Red Turquoise Discus
Symphysodon aequifasciatus
About this strain
Brilliant turquoise-blue horizontal stripes run across a warm red-orange base, creating one of the most striking contrast patterns in the discus hobby. The red ground color should be deep and saturated, not washed out, and the turquoise lines should be tight, well-defined, and numerous. Fish with broad, broken, or sparse striping are lower-grade specimens. The caudal and dorsal fins often carry strong red pigmentation that extends the base color nicely. Red Turquoise are a benchmark strain — if you see a discus in a tank photo and can't stop staring, it's probably this variety.
Origin
Emerged from selective breeding programs in Germany and later Southeast Asia during the 1980s. German breeder Eduard Schmidt-Focke is frequently credited as a key early developer of turquoise discus strains.