Jack Wattley Books

Introduction

As I stand on the soft, damp floor of the Brazilian rain forest, I can see but a very small part of the life of the jungle. Forty feet overhead the moss-covered trunks of the trees merge into a solid canopy of green foliage. Almost immediately I see several morpho butterflies with large iridescent blue wings that glitter in the subdued light. In a flash the many weeks of preparation for this trip roll before my eyes, climaxing on the moment of my arrival in the tiny Amazon town of Leticia, Colombia, a jumping-off spot for any tropical fish collecting in Colombia, Peru or western Brazil. The pilot of a small private airplane who will fly me into Brazil and back to Leticia is contacted. Several hours later and two hundred miles of Leticia, I find myself in Carauari, Brazil, on the Rio Jurua. Here I am at last in the Brazilian Amazon, home of the discus, Symphysodon.

A local fisherman is found, one Luis da Silva, who knows the small discus streams and lakes from Carauari to Curimata, a distance of approximately 15 miles. This is the dry season. The feeder streams, lakes, and lagoons are low, with discus areas beign no more than 2 feet deep. The water is clear, and the bottoms of the streams are sandy. The water temperature is in the mid-70;s Fahrenheit, for with such heavy vegetation overheard practically no sunlight enters these tiny streams and the water simply cannot warm up.

We string the fishing seine across the 10-foot stream and wait for Luis's two companions to flush the discus out from the crevices and coves that line the shallow shoreline. They begin to poke with wooden poles about 3- to 40 feet from us. Finially, the discus appear! Some avoid the seine, but others dash wildly into the netting.

We beg in to sort out the discus, and to my dismay my guides throw the small discus with no color into the bushes along the banks to die, showing no consideration for the conservation of native wildlife. I try to explain to them why they must not thorw the small ones away and then proceed with gentle care to take all of the brightly colored ones while wondering how many of these beautiful jewels will ultimately find their way back alive to my tanks in the Uniter States. It is interesting to note that the greate majority of the discus we catch are simple brown in color and that the large specimens are quickly claimed by the natives to end up in their cooking pans.

The night is spent in a maloca, or native hut, where I attempt to sleep ina ti ny, worn-out hammock. During the night I see what looks like a large moth land from time to time on the netting covering my hammock. When the "moth" begins to crawl on the top of the netting I start to crawl out of the hammock. Luis is alarmed. What am I doing for him to show such alarm? He points to the creature. It is not a moth, it is a small vampire bat! We knock it down to the floor and kill it. I kick the bat into a corner of the maloca, but the following morning I look for the animal in order to examine it closely, it is gone. The next three days are not spent catching discus, for I am too sick with fever and diarrhea.

These few Carauari discus, along with discus I caought near Tefe, Amazonas, Brazil, will enable me to begin the development of the renowned Wattley turquoise discus. The real challenge is ahead!

Jack Wattley

Introduction

When I reflect and look back to my initial trip to the Amazon, I suddenly realize how "international" discus have become. The major discus collecting areas are in Colombia, Peru, and Brazil - minor areas are found in Venezuela. But today discus are being bred successfully in America, Europe, and the Orient, and even in Africa. No more is it necessary to endure Amazonian trips under conditions of strenuous trails, hand-over-hand clamboring, coupled with exposure to the frequent and unpredictable downpours.

Those of us who have made these trips are certainly aware that "new blood" must be introduced into the worldwide discus breeding programs. This can be done, of course, by obtaining imports, or by venturing into the Amazon Valley to collect the discus. Please count me out of any more collecting trips!

With discus becoming "international" I continually find in my mail lettlers from all parts of the world. Today as I write this I look at a "discus letter" from Sheffield, Tasmania! Another letter arrived recently from the Russia. Many of these discus enthusiasts in different parts of the world find it nearly impossible to obtain current information about discus, much less to be able to obtain discus of good quality, or even of poor quality.

I must confess that I probably know as much about Germany geographically as I do about my own U.S.A. Why? Because I have visited innumerable discus breeders in nearly all parts of Germany. And without exception (sorry, except for one exception) all have been "simpatico", offering me to stay in their house during my visits, and showering me with their famous beer as well as their equally famous German chocolate cakes. All of these attentions and friendships brought about by an Amazonian fish!

A special treat. Being able to live with a Japanese family in Funabashi, Japan and to sample real Japanese home cooking - again, due to the discus fish. In Taipei, Taiwan the most gracious hosts, during a short stay. The hosts being discus fanciers. Discus hobbyists in Eastern European Countries crossing into Italy to purchase and exchange fish, books, and magazines. Discus hobbyists traveling from Scandinavia and the U.K. to Germany for the same reason. A Spanish ex-bullfighter sending his American wife to Florida to purchase (hand pick) our discus. South African discus hobbyists traveling to Zimbabwe to gain experience in discus keeping with one of our respondents.

The finest hospitality shown to me by another of our book respondents from Auckland, New Zealand. His name was given to me by a discus breeder in Singapore. And still another book respondent - from Penang, Malaysia - much "discus talk" over dinner followed by a beautiful gift. The list could go on and on.

Discus seminars, which are principally held here in the U.S.A., attract people from many parts of the world, certainly due to the fact that most of the speakers form the U.K., Hong Kong, and Germany, as well as attendants from eight countries.

One country that merits special attention is Japan. Twenty years ago the Japanese had only Symphysodon aequifasciatus Axelrodi, brown discus - and no breeding success. Five years later Bangkok blue discus made their appearance in Japan. Our Wattley Turquoise discus were the first pure strain of discus to appear in Japan, in 1980. My first discus lecture in Japan, with many more to follow, was in 1981. Today in Japan it is truly "DISCUS FEVER." The excellent Japanese "Fish Magazine" has an average of 45 discus ads each month, with articles featuring discus fish in most issues.

It is evident the fascinaiton with the discus fish has spread all over the world. The interest in keeping and breeding of the discus can be found in the farthest corner of the earth. Language and political barriers do not stop discus enthusiasts in their quest. Indeed, the discus fish has played its part in fostering friendship among all peoples of the world.