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Trebs......Any reason?????Quote:
Originally Posted by Trebs
am looking for a bit of variety as i am just starting......would like a few white swans or pure yellows, babies (budget problems) or any interesting others...what do you have for sale?
Jim.
Jim from Syd, I don't have anything at the moment unfortunately. I only have Turquise, Moody Reds or Golden Pigeons when I do have babies. As for goldens or white swans I'm pretty sure you'll have to get imported fish wherever you source them.
Martin, as far as places near Penrith, you probably need to think in terms of what's the best place in all of Sydney. It's not just the price you pay for the fish that's important. They hopefully will be with you for quite a few years so it's important to get what you want.
I've bought discus from Prestige before and lost all 6 of them in short order. I may not know everything about keeping discus but I know enough to keep them alive unless there is a serious problem.
I treated them repeatedly for tapeworm but they were too infested to save (they were passing full size tapeworm from basically day one - I still wonder how they all fitted inside the fish). It was pretty clear to me from the level of infestation that no treatment was made prior to sale at prestige. Tapeworm can be treated but if a fish at 2inches is that badly infested then the damage is done.
In my opinion, importers have a responsiblilty to treat for this sort of thing in quarantine. 2 weeks of treatment may not totally eradicate tapeworm but it should at least get the situation under control. This would give the aquarist a good chance of clearing out the tapeworm entirely. When this isn't done it gets me really p***** off. I'm sure not everyone has the same views on the duty of care of an importer/retailer, but thats how I feel.
Why discus have tapeworm at all really annoys me. Breeder should be treating, but they should be using clean food sources in the first place.
I don't rubbish other peoples businesses lightly, but I do feel we as hobbyists should be able to expect a certain level of care when forking out our cash.
The main thing to keep in mind with Prestige - Don't buy discus unless they look healthy and are kept at temps below 29. There is only one reason to keep discus above 29 and it isn't because it's cheap.
Prestige may be different from when I delt with them so it may be worth your while to have a look but bare in mind what I said above.
Trans/Monaco I've seen enough sick fish there to be very sceptical. Both shops are great for food and hardware but the quality and health (both of which vary) of there discus is enough to be concerned.
For the strains you want my best advice is to get out and see as many shops/importers/breeders as you can. you'll learn a lot and it will help you make a better decision as to where to buy. I went to see the Rouse Hill guy once, and at first glance his fish look good. I was only really there for a sticky so I didn't ask lots of questions. Make sure you ask what treatments he has administered over what period of time. If you are satisfied with the answer and temp is okay then consider buying.
Sorry for the long post but I feel it's important to provide reasons why I made the negative comment.
Hi Trebs
that was good info. I agree with you about dealers and breeders. I went to a very well known shop last weekend to look at some discus. they advertise and sell a lot. i was shocked at the dirty tanks they had, it looked to me that they had not been cleaned for weeks. the fish looked ok but the dirty tanks made me feel off. I WALKED OUT. it had taken me over 1 hour to drive there.. i will give prestige a miss. i dont need sickness in my tanks. better be save.. i love my baby discus too much to see problems introduced.
my tanks are so clean i can drink the water.
thanks again Jim
Dirty tanks can be a bad thing, but the bottom of a dirty tank can tell you a lot of important things about the fish that a freshly cleaned tank cannot. If it's close to you going to Prestige is still probably not a bad idea. There are a lot of fish to look at, just don't be too keen to buy that's all.
I have to agree that water condition in Prestige is not premium...colin had been busy with his fish tank business ( he spend most of his time building tanks)..last time I went there..his old stock was hit by unknown disease..(he have new stock with new tanks and seperate filter system)..and he did advise me not to buy fish from his old stock..as they are all sick (that was around 2-3 months ago)..hope his fish are ok now..
I like to shop from him sometimes as he often mix up his discus and mis -lable them...I got good bargain all the time. :P .I bought a discus from him last time...for $40...the same fish i saw in SLS cost more than $100..it's because colin sold it to me as normal pigeon blood..
And I always ask him to feed the fish with tetra bits before I buy..so all the fish I bought from him eat tetra bits straight away after I put it into my tank..some of his tank are really dirty and with lots of uneaten beefheart laying on the bottom...u just have to be really carefull..
me and my friends have bought more than 10 discus from him and never have problem..(maybe we are lucky :o ) ... just needs to be extra careful with his fish...
i know the difference between a "dirty" tank and a "unclean" tank. i agree you can tell a lot by looking at the bits and pieces that lie on the bottom. my advice is look carefully, spend some time in the consideration of buying, and above all if in doubt don't buy.regardless of price.
Jim
I would like to add the following.
I have been to many of the discus shops in Sydney and would comment that depending on the time of the week that you attend the premises that most shop in sydney have there bad days.
I have never been to Prestige so i dont know what colins is like, i have also not been to The gentlemen at rouse hills house. But i do know that some of his fish he stock are from Adam tan in KL Malaysia and Adam's fish in KL need to be seen to be beleived. Beautiful big dinner palte sized fish he has. It was based upon this that i said it might be good to go and have a look there. Prestige gets his fish form many sources so its hard to comment on what his fish are like at any time.
In any case the ADA has members out penrith way, i ahev already passed on the details to martin and had a good chat to him on the phone. In the end he is not only looking for fish but also looking for help and assistance which i am glad to say the ADA and this web site can provide by the truck load.
When buying fish from the start you are always gonna learn and as i suggested to Martin it is better to buy cheaper fish to learn with just in case they do die due to your inexperience at recognising problems quick enough.
When i started all i wanted was browns but try to find some to buy, almost impossible. THankfully the ADA was found by myself and some good quality cheap fish where bought and i then proceded to kill every single one. But i learnt a lot and those $300 or so worth of fish i bought now help my care for my $4000 worth of fish.
You can tell a fishes health mostly by good observation before purchasing and then by using good quarantine procedures at home that include a good treatment for any diseases before introduction into your tank even those worm riddled fish can be fixed up.
Happy fish buying
Wayne
I had considered answering before this but unfortunately didn't. As Wayne said he has spoken to me on the phone and I am extremely grateful for his assistance. He went out of his way to talk to other people who might have the fish I am looking for.
I appreciate the advise given on the forum so far but please if you have a bad opinion of someone wouldn't it be better to PM me.
Regards Martin.
ps Look forward to meeting you all at the ADA.
Wayne.....when is the next ADA meeting.....is it the last Sat in Jan.?
I am thinking of joining, they are in Parramatta I have the details as to where. Do they sell any discus there between members??
thanks Jim.
Martin,
I disagree, all opinions need to be expressed if this forum is going to be worthwhile. It is important to explain the reasons behind negative opinions which I feel I have done. I'm happy to discuss this further if anyone feels my comments have been unfair.
Wayne,
Disease aside, if it's easy to fix worm infestations why is there so much of it in discus that are for sale? IMO this adds weight to my view that importers and sellers should be doing more to clean their fish. Also, they should be looking at their o/s suppliers. Maybe it's a question of price, the cleaner fish are more expensive?
The above statement is made in general and is not directed solely at one source/seller/shop.
There seems to be a high level of acceptance in discus circles that fish will have tape worm and that's the way it is. I can't tell you how frustrating this is to me. I suppose it's a question of expectation, Am I being unrealistic?
Also, I have heard Colin makes good tanks.