Purchasing discus for the first time can often be rather confusing because there are now masses of phenotypic strains being sold around the planet. Discus fish are bred not just in the United States, but also in places such as Hong Kong and Malaysia.
You don't need to learn by heart all the strains, but a working understanding of how these strains came about in the first place will be useful in figuring out what you need at the moment. Many of us ask me about the original convict fish. If you happen to be looking for the mother of all discus fish, then you are 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's got a light yellow-brown body with two thick and notable stripes: one that crosses the centre of the body, and another one that crosses the centre of the fishs face.
The black stripe that crosses the face is often referred to as the 5th stripe, and is characteristic of a real Symphysodon discus. The Heckel discus is hailed as the most challenging strain to keep and breed, because it is awfully particular with water pH levels and tank temperature.
However , don't let this frighten you. I invite newbs to try their hand in raising a wild strain because this'll help you understand discus fish as a whole. 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 piece of the world!
Now, unless stated otherwise, most, if not all of the colourful phenotypic subspecies you will be seeing pet stores is a derivative of Symphysodon Aequifasciatus Axelrod, or the brown discus. According to several private breeders, Symphysodon Aequifasciatus Axelrod and its compounds are way easier to keep than Symphysodon discus. Nonetheless this is not to claim that you can just plop this strain of discus in just any tank. You still need to be informed about water quality requirements, 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 type of discus fish you want 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 backdrop. The 5th stripe is present , but less outstanding compared to the Heckel discus and green discus. The head-to-tail streaks or striations are white blended with blue.
Red discus.Red discus are generally deep orange in color, with 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 colour, with characteristic white leopard-like spots from head to tail.
Blue diamond discus. The blue diamond discus is blue all over! It doesn't have stripes, streaks, or striations, save for the brownish tail.
You don't need to learn by heart all the strains, but a working understanding of how these strains came about in the first place will be useful in figuring out what you need at the moment. Many of us ask me about the original convict fish. If you happen to be looking for the mother of all discus fish, then you are 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's got a light yellow-brown body with two thick and notable stripes: one that crosses the centre of the body, and another one that crosses the centre of the fishs face.
The black stripe that crosses the face is often referred to as the 5th stripe, and is characteristic of a real Symphysodon discus. The Heckel discus is hailed as the most challenging strain to keep and breed, because it is awfully particular with water pH levels and tank temperature.
However , don't let this frighten you. I invite newbs to try their hand in raising a wild strain because this'll help you understand discus fish as a whole. 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 piece of the world!
Now, unless stated otherwise, most, if not all of the colourful phenotypic subspecies you will be seeing pet stores is a derivative of Symphysodon Aequifasciatus Axelrod, or the brown discus. According to several private breeders, Symphysodon Aequifasciatus Axelrod and its compounds are way easier to keep than Symphysodon discus. Nonetheless this is not to claim that you can just plop this strain of discus in just any tank. You still need to be informed about water quality requirements, 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 type of discus fish you want 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 backdrop. The 5th stripe is present , but less outstanding compared to the Heckel discus and green discus. The head-to-tail streaks or striations are white blended with blue.
Red discus.Red discus are generally deep orange in color, with 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 colour, with characteristic white leopard-like spots from head to tail.
Blue diamond discus. The blue diamond discus is blue all over! It doesn't have stripes, streaks, or striations, save for the brownish tail.
About the Author:
my name is randy green I have been educate folk about discus fish for sale uk for over 15 years. In that time, I have gained a big quantity of knowledge on keeping discus fish online with these stunning tropical species. As a vet aquarist, it is my goal to help others who want to care for discus fish for the 1st time be at liberty to join my free training course thanks
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