Beef heart mix, what the heck am I doing wrong?

Hey all,

This is the second time I have tried this and failed. A year ago I tried to get my 4" Discus to eat my own mix of beef heart and didn't work out, end up starving a few and eventually after playing hard ball for 2 months a couple even dies.

Recently I got 3 new juveniles (2.5") hoping that I could start to train them to take beef heart... At the store I bought it from, they mostly get flakes and bloodworm (or that's what I am told). When I got them home, still in the quarantine tub, I went straight to feeding them 100% beef heart, they went for it and seem to eat like normal. I was excited and had high hopes... then I mixed up a batch using
Jack Wattley Discus recipe.

Beef heart (one pound)
Spinach (few ounces)
Krill meal (few ounces)
One a day vitamin (3pills) Men? maybe this is the issue?

They would give the beef heart mixes a few poke but won't eat it. What's even weirder is that I try a few Omega Frozen Blood worms and they don't want that either... it could be becase these are HUGE size, like an inch long... and they don't want it. What in the heck, Discus refuse Blood worms?

Try adding an equal amount of shrimp to BH. Maybe they will be more attracted to the smell and it will also act as a binder.

I've made up several different recipes over the years and I've never had an issue with them rejecting it. My newest recipe is totally packed with veggies and greens and they destroy it!

On the other hand, my discus have always rejected blood worms, lol...

I used just pure deer heart which my fish loved, no additives at all. Then I made a batch with just deer heart and Fluval flake food which they also loved. If they readily eat flake, use that brand and make a small batch and see if they go for it.

Try adding garlic to your mix. It’s an attractant and supports immune system. hTH.

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Originally Posted by wild4discus

Try adding garlic to your mix. It’s an attractant and supports immune system. hTH.

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I forgot to mention that, but I did have 3 tab of garlic... but they still do not want it.

These little things are so damn picky... my guppies eat anything!!!

Try the recipe posted on our website (chicagodiscus.com/care-and-feeding). We’ve been feeding our discus with this beefheart mixture every morning for years. They gobble it right up. When you make your own, be sure to use plenty of garlic. If you can’t smell the garlic, neither can the discus.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ChicagoDiscus

Try the recipe posted on our website (chicagodiscus.com/care-and-feeding). We’ve been feeding our discus with this beefheart mixture every morning for years. They gobble it right up. When you make your own, be sure to use plenty of garlic. If you can’t smell the garlic, neither can the discus.

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I was thinking to thaw the mix out again and add in some frozen bloodworms and more garlic, would this work?

It sounds like the fish have gone off food all together. My brief experience suggests that when they are really happy they'll eat anything but when stressed, even slightly, they become very picky.