Feeding Discus fry?

[Rolla P]

Ok so while I've been in the hobby for some time but I have never raised discus fry, ever. I've had tetras spawn and through sheer plant density they've survived. I've done numerous apisto strains with relative ease. That process was decap eggs until they start nipping at flake.

But I am completely new to Discus fry. So new that my first live bbs feeding was just a while ago. But, as I'm sure most would agree, discus fry is a different kettle of fish entirely. And I have some questions I'm struggling to find answers to.

1. How much live bbs and how many times should I feed fry that are still attached to their parents. The current batch are 8 days old

2. Should I store the live bbs and if so for how long.

3. How does the feeding change as the fry age and when should I start introducing other foods.

Many thanks in advance.

[famtsberg]

This man has been at Jack Wattley Discus for over 20 years. Jack Wattley was one of the original pioneers of discus keeping and breeding. Hope this helps.

[Willie]

Nice video from Gabe. Here are a couple of specific points which may help. Note that the standard format is to count from the day that the fry goes free swimming.

1. I've fed fry with BBS as early as Day 4. Even at that early age, they'll stop eating slime and go after the moving BBS. When the BBS is gone, they'll go right back to the parents.
2. I've weaned fry onto minced beefheart as early as Day 11. Unlike Gabe, I don't feed both. Gabe is feeding many spawns so he always have BBS left over.
3. Growth is driven by beefheart, not BBS. Discus fry will grow faster on beef than any other species I've bred.
4. Once the fry is weaned onto beefheart, you can actually remove the parents although I usually keep them together for a month.
5. Water changes are even more important than diet at this stage.

Good luck!