Among the common varieties of ornamental fishes found in homes these days, wild discus fish is one of the most beautiful of all fishes.
The ornamental show tank variety of discus fish is said to be found only in South America. The Symphysodon discus fish are found in the lower Negro, Trombetas and Abacaxis rivers of Brazil and are also found to inhabit shaded areas of backwaters, large deep pools and small lakes along and throughout the Amazon River basin. They are also found in Columbia, Peru and Venezuela.
They are very shy in nature and prefer still or slow flowing waters and as such they live in the areas mentioned above, in clear waters, white waters and black waters, where they feed on insects, larvae and floating invertebrates. Discus fish also prefer warmer waters than waters of lower temperatures. When the water below becomes colder they rise to the surface where the water is warmer.
There are three common species of wild caught discus that are seen in homes and with ornamental fish collectors. These three species Symphysodon aequifascaitus (known as common discus fish and green in colour), the Symphysodon discus (known as Heckel discus fish, red in colour) and the newly found specie Symphosodon Haraldi (blue in colour) belong to the perciforme variety of the South American Cichlidae family. They normally hide themselves during the day and when they move they move to the open waters in groups having a group leader (usually the brightest coloured among the lot) in front to identify any predators.
The wild discus, when disturbed by predators or when being caught, generally hide themselves in the roots and branches of trees and plants submerged in deep waters about 10 to 15 feet below the surface. It must be noted here that they are blinded by bright light and so catchers usually use bright lights and nets to catch them.
The wild discus fish has derived its name from its body shape. It has an oval round-shaped body with flattened sides and come in different colors like blue, brown and green and also red. They have stripes of varied designs which give them that aesthetic attractiveness and appeal for them to be showcased in homes and aquariums. Their sizes also vary from as small as 1” to 3’ in length. The number of species of wild discus fish has been estimated to be between 1300 and 3000.
It could be said that because of being the most beautiful of fishes, the wild discus fish has attracted people all over the world and in fact has replaced the Angel fish as “King of the Aquarium fishes.”
