Bleher´s Discus Volume 1 - Aquazone

Pres resents ents

Book comments
... Thank you so much for the beautiful book. It is an outstanding reference to Symphysodon, and many aspects on expeditions,
culture and ichthyological details which one cannot find information about elsewhere. Particularly the description
of Schultz's revision is interesting, as it confirms much of what I already suspected, and some of the information
shows that things were even worse than I thought. I have no problem with the discus systematics, and your conclusions
are compatible with the 1996 analysis and DNA results of Jonathan which eventually got in press in Journal of Fish
Biology. I still think tarzoo is an available name, however. And, no, no reason to be mad. My self confidence is cut in
gold. However, what could possibly be left for vol. 2? ...
Sven O Kullander, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, GBIF, FishBase
Swedish Museum of Natural History, SE-104 05 Stockholm
... I have been reading your book, especially the historical part which is fascinating. And, of course, enjoying the many illustrations
and art work. Your book is monumental. Is there any book that has been devoted to a single species of fish to treat
all aspects, both popular and scientific, and with such photographic coverage? ...
Aloha,
John E. Randall, Bishop Museum, 1525 Bernice St., Honolulu, HI 96817-2704, USA
... The book 'Bleher's discus' in English just arrived this morning... I can only describe receiving the book as like opening a
treasure chest It is absolutely superb. Certainly the best book for aquarists I ever saw, and I have seen a lot of them!...
Alec McFarlane, Scotland
... I am not surprised that your Bleher Discus will be the ‘bible of Discus’. I was impressed when I saw the originals laying
at Interzoo! Good for you!!! It brings you the gratitude of all the work & exploring in the Amazone world! You are also a
writer with the ‘eyes of a fish in the water’: you bring over that feeling in your work! Congratulations! ...
Gerald Bassler, Belgium… author of the bible on fish diseases (now with videos on CDrom= see www.bassleer.com)
... I just received your Discus volume today - a beautiful work for a beautiful fish!
Many thanks,
Mark Henry Sabaj, Collection Manager of Fishes, Academy of Natural Sciences
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103
... Klaus gave me your new discus book when we were in Italy together and since getting back in the states I just haven't
caught my breath long enough to tell you how wonderful, beautiful, and fantastic it is!!!! ...
All the best my friend,
Chuck Maier, USA
I have received my Bleher's Discus, Volume I. It was very much worth the wait. My congratulations to the author and
publisher for producing such an outstanding book! I am very lucky to have it... I will enjoy it for years to come. I wish
I could of had the author sign it! He has done an outstanding job documenting a much loved species. Please forward
my compliments to Mr. Bleher. Thanks to all involved,
Matt Springer, 6058 Knights Ridge Way, Alexandria, Va 22310
Heiko is undoubtedly the premier fish collector of all time. His perserverance and dedication in his unique style dwarfs the
efforts of pseudo-scientists who have cluttered up the genre for the past fifty years. Heiko is like a son to me, and I am proud
of him. I am forever grateful to Heiko for teaching me the history of Discus, and he is on a very short list of people who I would
turn to for information, as his word has always been his bond. The fish illustrations and photographs are profuse and masterful.
Bleher's Discus, Volume 1 is a true labor of love, and the last word on Discus.
Ross Socolof, USA
I received your book fine - on time. It was a big surprise to me. A very pleasant surprise I must say. As a frequent reader
of many discus books, I must confess that your book is the "Bible" of discus. The most significant benefit from me while
reading it, is the discovery of how limited was my knowledge about these magnificent fishes, regardless of years of books
readings and aquariums observation. Thank you for your excellent work and also for your interest about our thoughts.
Babis Tsokas, Greece

Book chapters
Chapter 1: The History of Discus
First discovery – The second discus – Discoveries in the 20th century
Chapter 2: The Taxonomy of Discus
Heckel’s work – Pellegrin’s description – Schultz’s revision – Kullander’s synonyms – Taxonomy comments
Chapter 3: Distribution
Distribution of the discus variants – Maps of the discus regions
Chapter 4: Discus Variants in Nature
The Heckel discus – The green discus – The brown discus & the blue discus
Chapter 5: Natural Habitats of Discus & Collecting
Habitats, including different water types, chemical parameters, and temperatures

Book chapters

Bleher’s Discus – resuming in numbers
5000 Photos, Photos,
paintings, maps
380 Wild ild discus var variants
iants
400 Amazon Amazon
fishes
125 Water ater parametres parametres
75 Indian Indian
tribes tribes
100 Indian Indian
words words
80 Pages Pages
nutriton nutriton
in nature
natur

Book reviews
Book Review – Bleher´s Discus Volume 1
by Lee Finley
Bleher’s Discus, Volume 1 by Heiko Bleher. 2006, Aquapress Publishers, Italy, Hardcover, 671 pages. List price, U.S. $125.00.
There was a time, back a number of years ago, when it seemed as if there was a discus book-of-the-month club in operation. The majority
of this mini-flood of books originated from one publisher and were written by a limited number of authors. In the intervening years
the number of such discus devoted books has slowed to a trickle and for the most part nothing of any significant importance has been
seen for quite a while. Now a new title is available, and the wait has been well worth it.
The author of this new book is the well known Heiko Bleher, and with this magnificent work there is a new starting place for all of those
who have an interest in wild discus fishes. Bleher is certainly not new to the world of discus books. In 1992 he co-authored (with M. Göbel)
a loose-leaf book titled “Discus - Wild-caught and captive-bred forms”. This book has greatly expanded to significantly over double its original
size through a series of five sets of supplements which were published under Bleher’s name alone. The new book is a synthesis of the
previous work coupled with an almost unbelievable amount of new material in both text and illustrative format (it is noted that there are
almost 5000 illustrations in the new title!). I must emphasize here that this new book is only the first volume of a two volume set and deals
solely with wild caught discus. Volume 2, which will be forthcoming shortly, will deal with the captive care and breeding of discus and offer
an examination of the multitude of “man-made” forms of these fishes.
The first section (Chapter One) of the new book deals with the history of the discus, from both a scientific perspective and their history
as an aquarium fish. While some readers might have a tendency to just scan, or skip most of this material all together, I heartily recommend
against this. To be able to truly appreciate what the discus fishes are this section should be read and can only enhance the appreciation
of the animals involved! The section dealing with the history of discus as aquarium fishes is of particular interest, and is excellently
illustrated with numerous early drawings, photographs and advertisements.
Chapter Two (“The Taxonomy of Discus”) presents a history of the fascinating topic and includes facsimile reproductions of the early
works of J. Heckel (1840) and J. Pellegrin (1904). Also included is the complete text of L. Schultz’s 1960 revision of the genus
Symphysodon, along with the originally included photographs. Also of interest in relation to this is the inclusion of new photographs of
the type and study materials that were used by Schultz in his study. There is also discussion of S. Kullander’s taxonomic view of the genus
Symphysodon. Throughout this chapter Bleher offers his comments and observations in regards to the previously published scientific
works. At the end of the chapter there are two sections (“Comments on Taxonomy”, parts one and two). The first is written by Bleher
and J. Géry and the second by Bleher alone. In the first part the discussion deals with various aspects of the fishes and their past (and
current) taxonomic ranking. In Bleher’s solo entry an arraignment of the genus Symphysodon is presented and three species are recognized:
S. discus, S. aequifasciatus and S. haraldi. This may not (probably) be the last word on discus systematics, but it is now the classification
that must be addressed in any future revisionary studies and/or discussions on the topic.
The next two chapters (“Distribution” and “Discus Variants in Nature”) can be considered together. The first of these, excellently illustrated
with a series of eight maps, lays the base for the second. The latter chapter, which consists mainly of discus photos from numerous
localities, is a highlight of the book and is arraigned by river basins and/or geographic localities. Referral back to the above mentioned
maps will only increase the readers knowledge and appreciation of the distribution of discus fishes.
The next, and last chapter, is far and away the largest in the book and encompasses over 400 pages. The title of this chapter is “Natural
Habitats of Discus & Collecting”. This is where the book really takes off on illustrative material. There are almost an unbelievable
amount of photographs in this section (remember, I noted above the “…almost 5000 illustrations.”). There is hardly an Amazonian topic
that is not discussed and lavishly illustrated. These range from the habitats of all covered discus to the annual tropical fish festival that
is held in Barcelos, Brazil. (These last photos brought back many pleasant memories of my trips to the event). This section also amply
demonstrates that this is not a book for just discus fans. Although there are numerous discus and discus related photos, an amazing
amount of other fishes are illustrated offering an overview of just about any group of fishes that might be found in the general area of
discus distribution are covered. This, much to my personal delight, includes a very large amount of catfishes. One can spend many hours
going though this section, and this does not even take into account the reading of the text.
One main section of this last chapter could have well stood by itself as a separate chapter. This section, which covers 85 pages, is titled
“Discus Nutrition in the Wild”. This is an extremely important section, and not only to those who have an interest in discus nutrition.
Any aquarist can draw a great amount of outstanding practical information regarding the availability and use of natural foods by
Amazonian fishes. I personally am interested in the natural diets of catfishes and this section offered some tantalizing tidbits in this area.
All together this section is a textual and visual delight.
In ending, I will note that the whole book is a pleasure in its complexity of text and illustrative materials. It is a book that can truly be
regarded as a primary reference resource, and it will be returned to again and again over the years to come. Certainly there are some areas
that can be expected to generate differing opinions but these will serve as a jumping off point for future discussions and/or writings on
the topic. Serious “discus folk” can be quite stringent in the way they view their fishes, so I have no doubts that this book will generate
future discussions and counter discussions on a variety of topics. Heiko is a man of observations and opinions and they are offered here.
One could not ask more, or expect less, from him. I feel that this book will stand the test of time and only lead to a greater understanding
and knowledge regarding its topic. As readers, we could not ask for more. It is an expensive book, but more than well worth the
price of admission. I think that you will not be disappointed.
P.S. Although it has nothing to do with a review specifically, I will note that I find the bound in cloth bookmark a very nice touch. It
adds a little extra class to an already classy book.
Editor’s note: Mr. Bleher’s book is available for purchase online on his website.

Book reviews

Heiko Bleher was born on October 18, 1944 in a bunker in the
ruins of Frankfurt on Main. He was the fourth and last child of
Ludwig Bleher and Amanda Flora Hilda Kiel. Amanda’s father
Adolf Kiel was the well-known “Father of Water Plants”, a pioneer
of the modern aquarium who established the world’s largest plant
and ornamental fish farm in Frankfurt. In those early days his
adventurous daughter Amanda travelled around the world collecting
fishes and plants. She was the first woman to ride a motor bike
in Germany, and competing against men, won 148 European
Moto-Cross car races, won championships in tennis, table tennis
(world vice champion), European skating and ice skating, and was
the first woman to fly an aircraft without an engine... Just as
Amanda followed in her father’s footsteps, so Heiko followed his
mother’s. At 4, he saw his first discus at an aquarium fish exhibition
in the still ruined Frankfurt Zoo. Later he travelled with her
to Africa then, aged 6, throughout Europe collecting plants and
fishes. When he was 7, his mother took him, his elder brother and
two sisters with her on his first discus hunt – a highly adventurous
exploration trip deep into the “green
hell” of the of South American jungle.
They reached areas inhabited by
unknown Indian tribes, some of whom
had killed and eaten 4 missionaries shortly
before. They lived with the natives for
over 6 months, sampling 60 new aquatic
plant species, countless fishes and many
other animals. Still a child, Heiko learned
to live like the Indians, eating the same
food and collecting fishes and plants in
the Mato Grosso, He learned about the
life and behaviour of fishes, and became
familiar with the amazing variety of fish
that exist in unspoiled nature. He also
discovered the wimpel-piranha, but no
discus at that time.
After two years, Amanda Bleher’s return
to civilization with her four children
made newspaper headlines around the
world. In 1959 she decided to settle permanently
in Brazil. It was there that
Heiko helped build a water plant nursery
and fish breeding establishment in the jungle outside Rio. In
1962, he moved to the US and attended the University of South
Florida, studying at night and learning more about fishes. He
took courses in ichthyology, biology, limnology, oceanography,
parasitology and many others. During the day he worked at
Elsberry’s Fish Farm and later at the Gulf Fish Farm. Two years
later he returned to Rio to open Aquarium Rio and start his own
collecting in Brazil. He first opened several compounds in the
interior, others later in other parts of South America. At the end
of 1964 he discovered the first new species to be named after him
– Hemigrammus bleheri, the brilliant rummy-head tetra, now one
of the most widely-sold aquarium fishes. He also discovered the
“Royal Blue”, his first new strain of discus, now world famous
along with many other species. Some years later Heiko explored
many new, uncollected areas, and by 1967 he moved his company
Aquarium Rio to Germany, returning monthly to Brazil and
South America to collect. Over the years, generally alone, Heiko
penetrated jungles in all South and Central American countries.
He also travelled to the Amazon area as many as 10 times a year
in search of discus and others species. In the 1970s he expanded
his operations to include Africa, Asia and Oceania (Australia, New
About the author
Guinea, etc.) and began to give lectures around the world. He
made his first Discus-TV film, “Expeditionsziel Aquarienfische”
with the German ZDF and made many TV appearances in different
countries. His first Discus book was published in 1982 and reprinted
10 times. Since then he has published articles on discus in
magazines around the world. His first documentary film “The
Wimpel Piranha” was made In 1983, followed by films on freshwater
fishes in New Guinea, Australia, Central America and Brazil
then four films on discus in the 90s. Until 1997 from Frankfurt
he supplied wholesalers world-wide with new species, including
new discus variants every year, mostly from his own discoveries.
Between 1965 and 1997, besides introducing most of the wild
discus variants into the hobby – directly or by means of the breeders
– he introduced more than 4,000 aquarium fish species he had
discovered (or re-discovered). This includes the variants such as
“blue-headed Heckel”, “Alenquer”, “Red-spotted greens” from the
“Coari” and “Japurá” regions and the famous “Rio Içá” discus,
and also rainbowfishes such as Melanotaenia boesemani, M. lacustris
and M. praecox (most probably
now one of the most sold aquarium
fishes), angels such as Pterophyllum
altum, dwarfs such as Nanochromis
nudiceps and Steatocranus bleheri or
Channa bleheri. Among other fishes
attributable to Heiko’s explorations
are also many loricariids (as many as
800, at the time of printing), new
Corydoras species, almost countless
tetras and dwarf cichlids from West
Africa and South America, knife fishes,
puffers and flounders. One of his
best-known discoveries was the first
freshwater sawfish known, in 1982,
in a remote northern Australian lake.
For his contributions to the hobby
Heiko was elected Man of the Year in
England in1993, and later in France.
He holds many other titles and has
met kings, presidents, ambassadors
and senators. He is happiest and at his
most relaxed away from it all when
deep in the jungle searching for rare or new fishes. In 1992 he created
the quarterly magazine “aqua geõgraphia”, for Aquaprint
(later Aquapress) publishers, a unique publication dedicated to
virgin and bizarre habitats, expeditions to new, uncharted places,
endangered species, biology, herpetology, botany, myths and
aquatic legends, the wonderful world of water, and much more.
He is the managing editor of the scientific journal “aqua, Journal
of Ichthyology and Aquatic Biology” and still finds time to write
numerous articles and has been working for more than 15 years
on a forthcoming tome on all fresh- and brackish water fishes. His
lectures take him to the five continents each year and he is frequently
invited to judge fishes (mostly Discus) in exhibitions
world-wide. He also collaborated with and organized the first
International Discus Show and Exhibition in 1986 in Tokyo,
coordinated the first three Aquarama Exhibitions and
Conferences held biannually in Singapore and many others.
Heiko continues to travel almost monthly to remote jungle areas
to find new fishes, and several times each year to remote, unexplored
Amazon habitats in search of discus...
His life is dedicated to fishes.