Pros vs Cons of beefheart

[DISCUS STU]

I used beef heart for years and grew out nice sized fish, including fish I bred myself. Now I use turkey heart which is easier to clean, prepare and work with.

Recently having seen Hans lecturing in Brooklyn, NY at the BAS (Brooklyn Aquarium Society) he recommended using lean meats, with his accent it sounded like "lin mit" (sorry), and not necessarily using heart. He stated that he doesn't use hearts anymore.

People also use fish and other high protein animal proteins in their formulations these day.

[drummer305]

I've been thinking about switching to turkey hearts too lately... I've seen it around and I figure that leaner might be better for discus. Plus, it probably keeps the water cleaner too, given the lower fat content.

I used beef heart for years and grew out nice sized fish, including fish I bred myself. Now I use turkey heart which is easier to clean, prepare and work with.

Recently having seen Hans lecturing in Brooklyn, NY at the BAS (Brooklyn Aquarium Society) he recommended using lean meats, with his accent it sounded like "lin mit" (sorry), and not necessarily using heart. He stated that he doesn't use hearts anymore.

People also use fish and other high protein animal proteins in their formulations these day.

[DISCUS STU]

It is an, "Exclusive interview with Discus fish legend Marc Weiss" oh youtube. It's like an hour long.

Marc Weiss had sold and imported Discus many years ago but not since sometime in the 90's. This is almost twenty years ago. I know because I bought fish form him first in NYC and then also in Florida. These days he just brands and sells various Discus related products.

As far as I know he wasn't a breeder of Discus. Beef heart or turkey heart are good sources of lean protein, people also use chicken, fish, and other sources to provide protein but beef heart still remains a good food source.

[seankelly]

Well said John,I totally agree

[Jack L]

Best? Who knows. But I know that it's very good, and very effective for growing out fish fast. BH has a proven itself over time, to be very effective, and relatively cheap. I like it. Downside it can be, and usually is messy. Have to keep up on your WC's, but if you're growing out fish, you have to change water frequently no matter what is fed. I've never known the "guru" who you mention breeding himself, but more of a middleman/broker...Bill

if they eat it all...why is it messy? anymore so than any other food?
do you mean all the particles it puts off in the water as compared to feeding new life spectrum they eat whole for example?

[pitdogg2]

if they eat it all...why is it messy? anymore so than any other food?
do you mean all the particles it puts off in the water as compared to feeding new life spectrum they eat whole for example?

more oils and other stuff you cannot see per-say that also will foul water quickly. Remember it is raw meat and what does raw meat do??? Spoil especially at 82+ degree you do not want your fish eating this fouled spoiled food it will cause other problems.

prepared fish foods are cooked before they are processed into pellets or flakes, breakdown will take a little longer with those foods.

[warblad79]

Even for beefheart mix flakes, it does stink and you smell the rotten meat. I do 100% WC for my juvie and even after that the smell stay in the tank.

[Jack L]

more oils and other stuff you cannot see per-say that also will foul water quickly. Remember it is raw meat and what does raw meat do??? Spoil especially at 82+ degree you do not want your fish eating this fouled spoiled food it will cause other problems.

prepared fish foods are cooked before they are processed into pellets or flakes, breakdown will take a little longer with those foods.

hmmm, well i have noticed that as the Ds are growing and i am putting in more BH, the filter sock is plugging REALLY fast. but they eat all the BH, maybe its the oils

[Jack L]

Even for beefheart mix flakes, it does stink and you smell the rotten meat. I do 100% WC for my juvie and even after that the smell stay in the tank.

all flake smells pretty foul! : )

[Jack L]

well is beefheart mix messier than

frozen:
glassworms
bloodworms
mysis
brine shrimp
?

[chuckiesmalls]

Where do you get cheap beefheart? I'm getting back into fish (and discus) after a 10 year break... 10-15 years ago when I had discus I made my own food, but I remember even then that BH was nearly impossible to find. I would like to start making my food again (if my wife will let me... last time I made it, my finger got caught in the grinder and we had to go to the ER... she will not let me live that one down), but I dread driving all over town trying to find a source of BH.
Please point us in the US to these "Easily Accessible" and "Cheap" sources of BH.

If youre in souther CA....mexican supermarkets EVERYWHERE

[Jack L]

well is beefheart mix messier than

frozen:
glassworms
bloodworms
mysis
brine shrimp
?

adding to my own post. i don't know if its the maturing of the system, or the fact that i read john's posts enough times about just feeding HBH, but now that i do that with some pellets and al's FDBW, and stopped with all the above frozen varieties, my tank seems to stay cleaner, and i don't get that film as much in sump or glass anymore. it could have been my switch to poret too, but anyway, just an observation.

[ltdx21]

Yup, it has been posted here many times. Marc had a product to sell. Both Bill and John knew who you were referring to.

hello everyone i just joined last nite and seen this post because my thread is in the same area . i have a funny story to tell about my very 1st purchase of discus . and it has to do with feeding . i was in florida at the time n still have a place there 30 minutes away at the time which was the mid 90's 2 of the largest discus breeders had facilitys there . The one i went to 1st had big beautiful discus, he claimed it was because of his secret formula food and if i purchased the fish, hed sell me the food any time i needed it . i purchased the fish 400$ worth before he gave me the food we got talking i dont remember how i brought the name up but i said the name jack wattley which at the time had a breeding facility in the same area .This breeders eyes lit up when i said the name brighter then the florida sun lol after his eyes dimed down a bit he accused me of bein a spy for jack wattley to get his secret formula . I tought this to be upsurd and told him that he refused to give me the food or even tell me anything it was made with . They were adult discus and refused anything i gave them. I call him several times begging him to at least give me a idea wat to feed them . He told me nothing and all the fish died . If they were the last products on earth made by this person id still whouldnt use them . So as most stated Here on this thread watch who you listen to they just mite tell you something to get you to purchase there product .

[Jack L]

surprised a little, wonder if they were healthy. reason, i thought the consensus was that they will eventually eat anything it they are hungry enough?

[ltdx21]

remember this was in the early 90's when food wasnt like it is now and also there was no such thing as internet fourms for me to get any info from and most stores in my area at the time were into the reef tanks which were 1st coming out which i also had and the store really didnt have much info on discus most of the stores i went to didnt even sell freshwater fish and if they did they knew very little about them most the stores were drivin towards salt water fish which in my area was what most people bought i was 5 minutes from the beach and inlet so most people in my area wanted saltwater they could care less about freshwater because the freashwater fish at the time didnt have the colors they do now remember this is over 20 years ago