Purchasing discus for the 1st time can often be rather confusing because there are now masses of phenotypic strains being sold around the globe. Discus fish are bred not just in the U. S. , but also in places like Hong Kong and Malaysia.
You don't need to learn by heart all of the strains, but a working knowledge of how these strains came about first of all will be useful in deciding what you need at the moment. Many people ask me about the first convict fish. If you are 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 ready to identify, describe, and officially catalogue the discus fish. The true wild Heckel discus strain found in the Amazon Basin. It has 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 often referred to as the 5th stripe, and is characteristic of a genuine Symphysodon discus. The Heckel discus is hailed as the most challenging strain to keep and breed, because it is extraordinarily particular with water pH levels and tank temperature.
However , do not let this shock 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 are successful in keeping and perhaps even breeding wild discus fish, you are in a prime position to raise any phenotypic strain from any bit of the world!
Now, unless stated otherwise, most, or even all of the colorful phenotypic subspecies you will be seeing pet stores is a derivative of Symphysodon Aequifasciatus Axelrod, or the brown discus. According to several personal breeders, Symphysodon Aequifasciatus Axelrod and its hybrids are way easier to keep than Symphysodon discus. Nevertheless this isn't to say that you can just plop this strain of discus in just any tank. You still have to be knowledgeable about water quality necessities, or else your discus fish will surrender and die.
Now that we are done with the preliminaries of identifying discus fish, let us look at some common phenotypic subspecies so you can decide what type of discus fish you would like for your tank at home:
Green discus One of the original 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 5th stripe exists , but less distinguished matched against the Heckel discus and green discus. The head-to-tail streaks or striations are white mixed with blue.
Red discus.Red discus are typically deep orange in colour, with very little striation and almost invisible stripes. The fins are white tipped, with extraordinarily 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 need to learn by heart all of the strains, but a working knowledge of how these strains came about first of all will be useful in deciding what you need at the moment. Many people ask me about the first convict fish. If you are 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 ready to identify, describe, and officially catalogue the discus fish. The true wild Heckel discus strain found in the Amazon Basin. It has 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 often referred to as the 5th stripe, and is characteristic of a genuine Symphysodon discus. The Heckel discus is hailed as the most challenging strain to keep and breed, because it is extraordinarily particular with water pH levels and tank temperature.
However , do not let this shock 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 are successful in keeping and perhaps even breeding wild discus fish, you are in a prime position to raise any phenotypic strain from any bit of the world!
Now, unless stated otherwise, most, or even all of the colorful phenotypic subspecies you will be seeing pet stores is a derivative of Symphysodon Aequifasciatus Axelrod, or the brown discus. According to several personal breeders, Symphysodon Aequifasciatus Axelrod and its hybrids are way easier to keep than Symphysodon discus. Nevertheless this isn't to say that you can just plop this strain of discus in just any tank. You still have to be knowledgeable about water quality necessities, or else your discus fish will surrender and die.
Now that we are done with the preliminaries of identifying discus fish, let us look at some common phenotypic subspecies so you can decide what type of discus fish you would like for your tank at home:
Green discus One of the original 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 5th stripe exists , but less distinguished matched against the Heckel discus and green discus. The head-to-tail streaks or striations are white mixed with blue.
Red discus.Red discus are typically deep orange in colour, with very little striation and almost invisible stripes. The fins are white tipped, with extraordinarily 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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