13 AM
older juvi starting to get some color.

Crocky
Fri Dec 30, 2005, 12:14 AM
older juvi starting to get some color.

Merrilyn
Fri Dec 30, 2005, 02:38 AM
They have good colour starting, and a superb shape for such young fish. Brad, you've done a lovely job raising them.

Good luck with the sales.

nicholas76
Sat Dec 31, 2005, 04:24 AM
Brad!!


wait till the holiday period is over mate!!!!


Top notch fish , you coming to mlebourne at all soon??

goldenpigeon
Sat Dec 31, 2005, 10:03 AM
i love your fish Brad!!! if somebody in QLD, gold coast brissy wants to split shipping ill get some off you.

what you could try is educating your lfs's about discus so they dont think it is to hard to keep them and they can educate their customers properly. i am sure you are aware of this but if you can constantly move lots of fish for a smaller price thats great. the last thing you want is hundreds of fish sitting there and only selling a few with a higher asking price.

HTH

Crocky
Sun Jan 01, 2006, 11:04 PM
Junior
Mate I would love to deliver them to you myself (goldcoast) I wish.
You just can't educate them, they know it all and won't listen.I am aware that I will get stuck with them if the price is to high but it's not my beef it was what some people had offered me for them.
Thanks for 2 cent but it looks like thing are starting move now.

Brad

goldenpigeon
Mon Jan 02, 2006, 01:05 AM
Brad will you ship at this point in time? i cant remember?

LFS are very stubourne i know :( looks like you are getting some attention here thoagh :D

good luck mate!!!!!!!!