Discus fish characteristics

I love discus fish and my first post will thus start on discus fish. According to a Wikipedia article entitled Discus Fish, the discus is a genus of three species of ciclid fresh water fishes native to the Amazon River basin. The three species are: S. aequifasciatus (the green discus), S. haraldi (the blue/brown/common discus) and S. discus (the Heckel discus). An easy way to remember is just to call the first two species as  "green" discus and  "blue/brown" discus and the third species (heckel) as "red"  discus.

 Discus fish have "symphysodon" characteristics. Just what is "symphysodon"?   A symphysodon species has a laterally compressed body shape. Extended finnage is absent giving the symphysodon a more rounded shape. The rounded shape explains why the fish is commonly called the discus. The  sides of the fish are frequently patterned in shades of green, red, brown, and blue. The height and length of the grown fish are both about 20–25 cm (8–10 in). One more  characteristic of a symphysodon species is its  care for the larvae. Both parents care for their young. Adult discus produce a secretion through their skin, which the larvae live off during their first few days. When bred in captivity, the larvae will tend to live off their parents secretion for up to 2 weeks.

For starters, one quick way to learn the secrets of the discus fish is the e-book called Discus Fish Secrets.