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Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
Came across this today - which was complete news to me !
Anyone heard about the efficacy of this treatment ?
http://www.reef2rainforest.com/2016/...e-peel-discus/
See the comments regarding a credit given to Dick Au for mentioning this bit of 'voodoo' discus husbandry.
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
I haven't tried this, Paul... but, at this moment I am dealing with a fish that I received 2 weeks ago that will not eat. I even gave him blood worms today soaked in Sea-chem garlic. He will approach the food, some times even put it into his mouth, but will then spit it out. He did come to me with one gill not working properly, but I dipped him in methlyene blue, added salt to the tank, and his gill was working within 24 hours. Gill appears healthy now. It is maddening. Currently I am adding metroplex to the water column, raised the temp to 88 degrees, and changing 75 percent water every other day. I will try the orange peel (whether it works or no)
thanks for the tip!
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
Try if you can raise the temp up to 93 degrees. I have two fish that were not eating and this worked for me. It may take several days. Once a day I would offer the blood worms. If they don't eat them right away, remove them and try the next day. Large water changes as well. I was doing 90 % a day.
If you started treating them follow through for ten days.
Hope this helps.
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
I have my temps at 90 right now in my hospital for similar issues from sick fish. I have tried live bloodworm and they won't touch them. Two have perished, one looks like it's hooked on meth and one more looks like a recovering crack addict on skid row.
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Lido
I have my temps at 90 right now in my hospital for similar issues from sick fish. I have tried live bloodworm and they won't touch them. Two have perished, one looks like it's hooked on meth and one more looks like a recovering crack addict on skid row.
Wouldn't hurt to give orange peel a try & report back with the results.
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
I am considering giving it a try with the two I currently have in quarantine.
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
i totally want to try this voodoo out
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
To tempting not to try! Thanks for sharing!
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kyla
i totally want to try this voodoo out
Do you have any discus that are not eating ?
If so, by all means, do give it a try !
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Clawhammer
To tempting not to try! Thanks for sharing!
Agree.
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
I've got a few "spares" tossed in a tank together that aren't eating like the rest of my tanks. Thinking I'll give this a try and see what happens. I wish there was a little more information on what size tank they tossed those peels in to. My spares are in a 55.
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Keith Perkins
I've got a few "spares" tossed in a tank together that aren't eating like the rest of my tanks. Thinking I'll give this a try and see what happens. I wish there was a little more information on what size tank they tossed those peels in to. My spares are in a 55.
Good point - I wondered about that too, Keith.
Let us know what results you see after a couple/few days, if any.
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
yes actually, i have a pigeon that hasnt eaten in a while. he looks fine in all other ways and no white feces so im just letting him do his thing. gonna pick up some oranges on my way home.
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
Good stuff Paul, Keith please keep us updated on your findings.
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
I have a tank of discus recovering from gill burns. I just threw a peel in the tank, they were certainly interested... I'll share my observations, although I will say off the bat that they were already on the mend.
At the very least, its a healthy snack for me!
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
Well, I can confirm that it makes my tank water smell much nicer. I know fish have a sense of smell (olfaction), maybe it is the smell of the orange terpenes that stimulates the appetite, or some sort of aroma therapy. Just a couple of initial thoughts.
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
Just following up here. I don't think my situation was ideal for a controlled experiment, but I have to say that I will probably use this in the future when my discus are not eating or behaving normally, or when I get a shipment of new discus.
Like I said initially, I think my fish were on the mend before I added orange peel, but the recovery definitely accelerated after adding the orange peel. I can't conclusively claim causation, but it seemed more than a coincidence. Their appetite is fully recovered now, when they had been only nibbling food before the orange peel. Their activity level went up significantly, which I am more confident was positively effected by the orange peel. They are interacting and energetic, even moreso than before the incident.
I am a skeptic so I won't make any firm conclusion based on my single experience, but I think this could be a useful tool. Like I said, at the very least, it makes the water smell fantastic. I used a cementine and I actually removed it after a few hours because I was concerned how strongly it affected the smell of the tank. Then I saw the positive behavioral changes and added it back.
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
Has anyone found any further info as to the size tank and the amount that should be added.
I have been intrigued by this article since it was posted and glad to see some folks trying it out. It seems like it can't hurt so I guess why not right?
Eric, you just added one full peel? What size tank is yours? Did it go into a sump or direct to the tank?
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
I added one full peel of a medium size orange to my 120 gallon tank.
I wouldn't go so far to say it can't hurt... There are a lot of powerful terpenes in orange oil, of which most is in the peel. I got nervous when my water started smelling like Billy May's Orange Glo :) However, it seems like the fish really like it.
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
I just cleaned my canister filters... When I opened them.... Oranges. My canister filters smell like oranges.
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
Hi all, just want to share my own observations about adding orange peels to the discus tank after reading this thread.
To begin with, I have 7 wild discus and they had been with me for about 3 weeks. I feed them frozen beef heart (frommy LFS). 2 of them were abit 'slower' than the rest in taking beefheart as such I decided to try the orange peels.
I have a 500+ litres tank with a sump. I added a full peel of an orange in the sump for about 4 hours each time.
After about 30 mins, I would observed heightened activities and alot of flaring of the fins. I am not really sure if it was the orange peel or something else.
I did not have the courage to leave the peels overnight in the sump overnight. Perhaps I would try a longer period this weekend when I can be at home whole day to observe.
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
Good morning all, I have been very intrigued by this idea since I read it and I decided to give it a go this morning with a group of wilds. Most of them have voracious appetites, I have 2 that I feel are lagging and I am hoping ti spur them on. I went with peel in a 95 gallon system, I plan to do a big WC tonight so I will let it sit all day and observe and then go back fresh tonight and maybe try again tomorrow...
I will report back with the observations here for all who are interested.
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
I tossed it in around 10 AM. I used one full peel into my sump... 4hrs in, I must say the fish seem lively and active as ever. It is so hard when you do an experiment such as this because you over-analyze I think, it is just human nature.
Have people found the benefits or juice of the skin wears off after X amount of time? I wonder if I should increase or take this out and add new? I may leave it in and do a WC this evening and try again in the am.
Seems to be OK so far...
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
Maybe it is like marijuana to fish. They get the munchies and go looking for 7/11.
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mattgoanna
Maybe it is like marijuana to fish. They get the munchies and go looking for 7/11.
You may be on to something here Matt! Lol... Maybe that will be the next experiment to try, toss some of that in! lol...
I did a big WC last night and let the system run clean overnight. I was worried about adding more peel and not being around to see the effects. This morning I threw in another big peel and waited about an hour and a half to feed. Yesterday they got their usual flakes and pellets. Today, I upped the anti, I broke up some Blood worms and some FDBW and my discus became fierce eating beasts! I have never seen such voracious appetites from these guys. I have a "runt" who is back of the pack and a big melow boy who was a slow eater, even those two ATTACKED!
I don't know, I may be hooked on this orange peel madness....!!!!
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
I am glad to see that others had the same experience. The effect seemed very clear and positive to me as well, but without knowing why it works, it is hard to trust my eyes.
The cannabis comparison would explain the increase in appetite, but not the increase in activity! lol
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Clawhammer
I am glad to see that others had the same experience. The effect seemed very clear and positive to me as well, but without knowing why it works, it is hard to trust my eyes.
The cannabis comparison would explain the increase in appetite, but not the increase in activity! lol
I was about to say they made need a tv with some cartoons and a sofa if you try the cannabis test! Lol
I think I may keep up with this and see how it goes. I usually do about 3 water changes a week, I was thinking 8-10 hrs of a peel on water change day could be a nice additive. Based on what I am seeing thus far, it isn't hurting what so ever.
Kinda facinating to me, if someone told me a month ago I'd be adding orange peels to my discus tank I would think they were in the midst of their own cannibas experinemt!!!! LOL
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
Is it oranges or clementines ?
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
I used a clementines, which is just a kind of orange that I find particularly tasty. I think they are more fragrant than the average California Navel, more on par with a Florida juice orange or a tangerine.
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
So I had grapefruits in my refrigerator, not oranges, so I gave them a try. After 3 days of rotating a new peel every 24 hours all I found is that I needed to wipe my glass down, as I not an odd clearish white film on most of it. I didn't notice any positive change in eating, so if your going to give this a try stick to the non-grape fruit citrus.
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
Thanks for the chime in Keith. Did you just try this for the heck of it or thought all citrus would work the same? Just curious why that, other than it was there? I wonder if the same effect would happen with other citrus and if this just pertains to something specific in an orange.
Keith, have you ever tired the orange yourself? I'd be kind of curious now that you did the one citrus if the orange is different, maybe it is just fools gold, who knows?
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
Using the grapefruit was purely an experiment and done primarily because I'd been in a grapefruit eating mode and had plenty here. I noted the original article was titled with oranges but the guy actually used clementines himself so I thought I'd give it a shot. I'll make an effort before too long to get some oranges or clementines and see what the results of that are and post back.
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
Hi all,
Just to share my own observations on the use of orange peels. I tried it again on Sat and Sun. It may be placebo effect but my gut feel tells me that the discus can sense a change in the water conditions once the orange peels arep in the water for a few minutes. The increased in activity is common to what I observe during their feeding time. They would gather near the tank corner where I usually drop in the beefheart. After milling around with no food... they would start a small fight to reinforce the pecking order. After 15 or 20min.. they would settle down again. Whenever there are movement near the feeding corner, they would repeat the ritual. I am not able to ascertain if their appetite increase or not due to the orange peels.
So I can't confirm if there is negative or positive effect except that the scent of the orange peels may mislead the discus thinking that there are food in the water.
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
Quote:
Originally Posted by
SGDiscus
Hi all,
Just to share my own observations on the use of orange peels. I tried it again on Sat and Sun. It may be placebo effect but my gut feel tells me that the discus can sense a change in the water conditions once the orange peels arep in the water for a few minutes. The increased in activity is common to what I observe during their feeding time. They would gather near the tank corner where I usually drop in the beefheart. After milling around with no food... they would start a small fight to reinforce the pecking order. After 15 or 20min.. they would settle down again. Whenever there are movement near the feeding corner, they would repeat the ritual. I am not able to ascertain if their appetite increase or not due to the orange peels.
So I can't confirm if there is negative or positive effect except that the scent of the orange peels may mislead the discus thinking that there are food in the water.
Not a bad thought. My one question would be this; were there any fish already in the tank or not responsive to food? After the oranges, did they act this way?
The way I took the article is that it peps up fish who were lacking an appetite. So your theory may be right for healthy active hungry fish, just curious how it effected the non-eating fish? In my case I had 2 that were lagging behind and barely picking at food. They went from that state to attacking food post orange, hence my observations being different.
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
@DatDiscusDude
The reason I tried the orange peel was because two of my discus were slow in reacting to the beefheart when I first got them 4 weeks ago. But when I used dry freezes Australian blackworms, the same two discus went into a feeding frenzy without the orange peel present. That was in week 2.
I tried it again this weekend with the orange peels in the sump tank overnight. In the first feeding in the morning, I don't think they ate more than usual. My observations were that they were more reactive to me throughout the day whenever I go near the tank as though (this is my opinion... could be a placebo effect) I was going to feed them.
So to be really honest... my assessment is 'no conclusion' given that i have tried orange peels only 4 times. The first 2 times only lasted 4 to 6 hours. The 3rd and 4th time was overnight.
I have since decided not to try anymore just to keep my water cleaner.
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Re: Discus not eating ? Orange Peel as an Appetite Stimulant
Quote:
Originally Posted by
SGDiscus
@DatDiscusDude
The reason I tried the orange peel was because two of my discus were slow in reacting to the beefheart when I first got them 4 weeks ago. But when I used dry freezes Australian blackworms, the same two discus went into a feeding frenzy without the orange peel present. That was in week 2.
I tried it again this weekend with the orange peels in the sump tank overnight. In the first feeding in the morning, I don't think they ate more than usual. My observations were that they were more reactive to me throughout the day whenever I go near the tank as though (this is my opinion... could be a placebo effect) I was going to feed them.
So to be really honest... my assessment is 'no conclusion' given that i have tried orange peels only 4 times. The first 2 times only lasted 4 to 6 hours. The 3rd and 4th time was overnight.
I have since decided not to try anymore just to keep my water cleaner.
Thanks again for the reply and info! Much appreciated...
I noticed the same honestly, my 2 go nuts for FDBW and frozen blood worms but not much of a pick up when it comes to flakes...?
Odd