Personal information
Michael J. Schönefeld (born 1971) has been involved in aquarium keeping since he was 16 years old. He kept the first discus fish in the 90s. The first breeding successes soon followed.
From 2000 to 2005, Michael J. Schönefeld was editor and publisher of the Symphsodon specialist magazine “DISKUS Welt Report”, which was published quarterly by DWR’s own publishing house. As an editorial advisory board member of the aquarium trade magazine “DISCUS live” (Degen Mediahouse Verlag) he was there until the end of the publication.
In March 2011, the DPS publishing house was founded with the publication of the NEW Discus yearbook “Symphysodon Fachjournal Edition Best of Discus” and aquarium merchandising articles. At the same time, he wrote the book “Discus Primer” for Dähne-Verlag.
In September 2012 he organized the new aquarium trade fair “aqua EXPO Days 2012” in Dortmund for the first time, with the European Discus Championship which will be held for the 5th time in 2024.
Numerous study trips to Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, China, Thailand, Taiwan), but also to neighboring countries (Italy, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain) and to the USA gave the passionate aquarist additional knowledge about the aquarium scene.
Jury member at discus championships:
2004 5th International Discus Championship in Duisburg / Germany
2014 2nd European Discus Championship in Dortmund / Germany
2016 Best of Discus in Athens / Greece
2016 Discus Championship in Shanghai / China
2017 Discus Championship Aquarama Guangzhou / China
2018 International Discus Championship in Rosmalen / Netherlands