Phone 630-653-3563
E-Mail address:
103274.2157@compuserve.com
Home page:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/DISCUSLOVE
How long have you been in business?
5 years, registered with the state of Illinois
Do you specialize in any particular strains?
Not sure by what you mean by specializing, but we have solid cobalts, solid
turquoise, brilliant turquoise, and checkerboards. We are working on developing
our own strains. When their color etc. is stabilized, will let everyone know.
What strains are currently available? Available in the upcoming months?
Since we do not import Discus and resell them, we do not always have all strains
at all times.
What is currently available and what is available in the future depends on the
breeding pairs themselves. If we tell you that certain fish are available now,
they may not be available tomorrow which has happened.
Do you have any sales on particular strains of discus?
Sometimes
Do you sell fish other than discus? What?
No
Are color photographs available either on the Net, snail mail, catalog?
Photos are not currently available but will be in the near future through
snail mail & catalog.
Are the photographs, etc, free? If not, how much do they cost?
As of right now, they are free.
Have there been any reviews in trade journals of your fish?
No
How many customers do you have?
This is hard to answer. I would guess in the hundreds somewhere.
Can you provide a list of satisfied customers? E-mail addresses?
If pressed, Yes
How many discus do you produce per year?
This is another hard one to answer, but around a couple thousand would
be a good guess.
Do you make any effort to learn how your fish do in their new homes?
Most certainly! We call our customers to check on how they are doing with
the Discus. More times than not the customer calls us to report on how
pleased he/she is before we have a chance to do so.
Do you sell to hobbyists, or do you strictly sell to Dealers only?
Hobbyists only.
Is there a minimum order in # of fish or total amount? What are they?
Yes, there is a minimum order of $100.00
Do you have a guarantee? If so, what is the exact guarantee.
We guarantee live delivery, the health of the fish when received, and that the
customer is receiving the strain of fish he/she ordered.
What is your return policy? Do you have one?
Do you add extra fish to orders in case of a fatality?
Not as a common practice. It serves no purpose. If one dies during shipment,
more will probably have died. It is best to replace all that are lost at
one time.
What sizes do you sell? Fry? 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 inch? Costs of each?
2-2.5 inch.......................$18.00 ea.
2.5-3 inch.......................$24.00 ea. (When Available)
3.5-4 inch.......................$40.00 ea. (When Available)
Above 4" -- call for pricing
What is the minimum age of Discus fry you would consider selling?
11 to 12 weeks
Do you sell "guaranteed pairs?"
Yes, when available
Can buyers come to the hatchery and pick out fish? Appointment? Times?
Since we are in the Chicago Metro area, we encourage people to and most
do come to pick their fish. Some are business people from out of state.
They come to buy their fish and then fly home with them. We are flexible
with hours seven days a week and accommodate the customers needs. Anyone
coming to the hatchery must make an appointment with us. There is no
walk-in business.
Do you do business with and ship to international customers?
So far we have not done international business , but we have received
inquiries and would do so.
Do you offer wholesale prices? If so, what quantities have to be
ordered to get the wholesale price?
No.
Do you sell any discus related products (medication, RO systems, etc)?
Yes. We are putting out a catalog of Discus related products on the internet and
through snail mail. Some of these products are currently in our home page. The
rest will be out in a week or two. (Products from Sera and Hai Feng as well as
our RO systems and breeding cones we have designed.)
Do you ship internationally? If you do not currently ship internationally,
would you be willing to try on a case-by-case basis?
Not currently and yes.
What are the shipping rates? Winter? v. Summer? International?
We ship Federal Express and UPS overnight door to door with a 10:30am next
day delivery time guaranteed. Shipping depends on weight and not on season.
What is the shipping procedure? Does it vary depending on the season?
The fish are picked up as late as possible in the day the day of shipping.
The customer is notified and must be present for receiving the shipment.
If he/she is not, all guarantees are null and void. We have tracking
capabilities on all shipments. Procedure does not vary with season.
The only condition effecting shipping is extreme cold in certain parts of
the country.
What are your packaging techniques? (Bagging, oxygen, heat,
reinforcement, prophylactic medications, etc.)
Fish are shipped in heavy plastic bags with the number of fish per bag
depending on the size of the fish. Bags are placed in heavy duty insulated
shipping containers. Depending on the season, warmth is added to the shipping
box.
A n oxygenator and a very mild tranquilizer to keep them from injury during
shipment is added to the water.
If you medicate the fish for travel, what will be the impact of this medication
on the fish when they arrive (or at any time later)? Should I add the travel
water to the destination tank, and if so, will it have any affect on existing residents?
The tranquilizer is very diluted and has no permanent effect on them.
Do not add the travel water, ours or anyone else's, to your tank. It is not
good practice no matter who the fish came from. Also, the fish have to
adjust to your tank conditions. Do so by leaving them in their bags and taking
water from the bag and replacing it with an equal amount of water from your
tank. Keep doing so until the pH and temperature of the bag water matches your
tank water. The hardness will take care of itself. This is a slow process
and should be done over a period of time so that the youngsters have a
chance to adjust to the pH and temperature change. An air stone and/or small
heater can be added to the bags during this time.
To answer your question on whether the travel water will effect existing residents in your tank is probably not but don't take chances. It is always best to isolate new comers in another tank until you are sure there are no problems.
Do I have to go to an airport to get the fish?
No
If you ship directly to my house are the fish guaranteed to arrive alive?
Yes
If I do have to go to an airport, are they guaranteed to arrive alive?
N/A
For both of the above, what do I have to do if they do not arrive alive?
(I would assume send them back somehow, but how?)
Don't return them. Dispose of them and call us or visa-versa.
What are your handling instructions from box to tank for the new fish?
That was explained five questions above. There is an similar instruction sheet
sent with every order.
Filtration: type, media, and flow rate?
Each tank has own filter system. No central system. A combination of air
driven sponge type filters, wet /dry type filters, and back filters are used.
Does the system use reverse osmosis as a way of filtering?
I don't know of anybody who uses RO systems to filter their tanks although it
is a possibility. We use RO water, collected in a holding tank, pumped to the
tanks holding our breeding pairs and a combination of RO water and treated tap
water for all other tanks.
Tanks, sizes and location (ie. away from traffic and height from the floor)
6 - 55gal tanks
4 - 75gal tanks
4 - 40 breeders
8 - 29gal tanks
2 - 37 gal tanks
1 - 30gal tank
All tanks are at least 4 feet from floor. Breeder tanks are separate from rest. Rest are in two L shaped locations so that traffic is in one area at a time and not all fish are exposed to all traffic. Traffic is limited to customers with appointments.
Lighting, time and intensity
Lights are fluorescent fixtures 2 or so feet
above tanks and are left on 10 to 12 hours a day.
Do you consider the position of the breeding tank important?
yes
Are your hatcheries quarantined?
I am not sure by what you mean by quarantined.
Since we do not bring in outside fish for resale, I have no reason for this.
If we bring in new breeding stock, it is quarantined for a number of months
before being brought into the general population.
Do you have gravel in your tanks?
No
Do you keep plants in your tanks?
Only plastic. No live plants
Do you use some type of dechlorinator (chemical or carbon) when making
water changes?
We use a bank of micron and carbon filters on the tap water source
when mixing with RO water.
What and how often do you feed your breeding pairs?
Same as above
What and how often do you feed your fry/young?
The fry have a constant source of
food. As they grow older. They are fed at least 4 times a day.
Do you add any hormones or artificial color enhancers to the food?
No
If you prepare your own food, would you be willing to share
your formula? (if so, please give the formula here)
We are willing to share a beef heart formula which is in our home page and
catalog. We also sell a mix to add to the beef heart..
If you feed commercially prepared food, is it available for
purchase? If not, would you be willing to include a small
amount with a fish purchase for purposes of weaning them to
a different food?
We carry many commercially prepared foods. The kinds and prices are in our home
page and catalog including a description and nutritional content. There is no
need to wean our youngsters since they are fed such a variety of food in our
hatchery. They will accept most anything.
How many generations can your stock be traced back?
2 to 3 generations
What method do you use to maintain your strains
(ie do you breed parents to children, siblings to siblings,
cross related lines, etc.)?
All of above. If we cross breed different lines, we call them what they are:
"crosses" and not something else.
How many generations of inbreeding do you permit before
"new blood" is crossed in?
2
Do you have any particular strains that you would consider hardier
than most?
Yes, Brilliant Turquoise
Do you have any particular strains that you would consider difficult
to maintain and or breed? If so, what do you do different for these
fish?
Discus in general are not easy to breed. Yes, they will lay eggs, but that is
only a small part of it. Only professional breeders know why, and it would take
too long to explain here. The only discus that I consider more difficult to
maintain are the wild discus especially the Heckles. These discus have to be
kept in true acid ( below 6.5pH) and very soft water. They are also prone to
parasites and have to be constantly treated for them. In general, they are a
special case.
What spawning surface do you use?
Breeding cones. They are like magnets.
Breeding pairs head right for them when placed in the tank.
Do you raise the fry artificially, or are they parent raised?
Parent raised
If your fry are parent raised, at what age do you separate the fry?
3 to 3.5 weeks
Do you use some sort of night-light to prevent fry loss?
Only when the fry are coming off the cone and onto their parents.
Do you cull your fish?
Yes. All externally defective youngsters are culled before selling.
Which diseases do you encounter most frequently in your hatchery?
none
Do you keep records of any diseases or medications that particular
batches of fish have been exposed to? If so, would you provide
this information about any particular order that has been purchased
(assuming you were asked for it)?
No, because I have no disease problems.
What medications and dosages do you use to treat for:
What specific antibiotics have been used *at any time* in the history
of your hatchery?
Those above
Do you use ultraviolet sterilization in your hatchery?
Yes, on water holding tanks to keep bacterial count down in holding
water since it is not chlorinated
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