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Thread: 3 - 4 Week old discus, what should i feed them?

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    Default 3 - 4 Week old discus, what should i feed them?

    Hello 2 days ago i received 3-4 week old discus in a 30 gallon tank changing around 50% daily. They seem to school together but always in the corner of the tank when the light is on. When the light is off at night time they tend to come out a bit more. Is there anything I should do? Also I have been feeding them kens baby brine shrimp flake and ground up krill pellets they eat it but not tell 20 minutes+ after I put the food in the tank. Is this normal and what should I feed them? I've heard discus are aggressive feeders but not mine lol. 1st time discus owner here. Do they look like good healthy discus? I don't know any better. IMG_3862.jpg

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    Default Re: 3 - 4 Week old discus, what should i feed them?

    Live brine shrimp for another week or two. And scraped beef heart mix. I use beef heart that is cubed, and add frozen Mysis shrimp, and chopped frozen spinach. I put these in a medium sized enclosable baggy, then role the bag up so that the mix ends up like a large bratwurst. Then I freeze the mix. Once frozen, you can take the hotdog shaped mix out of the bag, and use a square shaped colander with a very fine scraping side to grind that food onto a plate. Then you can use your fingers to mold the food into a ball. You can keep this in the fridge covered with plastic wrap, and break off small chunks and swish it I the tank so that it is very fine particles that the fry will love. This latter is my staple for 3 week - 3 month fry. It is far less expensive than commercial foods, and growth rates are really good with this, and never good with commercial food.

    Al Light
    Last edited by Alight; 10-28-2017 at 10:30 AM.

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    Default Re: 3 - 4 Week old discus, what should i feed them?

    Forgot a number of things. How many fry do you have? You should have at least 8 and less than 20 (with 20 you will need to have another tank when the fish get to 3 months or so). The need a school to be less afraid. What kind of filter to you have? A sponge filter would be your best bet (also least expensive) probably a #4 sponge filter would be the right size. You should test for ammonia and nitrites daily. If they are above the lowest levels on your test kits, you should up your water changes to take them to zero.

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    Default Re: 3 - 4 Week old discus, what should i feed them?

    By this time my fry start pecking at the discus chow (Al's) and FDBW that the parents get. Once I know they're going for it, I start phasing out the BS and feed them the fine FDBW and chow.
    Lifting dictionaries literally strengthens your muscles.

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    Default Re: 3 - 4 Week old discus, what should i feed them?

    My suggestions would be as follows:

    1. Lower the level of water in the tank. Fish that small will get lost in a 30 gal. Maybe drop the level by 2/3 so there's 10 gal of water. As they grow, you can fill the tank up.
    2. Move them to beef heart as soon as possible. You can shred it. I just soak it in water, squeeze it between two fingers, and it will fall apart. The growth rate on beef heart vs bbs or krill is dramatically different. I've weaned fry as early as 11 days free swimming to beef heart.
    3. Change a lot of water, but water temperature is critical with fish this small. Have a constant reservoir of aged water nearby for this.

    Good luck, Willie
    At my age, everything is irritating.

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    Default Re: 3 - 4 Week old discus, what should i feed them?

    Thanks for your suggestions. They are feeding on the flake super brine shrimp from kens well it has around 40-50 protein. They are eating it 4-6 time a day. I did lower the water level to around 10 gallons and change 5 to 6 gallons of it daily they did seem lost when it was full haha. I have the temp set at 86 and they seem to be doing well. I have 7 fry currently and may get a few more. Do they look good or is it to early to tell? I do have a sponge filter i did have a hob filter going but it was to strong of a current so i stopped that fast. I may have to look into beefheart mix after your suggestions.

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    Default Re: 3 - 4 Week old discus, what should i feed them?

    They look good, but they have a long ways to go. Frankly, it's very difficult to raise a small batch of discus that young. You're buying from an irresponsible seller. I would not sell discus less than 2", especially to a newbie.

    I suggest you look for a real beefheart source. California Blackworms here will sell you frozen beefheart. I can't stress the importance of getting them something substantial to eat. If they do, the growth can be phenomenal.

    Good luck, Willie
    At my age, everything is irritating.

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    Default Re: 3 - 4 Week old discus, what should i feed them?

    I am going to get them some beefheart and mix it up for them I know I have a long ways to go but I think im doing well, they are eating and seem to be happy.

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