SOUTH AMERICAN CICHLIDS.
Order Perciformes
Family Cichlidae
Subfamily ( Cichlasomatinae )
Genus Symphysodon — Symphysodon or Discus.
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What is the difference between brown, blue, and red discus fish? The three named subspecies of discus belong to the same species S. aequifasciatus, but understanding them can sometimes be very difficult. All discus fish have the same basic coloration—brown with possible color deviations towards yellow, orange, red, and gray. Each river system has its own color variant of discus, which depends on the chemical composition of the water, temperature, light environment, nutrition, and the health status of the fish. The glowing stripes, dashes, and spots on the fish’s body also depend on these factors.
The coloration of discus fish is inconstant and depends on water composition, food, and temperature. The coloration of the fins and the rest of the body is not taken into account, because in every discus population, regardless of their habitat, so-called super-males are found (one in several hundred) whose blue pattern is so abundant and bright that at first glance it is difficult to determine which subspecies it belongs to.
— Striped Turquoise. The name “turquoise” comes from the German türkis – turquoise. The striped turquoise is distinguished by bright glowing, turquoise to blue, quite wide stripes running along the body. The body background ranges from grayish-brown to dark brown (it is the body background that distinguishes them from the Red Turquoise, which has a red body background).
— Solid Turquoise. The solid coloration of these turquoise discus is the result of merged glowing turquoise stripes. The body background is visible only in small areas, mainly around the head. The color of such discus ranges from pale blue to bright turquoise. The intensity of the glow also varies. The nature of the coloration is often reflected in the commercial name, for example – “Metallic Turquoise”, “Electric Turquoise”, etc. Among Russian aquarists, the historical name for all such turquoise discus is “Cobalt”, “Blue Diamond”.
— Red Turquoise. The Red Turquoise differs from the striped one by its body color – from yellowish-orange to bright red. Red turquoise with intense turquoise stripes are valued more.
— Red Discus. They are distinguished by the absence (or near absence) of a pattern on the body, which has various shades of red – from orange to bright red. Discus of this coloration are most commonly named “Golden Rainbow”, “Marlboro”.
— Snake Skin Discus. These discus are distinguished by a very fine reticulated pattern covering the entire body. This pattern determined the name, as it strongly resembles snake skin. The thin blue lines of the pattern are significantly thinner than those of traditional striped discus. The body color can vary – from gray-brown to red. The brightness and width of the stripes making up the reticulated pattern also vary. A characteristic feature of the “Snake Skin” is a larger number of vertical bars (adult discus show them very weakly), the number of which reaches up to 16.
— Pigeon Blood. “Pigeon Blood” is distinguished by its body color – from yellow to red, but its tone is clearly not typical for wild discus. The first variations of “Pigeon Blood” were sprinkled all over the body with gray (to black) speckles, as if sprinkled with pepper, but later most variations were cleared of this speckling (many young discus nevertheless show it). Active work by breeders worldwide with “Pigeon Blood” has produced a huge number of diverse colorations and patterns in these discus.
— Red Spotted. This category includes discus whose entire body is covered with red dots. Various options for their (dots) size and arrangement create diverse magnificent ornaments on the body of the discus. Red spotted discus most commonly have the commercial name “Leopard Skin” and can be conditionally divided into two groups according to their origin history – “Leopard Red Spotted Green” and “Leopard Snake Skin”.
— Open Class. This category includes all discus that are not included in the other sections listed above. Mass breeding of discus in Southeast Asia has made it possible to obtain numerous variations of discus with unusual colors, many of which are the result of genetic mutations and breeding work with mutated forms. Over many years of working worldwide with new discus, new and newer colorations of these magnificent fish have appeared and continue to appear. Red White discus (“Red White”), Snow White discus (“Snow White”), Yellow White discus (“Yellow White”), Rose Red Discus (“Rose Red Discus”), San Merah Discus (“San Merah Discus”), Ghost Discus (“Ghost Discus”), Thai Red Brown Discus (“Thai Red Brown Discus”), Red Melon Discus (“Red Melon Discus”), Golden Discus (“Golden Discus”), Leopard Discus (“Leopard Discus”), etc.
Uaru amphiacanthoides, Uaru fernandezyepezi.
