About Heiko Bleher

Heiko was born in October 18, 1944 in a bunker while Churchill destroyed Frankfurt/Main completely, as the fourth and last child of Amanda Flora Hilda Bleher, daughter of Adolf Kiel, the famous "Father of Water Plants" who initiated the modern aquaristic and had established the world's largest plant and ornamental fish farm by the turn of the last century in Frankfurt (1900). Adventurous Amanda traveled around the world in those early days and collected fishes and plants to bring them back to Frankfurt. She was the first woman to ride a Harley Davidson bikes, was a 148 time winner in the European Motto-Cross car races (before all men), has won championships in tennis, table tennis (world's vice champion), skates and ice skates, and was the first woman to fly an aircraft without an engine.

Amanda Bleher followed in her father's footsteps and Heiko followed in his mother's. At the age of 4 he traveled with his mother to Africa and at age 6, throughout Europe. When he was 7, his mother took him, his elder brother and sisters with her on an incredible exploration trip through the "green hell", the deepest jungle of South America (or the world). She penetrated to areas of unknown Indian tribes, who had killed and eaten 4 missionaries shortly before, and lived with them for over 6 months, sampling over 60 new aquatic plant species and countless fishes, as well as many other animals. Here in Mato Grosso, at age 8, Heiko learned how to live as the Indians do, collecting fishes and plants and how to swim, live and eat the food he collects himself, as do the "wild" untouched natives. Here, in this jungle, Heiko learned about ornamental fishes, their life and behavior, and about the unbelievable variety to be found.

His mother's return to civilization with her four children made headlines in newspapers around the world - and she only returned to Germany for her children to finish school. In 1959 she decided to settle in Brazil for good. Heiko helped to build a water plants nursery and fish breeding establishment in the midst of a piece of the jungle near Rio. By 1962, Heiko moved to the US to learn more about fishes by attending the University of Florida in Tampa, and studying at night. He took courses in ichthyology, biology, limnology, oceanography, parasitology and many others. During the day he worked at Elsberry's Fish Farm and later at Gulf Fish Farm. In 1964 he returned to Rio to open Aquarium Rio and start to do his own collection in Brazil - first opening several compounds in the interior, and later more in other parts of South America. It was in 1964 that he discovered his first new species, that was eventually named after him - Hemigrammus bleheri, the Rummy-Head Tetra, one of the most widely-sold aquarium fishes today. He also discovered his first new strain of discus, and many other new species.

In the following years, Heiko explored into many new, uncollected areas, and by 1967 he transferred his company Aquarium Rio to Frankfurt, Germany, returning monthly to Brazil and South America to collect fishes.

Through the years, Heiko has penetrated jungles (mostly alone and seldom with company) in Colombia, Peru and Paraguay as well as into Guyana, Venezuela, Ecuador, Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. To the Amazon area alone, he travels almost 10 times per year. In the 70s he expanded his operations to include Africa, Asia and Oceania (Australia, New Guinea, etc.).

He began to give lectures around the world, made his first TV film - "The World of Aquarium Fishes," and made many TV appearances in many different countries. His first Discus book was published in 1982 (and has already been printed 10 times), and has been published in magazines around the globe. In 1983 his first motion-picture film "The Wimpel Piranha" was made, followed by films in New Guinea, Australia, Central America and Brazil for a total of 8 films. From his base in Frankfurt, his companies supplied most of the wholesalers world-wide with many new species, including various forms of Discus, and this is still the case today.

Approximately 3,000 aquarium fish species have been discovered (or recovered) by Heiko since the early 60s, including such fishes as Melanotaenia boesemani, M. lacustrus and M. preacox (probably one of the most sold aquarium fish at this time), Pterophyllum altum, Steatocranus bleheri and Channa bleheri. Also, most of the rare L-numbered Loricariid fishes, several new Corydoras species countless tetras, many dwarf cichlids from West Africa to South America, knife fishes and flounders can be attributed to Heiko's explorations. One of his best-know discoveries is the first freshwater sawfish ever found in a remote lake in northern Australia.

Heiko has been elected Man of the Year in England (1993) and holds many other titles as well. He has had meetings with presidents, kings, ambassadors and senators, but these have never impressed him very much. He is most happy and relaxed when he is in the deep jungle, away from everything, and has just moved to Italy in a small "paradise" of his own surrounded by "wild" animals such as snakes, spiders, lizards, frogs and naturally-ocurring fishes.

In 1962 he created the quarterly magazine "aqua geographia, Life Above and Below Water", a unique publication dedicated to virgin and bizarre habitats, expeditions to new, uncharted places, endangered species, biology, herpetology, botany, myths and aquatic legends, the wonderful world of water, and much more. The magazine is covered with over 900 colour photographs in each issue, and today is published in Italy, translated into five languages and sent all over the world. Heiko remains as it's Chief Editor, and manages as well the "Journal of Ichthyology and Aquatic Biology, aqua", established world-wide. He still finds time to write hundreds of articles and is working on a gigantic book for Fulcro s.a.s. in Italy about all freshwater and brackishwater fishes.

His lectures take him to the five continents each year and he is invited to judge fishes (mostly Discus) in exhibitions world-wide. He also collaborated and organized the first International Discus Show and Exhibition in 1986 in Tokyo, coordinated the first three Aquarama Exhibition and Conferences held biannually in Singapore and many, many more.

His life is dedicated to fishes - perhaps more than his mother or grandfather or any other person living or dead.... Mr. Fish.