Discus Aquarium Fish R Cool - Discus Information

Are your aware that discus fish can be found in nature in only one location in the world? Did you understand that there are only 4 types of the discus? Many cool things about these fascinating creatures are revealed right here.

Most folks are much more observant than yours truly .

But, "observe, I did" when I noticed my first discus aquarium fish at my physician's office. This life changing event happened when I was in for my yearly physical. I was somewhat familiar with aquarium setups. And I knew that the more attractive, colorful fish resided in saltwater tanks. Freshwater aquariums were more dull and drab.

On this occasions, I found out that freshwater fish can be gorgeous too. That is, if they are discus fish. The fact that it was not a saltwater tank was revealed to me by the receptionist. It took her some time to persuade me that the aquarium did not contain saltwater fish.

That's when I determined that it was time for some research. See, the explanation for not having had an aquarium is that I thought they (freshwater fish) were too uninteresting. My picture 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 complicated to maintain. And the were quite pricey, as well. An aquarium with saltwater is very complicated and requires somebody who is fairly experienced with water conditions, not to mention much more costly equipment.

So, here is some of the stuff I found out during my research. But believe me, there is a ton of information that is not included here.

You would have to be somewhere on the Amazon River in South America in order to see a discus fish of any kind in its natural environment. They can be found nowhere else on the planet (naturally, that is). In scientific hierarchy, they are part of a huge animal group called Cichlids. There are over 1500 different species of fish in the Cichlids group. That makes them the largest vertebrate group in the animal kingdom. And most are freshwater fish.

Discus look somewhat like angelfish in shape, being round and flat, but they are even more round, and much more colorful. It turns out that discus and angelfish are both cichlids. But it is NOT a good idea to have them in the same aquarium. Angelfish will "steal" the discus food because they eat a lot faster. It could cause malnutrition in your beautiful discus fish. Isn't that some of the coolest fish data?

There are only four types of naturally spawned discus fish. These are Heckel, Brown, Blue, and Green. How in the world "Heckel" got in, I have no idea.

This is where I come in, and others with a new interest in discus. Folks all over the planet are discovering the beauty of discus fish. The demand has spawned many new breeders of "home-grown" discus fish. Not only that, but they are being cross-bred (like roses) using scientific selection to get even more strains... tons of new and interesting patterns and vibrant colors.

This is what I saw at the doctor's office - artificially bred varieties. Freshwater Discus fish are quite interesting and captivating.

I am so entranced 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.

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