All "Discus prize" awarded during Vivarium 2019

As it was the case last year, the massive event "Vivarium" awarded its "Discus prizes" of the year 2019. A Vivarium event full of discus thanks to the dynamic Belgian club "De Discusvrienden"…

An increasingly impressive event

For the second time in its history, the Vivarium event took place in Rosmalen in the Netherlands.

By the way, I wish a great welcome to new comers 😉 who just discovered the Fanatik-Discus website!

Moreover, I invite you to visit The article dedicated to the Vivarium 2018.

You will find many pictures of the previous edition and a video report on YouTube (Take this opportunity to subscribe to the channel! 🙂 )

New record!

More than 12000 enthusiasts came in the Netherlands for a weekend 100% fish-plants-reptiles-insects!

Congratulations to the teams of Marco Aukes for this remarkable work. Our Dutch friends were able to bring new tasteful presentations.

Discus enthusiasts were able to attend the prize rewarding the best discus.

But visitors were also able to admire competitions of shrimps, Bettas, or aquascaping.

The number of personalities present there was impressive… And we can congratulate this year the French people who came more numerous!

Cüneyt Birol LIVE for the Facebook group AQUARIUM Information Sharing which has to date 83 000 Members!!!

The natural aquariums clearly there

What a pleasure to see so beautiful planted aquariums, biotopes or not.

Also with a nice trend for natural terrariums and aquaterrariums. Real "slice of forest"…

Congratulations to all the artists for their work!

The Discus awarded in each category

As I was presenting upper, it's the Belgian association " De Discusvrienden " and its dynamic members who collaborate with the Vivarium organizers .

This association chaired by Eddy Leysen holds the world record for the number of events organized in honor of the discus.

With over one hundred members, a monthly published magazine, this club is now firmly entered in history. BRAVO!

I will of course focus on the discus competition. I had the pleasure being a member of the jury of this edition. Thanks to " De Discusvrienden " for your trust.

A more high level than the previous year

Participants presented fairly interesting fish. With for some individuals a very high quality.

You'll see, some discus did not get prizes despite their good quality.

And this year, an amateur came to play the "killjoy" with a very nice fish… Evidence that amateur breeders have their place in the discus competition!

Open Discus prizes

The (or these) Open category is used to gather all discus with phenotypes that do not fit in the other categories proposed by organizers.

Five categories were proposed on this event. This is very few when compared to other competitions.

Aside category "Open", competitors could register their discus in the categories "Wild", « Spotted », "Pattern" and "Solid Color".

The competition did not have problem to nearly gather one hundred discus; so I think that we should not hesitate to offer more categories. This in order to specifying a bit more.

This fish got the third place. An albino discus solid color.

He finished few ahead of a brown discus. From 0,25 average points per judge! Which is few! (You can find pictures of brown discus lower)

Personally I have to admit I less liked the overall morphological aspects of this fish.

A Rafflesia discus on the second place?

The fish came in second place is interesting. This is the variety called "Rafflesia".

A name that has emerged from breeders referring to two particular phenotypes :

• For the first, an intense red-free line in the central part of the body, which must contrast with the white lines seen on the entire periphery of fish.
• For the second, intense red dotted with uniforms and contrasting white spots.

The color of the rafflesia discus provides a very attractive result.

Phenotypes that were not part of my classification. At least that was not materialized on my tables as did rightly notice Cüneyt Birol. (The Turkish international judge)

The winner enter here in phenotype of the classification of Solid Discus 90%. Its variety name refers to the largest flower of the world: Rafflesia we find in some asian areas.

In this regard, I invite you discover this tiny two-minute video (English French) dedicated to the famous flower.

A White Butterfly discus won the top prize…

This fish has easily won the first place. It was the most complete of the category.

Graceful, size, shape, pattern (with a pretty face mask) eyes… We have here the discus that has dominated the category on all criteria… except one.

Indeed, if you look well, the close-up below reveal the presence of "black dots" or "peppering". Something that one should avoid on this variety.

However, a fault that will have few impact giving a high average rating on the criteria "color". Not significant enough to miss the first place…

The trophies awarded to the wild discus

It seems that Giovanni Consigli (Italy) appreciate the podium!

Indeed, after winning in 2018 Grand Champion title with a wild discus; he simply came to monopolize the top five places of the category.

A category rather well represented with twenty fish recorded! A trend that become constant in Europe.

because after Paris 2019 we continue to meet good numbers of wild discus in events…

Giovanni Consigli (Italy) presented again his fish at the Vivarium.

But this year, he won the third place.

A nice "royal" for the second place with a pretty regular pattern. A beautiful selection.

Also beautiful striations for this discus (He received the highest pattern score), but with better contrast. A beautiful shape, (My photo does not really highligh it), good behavior, quite remarkable eyes, a rather imposing size…

However, a little kick on the back will make him lose points on the criteria "Head-gills-skin". A fault that the entire jury did not consider being a disqualifying one.

Spotted Discus? mixed feeling…

I think that when you will see the following pictures, some will say that I abuse a little bit… Obviously, this is something that I assume.

My feeling was mixed, because the fish were in my opinion not enough homogeneous in their qualities.

When analyzing such patterns; we had not many true "spots".

Or only on some remarkable areas of the body (As the facial area for the third discus).

The morphologies were not always extraordinary, with general proportions rated as the weakest of contest. It's a bit frustrating because we feel that these fish lines have a great potential.

And I do not miss to mention the fish that miss the point in this competition (Probably too stressed) whose owners could expect better… (See bottom of this reportage)

Finally, this category will be the one the lowest rated of the competition.

Note how I expressed above, the beautiful marking the facial area. Color is very attractive, but the general pattern should be better.

In my opinion, this fish is interesting.

Obviously, facial marking is not the same level compared to the third fish, its eyes are less attractive; its size much smaller. But its pattern is a little better defined.

He will have missed the first place 0,50 average Point /100 per judge.

This is mainly because of its smaller size, and color.

Vintage? but winner!

Here is the winner of this year in the spotted category. A "Old School" variety but… with the more homogeneous qualities that its pursuers. This is what will make the difference.

Moreover, it's the morphological qualities of this discus that have abled it to win. It will dominate the "Spotted" category thanks to them (Three criteria on eight total). Other rated features were very close to the two pursuers.

That's how this leopard discus won the first place… And even if he got a little less good notes in color and pattern than the second and third.

Best awarded Solid discus

Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seat belts… We arrive very soon in an area where quality of the discus could shake you.

Furthermore, I advise you wearing sunglasses… it could sting a little bit your eyes… The ball is open with the discus category "Solid Colors" which was won 100% by red discus.

High level competitors…

I do not know if I got used to this type of red melon quality, because when I am in front of the aquarium, the emotional impact I got is less than usual.

But when I analyse and do the self-critical of my judgment work by reviewing my pictures; I think we had beautiful and very good discus ahead.

The third fish is the perfect example.

Moreover it should be noted that the three fish of this "solid color" category have collected the best marks of the entire contest in general proportions criteria.

I think you will enjoy the balance and the morphological harmony that characterizes these three beautiful fish.

Suffice to say that here we have beautiful discus whose ranking was played in 2,75 /100 average points per judge.

Second Prize in Solid Discus awarded to a French

Came second, a very nice fish presented by Philippe Hyun France (Planète Discus).

A fish with the trade name "Red Velvet" (If my memories are good) and this from the breeding farm of Ricky Lim (Malaysia).

A special and very elegant phenotype.

First place is won by a Belgian hobbyist originally from Romania; recently club Member of "De Discusvrienden": Marcel Bejan.

I had some difficulties to take a good picture of this fish.

Indeed, this "Red Melon" has been somewhat shy and a bit more difficult to assess.

This discus has beautiful qualities: A beautiful color rather uniform on his body, no presence of black color, good shape. The eyes are a little bit big.

The fish of Bejan Marcel has obtained the second highest score of all the competition.

The entire jury debated a long time about this fish during the "Best in Show" election (Best fish of the contest designated among the winners of each category).

You will find this fish in the video interview available bellow on the channel " Aymeric Aquascaping" .

Artwork approaching?

Now I present the Pattern "category " which includes all the discus with a pattern. Here is excluded spotted since the competition proposed a separate "Spotted" category (with spots).

A turquoise discus and two Pigeon Blood climbed on the podium.

The third was won by Dimitri Biccler Quality Discus (Belgium).

Observe the color of this discus. The nice contrast between the base and surface color is very attractive.

In addition, the red is uniformly present on the body, which is not always the case with this type of variety.

High level Pigeon blood…

What an elegance…

We must admit that the winning fish of the first places are very beautiful.

Morphology, color, body marking, behavior… What an accuracy in the selection!

No doubt these discus are the fruit of years of work…

Second prize for this discus

If we have to make comments about this fish; we note a lack of marking on the caudal peduncle area. The pattern is not so regular between the upper part of the body (Where you see a red dot in most eyespots) and the central area.

On the other hand, general morphology of this fish is better than the winner. very harmonious, well balanced.

The morphology of the facial region is more successful if we compare with the following fish.

The Grand Champion Trophy

I let you enjoy the pattern of this discus "Pigeon Blood Jaguar"… Did the eyespots ever been as numerous and consistent on this variety?

After receiving the Grand Champion trophy during the France Discus Show 2018, Francis Hu and his breeder Antonello Greco relapse a year later in the Netherlands with the same variety.

Congratulations to them for this very good quality animal. It has also reached the highest score of the entire contest…

Not much to say, except that you just have to appreciate having the opportunity to observe, to make photo of such a subject.

Video interview (In French)

Interview dedicated to the discus competition Vivarium with the presentation of two best rated fish.

These discus didn't received any awards!

As I explained to Aymeric in the video above, winning a competition means being ready for D day.

Being ready; but also sometimes need a little bit of luck.

The fish you'll discover are a good example. They did not won any trophy. Not because they are poor quality… Far from there.

Brown discus from Aqua Amazon…

You discovered Aqua Amazon in this video report available on my YouTube channel.

Here is a pair of discus pictures from Dennis Van Den Heuvel fishs seen on the Vivarium. Fish that I enjoyed…

Ultra solid Red Cover: Sigma Aquatics

The fish of dan Smith (England) didn't travelled well… He was very stressed and totally black during the day of judgment.

So, although judges have guessed the quality of this discus; each fish must be ready for the time of judgment.

I remember very well having exchanged several times about this fish… I waited it being well acclimatized to take a picture.

I invite you to enjoy the distribution of the red color on the body of this discus. Even the facial region is colored!

His body is a bit elongated, but it is a very interesting discus.

Discus Red Spotted Snakeskin of "Planet Discus"

Here also… Small problem of acclimatization for this "Red Spotted Snakeskin" discus that deserved better than a seventh place. A bit dark because of the stress the day of judgment.

Philippe Huynh – Planète Discus (France) presented here a relatively interesting fish.

Although it is not discus the perfect representative of its variety, he could still expect better in this competition.

And… YOU? What is your favorite discus?

Feel free to leave your comments below the article!

This report dedicated to Discus Show organized by the club "De Discusvrienden" is coming to the end. I invite you to move to this event that deserves the detours.

I will have the pleasure coming again to judge for the edition 2020.

No doubt the level of the presented fishes will the there.

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See you soon!

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