Interview: Jeffrey Yang on MondoDiscus
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Interview: Jeffrey Yang on MondoDiscus
By Rosario Curcio
Who is Jeffrey Yang? Since when have you been breeding discus?
I am hobbyist turned breeder and eventually becoming an exporter from Malaysia. In the Duisburg 2008 world championships, I won the Champion, first and second runnerup in the Red category. I started breeding discus sometime in the year 2001
Which is your favourite kind of discus and why?
My favourite discus will still have to be the Leopardsnakeskin discus. It was the Leopardsnakeskin that mesmerised me and got me so passionate about keeping discus. Since then, i have never looked back. The main reason why the Leopardsnakeskin remains my favourite discus since the beginning is its intricate web of spots and vibrant colour. For someone who is not familiar with discus, they can sometimes mistaken it for a marine fish! And it is little wonder for the past 10 years or so, the Leopardsnakeskin has always been one of the top candidate to win the Grand Champion and Best of Show in any competition.
Which are the criteria you use in making the selection of the discus for breeding?
Generally, the overall health, shape and the absence of genetic defects will be the pre-requisites in the selection of the brooding stock. For me, the utmost importance is to first pinpoint and identify the trait and features of the particular type of that you want to carry forward in the lineage.
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According to your opinion the discus is a difficult or easy fish to breed?
It is not difficult to breed discus if you are just wanting to breed them and not considering all the other factors of lineage and genetics. Given enough experience and with the correct understanding on the discus behaviour, one can quite easily master the techniques of breeding and raising discus. Difficulty prevails in cases when you want this particular male to breed with that particular female because you want that those traits in the parents to be carried over to the offspring. One has to be creative sometimes in forcing a pair, not to mention having alot of patience and a little bit of luck!
And for you exist a particular kind of discus more difficult than others to breed?
This is a subjective question, because the challenge can perceived from different angles. In terms of time, the Altum Flora takes a much longer time compare to the other strains to mature. Typically, it takes about 3 years before they show signs of breeding maturity. In terms of genetic strength, the pure golden spotteds are generally weaker and it is harder to grow the offspring. In addition, it is very rare to find a fertile golden spotted male. In terms of technique, the albino strain has its unique set of rules and requirements to breed and raise the fries.
Which are the principal aspects in managing a farm like yours?
Timely feeding, water change and disinfection of fishes. The key word here is ‘timely’. And the principle aspect in managing a farm like mine is ‘Discipline’.
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Are you breeding your own particular line of discus?
I am focusing on a few lines of discus at the moment. Since my success at Duisburg 2008, some of the hobbyist who are familiar with my work would know about the Velvet Rouge and Valentine line of red fish that i am bringing to the discus industry. At this point in time, i am also working on some very interesting strains which includes the Ring Leopard, the Vertical Snakeskin and also the Super Eruptions.
If yes which are the efforts in term of time, human resources and tecnologies to reach a self-made line?
The Red Valentine which won the champion in the red category in Duisburg took 3 generations, around 4-5 years before we managed to produce very clean and advance version of the Red white discus.
Do you think that having your own line of discus can be useful in your country doing commerce with discus?
Yes indeed. It is definitely useful in terms of boosting the country’s commercial trade. It takes alot of pride and effort to market your own line of discus. And to sustain the brandname, one has to put in even more effort in ensuring the quality and the standards of the fish being exported. Overall, it brings more excitement to the hobby and at the same time, raises the bar for the industry as well.
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For you does exist “The Malesia discus style”?
Yes i do believe there is the ‘Malaysia Discus Style’. For most, when you talk about Malaysian discus, the first thing that comes to mind is that we perform very large water changes, usually twice a day! This is only possible because we have relatively suitable water parameters for discus and we are blessed with the consistent climate that closely resembles the Amazon. The other thing about Malaysian breeders is that, we have a penchant for wanting to create new strains of discus. Although most of us do not achieve success in doing so, it has not dented our spirit in wanting to create more interesting strains to showcase to the world. If we looked back in history, we will see quite a number of the new strains and mutations were first discovered in Malaysia. I hope this trend continues in Malaysia and welcome all other discus nations to get more involved in creating new strains to make this hobby more vibrant than it already is.
What do you think about the culture in your country about acquarium in general and in particular….obviously about discus?
I feel more can be done for the discus as a hobby in my country. Currently, most of the people who are involved in keeping discus are professional breeders. There is little understanding amongst the general fish hobbyist about discus. It is often perceived as a difficult type of fish to keep and thus avoided by the general hobbyist. Usually you do not see discus being sold in general aquarium shops here. Perhaps with a little more awareness and education, the beauty and elegance of the discus can be appreciated, accepted and better understood by the general hobbyist.
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Is there any foreigner breeder from whom you get inspiration?
In Europe, it will have to be Alexander Piwowarski. His single-mindedness in perfecting and bringing out the best quality in the Turquoise strain is admirable and something you do not see very often these days. Although I have yet to meet him personally, I admire his dedication and spirit in this hobby.
In Asia, but outside of Malaysia, it will be Wayne Ng for me. His introduction of the jumbo size and high bodied type of discus in the nineties created a rush and set a new standard for the discus industry. Even up to this day, most of breeders here are following his footsteps in making all the strains in our collection high body.
Who are the best breeders of discus in the world for you?
This is a very difficult question to answer, as i personally know a number of very talented individuals who has achievements hard to match by the others. If I had to name one, then it will probably be Tony Tan of IP Discus. The reason why i named him is with the way he revolutionised discus keeping standards in Malaysia. In an era where new strains were talk of the town and driving the industry, Tony stepped in with his discus, making a firm statement that discus should not all just be looking new and different, but it has to be in good shape and in great health. And he did all that on a very large scale with great operational efficiency and consistency. At his peak, he had 7 farms amounting to over 1000 tanks. There is little doubt he stands tall amongst the many talented breeders in discus.
However, having said all that, the one thing that truly impressed me, makes him great and sets him apart from the rest is him being humble despite all the success that he has gained. It is this humility that makes him well accepted and made all his achievements well deserved.
In your experience exist particular assumptions for breeding healthy discus and which are
the most common problems or illnesses that can happened in breeding?
I reckon the most common problem now is the genetic defects that are being passed on from generation to generation. The undesirable traits could be the bulging forehead, spinal deformity or elongated body shape.
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Speaking about Italy….Have you ever heard or you know
any italian breeder or italian name in association with discus?
At this moment, I only know of a handful of Italians who are involved in discus. Honestly, I am still not very familiar with the discus happenings in Italy due to the language barrier. However, this is all set to change after I make a visit to Italy later this year to attend the Napoli Aquatica show in Naples.
What do you think about our web site “Mondodiscus” ?
I think MondoDiscus is a great platform for hobbyist to come and get more information on discus and the happenings in the trade. The photos in this website are exceptional! It captures the true beauty of the hobby. Even though I do not understand 80% of the content as it is not in English, the photos alone is enough to captivate me and keep me engaged on the website. It is the one of the best website on discus that I have seen to date. Alot of hardwork must have gone into the maintenance of this website and I wish the team on-going success. Keep up the fantastic work!
This last question is the question we do to all breeders we virtually visit:
If I ask you to give only one advise to a person
that want to start breeding discus what would be?
Do it for the love of discus and not for the love of money.
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thank you very much Jeffrey
Best regards,
rosario
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