Brew' heckels

[brewmaster15]

Hi Debbie,
I am proud ...very proud...I'm very attached to these heckels!



Thanks Rod, I have my eye on two in one of the tanks that I am very hopeful of...nothing yet but dominance to the group.


On the eye color...I'm not an expert by any means..but based on the groups I have from multiple collections areas...I think alot is natural variation just as in the other wilds.. and probably to a degree collection location..

It may be only from my small sample here...but those with more blue seem to have more red in the eye. The Heckels from rio negro that I have now and have had in the past....seem to be darker eyes and more drab in the body.....


Also to note....mine are all in Light painted tanks...and I have found that definetly affects the appearance just as it does for many domestics.

I have seen many heckels over the years that had dark eyes which were hazed over lightly... not bright and shiny..That I feel is in response to poor water quality..

hth,
al

[Moon]

Hi Joe,
I have a few different tanks of them ranging from 4" on up. The largest and oldest group are about 5.5-6" tip to tail. The heckels I have posted here I have had most since dec/jan ..

I keep all my wilds (heckels and all others) in tap water... pH is 7.00-7.6... 350us... The exception is an any adults I am trying to breed...then its an RO mix. and I shoot for a pH in the 5.5-6.5 range.

I have not noticed any real lag in growth, but I see growth spurts... my smallest sized ones seemed to junp from 3" to 4" overnight....but that coincided with a move from a 75 gal... to a 125 gal tank.


what do you feed yours ?

-al

Thanks Al
I feed mine three times a day.
Mornings: Good quality flake
Afternoon: FBH or FBW
Evenings: FBS or Mysis

Joe

[billeagan]

Gorgeous! Every tank should have at least one wild heckel!

[pcsb23]

Al,

Can I have my heckels back now?

I'm officially jealous, wonderful fish.

[brewmaster15]

Bill, I agree 100%...I can't wait for the season to start again...I'm going to be picking up some more then.


Paul... Looks like we are even ...I feel the same about your wild blues.

-al

[Tropical Haven]

I am not a wild discus lover but those are some really nice wilds AL, keep up the great work and let us know when you finally get a pair.

[alxjss]

Hi Al..
Well, gorgeous. I don't no if i spelled that right but u got it right? A few ?'s for u. Okay, these r heckels. Can u tell me how many different types of wilds there r? Also, how did the different strains come along. So diff. from domestic?
thanks

[Jeff B]

"I have seen many heckels over the years that had dark eyes which were hazed over lightly... not bright and shiny..That I feel is in response to poor water quality.."

You may well have a point there Al ... I regularly visit a "wild" importer who quite often has the odd fish / batch that show this trait. One of these I actually bought ... a Nhamunda Blue. It's a fabulous fish ( very similar to your avataor ), Something like 8 months on ... the eyes are exactly the same .... but no amount of gill problems ... everything else in the tank is fine. Leads me to conclude ... as you say, it's either water quality, habitat or even genetics.

[Elite Aquaria]

Al,

Awesome looking fish...

Dan

[Darren's Discus]

Hi all,

Hope you enjoy them.

Comments are welcome...

Thanks,

-al

Al ,i would enjoy them alot more if they were in my tanks,mate they are superb looking heckels all the best with them thanks for sharing.


cheers

[tacks]

Al as they say a picture is worth a thousand words. Very nice anda great job but who would expect anything else. When the season comes I will be buying. take care Ed

[Ed13]

Al as they say a picture is worth a thousand words.

But a thousand words can't describe the beauty of those fish and that setup! So, more pics to shut me up please!

[Rod]

But a thousand words can't describe the beauty of those fish and that setup! So, more pics to shut me up please!

here here...we know you have more beautiful discus Al

[brewmaster15]

LOl, you guys are too much!

weekends coming up so I will try and take some more pics then.

Thanks everyone for the comments on my heckels..

-al

[Polar_Bear]

Beautiful S. discus Al! They all look extremely healthy, nice red eyes. What is your wc regimen? How often do you worm them? Lastly, on the boards you always read that Heckels are far more sedate than other discus, do you find this is true? I know in my case mine, which are in a 75 gallon, act evey bit like all other discus, same pecking order wars, same overall behavior.
On another note, it's good to hear that you keep your wilds in "regular" water. I went to half tap and half RO since you always hear wilds lose their color when kept at higher pH and/or hardness, something that I have found not to be true in my case.