Discus diet reccomendations

[Jessiicaxrosex3]

What diet would you recommend? And how often of each? Not sure which foods are considered more of a 'treat,' and i wouldnt want to cause any problems now that i'm expanding their diets. As posted previously, i use Hikari discus bio-gold, fd tubifex worms, black worms, and would like to start them on beef heart. Any reccomendations on what to use as a main diet, or of different foods all together? Would like big happy discus! ty! (bio-gold)(tubifex)

 

[mikem691]

I don't have a good answer as far as discus go but I also don't like the ingredient in the 1st picture because everything is followed my meal. If you look at nls it says whole and not meal. Meal tells me there are fillers.

 

[mikem691]

NLS thera

 

[Jessiicaxrosex3]

Thats why i posted the ingredients! Im just not sure which nls would suit the discus best.

 

[mikem691]

Thats why i posted the ingredients! Im just not sure which nls would suit the discus best.

That's where Im no help. I don't know if they make a discus formula or not.

 

[HUKIT]

That's where Im no help. I don't know if they make a discus formula or not.

There is a discus formula. When I bred discus I used 1mm Thera exclusively...

 

[Jessiicaxrosex3]

There is in fact a discus formula! Reviews are very mixed. Some claim little growth was shown after fed for a year, but different results with cobalt? My lfs just got cobalt but i don't know much about it. Im not worried about dirtying the water because i do at least 50% wc every day... So i wonder if a mixed diet (nls/cobalt/tubifex/black worm) including beef heart would be good for them.

Discus -1 jess-0

 

[Jessiicaxrosex3]

HUKIT, what sort of growth did you see with the nls?

 

[HUKIT]

Cobalt is junk, I've tried it personally from the vendor before it came out.

The most important fact is that fish digestive systems are designed to handle certain proteins. Freshwater/Marine proteins and fats are very different than their mammal counterparts. Their digestive systems are well designed so that if the food is of a protein that can not be digested properly it will simply be expell this excess immediately. The primarily function of breaking down food is a provide energy, that which can't be processed generates a lot of waste since they're expelling what can't be used to benefit the fishes body. Proteins are made of amino acids which contain nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, so as the fish is breaking these non-native foods down they in turn make a lot more nitrogenous waste which as everyone knows will effect water quality. The last issue I have is the fish's kidneys and liver work harder than they would have trying to process foods they are not designed to digest, where as long term feeding can lead to liver or kidney failure. So not to ramble on any longer I can't see any benefits to feeding beefheart when there so many healthier choices such as NLS...

 

[Jessiicaxrosex3]

I wasn't aware of that!!! Nls it is. Are live black worms ok? Or the fd tubifex ? Ty for your help by the way

 

[HUKIT]

I wasn't aware of that!!! Nls it is. Are live black worms ok? Or the fd tubifex ? Ty for your help by the way

I don't agree with the varied diet routine as I think it's nonsense, so I follow the KISS program( Keep It Simple Stupid). I've tested nearly every fish food that's come out in the last twenty years and I currently only use three for a variety of cichlids and reasons.

New Life Spectrum.
Repashy (I'm a authorized vendor).
Spirulina 20.

Here is a great response from R.D regarding discus.

http://www.newlife.ipbhost.com/forums/topic/440-growing-food-for-discus/

 

[Brookster123]

Seachem discus staple?? Anyone? Anyone? ? You.. youu???

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[BillD]

Archer's Food Formula is a recipe from a master discus keeper, who, according to one 50+ year discus keeper, has the best discus in North America. Lots of good info here besides the recipe.
One thing to consider when looking at an ingredient list is that when fresh items are ranked first, by weight, they may no longer be first when those fresh items are dehydrated. It is a good trick to make foods appear better than they are. So, meal in a food isn't a bad thing. There are big differences between whole meal, which uses the entire animal, and regular meals which are made from scraps. Within those regular meals there is a big difference between the best and the worst.
While there are those who will argue if you deliver the correct amino acids to the fish, their source doesn't matter. While there is validity to this argument, it doesn't necessarily take into account the unused portion of the source of those amino acids. They aren't added in pure form but as part of another , perhaps unnatural, food stuff.
This is why farmed salmon doesn't have the same health value that wild salmon does.

 

[Jessiicaxrosex3]

That article was pretty eye opening. I actually feed my other fish some spirulina. So it looks like ill do that, and nls !

 

[Jessiicaxrosex3]

Any ideas on how to quarantine a new discus? I feel as though they get very depressed being on their own.

 

[HUKIT]

Any ideas on how to quarantine a new discus? I feel as though they get very depressed being on their own.

I don't like adding a single fish into a somewhat established hierarchy, this generally leads to that new fish being singled out making an already stressful situation worse. When I kept discus I would add the entire stock at once, I know that can be expensive but I found better results personally.

 

[Jessiicaxrosex3]

My lfs got in beautiful new discus and id really only have room for one more in my tank. So here comes my dillema

 

[HUKIT]

My lfs got in beautiful new discus and id really only have room for one more in my tank. So here comes my dillema

If I had to add a single fish to an established tank I would do it after the tank lights have gone off to help ease the transition.

 

[Jessiicaxrosex3]

Ok i can do that. No guarantees on if i'm getting anything, as im at work and i know breeders come in and scoop up the pretty discus first thing in the morning

 

[Jessiicaxrosex3]

The discus don't want to eat the nls. If i only feed them that with no other options will they start eating it?