It's time to demystify the varied discus fish types available in today's market
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Buying discus for the first time can often be rather confusing because there are currently lots of phenotypic strains being sold around the globe. Discus fish are bred not just in the United States, but also in places like Hong Kong and Malaysia.
You do not have to learn by heart all of the strains, but a working knowledge of how these strains came about first of all will be beneficial in deciding what you need right now. Many of us ask me about the original convict fish. If you are looking for the ma 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 able to identify, describe, and officially catalog 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 notable stripes: one that crosses the center of the body, and another one that crosses the centre 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, because it is very particular with water pH levels and tank temperature.
However , don't let this scare you. I invite newbs to have a go 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 part of the world!
Now, unless stated otherwise, most, or 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 assert that you can just plop this strain of discus in just any tank. You still need to be informed 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 that you can decide what kind 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 dominant blue hue against a rusty orange backdrop. The 5th stripe exists , but less distinguished compared to the Heckel discus and green discus. The head-to-tail streaks or striations are white mixed with blue.
Red discus.Red discus are generally deep orange in colour, with little striation and almost invisible stripes. The fins are white tipped, with very deep orange or red.
White leopard discus. White leopard discus do not 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 do not have to learn by heart all of the strains, but a working knowledge of how these strains came about first of all will be beneficial in deciding what you need right now. Many of us ask me about the original convict fish. If you are looking for the ma 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 able to identify, describe, and officially catalog 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 notable stripes: one that crosses the center of the body, and another one that crosses the centre 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, because it is very particular with water pH levels and tank temperature.
However , don't let this scare you. I invite newbs to have a go 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 part of the world!
Now, unless stated otherwise, most, or 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 assert that you can just plop this strain of discus in just any tank. You still need to be informed 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 that you can decide what kind 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 dominant blue hue against a rusty orange backdrop. The 5th stripe exists , but less distinguished compared to the Heckel discus and green discus. The head-to-tail streaks or striations are white mixed with blue.
Red discus.Red discus are generally deep orange in colour, with little striation and almost invisible stripes. The fins are white tipped, with very deep orange or red.
White leopard discus. White leopard discus do not 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've been educate folks about discus fish for sale uk for at least fifteen years. In that time, I have gained a huge amount of information on keeping discus fish online with these beautiful tropical species. As a veteran aquarist, it's my goal to assist others who'd like to care for discus fish for the first time feel free to sign up for my free coaching course thanks
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