Heckel Discus – Symphysodon Discus

Species name : Symphysodon Discus
Common names : Heckel Discus, Red Discus
Family : Cichlidae
Subfamily : Cichlasomatinae
Order : Perciformes
Class : Actinopterygii
Maximum length : 8″ (20 cm)
Minimum tank size: 50 gallons for a maximum of 4 Discus.
Hardiness : Difficult. The Heckel Discus known as the most difficult to keep in captivity.
Aggressiveness : Very peaceful. May become territorial when they pair off to breed.
Distribution : Native to Brazil Rio Negro, Rio Trombetas, Amazon, Rio Abacaxis.
Diet : Carnivorous – Beef heart and Live foods such as mosquito larvae, blood worms or tubifex worms are best. High quality discus pellets, frozen food and freeze dried food that is high in protein are also acceptable. Flakes won’t be enough. Try to vary their diet for optimum health.

Additional information:

First described in 1840 by Dr. Johann Jacob Heckel, the Heckel Discus are native to the Brazil where they can be found in places where the water is quiet and heavily planted, among roots and submerged trees. They are considered to be one of the most beautiful of all naturally occurring discus and also the most difficult Discus to keep in captivity.

The Heckel Discus has the typical plate like shape of the discus. Most of the body is light brown to brown with nine vertical stripes. Three of the vertical bars are darker than the others which makes it easily to distinguish: one running through the eye, one through the caudal fin, and the most prominent one (the fift one) running down the center of the body. The eyes are gold to red. The ventral fins are red orange with a blue longitudinal band.

Water must be pristine so a good filtration and frequent water changes are imperative to keep healthy Heckel Discus. The water should be very soft (1-4 DH) and slightly acidic (pH about 6.5) with a temperature around 82°F (26-31°C). Planted aquarium with open areas for swimming suits the Heckel Discus very well. When selecting plants for your tank, make sure to pick species that can tolerate temperatures of 82°F and up. Anubias, Vallisneria, Lily bulbs, water oignon, rolata indica and java fern do generally well in warmer conditions.

Discus are very peaceful and also VERY nervous fish so it’s imperative for them to feel secure. Most of them die just because of stress. Lots of plants and drift wood, as well keeping the tank in a quiet area help a lot. Other fish may keep them constantly on guard so ideally, they should be kept in a species tank. It is best to keep them in a group of 5-6 and to disturb them as little as possible. When kept in a community tank, the choice of tank mates is very important.

Some species that usually do well with Discus are:
Black Neon Tetra (Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi),
Black Phantom Tetra (Megalamphodus megalopterus),
Bleeding Heart Tetra (Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma),
Cardinal Tetra (Cheirodon axelrodi),
Columbian Tetra (Hyphessobrycon columbianus),
Cardinal Tetra (Cheirodon axelrodi),
Neon Tetra (Paracheirodon innesi),
Diamond Tetra (Moenkhausia pittieri),
Emperor Tetra (Nematobrycon palmeri),
Glowlight Tetra (Hemigrammus eryhthrozonus),
Green Fire Tetra (Aphyocharax rathbuni),
Jewel Tetra (Hyphessobrycon callistus),
Lemon Tetra (Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis),
Penguin tetra (Thayeria boehlkei),
Rosy Tetra (Hyphessobrycon bentosi) and
Rummy-Nose Tetra (Hemigrammus bleheri).

Remember that unless the Discus are small, small fish such Neons tetras will be food. Try to avoid and aggressive or large fish. When under stress too much stress, they usually become very dark and refuse to eat for days. When that happen, the source of the problem must be found and fix immediatly to not lose the fish.

Course :http://www.aquariumslife.com/

Blue Discus or Brown Discus - Symphyosodon haraldi

Blue Discus or Brown Discus Symphyosodon haraldi have a much more varied color pattern and can have a larger number of vertical bars (8 to 16) than the other two species of discus. Other common names they are known by include Common Discus, Gypsy, Semi Royal Blue, and Royal Blue. They are considered one of the most beautiful and hardiest of the discus.

The Blue Discus are very similar to the Brown Discus though a bit longer bodied while the brown is more rounded. These varieties have a darker almost purple brown body and nine vertical bars without a bold central bar. (All the pictures shown here are captive bred hybrids). They often have blue horizontal stripes on the head, dorsal and ventral fins. The face is a deeper brown.Some hybrid strains are called Cobalt Discus, Powder Blue Discus, and Sky Blue Discus. A real beauty is the Cobalt Blue Discus. It is almost entirely blue, sometimes with a metallic sheen. Other specialties will sometimes have blood red spots on the dorsal fins.

Brown Discus varieties originate in the lower Amazon region in Brazil. They were regularly kept for a long time, however they are not as colorful as other varieties and are now less available.They have light to dark brown bodies (sometimes reddish), nine vertical bars (without the bold central bar), irregular streaks on the upper and lower fin areas, and yellowish coloring at the base of the dorsal fin, around the eye, and on the snout. They reach a length of about 5 " (13 cm). Redder body colors are sometimes enhanced by adding such things as prawn eggs to their diet, or by adding chemicals to their water. This enhancement is not permanent and will fade in a couple of weeks. They are not as colorful as the Green Discus or the hybrids.

Green Discus - Symphosodon aequifaciata

Green Discus Symphosodon aequifaciata originate in the central Amazon region, mostly from the Putumayo River in northern Peru, and from Brazil near Santarem and the lake of Tefé. Though highly variable in color and pattern, the wild Green Discus are rather bland in general.

A basic description of the wild Green Discus is a dark brownish to green body. There are nine vertical bars (though without the bold central bar), and they have irregular metallic streaks of green, blue, or turquoise on the belly, dorsal and anal fins, and on the dorsal area of the body. They reach a length of about 6" (15 cm).

One of the most striking variants, which is quite rare and expensive, is known as the Red Spotted Discus or Tefé Discus. It has red spots on its and tail, and sometimes over the entire body.

Of the many strains of captive bred Discus, the turquoise varieties are the most available. They are generally found in greens or blues with names such as; Brilliant Turquoise Discus, Red Turquoise Discus, Giant Turquoise Discus, and Cobalt Turquoise Discus.

Popular strains that have blue or green streaks over the entire body are called the 'Royal' Green Discus or 'Royal' Blue Discus.

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/cichlid/discus.php

Angelfish Varietas

• Halfblack : Silver with a black rear portion. Halfblack can express along with some other color genes, but not all. The pattern may not develop or express if the fish are in stressful conditions.
• Sunset Blushing : The Sunset Blushing has two doses of gold and two doses of Stripeless. The upper half of the fish exhibits orange on the good ones. The body is mostly white in color, fins are clear. The amount of orange showing on the fish can vary. On some the body is a pinkish or tangerine color. The term blushing comes from the clear gill plates found on juveniles. You can see the pinkish gill underneath.
• Koi : The Koi has a double or single dose of Gold Marble with a double dose of Stripeless. They express a variable amount of orange that varies with stress levels. The black marbling varies from 5%-40% coverage.
• Leopard : The leopard is a very popular fish when young, having spots over most of their body. Most of these spots grow closer together as an adult so it looks like a chocolate with dots on it. (Smokey x Zebra)
• Blue Blushing: This is a wild-type angelfish that has two Stripeless genes. The body is actually grey with a bluish tint under the right light spectrum. An iridescent pigment develops as they age. This iridescence usually appears blue under most lighting.
• Silver Gold Marble: A Silver angel with a single Gold Marble gene. This is a co-dominant expression of Silver and Gold Marble, so you see traits of both.
• Ghost: A fish that is heterozygous for Stripeless. This results in a mostly silver fish with just a stripe through the eye and tail. Sometimes portions of the body stripes will express.
• Gold Marble: A gold angel with black marbling. Depending on whether the Gold Marble is single or double dose, the marbling will range from 5% to 40% coverage.
• Marble: Marble expresses with much more black pattern than Gold Marble does. The marbling varies from 50% to 95%.
• Black Hybrid: Cross a black with a gold, and you get black hybrids. A very vigorous black, that may look brassy when young. Does not breed true.
• Pearlscale: Pearlscale is a scale mutation. The "pearlscale" angelfish is also called the "diamond" angelfish in some regions due to the gem-like iridiscence on its scales. The scale have a wrinkled, wavy look that reflect light to create a sparkling effect. Pearl develops slowly, starting at around 9 weeks of age. In can be inhibited by stressful conditions. It is recessive, requiring both parents to contain the allele. It looks best on light colored fish like Gold, Gold Marble, Albino, Silver and Zebra. It is difficult to see on dark fish and blushing angelfish.
• Black Ghost: Same description as a Ghost, with a darker appearance due to the Dark gene. Very similar to a Black Lace without complete stripes. Ghosts generally have more iridescence than non-ghosts.
• Albino: Albino removes dark pigments in most varieties. Some, like Albino Marble will still have a little black remaining on a percentage of the fish. The eye pupils are pink as in all albino animals. The surrounding iris can be red or yellow depending on the variety of Albino.

Pterophyllum scalare

Pterophyllum scalare, the species most commonly referred to as angelfish or freshwater angelfish,is the most common species of Pterophyllum held in captivity. Its natural habitat includes the Amazon River basin in Peru, Colombia, and Brazil, particularly the Ucayali, Solimões and Amazon rivers, as well as the rivers of Amapá in Brazil, the Oyapock River in French Guiana and the Essequibo River in Guyana. It is found in swamps or flooded grounds where vegetation is dense and the water is either clear or silty. Its native water conditions range from a pH of 6.0 to 8.0, a water hardness range of 5 - 13 dH, and water temperature ranging from 24 to 30 °C (75 to 86 °F). It was originally described as Zeus scalaris in 1823, and has also been described be several different names, including Platax scalaris, Plataxoides dumerilii, Pterophillum eimekei, Pterophyllum dumerilii, and Pterophyllum eimekei.

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/

Pterophyllum leopoldi

Pterophyllum leopoldi, also referred to as the teardrop angelfish, long-nosed angelfish, dwarf angelfish, or Roman-nosed angelfish, is a river dwelling angelfish species that originates from rivers in the Amazon River basin along the Solimões River, Amazon River, and Rupununi River. It is distinguished from other members of the Pterophyllum genus by the absence of a pre-dorsal notch and by the presence of a black blotch at the dorsal insertion on the 4th vertical bar. The species was originally described as Plataxoides leopoldi in 1963 by J.P. Gosse, and is frequently misidentified as P. dumerilii when the species is imported in the aquarium trade. P. leopoldi is the smallest of the angelfish species and the most aggressive.

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/

Altum Angelfish - The Rarest of All

Altum angelfish originally came from Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia. The word Altum is a Latin word means tall and this fits the fish well because it can grow as 30cm/12'' in height and they can get long as 15 cm/6''. This angelfish are the sensitive version of angels. They are not that suitable for keeping as pets because of its timid and sensitive tratots plus they could cost a lot ranging from $20-$50. But if you really into this angel, then you must prepare to pay for this amount to acquire this sensitive angel. The suitable and normal rtange of ph for its water is 4.5-6.5 plus they prefer warmer water with temperature of 28-30C/82-86F.

Altum angelfish is one of the largest and colorful cichlid in the reef. They are known for its timid traits that even a small shadow could frighten them. Though they are timid and a bit frightened, when they start to get accustomed to its surroundings, they can be good pet fish. But this fish is not that friendly to smaller fishes in the reefs though they may join the school of other fishes, they still get aggressive and very territorial as they grow older and when they in the breeding stage. It was in the early 1900's when the first altum angelfish was introduced and establish in America. There have been numerous colors and patterns available in every pet shop, retailers and wholesalers since then.

Altum angelfish has a habit of always yawning. Their mouths are larger than any angels. These fishes are very rare and most of the times, you will notice some defects on their skin on a pet shop because of the shipping and sometimes because of the fighting scene from other predators. You will also notice some black pepper like sprinkles on their skin. This is an infection called black spot disease. Adult altum can grow up to 13 to 15 inches or more. You must provide a large and spacious tank or aquarium for them.

When it comes to altum angelfish diet, this specie is not picky eater. They most especially like to feed on mosquito larvae, blood worms, Daphnia and some live brine shrimp. They prefer these foods to be frozen first. Make sure to feed them once a day then leave one day out before you feed them again to make sure that they really digested it all. Brine shrimp can also help their digestions and can even prevent constipation. Altums also like to eat the substarte on their tanks which can injure their delicate mouths Though most cichlids are peaceful, altum can be quite aggressive and territorial when it comes to space on their tanks. Make sure to use coarse gravel with more rounded edges to prevent this harm to happen to your altums.

William Ousley is a angelfish expert. Do You Want To Quickly and Easily Maintain Your Angelfish And Take Care Of Your Fish? Discover more information about Altum Angelfish, visit http://www.angelfishcaresecrets.com.