Feeding a discus

[adeebm]

Okay, so I've had my discus for a few months now. So far, he refuses to eat anything but frozen bloodworms. I've tried different flakes, pellets, freeze dried bloodworms, etc... He won't even pick food from the surface so it has to be sinking foods. I recently got discus pellets, and he will swallow them, and spit them out again. I've heard that starving them a bit will get them to eat, so He's only had a tiny bit of bloodworms this week, but he still won't eat anything else. Obviously bloodworms can't be his primary diet, so what can I do?

--Adeeb

 

[Fishguy2727]

Try bowl feeding. Use a sinking bowl and put feed in it using a 1" diameter clear tube for undergravel filters. Once it associates the bowl with food it should be much easier to get it to switch foods.

Try New Life Spectrum Thera+A pellets, the extra garlic will be an attractant (and help kill parasites if he eats it).

For more information please PM me.

 

[WhiteDevil]

I keep live blackworms on hand for my discus that get finicky.
Frozen bloodworms, mysis and brine shrimp, kens flakes, all sprinkled with a smidge of minced garlic juice.

 

[adeebm]

Thanks guys, I'll try your suggestions. I suppose I'll have to get the New Life Spectrum stuff online, my lfs doesn't have it. How does the bowl help? He will already swallow discus pellets, he just spits them out. So he knows its food. I haven't tried garlic yet, do I just cut a piece and include with the food, or smear some juice on the food?

--Adeeb

 

[Fishguy2727]

By feeding in the bowl they associate the bowl and the tube you use to feed it with food. Once that connection is made it is a lot easier to get them to eat anything that is put in the bowl, not just your normal food.

 

[happygirl65]

Have you tried soaking the pellets to get them nice and soft before putting them in?
My discus loved the tetra color bits....they also loved the various frozen foods but would eat the sinking color bits....wouldn't ever touch flakes.

 

[adeebm]

Oh my gosh, you're a life saver fishguy! I tried a whole bunch of other foods, and adding raw garlic etc, and nothing worked. The new life spectrum food I ordered finally arrived today, and after waste about 40 pellets, he actually ate one. Now he can't get enough of them, he's going around eating all the ones on the ground! I guess I know which food I'm going to stick with now

--Adeeb