discus food?

[USMCfishcrzy]

So far 4 out of the 7 discus I have gotten in the last month are eating right out of my hands. Just wondering other food. And wat kind of live food can I give them. Where can I get it as well

 

[HUKIT]

When I kept discus they were fed exclusively on New Life Spectrum Thera A+. No treats, no bloodworms ,or anything thing else and had great coloration. They were active and healthy, that's my only recommendation when it comes to food.

 

[USMCfishcrzy]

I can't get them to eat anything other than bloodworms or pretty much any frozen stuff I have given them. Flakes they wont even look at

 

[HUKIT]

I can't get them to eat anything other than bloodworms or pretty much any frozen stuff I have given them. Flakes they wont even look at

They have brains the size of the pellets were feeding them, it's faiy easy to train a fish to eat different foods. I always start by starving them a few days with the lights out to reduce stress and trust me it might take a time or two but they'll eat the pellets. I've yet to have a single fish spit out NLS after trying it. I feed everything from oscars, jags, Festae ,Trimacs , and every African in the house from 0.5mm up to 7.5mm.

 

[USMCfishcrzy]

I will deff have to try that. How quickly do discus grow?

 

[HUKIT]

I will deff have to try that. How quickly do discus grow?

Like alot of cichlids they start growing up to a inch per month then start to slow down to .25-.75in. per month reaching adulthood around 18-24 months for most species.

 

[USMCfishcrzy]

I'm looking forward the the colors to come out. They all are about 3" now

 

[HUKIT]

I will deff have to try that. How quickly do discus grow?

I'm looking forward the the colors to come out. They all are about 3" now

Thats around when I noticed the growth slowed down, from 1.5 -3.5 was around a couple months then start to decrease. You'll get their soon enough, good luck!

 

[WendiDell]

When I kept discus they were fed exclusively on New Life Spectrum Thera A+. No treats, no bloodworms ,or anything thing else and had great coloration. They were active and healthy, that's my only recommendation when it comes to food.

1000% with HUKIT about NLS. I don't and won't feed anything else. My Adult Mbunas and Angelfish eat the NSL Cichlid food, My Juvenile Mbunas and Angelfish get NLS grow and now that I have Fry for the first time, they are getting NLS Fry powder.
Once I started using NLS the Mbunas coloring just ignited. Their growth was amazing and none of them were hiding out. They are out and energetic as long as the light is on.
Also if your worried about whether or not your fish will eat NLS, they make a food especially for finicky eaters.

 

[USMCfishcrzy]

If one of my discus is Bengal aggressive towards all the others and chasing them around the tank should I be worried or just let them be

 

[USMCfishcrzy]

Being*

 

[WendiDell]

If one of my discus is Bengal aggressive towards all the others and chasing them around the tank should I be worried or just let them be

It's up to you what you want to do about an aggressive fish. I personally traded in any aggressive Mbunas, so that I don't have any fighting or killing going on in my tank.
It worked out so well that I ended up with fry 8 days ago.
I have 14 Mbunas and their personalities gel with one another really well. It makes for a stress free tank and it cuts down on illness too. So IMO< you should send him packing back to your LFS and try another one. And keep trying until they all get along.

 

[HUKIT]

It's up to you what you want to do about an aggressive fish. I personally traded in any aggressive Mbunas, so that I don't have any fighting or killing going on in my tank.
It worked out so well that I ended up with fry 8 days ago.
I have 14 Mbunas and their personalities gel with one another really well. It makes for a stress free tank and it cuts down on illness too. So IMO< you should send him packing back to your LFS and try another one. And keep trying until they all get along.

That's because your fish are small, aggression peaks IMO when the fish are fully matured around 4" for most mbuna....that's when it starts.

 

[WendiDell]

That's because your fish are small, aggression peaks IMO when the fish are fully matured around 4" for most mbuna....that's when it starts.

The aggressive fish I traded in for new ones, had all reached sexual maturity, but were well under 4".
Only 3 of my 14 haven't reached sexual maturity, but they aren't far off from being ready.
Rainbow my female Kenyi, that just had fry 8 days ago is maybe 3", 31/2 if you count her tail. She's small but obviously mature enough for fry.
If any of my Mbunas get overly aggressive, I will take it back to my not so LFS and replace it, no matter how attached I am to them.
Mbunas are suppose to be aggressive and territorial, but that's not the same as being a BULLY and picking on the others until they get sick or die. It's the bullies that I take back.
And not just the Mbuna bullies, I've also exchanged an Angelfish that was an extremely vicious Bully. He killed 2 of his tank mates in the same day. Made another get ick from picking on it. Tore the fins off of a fourth tank mate, that I'm not sure will survive at this point.
No matter how beautiful that fish may be, I don't want a fish like that in my tank.
So now that I have a relatively mello Mbuna tank I'm attempting to do the same with my Angelfish tank.

 

[HUKIT]

It has nothing to do with sexual maturity as these fish reach that at around 2-2.5", it's when the fish fully matures is when the worst will come.

 

[WendiDell]

It has nothing to do with sexual maturity as these fish reach that at around 2-2.5", it's when the fish fully matures is when the worst will come.

I would love to continue this, but it is off the original topic of this thread and I wouldn't want to get an infraction. Any further discussion will need to be done through PM.