When in 1992 I expanded my space for breeding Discus, I decided to make my first trip to the countries where the breeding of these wonderful fish is most widespread. So Asia was the destination I chose, with Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore as the countries. I remember that at the time I was talking to one of the great Malaysian breeders, Tommy Ng, with the aim of importing some of his fish to bring new blood into my pairs. Most of my fish were of European origin, German. Tommy was a fantastic guide and for two months he took me to meet the biggest and most respected Asian breeders. Even though he spoke little English, Tommy made me understand many of the methods used to breed fish, and showed me the latest colours obtained from various crossings over the previous years. While the quality of Asian fish was a topic debated among some breeders at the time, I came to know the true reality on the spot. Obviously there are excellent fish and terrible fish in Asia. Naturally the less good ones were the ones being exported at the time. Fish with little roundness in shape and weak colours. I managed to choose dozens of fish that later reached me from the different breeders I visited, and with whom I still keep a friendship today. Many of the breeders tried in some way not to reveal their secrets in breeding their fish. I remember an episode regarding the strength of the oxygenation in the pairs' aquariums. On the first day of the visit I noticed that the air bubbles from the oxygenation were very weak, on average one air bubble every two seconds. Noticing this, I confronted the breeder and asked if it was normal for the pump to be oxygenating those aquariums so little. Immediately the Thai breeder increased the oxygenation and thanked me for being attentive. We carried on talking as we walked along dozens of metres of the corridor of pair aquariums. The next day, because some fish had stayed in my mind, we went back! When I approached the aquariums where the oxygenation had been increased before, it was back to how it was earlier, each air bubble appearing every 2 seconds. When I asked my friend Tommy, he laughed and shrugged his shoulders... a sign that at that moment he could not reveal or say anything. Later in the car, Tommy, with his Malay accent and English that was sometimes hard to understand, told me: "Friend, first of all don't believe what they tell you, much less what you see! Here the secrets are many and nobody wants to explain anything to anybody; if possible they even try to trick you." Obviously, the oxygenation in an aquarium with fry only a few hours old has to be as low as possible, to prevent them from scattering or jumping out of the place where they were born.
One of the most prominent names in Discus worldwide, Bernard Degen . Former German Discus breeder, he is considered the biggest publisher of Discus books. A regular figure at the big world events, where I usually meet him. With his friendliness and a manner very much his own in this world, he is probably the best ambassador of the Discus World. He sold all his fish, pairs and facilities and dedicated himself only to books about animals, through a publishing house bearing his name, Degen.
One of the greatest Discus researchers, my friend Didier Undergrasser . In my opinion he wrote the best book ever on Discus diseases, "Discus Health". In 1999 it was an honour and a great satisfaction to be invited by the Clube Português de Aquariofilia to speak in the second part, after Didier Undergrasser.
Mike Tah (Discus breeder), one of my best friends in Singapore . I spent a few days with the man who, at the time, was the breeder with the best fish in terms of shape and colour in Singapore. I met him again at a few more international shows; his fish were simply divine. I remember seeing the first Samarah Discus on his farm. 
Discus farm in Thailand, one of the many wooden structures with external piping. There were hundreds of fish farms that I found in Thailand, always associated with orchids, a plant of which I am a big fan.
Amazon Fish Farm in Malaysia, owned by my friend Ng. I will never forget the fantastic moments he gave me in his country, Malaysia, and the good fish he exported directly to my facilities. Asian blood carries your signature in the fish I bred over several years.
Discus farm in Germany. 70-litre aquariums for each pair, 200-litre aquariums for more than 50 Discus... constant inflow and outflow of fresh water!!! Probably one of the biggest Discus breeders in the world.
On my first trip to Asia I remember one of the biggest breeders at the time, Chan of Singapore. When I entered an immense warehouse, what I noticed most were the very dirty aquariums, full of algae caused by phosphates and by direct light on the tanks holding discus. When I asked why there was so much algae and whether it was good or bad for the discus, the renowned breeder told me "it is the secret to the growth of these fish"!! Well, in truth it was plain dirt, because the Discus did not even feed on that algae. I remember Chan showing me the first albino angelfish (red-eyed), all white, which according to him were the first in the World! But I did not find only "lies" in the conversations I had with Asian Discus breeders. Some of them tried to explain how they bred their fish and how they told pairs apart, each with their own theory! On these trips I always reminded myself that learning was rewarding! I drove many kilometres looking for breeders scattered across Malaysia. I visited many large and small Discus breeders on road trips through the north and south of Malaysia, always accompanied by my friend Tommy. Being one of the great breeders of his country, his humility and willingness to explain everything were inexhaustible. The notable fact at the time was without doubt the difference in quality between the fish for export and the paired fish. Most of the fish that formed pairs were round, strongly coloured, with well-red eyes. Basically it was a selection of the best fish already bred on the farms, passed on successively from generation to generation. The worst ones, not very round and what Tommy called "banana splits", were sold abroad. Those were fish of the same blood, from crosses between siblings and with inbreeding problems. This way the selection was already made with fish of 7-8cm, where you could already see the future shape of the fish. The reality of Asian breeders is that they could breed thousands of Discus at a very cheap price, since electricity was never a cost because outdoor temperatures were above 30º, the water came from wells and was of good quality, and labour and land were incredibly cheap. I can speak of very large spaces, superbly used in terms of tanks, both outside the warehouses and, obviously, inside. Unfortunately, with discus, and in this case still very much the reality of these Asian countries, the quality is low and obviously the price too. Most breeders fed their fish with daphnia raised on cow and ox manure, so imagine the amount of parasites, bacteria, etc. that these fish lived with. Once again I do not mean to discredit Asian breeders, by no means, because as in everything there are the good and honest ones and the bad and crooks. Besides, many of my first fish were from these origins, but I also took care to know their provenance, naturally on the spot, choosing and seeing in what conditions they were bred and kept. Perhaps that is why I never had diseases like the "plague" that at the time killed thousands of fish in Asia.
One of the biggest breeders in Germany, feeding one of his Discus aquariums, confessed at the time that he "made" more than a million discus a month and had 800 pairs breeding. We are talking about a "discus" industry!!!
This was one of the many batteries built in wood and placed in a building on the 3rd floor. One of the many structures the breeder found to house his fish, since on average he took out more than 350,000 discus a month. He had 3 large warehouses and a building (photograph) holding only growing fish. 
One of the many meals had in Malaysia. In this case the plates were banana leaves. Another breeder joining the meal and exchanging impressions about the Asian World of Discus .
Among the breeders I have visited over the last years, I could never forget Colle in Germany. Perhaps because of the investment in his facilities and the professionalism shown in the countless contacts. Most of his fish had been bought from the famous Degen! In terms of "industry" at European level we have Jorg Stendker. He produces millions of fish a year and exports to the whole world. Unfortunately he dedicates himself to few species, practising cheap prices compared with the European market, but still far from the Asians. Fish of good size, constantly renewed with blood from wild fish, crossed with hybrids. From my experience visiting his facilities, to which few have had access: osmosis filtration because of the strong hardness of the water in the region where he lives, and feeding several times a day with highly proteic beef heart, he manages to grow the fish at an excellent rate. He struggles with some gyrodactylus problems due to the high concentrations of fish per aquarium, which then show up at the time of exports. Anyway, he is one of the prominent names among the world's breeders. He won countless trophies in 2004 and has excellent specimens, some of them over 24 cm. His fish are sold in all markets: American, Japanese, European, etc. He is probably one of the biggest breeders in the World and without doubt the biggest in Europe.
There are many breeders scattered across Europe and, having visited some, I consider they undoubtedly have the best quality of fish in terms of shape. In terms of colour the Asians are unique. The successive crosses between various colours give rise to so-called... strange fish! For many years I always tried to cross fish of the same colour. I remember making some "botched mixes", as my friend Fernando Ferreira used to say, and very... strange fish coming out!!
Brazil... Fortaleza, where I worked for 2 years. The structure in the photo is about 10 years old, yet still technologically up to date. A company that only exports saltwater fish, and where I worked towards a common goal of developing Discus exports. In this company a freshwater-only structure was set up for the Amazonian discus when I arrived in 2005. A partnership made with Hudson Crizanto, a Brazilian, that ended in 2007.
On one of the visits to some breeders in the Brazilian Northeast I found a few Discus breeders. This small structure is an example. Unfortunately the knowledge and the breeding stock of the pairs found are by no means the most desirable. The natural conditions exist: good water for Discus, high outdoor temperature always above 28º...
I also found a structure of some size in Brazil, but only breeders of African cichlids, besides livebearers such as swordtails and guppies. An image that reminded me of the great Asian breeders. In everything Brazil has the conditions to compete in ornamental exports, but the lack of organisation and the countless economic and structural problems of Brazil greatly delay the growth of this country, in this case the export in quantity of tropical fish bred in captivity.
