неделя, 28 септември 2014 г.

It is time to clarify the numerous discus fish types available in the current market

By Randy Green


Purchasing discus for the 1st time can be rather puzzling because there are currently hundreds of phenotypic strains being sold around the world. Discus fish are bred not just in the United States, but also in places like HK and Malaysia.

You don't need to commit to memory all of the strains, but a working knowledge of how these strains came about in the first place will be beneficial in deciding what you want at the moment. Many people ask me about the original convict fish. If you are looking for the mummy 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 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 fifth stripe, and is characteristic of a genuine Symphysodon discus. The Heckel discus is hailed as the most challenging strain to keep and breed, as it is extraordinarily particular with water pH levels and tank temperature.

Nevertheless do not let this frighten you. I invite beginners to have a go in raising a wild strain because this'll help you understand discus fish in total. If you are successful 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, if not all of the colourful phenotypic subspecies you'll be seeing pet stores is a derivative of Symphysodon Aequifasciatus Axelrod, or the brown discus. According to many non-public breeders, Symphysodon Aequifasciatus Axelrod and its hybrids are way easier to keep than Symphysodon discus. Nonetheless this is not to say that you can just plop this strain of discus in just any tank. You still need to be informed about water quality wants, 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 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 dominant blue hue against a rusty orange backdrop. The fifth stripe is there , but less prominent 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 sometimes deep orange in colour, with very little striation and virtually invisible stripes. The fins are white tipped, with extremely 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 does not have stripes, streaks, or striations, save for the brownish tail.




About the Author:



Няма коментари:

Публикуване на коментар