Most folks are much more observant than yours truly.
However, my first 'observation' of discus fish really took me by surprise. It occurred at my family doctor's office. It's usually true that freshwater aquariums are drab in contrast to saltwater tanks, which are more colorful and attractive.
On this occasions, I observed that freshwater fish can be gorgeous too. That is, if they are freshwater discus fish. The fact that it was not a saltwater tank was revealed to me by the receptionist. But I did not believe her, and she had to get someone else to substantiate that it was a freshwater setup before I would accept that what she said was indeed true.
That's when I decided to do a little exploration. The whole reason I didn't have a personal aquarium was because of my 'uninformed' view that freshwater fish were just plain dull. My impression of a freshwater tank was sort of 'black and white' with no color. However, my eye opening experience changed my mind about the possibility of getting an aquarium
It was out of the question for me to do a saltwater tank. They were simply too difficult to maintain. And the were quite pricey, as well. An aquarium with saltwater is very complex and requires someone who is fairly experienced with water conditions, not to mention much more costly equipment.
My inquiry turned up the following, very cool, discus fish information. But, trust me, this is just the beginning with regard to discus fish data.
Discus fish call the Amazon River in South America home (they can be found nowhere else naturally). In scientific hierarchy, they are part of a huge animal group called Cichlids. Cichlids are the largest group of vertebrates in the animal kingdom with over 1500 species of fish, most of which are freshwater.
Discus look somewhat like angelfish in shape, being round and flat, but they are even more round, and much more colorful. By the way, angelfish are also cichlids, but I found out that you shouldn't combine these two species in the same tank, because angelfish are more aggressive eaters than discus and might deprive them of their nutrition. Is that not way cool?
Discus fish in nature are quite a small group, numbers-wise. Only four species exist in the Amazon River area. These are Heckel, Brown, Blue, and Green. How in the 'Heckel' did they get that name?
Because of the growing popularity of discus fish, there are lots of discus breeders now all over the world. These breeders are actually 'creating' new strains of discus. They use scientific selection and interbreed fish with interesting color or design to come up with even more varieties... hundreds of different colors and patterns.
When I was at the doctor's office, that's what I saw - man-made discus fish. This whole subject of freshwater discus fish has become so interesting.
I am so captivated with this whole idea of keeping live discus fish, I have created a website about them. You can see it at www.livediscusfish.com. Check it out.
Wayne Rasku is the owner and author of www.LiveDiscusFish.com.
That's where you will find a treasure trove of captivating information about these freshwater discus fish.
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