Discus are expensive!

[FreshyFresh]

But WOW are they gorgeous freshwater fish. From what I've read, it's the difficulty in breeding that makes them so pricey? Are they labor intensive all the way around?

The only place I've noticed one, was at Petco. They had one in a small tank with some other fish. He (or she?) was $45.

Joel

 

[FishDad]

Yeah but the price is worth it, personally I wouldn't buy one from a chain store because of how specialized they are. My wife and I are working on a planted discus tank right now. I'll post pictures when its up.

 

[FreshyFresh]

Please do!

Discus are way beyond my abilities and resources at the moment, but I love to research this stuff.

Yeah, I wouldn't intend on buying fish from big box either. That single little Discus at Petco looked healthy, but out of place in a small tank with 2-3 other species of fish.

 

[FishDad]

Thats actually a pretty decent price you saw.

 

[exhumed07]

that is pretty cheap. i have one lfs here that breeds them at home and sells them in the store for 35-40 but i have seen them as high as 200. all depending on color and size. but they require perfect water to breed and for the fry to survive. and with my relaxed aproach to fish keeping they would not be a good choice for me. i'll stick to my cichlids and my planted tanks. pretty much just add water and let them go lol.

 

[misterking]

Discus aren't quite as fussy as they're made out, and as long as you keep on top of water quality, give them space, give them a good, meaty food and maintain a slightly lower pH (mine used to sit dead on 6.5 just with my driftwood) there's no reason you'd have any issues. As you've seen they can get pricey, though, often dependent on the variety. I'd consider that $45 (about £30 over here) expensive, but then again I haven't bought discus in years so I don't know what I'd expect to pay now.

 

[FishDad]

In my area (Ohio) the going rate for a medium size discus is like 75 - 85 bucks. Large ones are around 11 - 125.