Convincing discus to eat new foods

[thekarens]

Got my new babies this weekend and they are great about eating beefheart and bloodworms, but will not touch pellets/flakes. I'm concerned because I leave for work at 6am and don't get home until 5:30pm. I was hoping to set up an auto-feeder for during the day when I can't feed the beefheart and bloodworms.

[Eddie]

Got my new babies this weekend and they are great about eating beefheart and bloodworms, but will not touch pellets/flakes. I'm concerned because I leave for work at 6am and don't get home until 5:30pm. I was hoping to set up an auto-feeder for during the day when I can't feed the beefheart and bloodworms.

You can try to feed them smaller amounts of BH or FBW and then drop flake in with it. They will be hungry and may possibly take the flake. Try to get some Ocean Nutrition Prime Reef flake. It is bright red and once they taste a bit, they will like it. ;)

Eddie

[Ceahorse]

I have a similar problem. I fed my Discus nothing but tubefex(frezedried) and frozen fresh brine and blood worms. My Discus wont even touch beefheart now. Pellets. Pfft.
however, they are my 1st run with discus.

[Eddie]

I gave up on trying to feed picky discus.

I am very serious and I know I will get alot of static for this statement but if the fish does not eat the food that I give it, it will end up dying. I have done it before, with no regrets. I can't have a fish that will only eat one food. They all have to take flake FOR SURE because I leave town for weeks at a time and my autofeeders can keep them fed with flake once a day. All fish love my seafood mix, even the picky eaters, so I don't have a problem with picky eaters anymore.

In the past though, I've never given in to my fish. They will starve to death or eat what I give them. It's harsh but only the strong survive.

Where is the static, tell me I am heartless......:o

Eddie

[Patr1ck]

Got my new babies this weekend and they are great about eating beefheart and bloodworms, but will not touch pellets/flakes. I'm concerned because I leave for work at 6am and don't get home until 5:30pm. I was hoping to set up an auto-feeder for during the day when I can't feed the beefheart and bloodworms.

Maybe telling them that you are going to take away their water if they dont eat the flakes will work.:p jk.
Ive had luck with not feeding them anything for a couple of days(wont hurt them) and then feeding them the flakes/pellets.:)

Pat

[MRQuad]

i agree with them.. don't feed them for a minimum of 1 day and max of 3 days.. don't worry, they'll be fine.. they will even greet you as you pass the room..

this is what i did before.. i starved them for 3 days.. but for you, just make it for 1 day for now.. and adjust it as you go along..

once again, it worked for me 110%.. right now, they don't eat pellet, they eat basshead's tuna/salmon mix.. :D

[Tito]

I gave up on trying to feed picky discus.

I am very serious and I know I will get alot of static for this statement but if the fish does not eat the food that I give it, it will end up dying. I have done it before, with no regrets. I can't have a fish that will only eat one food. They all have to take flake FOR SURE because I leave town for weeks at a time and my autofeeders can keep them fed with flake once a day. All fish love my seafood mix, even the picky eaters, so I don't have a problem with picky eaters anymore.

In the past though, I've never given in to my fish. They will starve to death or eat what I give them. It's harsh but only the strong survive.

Where is the static, tell me I am heartless......:o

Eddie


I coulkd not agree more with this! It's my tank and my selection of food. If it's good for the rest than it's going to have to ber good for you Mr./Mrs Finicky!

Really - I can't see myself running all over the world trying to figure out what a fish wants to eat. Not only that but I feed a decent variety - if the fish wont touch anything but live foods or beef heart than it's as good as dead for me. Heartless - I can think of worst things we do that are heartless and we count it as normal. Id rather be happy with 8 fish and 1 dead one. Plus it keeps your stock a good stock IMO because you know that all of your stock eats what you feed and if you get to breeding the fry should follow thru.

[White Worm]

I gave up on trying to feed picky discus.

I am very serious and I know I will get alot of static for this statement but if the fish does not eat the food that I give it, it will end up dying. I have done it before, with no regrets. I can't have a fish that will only eat one food. They all have to take flake FOR SURE because I leave town for weeks at a time and my autofeeders can keep them fed with flake once a day. All fish love my seafood mix, even the picky eaters, so I don't have a problem with picky eaters anymore.

In the past though, I've never given in to my fish. They will starve to death or eat what I give them. It's harsh but only the strong survive.

Where is the static, tell me I am heartless......:o

Eddie

Eddie,

I'm with you 100%, just lost one for that reason recently. He/She was always a picky eater and only wanted FBW so it starved for about a month or two and then was gone. It wasnt because I wasnt home and didnt try to feed him just about everything but I am highly allergic to FBW so its either me or the fish and I come first. All of the rest of my discus gladly accept everything I feed them minus FBW. Thats one of the things I wish breeders/importers would do more when preparing their fish for sale. The more variety they are getting fed, the easier it will be for the new owners.

[BOBT00LS]

I had the same problem myself but I brought this upon myself. For the longest time all of my discus were fed nothing but Hikari frozen blood worms. Occasionally I would try to introduce other foods and they would have nothing to do with it. One day I decided to fast them for a period of time and then try to introduce new foods. It took only a fast of twenty four hours and now all of my discus eat Tetra bits, prime reef flake, home made beef heart mix, and frozen blood worms. I feel alot better since they are getting a more balanced diet and I can really see the difference in the discus. A short fast will more then likely do the trick.

Bob

[Eddie]

So it looks like I'm not the only one with the same opinion. :)

In the end the fish ends up eating or dying and thats just what you have to choose.

Take care everybody,

Eddie

[rwong2k]

My discus will take fbw and flake food right now, still having a lot of problems getting them on pellet,
I've purchased too many pellets, but trying to get them on Tetra colourbits and hopefully the ON pellets and the NLS pellets, once I get through these pellets I'll probably rotate a few different flake foods instead =)

Raymond

[cc_woman]

I found my discus didn't readily accept pellet as fast as flakes, and I feed ALL my fish NLS products (just bought hikari discus pellets the other day, they aren't too sure about those ones yet lol). It also helps to mix the foods up a bit. I probably feed my fish a huge variety of foods, but it's so I can try to ensure they are getting what they need. They ONLY get a frozen food at night time feedings. It's pellets and flake the rest of the time. I believe a fish's main diet should be dried prepared foods (or foods you make yourself) as these typically contain more of the nutrients and vitamins a fish needs than most frozen or freeze dried can offer.

My picky wild caughts would only eat brine and fbw when I first got them. I first started them on flake about a week into QT, where the VERY FIRST feeding of the day was flake, remember this is when they are the most hungry. They didn't like it at first, I had to vacuum it out but by day 3 most of them were readily accepting the flakes. I made sure every single one of them was on at least flakes before moving them to the main tank. I have had fish who would only eat fbw and nothing else, surprisingly he lasted 10 mths, but was also a 5"+ fish. About week 3 into the QT I tried pellet as the first feeding instead, they hated it. So I tried it with garlic guard, they still wouldn't touch it. Eventually by the end of the week at least a couple were on both flake and pellet. So I figured meh good enough and found they seemed healthy enough to go into the main tank. To this day I feed pellet in the morning, flake when I get home, then flake again a couple hours later, and right before bed they get their frozen treats. They all readily accept prepared foods, now I just need to get them used to some of the frozen I bought specifically for them :D

[Kratz]

I've found that the best way to get them to eat is to have some angelfish in the tank with them.

Angels are aggressive eaters. The discus learn very quickly that you have to beat the angels to the food. I have some juvenile red turqs in with some juvenile DD black angels. The Angels are like pirhanas. LOL. The discus get the cue to eat from the angels, and they know they need to get there quick and compete for the food.

The discus were raised on beefheart and tetra bits. When they first arrived, that's all they would eat. Now they'll eat anything I put in there.