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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

A: Our fish are kept in 6.8 pH (New York City tap) water, 88F (bare-bottom tanks only), and 50 TDS (hardness). If your discus are co-housed with plants or tank mates, these parameters may be adjusted accordingly. For planted aquariums, especially those containing fragile plants, we recommend a temperature no higher than 83F. For aquariums containing hardier plants such as swords and anubias, 84-85F would be reasonable.

A: No, we are mail-order only to the public. There are plenty of local fish stores in our area for you to peruse. Unfortunately, we are not one of them.

A: All discus carry the scientific name Symphysodon aequifasciatus -- they are all members of the identical species. As such, different strains can be freely interbred, housed, and enjoyed. That being said, it is always wise to acclimate new discus in a temporary bare-bottom tank for up to a few weeks until they stabilize from transit and begin eating.

A: Our founder, Michael Li, did very well in school. Due to the large numbers of transactions we handle with our suppliers each month, we leverage economies of scale to provide our customers with a reduced cost basis. In fact, we challenge you to find pricing that is lower than ours for each of our available strains -- show us, and we'll match it.

A: We sell everything we feed our own fish. Check out our food section for the full list.

A: Yes, purchase a gift certificate with card #1 first. Once we email you the redemption code, you may then proceed with your purchase using card #2.

A: Yes -- each specific photo you'd like will cost $20. Taking photos requires time. Our time is extremely valuable, and we will charge for it. We are the #1 discus seller by volume in the world. Our product photos are extremely accurate and representative of actual fish received. Please refer to our customer review photos found on the bottom of each fish on its description page, or check out our customer review section.

A: All of our terms and conditions are outlined here. Every customer must agree to abide by our policy before they may submit an order.

A: Yes-- otherwise, we wouldn't be selling them. As the #1 discus seller in the world, it makes sense that we are also the largest discus facility in the world. Our carrying capacity is well over 6,000 discus and 10,000 gallons at any given time.

A: Discus.com takes every precaution necessary to protect your privacy and personal information. When submitting sensitive information (such as a credit card number) via our website, that information is collected, encrypted and protected by the best encryption technology available in the industry—SSL. Discus.com uses 128-bit EV encryption by GoDaddy, the most trusted form of SSL software presently available—used by Google, PayPal, banking websites such as Citibank and Bank of America, and Apple. To learn more about EV SSL certification, visit GoDaddy.com.

A: The answer depends on the complexity of the order in question. Simple straightforward orders may ship out as early as same-day. Complicated orders such may take several weeks, or in worst-case scenarios, several months. For example, international orders are particularly complex, as they require abundant paperwork, health certificates, and a certificate of origin.

Orders containing breeding pairs may necessitate the parents complete spawning prior to being shipped. Also, orders containing rare strains may involve waiting for our next incoming shipment to arrive in order to complete the order.

All submitted orders are guaranteed to be fulfilled in a reasonable amount of time. We never intentionally hold a customer's money or cause delays within our control. Regardless of the circumstance, we maintain that keeping open communication with customers has always been the best policy.

A. No, this website will only make it worse. In fact, our creator Michael Li likens his creating Discus.com to an alcoholic opening his own bar. If you are a terminally-ill discus addict, you have been advised to stay away!

A: No, what you are describing is normal wear and tear from the shipping process. With a bit of Paraguard and a good diet, your fish will fully heal from their transit scars within a week. Remember to keep the tank covered for the first 48 hours and temps on the high side (86-88F) for setups without tankmates/plants and (83-84F) for planted/tankmate setups.

A: It is not reasonable to expect baby or juvenile fish to resemble exact replicas of the parents -- they require time to grow into their final patterns and colors. If you want what's exactly pictured on the website, you need to order adult fish. See our customer review gallery for actual examples of the fish you will actually receive, in various sizes. In addition, when fish are first received, variables such as stress, pH, diet, temperature, and substrate color (no black or dark colors!) will have an impact on coloration. Also keep in mind that most of our photos are taken out of water.

A: We have a small showroom in New York City by appointment only. However, due to our strict sanitation and quality control requirements, customers are typically not allowed in our facility. We are predominantly a mail-order company only.

A. Everything we feed our fish we make available for sale in our food section. Take a look at our "discus buffet" here.

A. Chances are likely that you will not. Several myths have been propagated by unscrupulous dealers that breeding discus is somehow a get-rich-quick scheme. This is simply not the case. The average operational cost to open a proper breeding and holding facility is $300k, and you will be competing with industry veterans. That said, amateur breeders have been known to make a name for themselves and fund their hobby by locally selling homegrown strains.

A: We get asked this question a lot, probably more than any single other question. We own a number of other valuable and highly-trafficked domains such as CardCollection.com, FoodWriters.com, Grubby.com, and Unsweetened.com.

Michael Li, the creator of Discus.com, had the foresight to come into ownership of these properties very early on in the history of the internet before they reached unattainable status and fell into the wrong hands. Today, Discus.com has blossomed into not only the largest discus e-commerce storefront on the internet, but also the largest institutional discus knowledge library in the world through our Learning Center. Collectors, hobbyists, and impassioned discus enthusiasts are the biggest winners.

A: It is preferred for discus to keep temperature anywhere from 82 to 86 , ph 5.5 to 7.5  with frequent water changes, as frequent as possible . For young ones it is better to have water changes up to 5 times a week, this will keep them happy and healthy. Change about 30 to 70 % until they get 3 to 4 inches with  conditioners added.

Angels prefer 78 to 82 , ph 5.9 to 7.5. with good amount of oxygen. Angels do not require frequent  water changes maybe once or twice in ten days; it all depends on the size of the aquarium, number of fish and filtering system you use.

A: Thank you, and no. In our opinion, discus fish are the most beautiful fish in the world, and are one of the best fish to keep and breed in the aquarium hobby. Please visit our Learning Center for tons of exciting information on how to be successful with discus.