What price range do breeding size fish go for

[Sicj]

As a beginner i do not want to be sucked in and pay more than what a fish is worth.

I just want to know what price range i can expect to pay for breeding size fish.

I have seen pairs go for between $200 and $650

Is that common?

Am i better off buying juvies instead of adult fish.


John

[cityguy]

As a beginner i do not want to be sucked in and pay more than what a fish is worth.

I just want to know what price range i can expect to pay for breeding size fish.

I have seen pairs go for between $200 and $650

Is that common?

Am i better off buying juvies instead of adult fish.


JohnUr in Australia, it would be probably a little expensive there, yes 200-650.. Here in India a grade A pair costs about 300-400 US$..

[cityguy]

Sorry, did not see your other qs.. I think juvies are more difficult to take care in all aspects :cry: , so if you have the budget, go for a nice adult pair :D

[samir]

you are better off buying a group of juveniles

[cityguy]

Follow this link and carefully read the chapter "Buying Discus". You will have a better idea about what to buy and what you really want to buy..

http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/breeding/Gallagher_Discus1.html

It is a write up by Peter Gallagher, titled: My Experiences with Discus. First published in May 1990
by NSW Cichlid Society, Australia.

[Hollowman]

For someone who is going to be new to discus, I would strongly recommend starting with a group of good juves. Start with fish at about 3" buy 6 if you can, any smaller number then you might get bullying. I have paid £60 (UK) for 3" 'grade A' fish. Do not buy cheap fish.
Make sure they come from a good source, (DO NOT get from more than one place) and make sure you read as much as you can. Raising discus is very rewarding, and from a group of 6, the chances are that you will get at least one pair...if breeding them is a future goal.
Discus are very easy to keep........as long as you follow the rules.
Key Points:

Good Water
Regular, large water changes
Good quality, and varied diet
Stable conditions
Mature filters
Think water change before bombing with meds
Have a smaller 'hospital /quarrentine tank in case of emergencies.
Ask questions......however silly. We have all made the mistakes, so we know how to get over them.
DO NOT rely on LFS advice!

A few suggestion for starters.
hth

Hollowman

[cityguy]

Hollowman, won't juvies be difficult to manage specially by a starter ? I was under the impression that someone new to this hobby is always better off with adult Discus.. plz correct me if I am under a wrong notion..

[ILLUSN]

In oz if you look around you can get nice 4" fish for around the $130-180 mark, if you intend to breed then go for a school of 6 3" or so sized fish, follow the good advice given above, get good stock (expect to pay $50-90 for common strains) try and buy them all from the 1 place.

[Hollowman]

Hollowman, won't juvies be difficult to manage specially by a starter ? I was under the impression that someone new to this hobby is always better off with adult Discus.. plz correct me if I am under a wrong notion..

Hi City,

Buying an established pair as a beginner, with the intension to breed them right off the bat, I think is a wrong move. Ok, it can be done, but not knowing the signs of illness or stress, feeding and water change regimes or general conditions will lead to dead or very sick fish very quickly.
Now, I am not saying that Sicj is a noob at keeping fish, but WE know that a breeding pair will cost a lot of money. There is nothing worse that looking in your tank at sick fish a week after buying them, and thinking that these fish are hard to keep, then giving up on discus. This has been done for so long it has given them the reputation that they are hard to keep.
Not true, they rules have to followed. No fixed rules, we all have our own ways, depending on our location, situation, financial position. But basics are basics.

Juves however, will, at a lower initial cost (ish) will give Sicj an introdution to discus, and his knowledge will grow as his fish do. His goal seems to be breeding, so in raising a small group from 3" fish will give him an insight into what it will take to do this.

jmo :wink:

Hollowman

[Sicj]

Yes cost is a big factor as i have seen very expensive fish everywhere i go and am scared to pay a high price and get sucked in and buying poor quality.

I will start with some smaller fish maybe 8cm and work my way up. If i find something that is quality for a fair price i will be willing to pay for it.

I am currently in the process of re organising my fish room at the moment as i have cichlids which need to be sold and all the fry moved around.

I will start with maybe 6 tanks devoted to discus and slowley move in more as things roll on.

Help has been good so far. It would be good to see some other peoples setups so i may be able to get some hints or little tips.


John

[Hollowman]

John, please do not go to your lfs to get fish. They will be over-priced and most probably stunted, as well as disease ridden (more than likely)

Check out the sponsors of this site, or ask the Advisors/Admin for recommended outlets.
Please don't jump in, do not buy on a whim or because you feel sorry for the fish.

:wink:

H

[Sicj]

Yeah sounds good.

I am taking my time. I want my tanks all ready first so when i am ready to buy stock i will know exactly how many can go in the tanks. I will buy off breeders i saw small dicus today at $49 each and they looked healthy but the quality was poor

[Hollowman]

Sounds like you are going about it the right way John. :thumb

H

[pappyy3]

Hollowman, won't juvies be difficult to manage specially by a starter ? I was under the impression that someone new to this hobby is always better off with adult Discus.. plz correct me if I am under a wrong notion..

Hi everyone

I used to keep Discus a few years ago, took a break, and am now looking to get back into discuss keeping.

I happenend to get in touch with a guy in Melbourne (Ran Amazonia Discus for a very long time but I believe he has now stopped running his Discus Hatchery).

He was breeding and selling huge numbers of Discus within Australia and Internatonally and always offered fantastic advice to anyone interested in Discus.

There is a lot of mis-conceptions about keeping discus, and how delicate they are.

When I first got my fish, I did nothing more for the discus than I would do for any other fish I keep, ie: Good food, regular water changes and stable parameters.

My fish were breeding like Rabbits after 12 months! (I purchased Juvies).

Just goes to show ...................

[Hollowman]

Pappyy, just goes to show that you need to get the right info from the right people, and here is a great place to start. I am certainly no expert, but reading from and listening to those that I respect has made my discus journey an easy one.

I guess the trick is to learn from 'other's' mistakes. It doesn't cost so much :)


Hollowman

[vanessa messig]

Excellent Advice Hollowman!