new discus frustration

[nhelements]

Well i have bought 5 discus and have had them for about 2 weeks. I cant really get them to eat anything but live blackworms, I have tried beefheart and they act like its not even in the tank and they will peck at bloodworms if they feel like it. What can i do to keep them on a varity of foods? They are all the same size(2-2.5") except one blue cobalt that is 4-6". For the most part they seem to just want to pick on each other and one is actully pecking at the silicone inside the tank i cant tell if it is eating it or not, it does seem that it is.
I keep freshwater sting rays and have a pair that i have had for about a year. My discus are in the same 90gal tank, i feed the rays live blackworms so as far as starving my discus(which i have been doing in hope that they might eat something else, its been 3 days) I can really only go for so long before my rays are hating me.

Please help!

[marilyn1998]

Each time I have added discus that were shipped to me, it has taken 7-10 days for them to eat well. Give them some more time.
If you purchased them from a breeder or store, ask what they ate and how often. You may have better success if you duplicate.
Is your water the same parameters that they came from? are they otherwise healthy and swimming around?

[nhelements]

As for the water parameters its not the same, the ph is off by .2(6.6-6.8) and the kh is the same. Some of the fish seem shy and just habg in the back of the tank as others do swim around.

[White Worm]

Give em time to settle in, maybe move them to another tank until they start eating other foods if you are worried about starving your rays. The discus wont starve but it is difficult to get them to eat some foods. What did the person before you feed them? It all depends on what the breeder fed them. I good breeder will feed lots of different foods so they dont get too picky.

[nhelements]

i think the only thing i havent tried is live brine shrimp.Should i stop starving them and just keep going with the blackworms and hope they move on to other foods or should i keep up with what i am doing?

[architect1]

I feel you pain. My discus are doing the same thing but I was going to do the starve thing. I will be going away for the weekend for 2 nights so it will give them time to think about eating anything when i get home. Mine also run and hide when i lift the top of the hood.

[White Worm]

I think what you guys have to do is understand that the most important thing is patience and time. They will come around. A few days without food is not going to harm them. They could go much longer without any ill effects. When they get hungry enough, they will eat whatever you put in there. If they run, they do not recognize you as food time. Only go to the tank when it is feeding time so they associate you with food.

[tdr1919]

Most of the time you will find that it all gets down to the water, but I mean
not the Kh or the PH, but what temperature is it? and how often is it changed. When discus are shy, it is usually the environment. I dont know much about Rays, and what they can tolerate, but if you raise your tank temp to 92 degrees, this will elivate their metabolisms and possibly get them to eat. Normal temp for your discus should be 84 to 86 degrees.
Tom

[pcsb23]

Hi there and welcome to simply!

Tom is right about the water, .2 off on ph is no big deal, nor is the kh. It is more important that the water is clear of ammonia, nitrites and low in nitrates. Regular water changes, preferably with aged preheated water, will work wonders. If you can't age it then match the temps as closely as possible, also if your local water contains chlorine or chloramine, treat it with a suitable conditioner like prime. I don't know a lot about rays but if they can stand higher temps then bumping the temp up a few degrees may kick start the feeding, if not keep it as stable as poss between 84 and 86 as Tom said.
hth,
Paul.

[nhelements]

Most of the time you will find that it all gets down to the water, but I mean
not the Kh or the PH, but what temperature is it? and how often is it changed. When discus are shy, it is usually the environment. I dont know much about Rays, and what they can tolerate, but if you raise your tank temp to 92 degrees, this will elivate their metabolisms and possibly get them to eat. Normal temp for your discus should be 84 to 86 degrees.
Tom

Good point my temp is at 80-82, and i do a water of 50% twice a week but not with aged water, I use tap water and get it as close to the temp as i can. I live in an appartment building with little space to store water, if anyone has any ideas on how to store water with little space i would love to hear it?

[pcsb23]

I have read on here somewhere that using food grade bins is what others do, I believe these can be got from home depot or lowes. You'd have to check it out as I'm a bit far away to look as I'm in the UK. Stick it in a corner or under a side board with an airstone and heater and your hot to trot. Its definitely worth it.
Paul.