Best way to get fish to eat??????

[bmrin1]

I have a couple of yellow marlboros that are just not eating as well as I think they should.  I feed a variety of food: beefheart, blood worms, flake, onf-1.
I know that I should worm, will that be enough to get them eating? What if it is not a worm issue?  Temp in tank is 88.  Should I go higher?  Help please..
Brian

[April]

Hi. Yes.....I owuld deworm them Brian. And dont leave food on the bottom.....so they get used to picking. Make sure their coming up and begging at the top before you feed them! or they get bad habits. 88 should vbe fine. YOu could go 90 for  a  BIT BUT YOU'D HAVE TO WATCH  your oxygen levels. if they start hanging of rair. YOu may need a bubbler, and be careful thers no food left especially beefheart as it fouls alot faster at high temps!even black worms if they go white . dont leave them in there. mine have gone white very fast at high temps.

managing appetite is one of the things we all need to learn at some time or other. ime, getting the discus hungry and feeding good food and getting them to fight over it a bit is the most obvious way to get them excited about their food. that is the key really, they should be excited about being fed. and your job is to make them that way, if they are not that way now.

imo, if you are doing the right things, have enough fish in the tank, and they are not excited about being fed, them be very careful about health issues. first step, DE-WORM! after that you will be more informed about their health. oh, and be ever watchful of white stringy feces. (intestinal flagellates)

rick

worm them, heat @92, feeding less more often helps to

[Dragonfly]

Brian, I have had my fish become disinterested in eating before and was pretty sure they had some type of flagellate or worm and I think if you catch it early enough you can treat it without actual meds. As you may well know, flagellates cannot live in temps of 92 or higher. I brought my tank up to about 93 or 94 for a week, did about a ten gallon change everyday in a 75 gallon tank and for every ten gallons I dissolved a heaping tbsp of epsom salts. It did the trick, on the eighth or ninth day the fish that had completely stopped eating and was hiding in the corner popped back to life. The fish in that tank are heartier now than they ever were and are growing faster than ever. As April said, you need to increase the aeration in the tank because of the high temps. I doubled my bubbles for that week. I do not know if this is the problem you are having but it is a possible likeness. Hope that helped.

Alex

[bmrin1]

Well I have not had time to deworm these guys and gals yet but I did increase temp. and add the epsome salt.  The current tank temp. is 92 and ging up.  I did increase areation as well.  I am amazed at the response so far,  I gave them a few blood worms and the little guy I was most worried about came right to the worms and started munching.  Hope this along with the worming will do the trick.  
Thanks everyone.
Brian

Brian'
If you Need Some meds To deworm I can mail You a few treatments. High Heat Works well I like 95F for 10 days with Extra airstones! And Like Jason Said light feedings at High Temps Is Best!
HTH
Cary Gld!

[Dragonfly]

Sounds good Brian, I will keep my fingers crossed, keep in mind that the epsom salt will act like a laxative on these kids so don't be surprised if there is twice as much waste you need to siphon off, sorry if you already knew this. let me know how it turns out if you want.

Alex

Try some Flubendazole.  I guarantee you their eating will improve dramatically by the 3rd day of treatment.  It's a pain to use as it takes 20 days to treat but it won't affect your filter or other fish.  My fish doubled their eating during and since treatment.  Healthy fish eat well, sick ones don't.  Mind you there could be other reasons for a fish not eating.

Dave

[bmrin1]

Alex,
Thanks for the advice on the mag sulphate (epsom salt)  I was already aware of its effects.  I have used it on the farm in my feed rations to keep the expecting mothers regular.
The update for today is that before work this a.m. the little guys attacked the blood worms that I drop in.  Things seem to be improving for now.  
Brian

[Fisheyes]

How long is the heat safe to be held at 90 when treating for feeding problems?
Or for that matter any problems that require a raise in temp?
??? ???