Can anybody identify this 4 month old discus which I was recently given?

[peewee1]

Is it possible that individual fish will, or will not, feature the Stendker shape head? This one example does not. I have a Malaysian bred female that does feature the "bump". I am now wondering if somewhere in her crossings there was a Stendker?

[sanjay21]

It can still be Stendkers, I’m not sure about all Stendkers having bump on the forehead .. here are my Stendker pigeons-
B4103251-F9BF-4E3D-8BFC-9C1E63AA4903.jpg
3F854A2F-F084-4CB0-8018-0A3A2A6184E1.jpg

[Willie]

My previous comments have been misinterpreted. Many Stendker strains, WHEN YOUNG, have a characteristic bump on their forehead. (I see this in all Stendker strains except for their Santarems.) In my experience, the bump will grow out into a nice round head in adult discus with large water changes. This pair looks to be two that have grown out nicely.

It's not a criticism of Stendker discus shape, but an observation of their development. Likely, Stendker strains were developed from base pedigree that have a bump as young discus. If you look at the juvenile Stendkers in the following thread, you'll see that all of the fish have this bump.

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showth...tendker-Discus

With lots of water changes and good food, Stendker discuss will develop into nicely shaped adults. My point is how you raise discus will impact their appearance. A beautiful adult discus is the result of both great genetics AND great care. If a discus turns out poorly, often the blame can be shared between the seller and the hobbyist.

Similarly, Wayne Ng discus have a straight forehead when young. These will also grow into beautiful adults if handled correctly.

Willie

[LizStreithorst]

You're right, Willie. The care the fish get matters most. It's something that many people understand. I fish with excellent potential can look like crap if it's raised without proper care.

[scorpio]

Well, I've been keeping freshwater and marine fish for over 50 years, and one thing above all else that i've learnt, especially where Discus are concerned...is Never judge the shape or quality of a fish until it has grown.