Purchasing discus for the first time can be rather puzzling because there are now lots of phenotypic strains being sold around the planet. Discus fish are bred not only in the US, but also in places like Hong Kong and Malaysia.
You don't have to commit to memory all of the strains, but a working awareness of how these strains came about in the first place will be beneficial in determining what you need right now. Many individuals ask me about the first convict fish. Should you be looking for the mummy of all discus fish, then you're talking about the wild Heckel discus strain.
The Heckel discus, or Symphysodon discus, is named after J. Heckel, a Viennese ichthyologist who was able to identify, describe, and formally catalog the discus fish. The true wild Heckel discus strain found in the Amazon Basin. It's got a light yellow-brown body with two thick and prominent stripes: one that crosses the center of the body, and another one that crosses the center of the fishs face.
The black stripe that crosses the face is commonly referred to as the 5th stripe, and is characteristic of a real Symphysodon discus. The Heckel discus is touted as the hardest strain to keep and breed, as it is very particular with water pH levels and tank temperature.
But do not let this frighten you. I invite newbies to have a go in raising a wild strain because this is going to help you understand discus fish in total. If you make it in keeping and maybe even breeding wild discus fish, you are in a prime position to raise any phenotypic strain from any part of the world!
Now, unless stated otherwise, most, or all of the colorful phenotypic subspecies you'll be seeing pet stores is a derivative of Symphysodon Aequifasciatus Axelrod, or the brown discus. According to many private breeders, Symphysodon Aequifasciatus Axelrod and its compounds are much easier to keep than Symphysodon discus. However , this isn't to say that you can just plop this strain of discus in just any tank. You still need to be well informed about water quality wants, or else your discus fish will submit and die.
Now that we are done with the preliminaries of identifying discus fish, let us look at some common phenotypic subspecies so that you can decide what sort of discus fish you would like for your tank at home:
Green discus One of the first subspecies of Symphysodon Aequifasciatus, the green discus also has a fifth stripe across its face. The body has a characteristic light green coloration, and brownish horizontal streaks from head to tail.
Blue discus. The blue discus has a primal blue hue against a rusty orange background. The fifth stripe is there , but less outstanding compared with the Heckel discus and green discus. The head-to-tail streaks or striations are white mingled with blue.
Red discus.Red discus are sometimes deep orange in colour, with little striation and almost invisible stripes. The fins are white tipped, with extremely deep orange or red.
White leopard discus. White leopard discus don't have the stripes of the wild strain. It is deep orange in color, with characteristic white leopard-like spots from head to tail.
Blue diamond discus. The blue diamond discus is blue all over! It does not have stripes, streaks, or striations, save for the brownish tail.
You don't have to commit to memory all of the strains, but a working awareness of how these strains came about in the first place will be beneficial in determining what you need right now. Many individuals ask me about the first convict fish. Should you be looking for the mummy of all discus fish, then you're talking about the wild Heckel discus strain.
The Heckel discus, or Symphysodon discus, is named after J. Heckel, a Viennese ichthyologist who was able to identify, describe, and formally catalog the discus fish. The true wild Heckel discus strain found in the Amazon Basin. It's got a light yellow-brown body with two thick and prominent stripes: one that crosses the center of the body, and another one that crosses the center of the fishs face.
The black stripe that crosses the face is commonly referred to as the 5th stripe, and is characteristic of a real Symphysodon discus. The Heckel discus is touted as the hardest strain to keep and breed, as it is very particular with water pH levels and tank temperature.
But do not let this frighten you. I invite newbies to have a go in raising a wild strain because this is going to help you understand discus fish in total. If you make it in keeping and maybe even breeding wild discus fish, you are in a prime position to raise any phenotypic strain from any part of the world!
Now, unless stated otherwise, most, or all of the colorful phenotypic subspecies you'll be seeing pet stores is a derivative of Symphysodon Aequifasciatus Axelrod, or the brown discus. According to many private breeders, Symphysodon Aequifasciatus Axelrod and its compounds are much easier to keep than Symphysodon discus. However , this isn't to say that you can just plop this strain of discus in just any tank. You still need to be well informed about water quality wants, or else your discus fish will submit and die.
Now that we are done with the preliminaries of identifying discus fish, let us look at some common phenotypic subspecies so that you can decide what sort of discus fish you would like for your tank at home:
Green discus One of the first subspecies of Symphysodon Aequifasciatus, the green discus also has a fifth stripe across its face. The body has a characteristic light green coloration, and brownish horizontal streaks from head to tail.
Blue discus. The blue discus has a primal blue hue against a rusty orange background. The fifth stripe is there , but less outstanding compared with the Heckel discus and green discus. The head-to-tail streaks or striations are white mingled with blue.
Red discus.Red discus are sometimes deep orange in colour, with little striation and almost invisible stripes. The fins are white tipped, with extremely deep orange or red.
White leopard discus. White leopard discus don't have the stripes of the wild strain. It is deep orange in color, with characteristic white leopard-like spots from head to tail.
Blue diamond discus. The blue diamond discus is blue all over! It does not have stripes, streaks, or striations, save for the brownish tail.
About the Author:
my name is randy green I have been educate people about discus fish for sale uk for more than 15 years. In that time, I have gained a massive quantity of data on keeping discus fish online with these lovely tropical species. As a vet aquarist, it is my goal to assist other people who wish to care for discus fish for the 1st time be happy to join up to my free training course thanks
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