| Being really observant is not one of my strengths, if | | | | research. But believe me, there is a ton of |
| you know what I mean. | | | | information that is not included here. |
| But, "observe, I did" when I noticed my first discus | | | | Discus fish call the Amazon River in South America |
| aquarium fish at my doctor's office. This life changing | | | | home (they can be found nowhere else naturally). |
| event happened when I was in for my yearly | | | | They are a subset of the giant animal group known |
| physical. It's usually true that freshwater aquariums | | | | as Cichlids. Cichlids are the largest group of |
| are drab in contrast to saltwater tanks, which are | | | | vertebrates in the animal kingdom with over 1500 |
| more colorful and vibrant. | | | | species of fish, most of which are freshwater. |
| My knowledge of freshwater vs saltwater aquariums | | | | The shape of discus fish is round and flat. They look |
| was drastically changed on that day as I watched | | | | somewhat like angelfish, but not really. I mean, you |
| these gorgeous and, yes, colorful discus fish at the | | | | will know that it is not an angelfish when you see it. |
| doctor's office. The fact that it was not a saltwater | | | | They are rounder and obviously more colorful. By the |
| tank was revealed to me by the receptionist. At first | | | | way, angelfish are also cichlids, but I found out that |
| I didn't believe her. In fact, she had to get someone | | | | you shouldn't combine these two species in the same |
| else to substantiate her assertion that it was not | | | | tank, because angelfish are more aggressive eaters |
| saltwater before I was assured. | | | | than discus and might deprive them of their nutrition. |
| My next step was to look more deeply into the | | | | Quite a "fish story", huh? |
| "discus fish" story. The whole reason I didn't have a | | | | There are only four types of naturally spawned |
| personal aquarium was because of my "uninformed" | | | | discus fish. These are Heckel, Brown, Blue, and Green. |
| opinion that freshwater fish were just plain dull. My | | | | How in the world "Heckel" got in there instead of |
| opinion of a freshwater tank was sort of "black and | | | | another color, I have no idea. |
| white" with no color. But this discovery reignited my | | | | This is where I come in, and others with a new |
| thoughts of getting into the hobby. | | | | interest in discus. Folks all over the planet are |
| I had neither the money nor the experience to do a | | | | discovering the beauty of discus fish. The demand |
| saltwater setup. An aquarium with saltwater is very | | | | has spawned many new breeders of "home-grown" |
| involved and requires an individual who is moderately | | | | discus fish. Not only that, but they are being |
| skillful with water conditions, not to mention much | | | | cross-bred (like roses) using scientific selection to get |
| more expensive equipment. | | | | even more strains... hundreds of different colors and |
| So, here is some of the stuff I found out during my | | | | patterns. |