brewmaster15
05-08-2024, 10:30 AM
There is a process where a scientific article is peer reviewed for accuracy. The peers basically check over the article to make sure its factual and well researched. The following article is not Peer Reviewed, and isn't really a research article but I think after reading it we should peer review it for accuracy. Though its true we are not the author's Peers as far as scientific Pedigree, we do have a real good handle on if whats been written is factual with regards to Discus.:)
Here is the article...its written in an easy to understand Fashion...no real scientific mumbo jumbo
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FA166 (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FA166)
I can tell you there is alot of old dogma on Discus keeping in the article. In its defense Its an older article initially published in 2009, but revised in 2018, and released again in 2021 and reviewed by University of Florida scientists as recent as 2/6/24. Normally I really put alot of faith in The University of Florida for their disease articles, but this article to me is a disappointment. With all those revisions, there is still glaringly outdated info and all the cited references are 15-30 years out dated
Supporting References Most of the information on the biology and culture of discus fish is found in the aquarium hobby literature, and only a few scientific articles have been critically reviewed and published on their classification and natural history. Listed below are selected and authoritative references on keeping discus fish. The citations include both technical and popular publications, including references to all scientific articles used for preparation of this document.
Axelrod, H. R. 1993. The most complete colored lexicon of cichlids. T. F. H. Publications.
Au, D., S. S. Seng, and F. Denitto. 2007. Trophy Discus: the art of selecting, grooming, and showing discus. Cichlid Press.
Bleher, H. 2006. Bleher's Discus. Volume 1. Aquapress.
Bleher, H. 1995. Discus discoveries and history. Buntbarsche Bulletin. Journal American Cichlid Association 170:9–13.
Bleher, H., K. N. Stölting, W. Salzburger, and A. Meyer. 2007. Revision of the genus Symphysodon Heckel, 1840 (Teleostei: Perciformes: Cichlidae) based on molecular and morphological characters. Aqua: International Journal of Ichthyology 12(4): 133–174.
Burgess, W. E. 1981. Studies on the family Cichlidae: 10. New information on the species of the genus. Tropical Fish Hobbyist 29: 32–42.
Chapman, F. A., S. A. Fitz-Coy, E. M. Thunberg, and C. M. Adams. 1997. United States trade in ornamental fish. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 28: 1–10.
Chellappa, S., M. R. Camara, and J. R. Verani. 2005. Ovarian development in the Amazonian Red Discus, Symphysodon discus Heckel (Osteichthyes: Cichlidae). Brazilian Journal of Biology 65(4): 609–616.
Chong, A. S. C., R. Hashim, and A. B. Ali. 2000. Dietary protein requirements for discus (Symphysodon spp.). Aquaculture Nutrition 6: 275–278.
Chong, A. S. C., R. Hashim, L. Chow-Yang, and A. B. Ali. 2002. Partial characterization and activities of proteases from the digestive tract of discus fish (Symphysodon aequifasciata). Aquaculture 203: 321–333.
Chong, A., R. Hashim, and A. B. Ali. 2003. Assessment of soybean meal in diets for discus (Symphysodon aequifasciata, Heckel) farming through a fishmeal replacement study. Aquaculture Research. 34(11): 913–922.
Chong, K., T. S. Ying, J. Foo, L. T. Jin, and A. Chong. 2005. Characterization of proteins in epidermal mucus of discus fish (Symphysodon spp.) during parental phase. Aquaculture 249: 469–476.
Crampton, W. G. R. 1999. The impact of the ornamental fish trade on the discus Symphysodon aequifasciatus: a case study from the flood plain forests of Estação Ecológica Mamirauá. Pp. 944. In: C. Padoch, J. M. Ayres, M. Pinedo-Vasquez, and A. Henderson (eds). Várzea: Diversity, Conservation and Development of Amazonia's Whitewater Floodplains. New York Botanical Garden Press.
Crampton, W. G. R. 2008. Ecology and life history of an Amazon floodplain cichlid: the discus fish Symphysodon (Perciformes: Cichlidae). Neotropical Ichthyology 6(4): 599–612.
Degen, B. 1990. Discus: How to Breed Them. T.F.H. Publications.
Degen, B. 1991. A Discus Reference Book. T.F.H. Publications.
DACS. Department of Agriculture and Consumers Services. 2008. Florida Aquaculture Plan 2008/2009. DACS-P-0061.
DACS. 2016. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Florida Aquaculture Best Management Practices. http://www.freshfromflorida.com/content/download/64045/1520653/BMP_Rule_and_Manual_FINAL.pdf
Farias, I. P. and T. Hrbek. 2008. Patterns of diversification in the discus fishes (Symphysodon spp. Cichlidae) of the Amazon basin. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 49: 32–43.
Feldwick, R. C., 1998. Protein Composition of the Parental Mucus of the Discus Fish, Symphysodon Species, with Respect to the Nutrition of their Larvae. Masters Thesis. University of Florida.
Francis-Floyd, R. and R. P. E. Yanong. 2002. Cryptobia iubilans in Cichlids. VM-104. UF/IFAS Extension.
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2009. FishBase.World Wide Web electronic publication. http://www.fishbase.org/search.php, version (07/2009).
Hildemann, W. H. 1959. A cichlid fish, Symphysodon discus, with unique nurture habits. The American Naturalist 93: 27–34.
Hill, J. E. Regulations pertaining to non-native fish in Florida aquaculture. University of Florida, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, FA-121.
Keller, G., 1976. Discus. T.F.H. Publications; Distributed in the U.S.A. by T.F.H. Publications.
Khong, H., M. Kuah, A. Jaya-Ram, and A. C. Shu-Chien. 2009. Prolactin receptor mRNA is upregulated in discus fish (Symphysodon aequifasciata) skin during parental phase. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 153: 18–28.
Klinger, R. E. and R. Francis-Floyd. 2009. Introduction to Freshwater Fish Parasites. Circular 716. University of Florida, IFAS Cooperative Extension Service.
Koh, T. L., G. Khoo, L. Q. Fan, and V. P. E. Phang. 1999. Genetic diversity among wild forms and cultivated varieties of discus (Symphysodon spp.) as revealed by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting. Aquaculture 173: 485–497.
Kullander, S. O. 1996. Eine weitere übersicht der diskusfische, gattung Symphysodon Heckel. DATZ: Die Aquarien-und Terrarienzeitschrift 1: 10–16.
Kullander, S. O. 2003. Cichlidae (Cichlids). Pp. 605–654. In: R. E. Reis, S. O. Kullander and C. J. Ferraris (eds). Checklist of the Freshwater Fishes of South and Central America. EDIPUCRS, Porto Alegre, Brasil.
Leibel, W. S. 1995. Cichlids of The Americas. Bowtie Press, Mission Viejo, CA.
Lyons, E. 1959. Symphysodon discus tarzoo. New blue discus electrify aquarium world. Tropicals Magazine 4: 6–8 & 10.
Paul, G. C. and R. A. Matthews. 2001. Spironucleus vortens, a possible cause of hole-in-the-head disease in cichlids. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms. 45: 197–202.
Pellegrin, J. 1904. Contribution á l'étude anatomique, biologique et taxinomique des poissons de la familie des Cichlidés. Memoires. Societe Zoologique de France 16: 41–399.
Ready, J. S., E. J. G. Ferreira, and S. O. Kullander. 2006. Discus fishes: mitochondrial DNA evidence for a phylogeographic barrier in the Amazonian genus Symphysodon (Teleostei: Cichlidae). Journal of Fish Biology 69 (Supplement B): 200–211.
Sanna-Kaisa, J. and S. Jukka. 2004. Sustainable use of ornamental fish populations in Peruvian Amazonia. Lyonia 7: 53–59.
Savas, E. and M. Timur. 2003. Ultrastructure of the chorion and its micropyle apparatus in the mature discus (Symphysodon spp.) Eggs. Turkish Journal of Marine Science. 9: 231–240.
Schultz, L. P. 1960. A review of the pompadour or discus fishes, genus Symphysodon of South America. Tropical Fish Hobbyist 8: 5–17.
Silva, T. and B. Kotlar. 1980. Discus. T.F.H. Publications.
Tave, D. 1995. Selective breeding programs for medium-sized fish farms. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper 352; also available online at: http://www.fao.org/docrep/field/009/v8720e/v8720e00.htm
Wattley, J. 1985. Jack Wattley's Handbook of Discus. T.F.H. Publications.
Weiss, M. 1995. Guest commentary: wasting away in discusville. Cichlid News 4(2): 18–22.
Yanong, R. P. E., R. Russo, E. Curtis, R. Francis-Floyd, R. Klinger, I. Berzins, K. Kelley, S. L. Poynton. 2004. Cryptobia iubilans infection in juvenile discus (Symphysodon aequifasciata): four case reports, pathology, and treatment trials. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 224:1644–1650.
One gets the impression that the reviews done were mostly rubber stamps.
So here is my idea.. Please read the article and post what you found interesting about it, what you suspect is not accurate and what you know to be false.
example...
Brood stock spawning and newly hatched larvae require low pH (5–6.5), and low alkalinity (60–90 mg/L). Completely wrong.
There remains some mystery about the exact physiological benefit discus larvae receive from the parental mucus, but there is no question that this is an important first feed. The mucus may contain essential nutrients or it may aid digestive function to allow for larval growth and development. The article completely ignored the success of raising discus artificially. I find it particularly glaring that they completely left out Jack Wattley's process. He and many others demonstrated clearly that though the feeding on the slime coat has benefits Fry can easily be raised artificially.
okay... lets see what you all think. Don't be shy..just compare what you know to be true from your own experiences to what they wrote.
al
Here is the article...its written in an easy to understand Fashion...no real scientific mumbo jumbo
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FA166 (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FA166)
I can tell you there is alot of old dogma on Discus keeping in the article. In its defense Its an older article initially published in 2009, but revised in 2018, and released again in 2021 and reviewed by University of Florida scientists as recent as 2/6/24. Normally I really put alot of faith in The University of Florida for their disease articles, but this article to me is a disappointment. With all those revisions, there is still glaringly outdated info and all the cited references are 15-30 years out dated
Supporting References Most of the information on the biology and culture of discus fish is found in the aquarium hobby literature, and only a few scientific articles have been critically reviewed and published on their classification and natural history. Listed below are selected and authoritative references on keeping discus fish. The citations include both technical and popular publications, including references to all scientific articles used for preparation of this document.
Axelrod, H. R. 1993. The most complete colored lexicon of cichlids. T. F. H. Publications.
Au, D., S. S. Seng, and F. Denitto. 2007. Trophy Discus: the art of selecting, grooming, and showing discus. Cichlid Press.
Bleher, H. 2006. Bleher's Discus. Volume 1. Aquapress.
Bleher, H. 1995. Discus discoveries and history. Buntbarsche Bulletin. Journal American Cichlid Association 170:9–13.
Bleher, H., K. N. Stölting, W. Salzburger, and A. Meyer. 2007. Revision of the genus Symphysodon Heckel, 1840 (Teleostei: Perciformes: Cichlidae) based on molecular and morphological characters. Aqua: International Journal of Ichthyology 12(4): 133–174.
Burgess, W. E. 1981. Studies on the family Cichlidae: 10. New information on the species of the genus. Tropical Fish Hobbyist 29: 32–42.
Chapman, F. A., S. A. Fitz-Coy, E. M. Thunberg, and C. M. Adams. 1997. United States trade in ornamental fish. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 28: 1–10.
Chellappa, S., M. R. Camara, and J. R. Verani. 2005. Ovarian development in the Amazonian Red Discus, Symphysodon discus Heckel (Osteichthyes: Cichlidae). Brazilian Journal of Biology 65(4): 609–616.
Chong, A. S. C., R. Hashim, and A. B. Ali. 2000. Dietary protein requirements for discus (Symphysodon spp.). Aquaculture Nutrition 6: 275–278.
Chong, A. S. C., R. Hashim, L. Chow-Yang, and A. B. Ali. 2002. Partial characterization and activities of proteases from the digestive tract of discus fish (Symphysodon aequifasciata). Aquaculture 203: 321–333.
Chong, A., R. Hashim, and A. B. Ali. 2003. Assessment of soybean meal in diets for discus (Symphysodon aequifasciata, Heckel) farming through a fishmeal replacement study. Aquaculture Research. 34(11): 913–922.
Chong, K., T. S. Ying, J. Foo, L. T. Jin, and A. Chong. 2005. Characterization of proteins in epidermal mucus of discus fish (Symphysodon spp.) during parental phase. Aquaculture 249: 469–476.
Crampton, W. G. R. 1999. The impact of the ornamental fish trade on the discus Symphysodon aequifasciatus: a case study from the flood plain forests of Estação Ecológica Mamirauá. Pp. 944. In: C. Padoch, J. M. Ayres, M. Pinedo-Vasquez, and A. Henderson (eds). Várzea: Diversity, Conservation and Development of Amazonia's Whitewater Floodplains. New York Botanical Garden Press.
Crampton, W. G. R. 2008. Ecology and life history of an Amazon floodplain cichlid: the discus fish Symphysodon (Perciformes: Cichlidae). Neotropical Ichthyology 6(4): 599–612.
Degen, B. 1990. Discus: How to Breed Them. T.F.H. Publications.
Degen, B. 1991. A Discus Reference Book. T.F.H. Publications.
DACS. Department of Agriculture and Consumers Services. 2008. Florida Aquaculture Plan 2008/2009. DACS-P-0061.
DACS. 2016. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Florida Aquaculture Best Management Practices. http://www.freshfromflorida.com/content/download/64045/1520653/BMP_Rule_and_Manual_FINAL.pdf
Farias, I. P. and T. Hrbek. 2008. Patterns of diversification in the discus fishes (Symphysodon spp. Cichlidae) of the Amazon basin. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 49: 32–43.
Feldwick, R. C., 1998. Protein Composition of the Parental Mucus of the Discus Fish, Symphysodon Species, with Respect to the Nutrition of their Larvae. Masters Thesis. University of Florida.
Francis-Floyd, R. and R. P. E. Yanong. 2002. Cryptobia iubilans in Cichlids. VM-104. UF/IFAS Extension.
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2009. FishBase.World Wide Web electronic publication. http://www.fishbase.org/search.php, version (07/2009).
Hildemann, W. H. 1959. A cichlid fish, Symphysodon discus, with unique nurture habits. The American Naturalist 93: 27–34.
Hill, J. E. Regulations pertaining to non-native fish in Florida aquaculture. University of Florida, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, FA-121.
Keller, G., 1976. Discus. T.F.H. Publications; Distributed in the U.S.A. by T.F.H. Publications.
Khong, H., M. Kuah, A. Jaya-Ram, and A. C. Shu-Chien. 2009. Prolactin receptor mRNA is upregulated in discus fish (Symphysodon aequifasciata) skin during parental phase. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 153: 18–28.
Klinger, R. E. and R. Francis-Floyd. 2009. Introduction to Freshwater Fish Parasites. Circular 716. University of Florida, IFAS Cooperative Extension Service.
Koh, T. L., G. Khoo, L. Q. Fan, and V. P. E. Phang. 1999. Genetic diversity among wild forms and cultivated varieties of discus (Symphysodon spp.) as revealed by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting. Aquaculture 173: 485–497.
Kullander, S. O. 1996. Eine weitere übersicht der diskusfische, gattung Symphysodon Heckel. DATZ: Die Aquarien-und Terrarienzeitschrift 1: 10–16.
Kullander, S. O. 2003. Cichlidae (Cichlids). Pp. 605–654. In: R. E. Reis, S. O. Kullander and C. J. Ferraris (eds). Checklist of the Freshwater Fishes of South and Central America. EDIPUCRS, Porto Alegre, Brasil.
Leibel, W. S. 1995. Cichlids of The Americas. Bowtie Press, Mission Viejo, CA.
Lyons, E. 1959. Symphysodon discus tarzoo. New blue discus electrify aquarium world. Tropicals Magazine 4: 6–8 & 10.
Paul, G. C. and R. A. Matthews. 2001. Spironucleus vortens, a possible cause of hole-in-the-head disease in cichlids. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms. 45: 197–202.
Pellegrin, J. 1904. Contribution á l'étude anatomique, biologique et taxinomique des poissons de la familie des Cichlidés. Memoires. Societe Zoologique de France 16: 41–399.
Ready, J. S., E. J. G. Ferreira, and S. O. Kullander. 2006. Discus fishes: mitochondrial DNA evidence for a phylogeographic barrier in the Amazonian genus Symphysodon (Teleostei: Cichlidae). Journal of Fish Biology 69 (Supplement B): 200–211.
Sanna-Kaisa, J. and S. Jukka. 2004. Sustainable use of ornamental fish populations in Peruvian Amazonia. Lyonia 7: 53–59.
Savas, E. and M. Timur. 2003. Ultrastructure of the chorion and its micropyle apparatus in the mature discus (Symphysodon spp.) Eggs. Turkish Journal of Marine Science. 9: 231–240.
Schultz, L. P. 1960. A review of the pompadour or discus fishes, genus Symphysodon of South America. Tropical Fish Hobbyist 8: 5–17.
Silva, T. and B. Kotlar. 1980. Discus. T.F.H. Publications.
Tave, D. 1995. Selective breeding programs for medium-sized fish farms. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper 352; also available online at: http://www.fao.org/docrep/field/009/v8720e/v8720e00.htm
Wattley, J. 1985. Jack Wattley's Handbook of Discus. T.F.H. Publications.
Weiss, M. 1995. Guest commentary: wasting away in discusville. Cichlid News 4(2): 18–22.
Yanong, R. P. E., R. Russo, E. Curtis, R. Francis-Floyd, R. Klinger, I. Berzins, K. Kelley, S. L. Poynton. 2004. Cryptobia iubilans infection in juvenile discus (Symphysodon aequifasciata): four case reports, pathology, and treatment trials. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 224:1644–1650.
One gets the impression that the reviews done were mostly rubber stamps.
So here is my idea.. Please read the article and post what you found interesting about it, what you suspect is not accurate and what you know to be false.
example...
Brood stock spawning and newly hatched larvae require low pH (5–6.5), and low alkalinity (60–90 mg/L). Completely wrong.
There remains some mystery about the exact physiological benefit discus larvae receive from the parental mucus, but there is no question that this is an important first feed. The mucus may contain essential nutrients or it may aid digestive function to allow for larval growth and development. The article completely ignored the success of raising discus artificially. I find it particularly glaring that they completely left out Jack Wattley's process. He and many others demonstrated clearly that though the feeding on the slime coat has benefits Fry can easily be raised artificially.
okay... lets see what you all think. Don't be shy..just compare what you know to be true from your own experiences to what they wrote.
al