I don't know what to do with them!!! they refuse to eat anything but bloodworms

[jeddah]

Hi all,

I need your advise, My discus just eat bloodworms, and being here in the middle east where bloodworms are very expensive (because they are being imported) I would like to switch them over to some other dry food like pellet, flakes or any ready made food available in lfs.

Recently, I bought NUTRAFIN for discus (dry granules type) but they just come near and never tried to taste. I have learned from this forum that to introduce new food I must starve the fish.

I tried starving them for 2 days but still they won't taste a bit of it. I tried to give them beefheart but they seem to eat very slowly as if they don't like it either.

I admire members here saying their discus just eat anything!!! For the owners of this kind of discus could you share w/ me the way you made them to eat just anything?

Also, could you advise what dry food(give their brand names pls.) discus love the most based on your experience?

Btw, my discus are young 2 1/2" size so pls share w/ me your experiences with this age and size.

I notice that beefheart messes-up the water so I am not planning to continue w/ it, is that ok? what is your best combination?

pls, pls, pls I want my discus to eat like hogs.

many thanks and awaiting reply.

jovel

[DISCUS USA]

Hi Jovel,i had the same thing happen to me.I bought some discus that only ate frozen bloodworms,my theory is that the guy you got your fish from feed them live worms in
order to make the discus grow faster so he can sell quicker.This is common practice in the discus trade,in the future i recommend you get your discus at earlier age when they eat everything you throw in tank.I suggest you sell those fish and get younger ones or feed live worms and risk getting your fish sick.

[bikhu]

Jovel,
Please be careful to take the suggestions of people with real, honest and valuable experience. People like Carol, Ryan, Al, Cary name a few. Beware of those who offer empty supposition and unfounded resentment. There are so many great expreienced breeders and hobbyists here. Try an IM to Carol or Brewmaster15 (Al) or April or Beth or Frank to name just a few.
My experience is limited but when I had that problem I gradually brought the temp of my water up to about 90f and added 1tbsp of kosher salt per 10 gals. didn't feed for 2 days. This tends to speed up the metabolism while the salt builds up the slime coat. I then introduced other foods a bit at a time. Now my water is back to its usual 85f and they eat pretty much everything. Will not eat Wattleys Beefheart but chow on AquaYums Beefheart, Hikari Frozen Blood Worms, Tetra Bits, Mysis Shrimp, CBW. They are nice and fat, seem quite happy (not darting, come to the top to greet me) It seems to me in my very humble experience that the key is lots of good clean water, good variety of food and clean tanks make for happy Discus.
Hope This Helps
peace,
peter

[ping]

Hi,

Can you get Tetra Color Bits ? I find that it is easier to feed the discus with that food.

I feed mine with Hikari bloodworms, Hikari Brine Shrimp, TetraColor Bits. Sometimes with Diskus Vitakraft, Tetra Spirulina Flake, New Life Spectrum Discus Formula. I find that Tetra Color Bits is the best among those dry foods.

I bought my discus when they were 2 or 2.5 inch. It was hard at the beginning as all they want was bloodworms. It took time for me to get them used to eat those food. 1 of my discus only started to accept the dry food after 6 months. He is my biggest discus now. :)
I think that it would be easier to train them when they are younger.

Before i started to feed them with dry food, i did not feed them for nearly 1 day. I increased the temp as well. Only a few of them started to eat the dry food. I fed them again later with a bit of blood worms. When they started to eat the dry food at certain amount, i gave them a bit of bloodworms right after they finished the dry food. To make it sounds like that it is a reward ;D

Well, it works for me, i hope that it works for you as well.
Btw, my friend just bought discus last week (2-3 inches). He got his discus to eat Tetra Color Bits easily.His discus eat it and throw it out and eat it again. I guess that it is normal as it takes sometime for the food to get soften in the water.

I feed the babies with Tetra Color Bits as well (when they get bigger than 0.5 inches). I have 12 discus (6-24 months old), 33 discus (1 month old), 50-60 (3 days old).

Tetra Color Bits has stonger smell than other dry food that i have tried. It might be good to attract the discus to eat it.

PS. I am not promoting Tetra Color Bits .... :lickin:

I like the dry food as i am too lazy to open the fridge during winter and also the dry food is cheaper than blood worms (Hikari). I am still a student, all my part time job money (tutoring) goes to discus and their food. :'(

Good luck.

Ronny

[Carol_Roberts]

Hi Jovel:

You've been given a lot of good tips.

My discus also like Tetra bits. I would begin by feeding them for breakfast everyday. Start with a small amount - let the tetra bits sit on the bottom of the tank where the discus can peck at them. . . . . Hopefully you have a bare bottom tank with just discus. Otherwise the food may be lost in the gravel or other tankmates will gobble it down. Soon the discus will recognize it as food and eat it eagerly.

I feed tetra bits in the morning, Ocean Nutrition Formula ONe (ONF1) flake at lunch, live black worms for dinner and tetra bits for late night snack.

Discus are like children and prefer treats all day. Feed the bloodworms for dinner, dry foods at other times. The discus will adjust.

[jeddah]

Yes Peter, I agree w/ you. I am taking suggestions very carefully. Actually I emailed Carol not to miss her advise on this(she's the first one I came to know here and shes very helpful).

Nice suggestion you've given, I'll raise the temp to 90 and will try tetra bits.

Many thanks for your concern.
Jovel



Jovel,
Please be careful to take the suggestions of people with real, honest and valuable experience. People like Carol, Ryan, Al, Cary name a few. Beware of those who offer empty supposition and unfounded resentment. There are so many great expreienced breeders and hobbyists here. Try an IM to Carol or Brewmaster15 (Al) or April or Beth or Frank to name just a few.
My experience is limited but when I had that problem I gradually brought the temp of my water up to about 90f and added 1tbsp of kosher salt per 10 gals. didn't feed for 2 days. This tends to speed up the metabolism while the salt builds up the slime coat. I then introduced other foods a bit at a time. Now my water is back to its usual 85f and they eat pretty much everything. Will not eat Wattleys Beefheart but chow on AquaYums Beefheart, Hikari Frozen Blood Worms, Tetra Bits, Mysis Shrimp, CBW. They are nice and fat, seem quite happy (not darting, come to the top to greet me) It seems to me in my very humble experience that the key is lots of good clean water, good variety of food and clean tanks make for happy Discus.
Hope This Helps
peace,
peter

[jeddah]

Hi Ronny, Thanks for advise.

I am now thinking of buying Tetra Color bits instead of just Tetrabits this afternoon, I seems that it works for you and your friend.

I'll take your advise on raising the temp to 90, I'll starve them once more(hope I have the courage), lets see how they respond to that.

I'll post the result later.

Oh boy! you got plenty of discus there, may I see some pics of them?(if you have)

Thnx
Jovel




Hi,

Can you get Tetra Color Bits ? I find that it is easier to feed the discus with that food.

I feed mine with Hikari bloodworms, Hikari Brine Shrimp, TetraColor Bits. Sometimes with Diskus Vitakraft, Tetra Spirulina Flake, New Life Spectrum Discus Formula. I find that Tetra Color Bits is the best among those dry foods.

I bought my discus when they were 2 or 2.5 inch. It was hard at the beginning as all they want was bloodworms. It took time for me to get them used to eat those food. 1 of my discus only started to accept the dry food after 6 months. He is my biggest discus now. :)
I think that it would be easier to train them when they are younger.

Before i started to feed them with dry food, i did not feed them for nearly 1 day. I increased the temp as well. Only a few of them started to eat the dry food. I fed them again later with a bit of blood worms. When they started to eat the dry food at certain amount, i gave them a bit of bloodworms right after they finished the dry food. To make it sounds like that it is a reward ;D

Well, it works for me, i hope that it works for you as well.
Btw, my friend just bought discus last week (2-3 inches). He got his discus to eat Tetra Color Bits easily.His discus eat it and throw it out and eat it again. I guess that it is normal as it takes sometime for the food to get soften in the water.

I feed the babies with Tetra Color Bits as well (when they get bigger than 0.5 inches). I have 12 discus (6-24 months old), 33 discus (1 month old), 50-60 (3 days old).

Tetra Color Bits has stonger smell than other dry food that i have tried. It might be good to attract the discus to eat it.

PS. I am not promoting Tetra Color Bits .... :lickin:

I like the dry food as i am too lazy to open the fridge during winter and also the dry food is cheaper than blood worms (Hikari). I am still a student, all my part time job money (tutoring) goes to discus and their food. :'(

Good luck.

Ronny

[jeddah]

Hi, Thanks for your concern but let me take up the challenge on this one first. I've been keeping them for almost a month now and it not easy to get rid of them.

Let see what happens, I'll try other suggestions

Jovel




Hi Jovel,i had the same thing happen to me.I bought some discus that only ate frozen bloodworms,my theory is that the guy you got your fish from feed them live worms in
order to make the discus grow faster so he can sell quicker.This is common practice in the discus trade,in the future i recommend you get your discus at earlier age when they eat everything you throw in tank.I suggest you sell those fish and get younger ones or feed live worms and risk getting your fish sick.

[jeddah]

Yes good tips indeed. Thanks for emails as well, they are very informative.

Many thanks
Jovel



Hi Jovel:

You've been given a lot of good tips.

My discus also like Tetra bits. I would begin by feeding them for breakfast everyday. Start with a small amount - let the tetra bits sit on the bottom of the tank where the discus can peck at them. . . . . Hopefully you have a bare bottom tank with just discus. Otherwise the food may be lost in the gravel or other tankmates will gobble it down. Soon the discus will recognize it as food and eat it eagerly.

I feed tetra bits in the morning, Ocean Nutrition Formula ONe (ONF1) flake at lunch, live black worms for dinner and tetra bits for late night snack.

Discus are like children and prefer treats all day. Feed the bloodworms for dinner, dry foods at other times. The discus will adjust.

[Joel]

Hi Jovel,i had the same thing happen to me.I bought some discus that only ate frozen bloodworms,my theory is that the guy you got your fish from feed them live worms in
order to make the discus grow faster so he can sell quicker.This is common practice in the discus trade,in the future i recommend you get your discus at earlier age when they eat everything you throw in tank.I suggest you sell those fish and get younger ones or feed live worms and risk getting your fish sick.


Do you mean bloodworms cause discus to grow faster? I give frozen bloodworms as a treat every few days but if it will make them grow faster, I will feed them daily....