Purchasing discus for the first time can often be rather confusing because there are now hundreds of phenotypic strains being sold around the globe. Discus fish are bred not just in the U. S. , but also in places such as HK and Malaysia.
You don't have to memorize all the strains, but a working understanding of how these strains came about in the first place will be helpful in determining what you need right now. Many individuals ask me about the first convict fish. If you are looking for the ma 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 formally catalogue the discus fish. The true wild Heckel discus strain found in the Amazon Basin. It's got a light yellow-brown body with 2 thick and outstanding 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 frequently referred to as the fifth stripe, and is characteristic of a real Symphysodon discus. The Heckel discus is offered as the most difficult strain to keep and breed, because it is awfully particular with water pH levels and tank temperature.
But do not let this scare you. I invite beginners to have a go in raising a wild strain because this will help you understand discus fish in total. If you succeed 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, 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 personal breeders, Symphysodon Aequifasciatus Axelrod and its composites are way easier to keep than Symphysodon discus. However , this isn't to assert that you can just plop this strain of discus in just any tank. You still have to be informed about water quality requirements, or else your discus fish will succumb 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 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 there , but less distinguished matched against the Heckel discus and green discus. The head-to-tail streaks or striations are white blended with blue.
Red discus.Red discus are typically deep orange in color, with little striation and almost invisible stripes. The fins are white tipped, with very 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 does not have stripes, streaks, or striations, save for the brownish tail.
You don't have to memorize all the strains, but a working understanding of how these strains came about in the first place will be helpful in determining what you need right now. Many individuals ask me about the first convict fish. If you are looking for the ma 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 formally catalogue the discus fish. The true wild Heckel discus strain found in the Amazon Basin. It's got a light yellow-brown body with 2 thick and outstanding 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 frequently referred to as the fifth stripe, and is characteristic of a real Symphysodon discus. The Heckel discus is offered as the most difficult strain to keep and breed, because it is awfully particular with water pH levels and tank temperature.
But do not let this scare you. I invite beginners to have a go in raising a wild strain because this will help you understand discus fish in total. If you succeed 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, 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 personal breeders, Symphysodon Aequifasciatus Axelrod and its composites are way easier to keep than Symphysodon discus. However , this isn't to assert that you can just plop this strain of discus in just any tank. You still have to be informed about water quality requirements, or else your discus fish will succumb 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 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 there , but less distinguished matched against the Heckel discus and green discus. The head-to-tail streaks or striations are white blended with blue.
Red discus.Red discus are typically deep orange in color, with little striation and almost invisible stripes. The fins are white tipped, with very 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 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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