Remembering Heiko: 75 Years of Aquatic Exploration

Amar Salvi
Dec 26, 2025
3 min read

A tribute to Heiko Bleher’s extraordinary life of exploration, tracing his decades-long journeys across the Amazon and beyond, his role in shaping modern discus breeding, and the philosophies that defined his approach to fishkeeping and natural history.

By Amar Salvi, Editor — The Weekend Aquarist

Estimated read time: 7–9 minutes

A name that shaped modern aquariums

How can any tribute truly capture the magnitude of a life like Heiko Bleher’s? For more than seven decades, he devoted himself to exploring rivers and waterways across the world—an unbroken journey of discovery that spanned over 75 years. To most people, venturing once into the Amazon jungle is considered the adventure of a lifetime, filled with unknown dangers and unforgiving terrain. But for Heiko, the Amazon was practically a second home.

He returned not once or twice, but more than 330 times, leading expeditions into some of the most remote corners of the basin. His legacy is not only one of discovery but of courage, perseverance, and a passion for the natural world that few have ever equalled.

In The Weekend Aquarist – Issue 8, we dedicate a special tribute to one of the most influential aquarium explorers of all time, marking 75 years of aquatic exploration that reshaped how fish are discovered, documented, and cared for.

“Heiko Bleher did not study fish in isolation—he studied rivers, seasons, and ecosystems as a living whole.”

The First Red Disc

Among his many milestones, one discovery stands out. In 1975, during one of his Amazon expeditions, Heiko came across a very rare wild discus in the western Amazon. He returned with just two or three tiny specimens, but those few fish laid the foundation for an entirely new chapter in discus history.

These fish would go on to become known as the “Bleher’s Discus.” From those beginnings, Dr. Schmidt-Focke successfully bred and refined these fish, creating the early lines of red discus that went on to captivate aquarists around the world.

Aquarium Rio and a Life of Expedition

Heiko’s journey was also shaped by his vision for Aquarium Rio, founded in 1967 near Frankfurt Airport. The location was strategic—it allowed him to make frequent journeys to South America. Almost every month, he returned to the Amazon basin, documenting habitats, collecting species, and expanding the boundaries of the hobby.

Over the course of his career, these journeys numbered more than 330 expeditions, making him not just an explorer but a living chronicle of Amazonian aquatic biodiversity.

Wild vs. Tank-Bred Discus

From his decades of observation, Heiko often emphasized a point many overlooked: wild discus are hardier than tank-bred ones. In their natural habitats, discus develop strong immune systems and adaptability. Tank-bred fish, raised in artificial environments, often lack this resilience due to their restricted surroundings and controlled conditions.

His extensive interviews with 700 breeders worldwide further reinforced this message, offering valuable insights into sustainable fishkeeping and breeding practices.

“I don’t obsess over strict biotopes—I obsess over needs: swim space, cover, flow, diet, and stable water.”

Feeding Innovations and Missteps

Feeding discus posed significant challenges in the early days. In the 1960s, before commercial foods were widespread, pioneers like Dr. Eduard Schmidt-Focke cultivated mosquito larvae and white worms, which Heiko praised as nutritionally sound.

However, as commercial food production expanded in the 1960s, shortcuts emerged. Heiko remained critical of diets that compromised fish health, advocating instead for approaches that mirrored natural feeding patterns. His views helped shape responsible feeding practices still referenced today.

This article continues with an in-depth exploration of Heiko Bleher’s monumental contributions to natural history, including his work as an author, innovator, and chronicler of aquatic ecosystems worldwide. To read the complete tribute, including Heiko Bleher’s legacy as a historian of fish species, his published works, and his lasting influence on the global aquarium community, purchase the August Issue of The Weekend Aquarist and experience the full story as it was meant to be read.