| Discus fish in captivity definitely get tons of | | | | The result of the demand for these beautiful |
| attention, whether they are wild discus or some | | | | specimens has itself spawned "discus farms" all |
| of the human bred kind. | | | | over. These domestic breeders have used |
| Any time someone sees a discus tank for the | | | | selective breeding techniques to produce many |
| first time, the reaction is almost identical. Eyes | | | | different varieties of discus that have even more |
| widen, mouth drops open, and you hear | | | | eye-catching colors and patterns. |
| comments such as, "What type of fish are | | | | Sometimes the colors are solid, as in the Golden |
| these?" or "Holy Cow, what a gorgeous | | | | Discus. This fish is a solid striking yellow color, one |
| aquarium!". | | | | that you would definitely not see in the wild. |
| Most folks who know a little about aquaria will | | | | Then there are patterns called Leopard and |
| assume it is a saltwater tank because of the | | | | Snakeskin and Leopard Snakeskin, each of which |
| vibrant colors. | | | | has a different color and/or pattern. But all have |
| There are now so many varieties of this species | | | | the characteristic round, yet thin, body style. |
| of fish that one would not be able to guess that | | | | Which are the more desirable, wild discus fish or |
| there are only four species of wild discus fish. | | | | man-bred? Consider two things. |
| (Well, there may be another species that is being | | | | First, wild discus fish come from a totally different |
| contemplated now by scientists). | | | | habitat than their domestic cousins. The Amazon |
| Their natural habitat is the Amazon River basin in | | | | is murky and muddy as opposed to the clean, |
| South America. That is the only place you will find | | | | fresh tanks of the breeders. So, there may be |
| discus spawning naturally. And each species is | | | | some things the aquarium hobbyist must do to |
| unique to a certain area of the Amazon. In nature, | | | | try to keep the tank suitable for the wild |
| they do not interbreed for the most part. | | | | varieties. |
| The types of wild discus fish are pretty simple. Of | | | | Second, fish from reliable breeders are used to |
| course, they have scientific names, but it's much | | | | the type of environment that you will probably |
| easier to call them Brown, Blue, Green, or Heckel. | | | | supply for them, and they are more likely to be |
| How the heck did Heckel get in there with those | | | | healthy coming from a controlled tank |
| simple colors...? | | | | (remember, the key is getting them from |
| But it, the Heckel, is also characterized by two | | | | "reliable" breeders - know where your fish are |
| colors, either blue or red. You can tell if it's a | | | | coming from). |
| Heckel by the prominent darker stripe every fifth | | | | Finding the best variety of aquarium fish for you |
| stripe along the body. | | | | is really a matter of personal preference and |
| The demand for discus is huge. They are so | | | | personal education. If you are an aquarium |
| pretty that many folks want to have them | | | | hobbyist "wanna-be", make sure you get a good |
| around all the time. It is extremely relaxing to | | | | education before you dive into the tank with |
| watch fish do their thing as they casually cruise | | | | expensive fish. |
| around in your home aquarium. | | | | |