Behavioral differences - wild v. tank raised

[TomFromStLouis]

I know in the case of angels that wild caught scalare and altums school more and are less rowdy than the domestic bred stock. They can also be more skittish.

Do these characteristics hold for wild or wild type discus versus domestic tank bred (for generations) stock? How would you characterise their behavior? I presume wild caught are considered more difficult (not least because of the disease issues), but what about disease free F1s?

[April]

JMO and IME......i find my wilds heartier and just as easy to keep as the domestics or easier. perhaps for breeding its another story.but for just having a tank full...they have bounced back from a few problems ive had in other tanks way faster or hardly affected by the same thing that my other fish got. hardly noticed they were ill.
mine are very gentle..most of the time. lately ive had alot of territorial stuff....but never hurt each other . just nudge.
i really enjoy my tank of wilds.

[daninthesand]

I tend to agree with what April is saying as well. Yes, I find wilds are more hearty and tend to bounce back quite easy from various stresses that put my domestic discus in a tizzy. For example. It is rare that my domestic discus will eat anything for at least an hour after a major water change or any other disturbance. They tend to sulk in the corner for a while.

My wilds on the other hand eat almost even before the current stops from the new water addition. if i feed them they eat. Period. No fuss no muss.

The wilds also tend to be more active in general. They seem to "hunt" for food by peeking under the sponge filters or heaters. Maybe its a product of having to do this in the wild. Domestics obviously have never had to hunt or scavenge for food.

Generally speaking I lean toward liking the wilds better, because of their more robust behavior, but I would not say they are aggressive.

I have done zero breeding of any discus, so I cannot comment on personal experince there. Hopefully some day I can say otherwise. ;)

Daniel

[Carol_Roberts]

I don't have any wilds, but others on the forum that do have wilds have commented on their hardiness and good appetite - similiar to April and Dan's experiences