New Fish

[Pheonix]

Just wanted to share some pics of my new fish. I got these through Dean at Katherine tropical fish who sourced them from Rod Lewis. I got 6 Leopard eruptions (Mosaic) all are about 11-12cm. I am more than happy with the quality even though one has a funny bump in the forehead above the mouth.

I have had them a week and after a few days of being very skittish are feeding well and happy to have a few photos taken. Temp is 29.7c, pH 6.8 (will get it a little lower over the next two weeks. tank is 3x2x2 bare bottom tank with eheim 2028. Also 3 bronze corys in there with a plan for a few more.
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff138/brettmck/CIMG3621.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff138/brettmck/Fish/CIMG3619.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff138/brettmck/CIMG3627.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff138/brettmck/CIMG3628.jpg
Brett

[Mr Wild]

Very very nice indeed! Best of luck with them they sure are lookers!

[Hollowman]

Very nice, you must be pleased :wink:

[Pheonix]

Thanks guys,

yes very happy, hope they will get less skittish over the next week so that water changes will be less stressful on them. I have ordered a few different types of food to give them variety as well. will update pics in a few weeks

Brett

[swampy1972]

Beautiful fish Brett! You have evry right to be proud of them.

Excuse my ignorance but, Rod Lewis? I'm assuming he's a very reputable breeder but can you share any further details?

Cheers

[Mr Wild]

Rod's the MAN for me too, he is in Brissy, breeds and imports quality.

[troppo]

Does this Rod bloke sell to the public and does he do postage? If so how can we contact him?

Cheers

[swampy1972]

Hi Troppo,

Brett was kind enough to point me in the right direction - link below. From what I gather you can either get your lfs to do the leg work for you as Brett did or contact Rod directly.

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forumdisplay.php?f=180

I just recieved a message from re: shipping rates. Thought you guys might like to know..

"Hi Swampy,

Thats really nice to hear about a satisfied customer and recomendation

If you don't mind i can answer your question right here, perhaps other potential customers might be interested as well.

Freighting is done via Australian Air Express on my account. I drop off the discus early morning and you pick up from the AAE counter at the airport in the afternoon. Unfortunetly there is not a door to door service available for live fish. After i drop them off i will contact you with the consignment note details and expected arrival time at your airport. All i need from you is your full name and best contact number. Make sure you take identification with you in case they ask for it at the airport. I charge a $35 consignment fee, plus a per kg rate which is dependent on destination. In the case of Sydney it is $1.20 per kg which is the cheapest destination from Brisbane. Some destinations like Darwin and Perth will be up to $6 per kg. Small discus shipping weight is around .5 kg each, medium around 1.2kg and large around 2.5kg. I have a lot of experience packing and forwarding fish and guarentee live arrival. I pack according to airline regulations and utilize pure oxygen in the bags. All discus are packed one per bag.

Hope that helps,

Rod"

[Hollowman]

Sounds like a great place to start Troppo, you have seen the quality in the photos, a thumbs up from me. :wink:

[swampy1972]

H,

For those of us that have never ordered sight unseen from an importer before, are there any pitfalls or things we should be wary of?

Obviously, when buying in person you have the ability to hand pick your fish and it sounds like a daunting prospect to put it in the hands of someone else. Although Brett's pics speak volumes for buying from someone reputable.

Brad

[Mr Wild]

Can't comment on anyone else but I know Rod - if you detail what you want in a fish he will look for it for you. Some people want shape to be number 1 others its the colour or you ask for him to select and overall best one he gets in.
He will be honest if he doesn't think it is what you want he will tell you and you will just have to wait for another shipment but the quality is very good and his reputation is too important to him to stuff it up.
He is well known in overseas circles as having and importing quality discus.

HTH

[Hollowman]

Hi Brad,
I really cannot comment on Rod's ethics as I am here in the Uk. BUT, the best recommendation comes from people who have had good service. Like Kath says, it is a business for Rod, and he probably cannot afford a bad rap over forums like these or he will go down the pam.

When ordering from someone, maybe give him a call to introduce yourself, ask questions about his/her water quality and get a feel for their professionalism, you should be able to tell if they are talking from experience or from their rear end.

You need to have a list of requirements for the fish you would like, Strain, pattern, shape, size, numbers etc etc. See what they have to see if you might still be interested.
Ask about health, where have the fish come from? how long have they been in his tanks? Ask how they feed, what they are eating, is it a mixed diet? Ask about water change regimes, this is very important as you know, with greater numbers in stock/holding tanks, daily changes should be the norm.
I guess in these days of the internet there are no excuses for you not to be able to see the fish first in photos or video. Ask the supplier to pick out the number of fish you like, put them in a tank on their own, take a few photos and email to you.
Lastly, ask about an 'arrive live' policy. If the supplier is worth their weight, they will garrentee this. Ask about packing the fish ready for transport. Are they double/triple bagged for safety, bagged individually? and filled with oxygen. Does he use heat packs for the journey, will he use a reputable courrier?

As an example, I bought a big consignment into the uk from Felix in Singapore last year. Even after the long trip to the uk, collection from customs and the drive home (well over 24hours) I unbagged the fish which were all alive and in great shape. For me there are no excuses for bad packing, so if that distance can be done, a trip over Aus is a doddle.

I hope that helps a little, it is all about a built up trust, openess and recommedation.
Good luck :)

Steve :wink:

[swampy1972]

Thanks H,

Great advise aw always, and brought up a few excellent points I wouldn't have thought to ask.
Having studied the link I posted earlier over the last day or so, I have no doubts about his quality or attention to his customers.
I guess a big thing of note for me is that there wasn't a single negative post so that in itself is confidence building. There are several posts from other importers that I've heard of a well so I have no doubts about his rep'.
The planning for the new tank is well underway. The Ph controller and CO2 bottler arrived today. Now I have to decide if any of my existing fish stock get a look in or have I found a 'reason' to replace them while the 'boss' has let me have some play money... ;)

[Mattzilla]

Rod's been around for years and i haven't heard anything bad about his service or discus ever!

i've never bought off him myself but know lots of people who have

stunning fish mate, good luck with them

[cichlidfan]

Rod lewis is a wholesaler and is not a sponsor of this forum, and he does not sell to the publice or so says he doesn't.
If anyone wants to do business with him kindly take that business to another forum.

[troppo]

They do look great but by the last comment I'd have to go through an LFS here in Perth? Doesn't sound fun.

[dam-mad]

Hi Brett,

Glad to hear all is going well with the Leopards, if anyone else in the NT requires anyhting Discus related I am happt to help :)

Cheers
Dean
Katherine Tropical Fish
katherine_Tropical_Fish@yahoo.com.au

[swampy1972]

Rod lewis is a wholesaler and is not a sponsor of this forum, and he does not sell to the publice or so says he doesn't.
If anyone wants to do business with him kindly take that business to another forum.

No offence intended, but feel the need to stand on my soap box...
I regularly search for fresh input from the sponsors of this forum and there's been nothing updated since Nov '09. I've routinely check the Discus World website and it also hasn't been updated for some time. In fact, I looked at it prior to posting this and it has no Discus stock to show at all. I sent an email to them late last year seeking White Butteflies only to be told they don't deal with individuals/retail, my apologies if that's recently changed.
I'm all for supporting the sponsors of this site. I think I spend more time on here than I probably should, but I put it to you that if users of this forum aren't being serviced by the sponsors then where forced to seek alternatives. Directing us to discuss breeders on another forum sets the conditions to turn people away from your site.
I looked in the 'breeders/importers' area also; maybe that's a more fitting place for individuals to discuss where they've had success sourcing fish. I saw several threads from overseas exporters attempting to drum up Aust' customers there without being forum sponsors so what's the difference..
Just my 2c

[Proteus]

FYI, this thread is fine to continue.

Previously it would have been locked down due to it promoting a non sponsor, however with the way the hobby is at the moment I am happy for discussions like this to take place.

However, if something becomes a blatant commercial post then it will be removed.

A recommendation is a different thing.

FWIW I was under the impression Rod did not sell retail either

Once the website gets a much needed facelift and upgrade we will see what we can do to get new businesses involved so the hobbyist out there knows what is available.

[swampy1972]

Proteus,

My post was by no means intended as a swipe at yourself or the Admin team.
If people are turning to other sources for their stock rather than the listed sponsors, then it's the sponsors that are to blame. You guys can't be held accountable for their overall level of input here. I gave an example where I was unsuccessful trying to deal with one of them.
I'm confident in saying that all users of this forum appreciate the efforts of you all in allowing us to have a place to learn and share this hobby.

Thanks again for a great forum.

[Hollowman]

Sometimes I think it is the resonsibility of the sponsor to help keep post rates up on forums. If they can collaberate with the admin team, hold deals/promotions or free samples, small competitions, just to keep their profile up, it encourages people to participate and viewer/post counts go up.
Advising taking things to other forums does not help as it was only a recommendation, people should be allowed to discuss that. Direct spamming of course is a different matter altogether and I have reported this to the team in the past.

I visit here every day, you may think I am a pain in the rear, but I have noticed post counts have been down a lot lately. Could be due to time of year or recession fall out, but this is a good forum with lots of great knowledge and helpful people. I for one do not want to see it wither away.

Please move this post if you feel it is more appropriate in another thread.