How to Intice Feeding

[RyanGSP]

I bought a new discus. Red Turq actualy. He has a little bit of fin rot which i am treating. one prolem is he wont eat. I have tried Frozen Blood Works flake and pellet. Not even a glance. What should i do here to make sure my Discus Doesnt starve to dealth. ???

[RyanH]

It's pretty normal for new fish to not eat much if at all for the first day or so after being brought home. Particularly if it is alone. Discus are much more outgoing in groups. Don't break quarantine but your fish will eat better once it is with others of its kind. Also, I wouldn't worry about it starving to death just yet. A couple of days without food isn't as big of a deal to fish as it is to people.

You could try raising the temperature in the tank. This increases the fishes metabolism and makes them more hungry. Add some salt, a couple of T per 10 gallons of water to reduce stress. I would ask the seller what the fish was fed before you bought it. Feeding it food that it's familiar with will often increase the chances it will eat. Also live food like California Blackworms will often get shy fish to eat. Discus cannot resist them.

Keep it dark in the tank for the first few days and move slowly when approaching until the fish gets used to you. If you feed it and leave it alone for awhile you may well find that some or most of the food will be gone when you return.

hth!
-Ryan