In a hobby dominated by colourful tank-bred strains, one aquarist dared to embrace the beauty of wild discus. This is Kire Hajba’s striking set-up.
FOR ME, keeping wild fish is special. I feel that I’m looking directly into the soul of the Amazon River, learning and observing something new every day. Wild fish have unique behaviours different to their captive bred cousins.
Also, keeping wild fish helps with South American habitat preservation. Many wild fishes there (except the wild cichlids) only live for a single season (around 8 months). Once the rain stops, the water gets shallow, pushing all the fish into one very small area and making them vulnerable to predators. Later, when this water dries out completely, most of the fish will die. Fishing from these slowly receding areas gives these fish a second chance. The fish population naturally booms during the rainy season, so no harm is done to nature when fished in this way.
The fishermen who collect them are the native Indian tribes, living in and protecting the rainforests. This, most of the time, is their only source of income. If there are no fish (or interest in these wild-caught fishes) they will turn to another line of work, which may include cutting wood or digging for gold; some of the most destructive and active industries in the Amazon.
Thankfully, wild discus have been experiencing a resurgence, thanks in part to social media and all the beautiful pictures of them out there. Despite being not the easiest fish to keep, it's still eminently possible with good planning, guidance, and patience. I’ve been keeping wild discus for two years, and with success, and I want to summarise my most important findings.
History and distribution
Discus are members of the family Cichlidae family and are native to the Amazon River system and its tributaries in Brazil. Discus are only found in that part of the world.
The taxonomy is disputed. The existing orthodoxy (as listed on Fisbase and Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes, and based on a 2006 review) dictates that there are three species: Symphysodon aequifasciatus (the blue or brown discus); S. discus (Heckel or red discus); and S. tarzoo (green discus).
However, there are many who propose that there are four in fact species (as I believe), based on post-2006 studies. These species are: Symphysodon discus discus (Heckel discus); S. aequifasciatus axelrodi (brown discus); S. aequifasciatus aequifasciatus (green discus); and S. aequifasciatus haraldi (blue discus) On the second of these taxonomic models, each discus variant has different characteristics, mainly in colour and
