I'm Scared Ordering 4 Discus!

[snowflake311]

I found this site macs discus they are in WA about 12 away from me so I figuared shipping would be fast. I am scared because I have been doing lots of research and found very mixed reviews on this importer. Many said they were good some said even great. Others said don't do it. But then others defended the place. So with all this mixes reviews I figuared I was going ro try it anyways. They had the exact fish I wanted for a good price. So
if all goes well I should have 5 discus for my tank on Friday .

I know there are other places like kennys discus and Hans discus that would have been better but the pieces were a bit to much for me right now. I know you get what you pay for most of the time. But these other places did not have the exact types I wanted. Wish me luck guys.

If anyone has bought fish from macs let me know how it went. Or if you took a chance on ordering from a place with mixed review how did it go?

 

[walkers101]

12 what? 12 mile? if so i would go there and have a look for myself first

 

[markandhisfish]

discus are expensive fish and regardless of the reviews of the importer i wouldnt part with my hard earned without being able to see and choose the fish for myself 1st.

also this way youcan get t he supplier to feed them so you can see for yourself if they are eating well. ( discus should always be ready to eat when settled and happy)
and you can check and see what their poop is like healthy discus should have nice chunky dark poop or poop resembling colour wise what they are being fed.

avoid discus with string poop , pinched/sunken foreheads .
the fish should be nice and plump bellied , fish with sunken belly should be avoided this is most likely due to either internal parasites or starvation
also avoid discus with disproportionately large eyes for the size of the fish these are most likely stunted. also dont buy small 3 inch fish that are showing full adult coulours this is often a sign that they have been injected with hormones , shortening their life expectancy .

 

[ajs2294]

I know there are other places like kennys discus and Hans discus that would have been better but the pieces were a bit to much for me right now. I know you get what you pay for most of the time. But these other places did not have the exact types I wanted. Wish me luck guys.

I'd say go for it, they will be your first discus and as long as they arrive healthy you won't know the difference. After all if you do have issues 90-95% of the time you can fix them just read around and all young discus despite if they are from a great dealer or a bad one have similar chances of common illnesses. Just not the best when it comes to breeding time but that's not what your in it for at this time. Just make sure you are at home to pick them up

 

[snowflake311]

It's so hard to find discus around here let alone good ones. About 2hr away there are some that have ok discus nothing great. You can say that about any fish that you would want to see them and pick the ones you want. I have ordered a few of my fish off line sight unseen. I have been very happy with them all. The fish that I get shipped have always been healthy. Also in better shape then any of my LSF fish. Most of the fish I bought from pet stores had ich one a bit of HITH some skinny. But with a little love I get them looking good again. So not seeing the fish does not bother me much.

I could drive 3hr to a highly recomended breeder/importer and then spend $100 per fish. So $400 for 4 and $120 in gas. It would be cheaper to ship then drive and pick up.

Thanks oh and I ment to say 12 hours away. To get healthy good fish I will need to drive a few hours or just buy off line.

I know there are other places like kennys discus and Hans discus that would have been better but the pieces were a bit to much for me right now. I know you get what you pay for most of the time. But these other places did not have the exact types I wanted. Wish me luck guys.

I'd say go for it, they will be your first discus and as long as they arrive healthy you won't know the difference. After all if you do have issues 90-95% of the time you can fix them just read around and all young discus despite if they are from a great dealer or a bad one have similar chances of common illnesses. Just not the best when it comes to breeding time but that's not what your in it for at this time. Just make sure you are at home to pick them up

thanks your right.

 

[markandhisfish]

im looking at their pics . and to be brutally hoinest i wouldnt buy from him if those are pics of his stock. they are not all bad but those that are bad are VERY bad

especially the
red rio peru
hi fin cobalt
emerald green ( awful shape)
solid powder blue ( sorry but its dire quality)
and the solid pastel green again some of the least discus shaped discus i have seen


sorry not what you want to hear i know and beliebve me im not trying to knock you or put a downer on it for you . in fact the exact opposite . if those a pics of his actual stock i would deffinately not trusty them to mail order me fish i hadnt seen 1st.

some of those fish look really nice like the red leopard eruption but it strikes me that most of his fish would be poor quality and you would end up feeling very dissapointred with what you recieved .

again please dont take this replu the wrong way i am only trying to help you avoid potential dissapointment. remember you can only buy these fis once so dont settle for anythin other than something you are 100% happy with .

 

[ajs2294]

I'm sorry to pull a 360 on my earlier post but I took a look at the site also and would highly advice you to stay away from those discus. Genetic issues are big issues when it comes to discus. I just don't want you to experience a lot of trouble with them or be disappointed. I think it would be best to wait and find another breeder.
Like Mark said I'm just being honest I don't want anyone to go through the stress of sick discus or risk loosing a decent amount of money. I hope you understand we are looking out for you.

 

[markandhisfish]

due to the forum rules i have sent you a pm with the address of a discus forum which is mainly us based . you will find very reputable and trusted suppliers there . hope this helps .

 

[walkers101]

they look real bad to me also stay away mate

 

[snowflake311]

Those are not the photo of the fish thoes are just photo of the strains. I have seen photo on another forum of a few fish bought from him and they look good to
me. I have read a few post of people that Have been to the shop and they said it was good. Ahh I'm sending an email to Kenny for a stock list and prices. He is recomended and with in driving distance.

 

[markandhisfish]

take a look at the pm im about to send yuu before you make a decision. but if you do decide that youre going with macs then please please please dont rely on mail order , go and see the fish for yourself.

 

[ChilliPepper]

For me to buy online I'd have to see a photo of the specific fish I was buying, or if it were a juvi, then I'd need to see the parents. With the price of Discus, I think you really need to get 100% positive feedback plus photographic evidence from the seller/buyers, if possible.

I don't know much about Discus, but I already thought a lot of those fish from the website you mentioned don't look right, before Markandhisfish commented. I've seen some truly stunning examples in real life, and mostly very poor examples. I think it's an easy fish to get to look #106### as they are so sensitive.

I would have thought being in the U.S. you'd be able to get some fantastic examples? I suppose it depends where you are in the U.S though as it's a huuuge place.

What about this place? http/www.discushatchery.com/gallery/gallery.html just had a quick scan through and some pretty fish there.

 

[snowflake311]

The guy called he was nice we talked and I did it. They will be here Friday. I'm feeling lucky. I like the price and they can't be worst them chain pet store discus. I figuare my little reject from the lfs is good enough for me and god only knows where he is from. These guys should be good. I'm not breeding or showing. Thanks everyone for your input I'm still looking for 1 or 2 more fish and will check out the "better" breeders. These fish were what I wanted and the price I like. So I had to try.

For now I think these guys will do well. The good reviews were good and the bad reviews were not that bad. They will be here Friday and we will see how they are.

Where do you guys buy your fish?

 

[markandhisfish]

you mean you ordered blind from macs discus?? what did you order out of curiosity and how much did you pay? . i just hope for your sake that you havent set yourself up for a big dissapointment.

 

[snowflake311]

Honestly I don't think it will be that bad. I have been researching this place for over a week now. I got 2 tefe ( he said they are showing good color), 1 royal blue ( he said they are kind of blah looking), 1 scribble (he said they look great) $25 each. Like I said before It's not the first time I bought fish sight unseen. So 4 2.5" discus for 165 that includes shipping comes out to $41.21 per fish.

And now we wait.

Where did your discus come from?