Sunday, July 15, 2007

ROYAL MAROON DISCUS

 GIANT DISCUS flat DSCN1607
This DISCUS, a beautiful fish from the Amazon basin, is a freshwater one.
This one in particular, I had air freighted to me from Wa. state along with 5 other ones.
They were the size of a quarter when I received them.
Discus are color blind when it comes to breeding, so any one color will pair up with a different colored one, to create surprises, that are then selectively bred for the Discus lovers around the world. A shy fish, the discus will react in blind fear, & dash off into the tank wall, if you are not careful when entering into the area where it is kept. I created a species specific tank for them with many plants & a school of "Dither" fish. Fish, for a poorly known reason, can react, seemingly instantaneously, similar to flocks of birds that one can see wheeling around & turning in unison. The strange thing about fish is that they don`t have to be a member of a particular school, nor to even be a schooling fish, to react like all the others. The dither fish are usually a much calmer fish that won`t panic easily. As long as these fish are acting calmly, the Discus are reassured & feel that there is nothing to panic about.
So now we have a tank with these Discus, a nice little school of fish, which in my case, were NEON TETRAS, maybe an inch long keeping the tank calm. Added to this were Ghost Shrimp, a few bottom dwellers & various other species to make up, an as near natural habitat as possible.
I used to call them "Pot Fish" for their calming coolness. This one pictured, at over 6" was until recently on exhibit & Not For Sale, at a local fish store. I placed all the fish from the Discus tank & all the fish from an 8' long freshwater community tank, with knowledgeable fish keepers from within my marine network. I am converting the tanks to saltwater reefs, as I `ve become, in my opinion, able to concentrate more on the sometimes more complex demands of reefs, without having to separate two disciplines.

23 comments:

olivia said...

What a beauty! The black background really shows the photos well too. The colour pops!

Thanks for explaining about the character of these fish ... about the need for dither fish. I like that ... the dither squad ... :)

Knucklehead said...

Olivia,
That`s better than a "Pot Shot".

Nancy P said...

It looks made of bronze. Lovely.

Unknown said...

Nice one,that Discus! And very interesting about the dither fish effect.

How long did it take this Discus to grow from quarter size to 6"?

AndiF said...

It's pretty clear from the look on that fish's face that you are not to be trusted farther than you can throw fish food.

(I love the rakish turquoise on the fins -- makes me wish I had a 60s muscle car to paint with that design.)

Knucklehead said...

Nancy p,
If you are thinking "bronze" with this fish [I like it], then if I can put a link in a comment [anyone know how?], I`ll link to some of the other Discus, & we`ll see what they evoke.
I believe that, that would show these fishes`diversity of color & color patterns, not imagined on only reading of it.
I have images of my "Snakeskin", "Marlboro Red",
"Yellow Dragon", & a "Blue Amazon". Even their names, though exotic, are not enough to stir ones` imagination [wild as it may be] as a visual experience will.

olivia said...

Morning! It's still morning in Head's corner of the world ... :)

To make a link in comments is similar to doing it in the diary:

< a href="www.yourlinkhere.com" > < your description here < /a >

Take out all the spaces on the real one so the entire string is nice and snug and touching.

And preview is your friend as our friend d says ...

:)

Knucklehead said...

NDD,
It sure beats having to stuff pacifiers in their pouty little mouths.
You know, growth rate realization, is difficult to pin down.
One gets a Great Dane puppy, & shows it off to a visiting aunt. A year later, the aunt returns, to find a monsterous WMD. She cannot believe it`s the same little puppy, while you never realized it`s growth rate, being around it constantly.
I would imagine they are mature, size wise at one year, but that does not equate to equal size among tankmates. I have to be careful at feeding time to make sure every one gets enough food. A hierachy develops in a tank, & some will be forced to starve by more aggressive ones even in a group of these "passive" fish.

Knucklehead said...

AndiF,
It takes a while to get these fish to trust you enough to not "freak" when you are moving around. Fish do get to know your movements & recognize if that motion regards their tank, or, just a normal peripheral one.
From there, to being able to stuff a camera in their faces, is a long process, only achieved from the knowledge of their respective characters. You must identify the fish that is the "leader" & work on that one, in trust building, as all others take their cue from the leader.
These fish are "Shown" [ think, Dog Show], so having one "freak out" is not good, when "long green" is involved. A prize fish could fetch hundreds of dollars while a breeding pair, of Show caliber, may bring thousands. I like your reference to a nice paint job on a car, but I pin my hopes on, maybe someday, doing a body painting on a beautiful mermaid, with those same colors, of course.

Knucklehead said...

Olivia,
I guess you want to see some other "Jewls of the Amazon" with your almost instantaneous linking instructions.
So shall it come to pass. Sooner, rather than later, hopefully.

Family Man said...

Wonderful picture Head. I really like the bronze look of it, but I'm with Andi where the turquoise really sets it off.

Knucklehead said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Knucklehead said...

Thanks to Olivia`s coaching, you may now get a look at the diversity of color the Discus presents.
COLOR BLIND

Knucklehead said...

Good Morning FM,
If you like turquoise, check the link, "COLOR BLIND", & see blue ice.
I waited to get back to you, until I had something to show you.

Unknown said...

Hey, KNUCKLEHEAD, the link at flickr says it's Private, and won't allow me to view it.

I think I either need an invite from you to flickr, or you may need to deprivatize that photo.

(Hey folks, let me know if I'm the only one with this problem, in case I need to fix something here.)

Knucklehead said...

Nobody invited you! NDD
NDD, Sorry about that.
Would you please try again.
I made that specific image public. I fear that the contest I initiated would be compromised if people went to see what my possible next post would be in hopes of getting the bowling shirt. Hah

Family Man said...

Hey Head.

Love the "Color Blind" picture. I like the top right one best. With the black background, the top and bottom fins look almost drawn on. Excellent pictures!

olivia said...

LOL Head! What colour is the bowling shirt ... :)

Knucklehead said...

Olivia, If I post it, you wouldn`t see anything but the silver embroidery & the cube "Dice" buttons, also, silver. The embroideries, on the upper breast or "pec" area for those he-man bowlers, consists of a laughing devil holding a trident. No, it does not have a widgit manufacturer`s name on it.
The contest, open to all, every day but Tues. requires that one guess what my post will be about, for the next contest day.
The posting of a linked picture of the shirt, shall not count.
Tuesdays are out, because that day is dedicated to those of the female persuasion, that have graced us with the honor of accepting the LIFETIME ACHIEVMENT AWARD. The honoree for tomorrow is Ms. NDD & lest I forget, any one of the recipients of the award can request any subject relating to my underworlds.
Good Luck.
And to the instigator, trying to get me to part with the bowling shirt, we know who you are, Olivia.

olivia said...

Heh :)

Knucklehead said...

FM,
The pictures don`t really do them justice.
Thanks.
I also liked the "Blue Snakeskin"

Family Man said...

Head for someone that just started a blog, I have to admit, you are light years ahead of me.

It's like a kaleidoscope. Your header keeps changing and your planet earth and everything. Good for you!

Knucklehead said...

FM,
Thank you for the encouragement, but like some people say about me,"Don`t encourage him".
If I have some one to explain how things work, then it`s, move out of my way, I`m busy learning everything I can about a subject. Once I know enough to be able to explore, I go & get deeper & deeper, hoping I don`t drown in the deep end. Sometimes I don`t want to go to sleep, for fear I`ll lose my place in the exploration.
Thanks for enjoying my points of interest on this blog. The "Planet Earth" part & the Header image are both links to a larger image. The baby bird will hopefully be an ongoing chronicle in the life of the little one.