Adding beefheart to diet

[rbogue]

I currently have four Discus that are addicted to freeze dried blackworms with spinach like cats are to catnip. I recently purchased a auto shredder to produce tidbits of beefheart. They take it in on occasions but then spit it out. Have seen some of the elaborate recipes on the site but would prefer staying with the simplest at this point. Any suggestions as to potential additives that may draw them to more readily take the beefheart (garlic, starving them, ???) in addition to the fish catnip. Thank you for your responses.

[BODYDUB]

Mine did the same thing at first. Put it in their mouth, then spit it out. I didn't feed them for a day or two then fed them small quantities every day. It took about a week for them to readily accept it.............

[SortSay2003]

Hi. I wonder if mixing fdbw (1/3?) and bh (2/3?) together would get them to accept it readily at first. Once they do that, maybe cut back on the fdbw. Sorta weaning them off of their drug.....lol.

Let us know if that works, it'll be interesting.

[rbogue]

Hi. I wonder if mixing fdbw (1/3?) and bh (2/3?) together would get them to accept it readily at first. Once they do that, maybe cut back on the fdbw. Sorta weaning them off of their drug.....lol.

Let us know if that works, it'll be interesting.





Thanks for the suggestions. Will give them a shot. Will update with progress

[Pardal]

If a good idea to add the freeze dried worms to the beef heart , but only after they learn to eat the beef heart other wise they will pick the blood worms and live the heart to spoil.

[Pnorton]

Mine would not eat anything but bloodworms to begin. I started adding FDBW to the bloodworms when I thawed them so that the blackworms soaked up some of the fluid. This worked fairly well for most of them. I am now adding PE mysis to the worm mix and most of them have accepted those too. Next is the beef heart, I have done it a couple of times and have a few takers. You might try introducing some bloodworms so that you have the red fluid or you could just try water but that may not camouflage the new flavor enough. Good luck, you are not alone with teaching your discus to eat different things.

[rbogue]

Mine would not eat anything but bloodworms to begin. I started adding FDBW to the bloodworms when I thawed them so that the blackworms soaked up some of the fluid. This worked fairly well for most of them. I am now adding PE mysis to the worm mix and most of them have accepted those too. Next is the beef heart, I have done it a couple of times and have a few takers. You might try introducing some bloodworms so that you have the red fluid or you could just try water but that may not camouflage the new flavor enough. Good luck, you are not alone with teaching your discus to eat different things.




Thanks all. All good suggestions. Looks like experimient and patients time. Got a batch of freeze dried blackworms in the clinic. The other doc asked if I was starting to import hash. Think I might smoke some and see what they dig so much about it. LOL