How to get discus to take new food

[RNJ]

I just received my first 6 discus last week. I had heard they are finicky eaters, but the ones I have so far ONLY eat the frozen blood worms. I have Ken's beef heart and brine shrimp flakes, but they won't touch it. They just sink to the bottom and I don't want to just leave it there so end up just vacuuming them out. Also tried freeze dried blood worms but again they won't eat from the surface and they end up in the filter. Not sure what I need to do for them to take the food. I just don't want to starve them but may be I should. Any thoughts?

[dspeers]

One option is to flavor your current food with garlic, either fresh (a quick search of simplydiscus will yield several threads with recommendations) or Seachem garlic guard. That taste becomes familiar and then should make transition to new foods (which you also flavor with garlic) better, plus it is a general appetite stimulant. If you are going to stay and watch, turn off the filter and then siphon any residual, having it all accumulate in the filter turns that into a NO3 pump or requires more frequent cleaning.

[Willie]

I've never had discus starve themselves. They eat when they're ready to eat. The important thing is that you don't let them train you into feeding them what they like - same with children.

I'd recommend the following:

1. Let them go hungry for at least 24 hours (48 hours would work as well).
2. Turn the temperature up to 90F.
3. In the morning, put in just a little bit of the food that you want them to eat.
4. If they don't eat it, wait another 24 hours. They may well eat when you leave.

They'll eat.