chuckbam Discus Page 2

Why does chuck sell discus if he makes no money? And, let strangers come to his home! I have asked myself these same questions many times.

I will answer the second part of the question first. Sometimes, for many deferent reasons, I don't. If I don't know you, or known of you from one of the online fish keeping forums, I will try to find out if you have a basic knowledge of Discus keeping, are prepared to take care of some Discus and have read pages one and two of this webpage. This is not a test. People contact me, on a regular basis, who do not know that there are some special conditions required for successful Discus keeping. I do want to encourage the new hobbyist to the joy and satisfaction of Discus. Feel free to contact me if you wish to get started in Discus keeping for the first time. I feel very disappointed when I receive news that Discus purchased from me are not doing well or have died. My goal is to prevent this from happing. Failure is almost always avoidable.

I sell Discus because the hobby is my obsession. I have no goal to become a "commercial" seller. I sometimes, have discus that I am no longer interested in keeping, I purchased more than intended to keep because of freight expense and/ or better pricing, I breed discus and have more than I need. Spring of 07, I reduced my collection by 75% for a relief of the upkeep. In March 2008, I have purchased a good selection of small fish to restock my fishroom. I am selling around 2/3 of that order. I have been growing them with the greatest of TLC.

When I do sell a Discus, I have not yet determined if I am better off buying a fish at wholesale or breeding a fish myself. Either way, obtaining and keeping nice Discus is an expensive hobby. Regardless of what some people who contact me think, I can not achieve either at ten dollars per fish. If you have cheap Discus you want to sell, please e-mail me so I can pass your name onto some of my callers. But, I will probably not give you my recommendation. On e-bay, someone is selling "How to make big money raising discus fish at home" Seller: american tropical fish hatcheries. If this is your goal, I wish you the best in your endeavor. Below, you will find some links to large Discus seller's price lists. They buy fish surly cheaper than I can. They do provide extra packing services that you may not need if you buy local. Most Often, their prices are much greater. And, shipping will often be $75.00 to $85.00 per box.

If you come visit, you are welcome to bring your family and friends. My living room, with couches and TV, is only six feet from my fishroom. I do limit how many people are in my fishroom at anyone time. Please be prepared with a well "seasoned" aquarium that has adequate bio activity. I suggest that you have some Frozen Bloodworms for their initial feedings. I also suggest that you acclimate your new fish by placing them in a bio safe bucket and add tank water slowly for an hour or more. Please use caution when mixing fish from other sources that may carry diseases. Discus need a water temperature of around 84 degrees. Discus require that a percentage of old water be removed and replaced with clean water on a regular basis. I keep my Discus in tap water conditioned with common chloramine, and chlorine remover. My water is around 7.8 PH and 175 ppm (medium hard).

My recommended source for all aspects of Discus keeping information are two on-line forums: Discus as a Hobby (My Home) and Simply Discus

Known Honest Sellers: More Discus sellers and feedback information can be found on discusasahobby.com and simplydiscus.com

Terms of Sale:

Do to the special conditions required to keep Discus all sales are final. But, unlike shipped Discus, you can see what you buy. You can watch them eat. Normally, Discus shippers will only give you credit on a bad fish. Thus, additional freight charges are needed to recover. Freight on Discus is usually about $85.00. I will never knowingly sell a bad Discus without full disclosure. I will give you my honest opinion on every fish I sell. This is my hobby!

I bag fish with Air only. I do not have pure Oxygen. Per my terms of sale, Ultimately, the transportation of Discus is the buyers responsibility

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I have had people successfully take home fish as far as Atlanta and Houston with the bag/ air method. If I have a Styrofoam fish box, I will be happy to give it to you. But, I recommend you bring a cooler with a bag method. On long drives, I suggest you check the fish on the way home. If needed, remove the rubber band, let new air in and reseal. As of this date, I have no knowledge of anyone, that has visited, needing to refresh the air.

I like to put larger fish in a clean bucket. Every hobbyist has one. If you bring a bucket, please bring an old clean bath towel. I use duck tape to secure the towel over the bucket. Groups of small fish also travel well in a bucket. The fish seem to have less stress then when bagged and they have more than enough O_2.

What ever method is used, it is best not to let the fish in transport get below 77 ~ 78 degrees Max. Lets talk about the method of transportation before you come. I will do my best. As of this date, that has been enough. I suggest that you go directly home with your fish. Stop at the store before you come.

Please, when you get home, transfer your fish to a bucket and add your tank water slowly for a period of an hour. This will prevent shock and minimize stress. In my opinion, floating a bag in the tank is for Feeder Goldfish.

I only accept cash

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Some of the most up-to-date information on the hobby of Discus keeping:
(Junk those old books from the 70s and 80s)