# Local breeders of Discus in Norwich



## Nathanh2150 (7 Feb 2021)

Hi,
All I’m looking to see if anyone knows any local breeders in Norwich that have discus for sale maybe a pair of some baby discus for sale 

unfortunately it will have to be located in Norwich as I don’t drive so would have to be local collection

any help would be much appreciated


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## RudeDogg1 (7 Feb 2021)

You could always order online and get them delivered. I used to use devotedly discus. First lot I collected myself then I just got them delivered


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## alto (8 Feb 2021)

Nathanh2150 said:


> maybe a pair of some baby discus for sale


Juvenile discus need to kept in larger groups than a “pair”
Adult discus also need conspecifics (though you can purchase a “breeding pair” these are usually quite expensive and it’s recommended the buyer have good discus basics)

Discus Basics Articles


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## alto (8 Feb 2021)

This isn’t the appropriate forum but I just looked back at your history to get some idea as to your goals ... you’ve received loads of good advice about the inadvisability of placing discus in your current aquarium, no one is trying to be rude or mean, just offering some pretty sound advice 

If you do go ahead with this plan, I hope you source some locally bred discus (at least then they are well accustomed to local tap and won’t have the stress of traveling from breeder to sale farm to UK wholesaler to UK shop to your home aquarium) as this will provide you with the best chance for success

In a planted tank, I’d suggest you feed Australian Black Worms (available as feeeze dried, pellet, flakes) rather than beef heart (you can also feed a mix of frozen blood worms, brine shrimp, spirulina brine shrimp, flakes, pellets etc, juvenile discus will just grow more slowly, and if you feed too lightly, discus seem more prone than most fish to “stunting” and will never recover to develop proper proportions) 

If you do obtain a breeding pair, they may slide easily into your current set up (I’ve no idea what fish, livestock you may already have) or they may be the subject of discord 
If you’re unable to provide a suitable quarantine/hospital tank, I very much recommend only bringing in a pair (or juveniles) from a local breeder (and choosing a basic sturdy bloodline)

I’m hoping you get lucky and everything goes swimmingly


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## dean (8 Feb 2021)

Speak to Gary at Cheshire discus he can send them to you 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## mort (8 Feb 2021)

Taverham sell stendker discus. They can get them any size you wish for. I don't know if anyone in our area is raising discus but they have a dozen tanks of them there, and have sold a lot in the last couple of years, so might know a local breeder. I must admit though I don't think your in for the easiest journey with them in your tank.


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## Nathanh2150 (8 Feb 2021)

May I ask why I wouldn’t be in for an easy ride for discus in my aquarium? Also I have in my aquarium so far 
12x cardinal tetra 
5x Congo tetra 
3 x Cory
5x otocinclus catfish 
1x snail 
4x Celestial Pearl Danio
All doing really well in the setup with no issues 
Tank water spot on with temperature of water around 28-29 
Ph of the tank is 6.8 
I have been to taverham aquatics and knoticed they had some for sale but was looking on getting for the tank 
1x 
Yellow Checkerboard Pigeon 4/4.5 inches​2x 
Altum Flora discus 2/2.5 inches​And have looked into food and have that saved so when I decided to purchase the discus I have everything ready


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## RudeDogg1 (8 Feb 2021)

How big is the tank? 3 isn’t a good number for discus


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## Nathanh2150 (8 Feb 2021)

Its an 
Evolution Aqua Aquascaper 900​
L:900mm x W:500mm x H:450mmAquarium DimensionsTotal Volume (Nett)186 LtrsGlass Thickness10mm Ultra Clear Glass


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## Conort2 (8 Feb 2021)

That won’t work unfortunately. 3 is a poor number for cichlids. The fish will pick on each other until there is only one dominant fish left. Also the tank won’t be big enough long term for discus. I’d recommend 120cm tank as the minimum tank size. 

Would only recommend a breeding pair in a tank that size and they are pretty expensive to purchase.

Cheers


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## mort (8 Feb 2021)

Nathanh2150 said:


> May I ask why I wouldn’t be in for an easy ride for discus in my aquarium? Also I have in my aquarium so far
> 12x cardinal tetra
> 5x Congo tetra
> 3 x Cory
> ...



It's hard to write a reply without sounding critical and combative, which genuinely isn't my intention. The thing is at the moment your fish stock is very bitty, which is fine if you want a community tank but not the best if you want discus. Discus really do best when the tank is dedicated to them and built around them.  
It's better to keep certain fish in higher numbers, 3 cories isn't ideal, they really want to be kept in 6-8 minimum and depending on the species they don't do well at high temperatures (sterbai do but panda for instance won't),  cpd's like cooler water and 4 isn't a sizeable enough group for them to be very bold. Congo are nice fish and can be very impressive but can make other fish like your cpd's shy because of their size/activity and ideally when mature they'd need a slightly larger tank, 5 is about the minimal you'd want to keep.  Cardinals are a classic mix with discus and can do well with them but have also been known to be eaten by larger discus. I don't think that's a huge problem though.
So sorry for ripping through your stock list,  it sounds overly critical but by having less species but more of them you really get a better outcome with more interesting social behaviour, more outgoing fish and a harmonious tank.

Finally getting to the discus it's very much as discussed above, they are big messy fish that have a complex social structure like all cichlids do. They frequently don't settle if you don't have a big enough group because it's hard wired through their evolution to be a group. If you keep them in to small a number they can bully the weakest fish or just constantly hide away, which may lead to health problems. It just means you are less likely to enjoy them in all honesty, whereas if they are kept as kings they can be glorious.
A pair can be kept and breeders do keep them in similar or slightly smaller tanks but breeders tend to be very familiar with the family and do what the average keeper would think was excess maintenance. I'd really suggest either rethinking your other stocking and focusing more on a pair of discus, which still most people probably wouldn't agree with, or go for a different cichlid species like apistogramma which would make your life far easier.


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## castle (8 Feb 2021)

4x Celestial Pearl Danio at 28c - you're shortening their life. They're 22c at best.
12x cardinal tetra - depending on size, expensive discuss food.
3 x Cory - they're a bit lonely.
1x snail - sweating his shell off.
5x Congo tetra - beautiful fish, why not get 5 more? _Whoops_, tank is on the small side for these too.

Then you want to add 3 fish which on average grow to about 15cm, to a tank only 6 times their maximum length. They're messy, difficult, expensive and I'd hate to see you waste money on them. Also, if you do breed these fish (certainly possible) it's not easy to shift them.

It's just not an easy ride, I think this is a head vs heart thing here and maybe just really go through these species profiles on seriouslyfish and try and understand why many are trying to warn you off this idea


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## castle (8 Feb 2021)

Basically what @mort says.


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## RudeDogg1 (8 Feb 2021)

Couldnt of said it all better myself


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## shangman (8 Feb 2021)

I think the big question is will you really be happy watching your tank every day knowing that the fish you've got in there are stressed and suffering, especially as they grow bigger?

You clearly love discus and want them so bad, but don't you want them at their best, thriving and happy? Fish don't get a choice in their lives, we choose for them, and we have a duty of care to animals that we don't treat them with cruelty.

It's so much better to stock your tank with some beautiful smaller fish, which will have just as much personality and even colour, and save/wait for a bigger tank for discus in a few years. You will get so much enjoyment out of fish that are appropriate for your tank, they'll be happy and healthy with much more natural interesting behaviours, it's a much nicer experience for everyone!


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## Conort2 (8 Feb 2021)

The best thing you can do is wait until you have a tank the right size for them. I’m not trying to sound negative. Trust me I’m talking from experience, done a trio in a tank far too small before I knew any better. The fish hid in the corners all the time with the smallest of the three bullied to death. They also attacked the cardinals that were in with them when the lights were out. Often biting out eyes, chunks of tails etc. 

You’re best off going for a fairly hardy dwarf like one of the smaller pelvicachromis or one of the more hardy apistogramma like cacutoides. The triple reds have great colouration and if you’re lucky you might get them to spawn and raise their fry which is great to watch.

Cheers


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## Nathanh2150 (8 Feb 2021)

apistogramma cacutoides are they going to be ok with the fish I already have in my tank as have Hurd that they are aggressive? Also what would be the ideal number to keep them in?


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## Conort2 (8 Feb 2021)

Nathanh2150 said:


> apistogramma cacutoides are they going to be ok with the fish I already have in my tank as have Hurd that they are aggressive? Also what would be the ideal number to keep them in?


Not at all. They can get defensive when breeding but that’s the same for any cichlid.

I’d go for either a pair or a male with three females.

Cheers


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## shangman (9 Feb 2021)

Apistos would be perfect in your tank, I would do as Conort says and get one male with a harem of 3 females, if you keep them in soft water they will breed and it's so fascinating and cute, apistos are very pretty and really funny with great behaviour too, they're my favourite fish. They will go well with all the fish in your tank, they might be a bit agressive with the cories and tetra when breeding (these fish will probs eat most of the fry), but this would be a good-sized tank for them so as long as it's well planted and maybe has some leaf litter/botanicals in there it should be fine. There are a few other types of apistogramma which are a bit less agressive (like the borelii), but I think it would be ok with any apisto. Also you can keep the tank at a lower temp (23 - 26) which most of your fish would prefer.


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## RudeDogg1 (9 Feb 2021)

I got a cute lil pair of trifasciata apistos the other week already seen them courting even tho I think they are to small to do anything yet


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## mort (9 Feb 2021)

I agree with the others regarding apistogramma. I personally don't keep them with cories because they can be aggressive to them when breeding but in your tank they should be able to keep out of the way. If they do breed then they will probably just push your other fish higher up the water column or to the other end of the tank. 
They are a great stepping stone family as you can learn alot about cichlid behaviour and they range from easy to difficult, so there is something for everyone. You can gain knowledge with these for a few years before building your dream discus setup.


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## Nathanh2150 (9 Feb 2021)

Looking into getting a breeding pair of Apistogramma Cacatuoides DOUBLE RED what’s everyone’s opinion also looking to get 3x DAINTY CORYDORAS ** HABROSUS WILD ** 1.5CM


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## Sammy Islam (9 Feb 2021)

Nathanh2150 said:


> Looking into getting a breeding pair of Apistogramma Cacatuoides DOUBLE RED what’s everyone’s opinion also looking to get 3x DAINTY CORYDORAS ** HABROSUS WILD ** 1.5CM


I would only get more corys if they are the same type as the ones you already have.


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## Nathanh2150 (9 Feb 2021)

I was thinking of getting another 3 of the same Cory that’s I already have but seen so many vlogs where they have different types.. so thought be nice to have the dainty Corydoras as well ..


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## mort (9 Feb 2021)

Cories from different species know they are different species and whilst you get some inter species mingling it is far better to have a large group of one species. Pygmy cories are best in very large numbers or they are really shy, a dozen or more is good. 
The problem with vlogs is that they can be by people that don't know an awful lot about every aspect of the hobby and while they may be far more knowledgeable in particular aspects sometimes they give bad advise on others. I'm not knocking them, I like fish so it's my interest and can learn from them about other parts of the hobby. I think I can guess where you have seen the small groups and if it is him then his planted tanks are amazing but his fish knowledge isn't expert. Again that's not a dig and there are assumptions but if you looked at a specialist catfish forum like planet catfish you would see very different advice to the 3 of these, 3 of those etc. This approach is how most of us started the hobby, my tank looked like a sweetshop for years, but new ways of thinking expand our hobby and ideas evolve, keeping fish in larger groups where possible is one of those ideas.


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## Nathanh2150 (9 Feb 2021)

Ok I shall give them a miss as I wouldn’t want to off balance or cause any stress to the fish I have as there doing really well I will grab some more of the Cory that I currently have in the tank as I really think I need more then 3 to have a group of around 6 so shall go out tomorrow to grab some more from Maidenhead aquatics I just in two minds of adding the Apistogramma Cacatuoides DOUBLE RED  _Male + Female_ just incase there’s any issues plus my tank is heavy planted so should be good for them to have there own space..


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## mort (10 Feb 2021)

That's great. I know we seem to be bombarding you with negativity but we have nothing to gain from misleading you'd and it's better to try and encourage harmony in a tank where you will enjoy it more.

Getting the same cories is the best idea and you might be better to wait before adding the apistogramma because your tank is still quite new. I doubt you'd have a problem if you find an irresistible pair but patience can sometimes mitigate some of the problems we encounter.


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