why are discus so pricey!?

[clairemolly]

Ok so I want a discus and when i go to all the stores and places I can think of they cost like 40.00$ what is up with that???God it is not like it is a saltwater jewel or anything!!!! *scoff* And it is not like it is like 6 feet long try more like 6 inches!!!
And with all the diffrent kinds there are it is not like they are so very very hard to breed!!!!!!

from,
claire that is anoyed with discus!

 

[Cian McLiam]

They are hard to breed, well hard to raise is probably more accurate because with good water keeping skills you have a good chance of getting them to spawn.
They are not a 'bread and butter' fish, they do require a little more care than neons or swordtails. They are also more difficult to transport because they do not tolerate ammonia like some fish can so must be packed in small numbers or in large containers.

They are worth the price though! I'm glad they are expensive because people treat them better than cheap fish.

 

[kev_kb]

From UK prices that seems to be a fairly cheap Discus!

I notice you said you wanted a discus, I hope you already have some because you shouldn't be keeping them on their own. You can keep mated pairs together, but buying some will more expensive and moving them can break the pair bond. Much better to buy 5-6 and let them pair up themselves, and for this you'll need a 4ft tank min that is fairly tall and wide but I guess you know all this.

At the end of the day if you have a tank suitable for discus and your willing to put the effort into providing them with the correct water (RO) then the setup will cost a lot more than 40$ so in the big scheme of things its not a huge amount to spend but granted its more than most common 'community' fish.

 

[simonbrown403]

I was once like you, too price etc etc, i was turned off by the snobery of it all, more like i was'nt ready to keep them.

Like it says in the above posts water has to be spot on, constent PH, no ammonia or nitrite, and the phosphate and nitrate has to be as low as you can get it.

The price is justified considering the work and exspence that go's into breeding them, but when done can be the crowning glory of yor fresh water acheivments lol

I've got a pair now which are on there 4th batch of eggs which the male keeps eating arrrrr! to get them this far i have to do a 50% water change every 3rd day, once they sucssefully hatch eggs without eating them, i exspect to be doing 30% to 50% water changes daily.

IMO there is'nt a fresh water fish that can match there vived colours, strange behevour and temprement, a joy to watch IMO

 

[debiasir]

thats seems cheap. at my lfs they are £60 each or 2 for £100

 

[SPLiSH]

They are hard to breed, well hard to raise is probably more accurate because with good water keeping skills you have a good chance of getting them to spawn.
They are not a 'bread and butter' fish, they do require a little more care than neons or swordtails. They are also more difficult to transport because they do not tolerate ammonia like some fish can so must be packed in small numbers or in large containers.

^ Ditto.

$40 is quite cheap! The lowest I can find around here is $60.

 

[Doggfather]

Price depends on the strain of the fish being sold too.

It could be something like $40 for a pigeon blood, but £60 for a turquoise diamond. I agree with Cian though, it's good that they're expensive becuase in most cases it shows that those who pay the price are usually committed to keeping them

 

[Seb R]

Saw some £20 one today (mice quality and all), won't say where I saw 'em cos think I might get some

 

[wrs]

Ok so I want a discus and when i go to all the stores and places I can think of they cost like 40.00$ what is up with that???God it is not like it is a saltwater jewel or anything!!!! *scoff* And it is not like it is like 6 feet long try more like 6 inches!!!
And with all the diffrent kinds there are it is not like they are so very very hard to breed!!!!!!

from,
claire that is anoyed with discus!

I totally agree 100 percent with you!

 

[patti_n_jojo]

where im from i have seen them for $250 from JW

 

[sevs]

I agree that discuses are over priced ( i would buy them if they weren't $80 here I mean they a way too expensive on a $10 allowance) which is why I have sevs and Uarus, the poor man's discuses

 

[One_Trick_Pony]

yeah but there are sonice uarus! to be houest im not sure whos it is but theres a pic in the pics section and i prefer the uraus in that anyway

 

[Discus man]

they are very hard to breed PERFACT water and great care is the only way. You cannot go out and buy just 1 discus you need at least 6 jouvaniles (small discus) they are shoaling fish they need alot of water changes and a good size tank.
I would say they are so expensive is because you are looking at the rare and most colourfull ones you can get a snow white for 15 pounds you will be looking at pigion bloods they have alot of colour thats why they will be expensive there is also the malboro red they can cost 100+ poundfs as these are rare and have great colour to them. I think you should go out and revise about these fish before you buy them ok.

also they guy who said you NEED ro this is not true i use tap water and my discus are fine they will just not breed and i am happy about this because they are PETS and thats what people dont think they buy discus and just think oh great a lovely breeding pair will soon come out and 150+ punds will be in my pocket but i want them for the lovelyness and the happyness they do not for the money.
so if you dont want to buy a ro you dont have to ok B)

DM

a few tips

PH 6.5 to 7
nitrate 0
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
I keep mine in a juwel rio 180 and i think that is the smallest you should get.
Get a good external (ehiem)
No hard currents
not alot of lighting (lots of shady patches in the tank so htye can hide)
choose tank mates carfully
look for the roundness of the discus when you buy them dont go for odly shaped ones always round
go for a discus that has no disease you dont want your 50 pund fish dying on you do you?
Make shure the tank can hold dinner plates as they grow to the size of them.

Hope this small advice helps you there is alot more but i would be writing all day so go on discus fish UK to get some more help.


DM

 

[kev_kb]

also they guy who said you NEED ro this is not true i use tap water and my discus are fine they will just not breed and i am happy about this because they are PETS

This may well be the case, and I guess it depends on your tap water, but from what I've read in the UK at least you should use RO as this provides the best conditions for the fish. I've read that Discus kept in tap water can produce problems after a year or two, but I've no experience keeping them so this could be wrong.

 

[chris allsop]

My tap water nitrate is 40ppm, so for me in the uk i have to use ro water.