New discus will not eat!

[Marinemom]

Hi, I just joined this site and find it to be very insightful and interesting. I just keep reading and reading until I think my eyes are going to fall out of my head.

I have 5 new discus that I just got home last Thursday night and they are all doing well except that they will not eat. They swim around exploring thier new home and seem to be quite active in the tank. What can I do to entice them to eat. I have been keeping fish for more than ten years and this is my second attempt at keeping discus. The first attempt ended tragically when my heater malfuntioned and heated the tank to 110 degrees. Everything in the tank died ; discus,pleco, cories, and all the plants in this fully planted aquarium. It made me sick to even look at the tank because it would make me cry. However, I just had to pick myself up and try again.

O.K. so the problem is my discus still will not eat. I know I have only had them for less than a week. I have tried to feed them krill mixed with some garlic xtreme, and waited another two nights and last night I tried to feed them daphnia mixed with garlic xtreme. They will not touch it no matter what. I have other things I can try such as squid, mussels, brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, and others but I'm getting a little discouraged. I cannot feed them bloodworms which I think they are used to because I have a severe allergic reaction to them. I cannot come in contact with them in any way, shape, or form;even if it is airbourne because it could spell deadly consequences for me. What can I do to entice them to eat? I know fish can go quite a long while before eating, but I'm sitting on the edge of my seat here.


Any help and or suggestions to help me resolve this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Marinemom

[oodi]

Hi Marinemom,

I can understand why you would stay away from the bloodworms... seems more than a few have allergies to them, and they can be deadly for those with serious allergies.

You might try raising the temp to 85 or 86 degrees... increased temp will usually help. It will just take some time for them to adjust to foods they aren't accustomed to getting. Another option may be CBW (California Blackworms). The only source I would recommend for those is Dan at Aquatic Foods. He has a banner at the bottom of this page.

Judi
:)

[Andres]

What temp do you have them in??? Also have you changed the water when you feed them or take out the food. How many gal is your tank? Is this a new set-up or old? A week with out food is not a good sign!! garlic xtreme never used it. Just water changes and some salt from your local pet store did the trick. Have you tried beef heart?

[White Worm]

Up the temp to 88, add non-iodized salt at 1 tbspn per 10g and leave the lights off for a couple days. A week without food is nothing to worry about as long as there are no other symptoms of illness (darkenss, clamped fins, etc). They sometimes just need time to get comfortable. Some discus are very picky eaters and BW's are one of their favorites. Too bad....no blocks or dried either huh? Only problem with cbw is that once they have that, I've heard it is hard to get them to eat other stuff. Plus, if you dont get it from a reliable source and dont prepare it correctly, it can give you problems. It may just take some time to get them used to other foods. If after 3 weeks to a month, and no eating, then time to be conscerned. Lots of clean water and keep an eye on them. Just some ideas... Mike
Plus, let us know your tank setup (substrate, temps, parameters, filtration, tank size, etc)

[Marinemom]

The tank has been set up for four and a half years and is a fully planted aquarium. The substrate is eco-complete that is about an inch thick. The tank is 46 gallons but eventually they will be moved to a larger tank such as a 125 or larger. The filteration is a canister filter that is an eheim 2215 that filters about 90 gallons of water with a gph of 164 gallons an hour. There is also a penguien 170 running on the tank.I tested the water and the ammonia is at 0, the nitrites are at o. and the nitrates are undetectable. The plants probably use them up as fast as they are produced. The temperature is at 85 degrees consistently. I'm a little afraid to raise the temperature because of what happened last time and we have been experiencing a heatwave of about 100 degrees every day for the last several days.I have been doing small water changes evey other day even though the reading are perfect because I know that discus like super clean water.

I hope this helps. What else do I need to do besides wait?

Marinemom

[Andres]

Well I'm not a plant person but what I have read 88 deg or more is to hot for plants. So non-iodized salt dont know if that would also kill the plants. How much w/c do you do. Also whats your PH level? Does anybody know about planted tanks that could help Marinemom.

[Dissident]

They will take time to settle in. Espically aldults they are more sensitive to changes. As long as they look healthy I wouldn not stress it, they are just adjusting to the new enviroment. It is common that they will not eat for a few days.

[AADiscus]

Do you have another tank you could move them to? I think you need to move them to a bb tank, temp at 86. Feed them some bh, flake or try some earth worms (clean really good). What were they eating before you got them?

[swinters66]

Sounds like what I am going through marinemom! Fustrating isnt it? Mine seem to be more interested in picking things off the wood than the food they were eating at the fish store! (they gave me some when I got them). I havent tried salt...and I am going to do a small water change tonight (theyve been in the tank 3 days now), so I dont know what salt will do to get them to eat.

I hope both of our discus decide to make us happy and eat for us!!

[Andres]

swinters66 and Marinemom, I had the same problem so I raised the temp to 90 deg with no plants or other fish just discus and salt by the next day they were eating like crazy?? Well hope this well help and please dont try this if you have a planted tank. I had a friend that tried and forgot to tell me that he had plants. Keep us posted if you try this.

[Marinemom]

I do have plants in this tank, in fact it is a fully planted aquarium but the plants were chosen that can take higher temperatures and are low to moderate light plants. This way I do not have to worry about co2 injections. I do not have another aquarium I can put them in. All of them are in use except for a 10 gallon tank. This I know will not work for them. What is bh? Beefheart? Isin't that kind of a pain to clean up if they choose not to eat that too? I can try raising the temp. gradually if you think that will help, but I do not want to fry my discus. I have thought about the blackworms but it kinda grosses me out right now. I guess I will just have to get used to it. When I started my saltwater reef, cleaning the protien skimmer was kind of gross(it smells like a dirty diaper)and now I don't think twice about it. I clean it every day usually. I thought that I would only resort to live food as a last resort. I'm afraid of the live food bringing in parasites. Do I need to worry about this? So raising the temp. and feeding some blackworms. Anything else I can do? If I do feed the blackworms are they going to refuse everything else? Isin't a varied diet better for them?

Marinemom

[swinters66]

Hmm well I have no live plants as of yet, but I do have 2 cory cats in that tank, and I read they do not tolerate 90 or higher...so what would a safe temp be for all the fish in the tank? My tank is sitting at 87.1 and I just finished a small water change, maybe 10%, just vaccuumed the gravel and got some....stuff out of it. Would 88 be ok? The tank was staying at 86.6 steadily since Thrurs. and I got the discus Sat. I got tense doing the water change, as I dont want to freak the discus out...they hid the whole time my vaccuum was in there.

Should I get aquarium salt and add a little? Whats the long term effect on that with the discus? UGH if I could just see them actually eat, I'd be ok!!

[Marinemom]

P.S. I don't think that the salt is good for the plants.

Marinemom

[Marinemom]

I feel the same way! If I could just get them to eat everything would be good in discusworld.

Marinemom

[White Worm]

Discus dont mind the higher temps, just ensure good aeration. Even into the 90 range is ok for short period. Some do 1 week high temp around 90 during QT after meds. Salt is not good for the plants. They just need time, lots of clean water and lights out. Beefheart is a mix of multiple ingredients and yes it fouls the water quickly if they dont eat it. Plus, alot will rot in the substrate unless you have a good cleaning crew. For new discus, you should be doing much more frequent wc's and a higher percentage around 30-50% or more daily. Dont get nervous when doing wc's, they will get over it. Dont baby them because before you know it, you will be tiptoeing into the room afraid to disturb them. Go about your business as normal and they will adapt.

[swinters66]

So even if they arent eating...or arent eating a lot, I should do more water changes?

Does anyone feed their discus the Hikari discus food? Or New Life Spectrum discus food?

[Kindredspirit]

Always do your wc ~ and both of those foods you mentioned are high quality IMO! Keep us posted!


Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_14_50.gif

[White Worm]

So even if they arent eating...or arent eating a lot, I should do more water changes?

Does anyone feed their discus the Hikari discus food? Or New Life Spectrum discus food?
Yep, keep up with wc's and vacuum alot if you have gravel. You will see that the gravel collects so much crap and its better without it. When you think you cleaned good enough...you havent. I started with gravel and finally changed to BB. Easier to see when you need to clean. Although, I am now bored of the look and I am thinking of going with sand which is still better than gravel.
Yes, I use Hikari and my discus seem to love it more than any other brands. I also use tetra color bits granules. I feed hikari FBW's and freeze dried hikari BW. They dont care much for shrimp unless it is live.

[Andres]

Just do what I do buy a magnum 350 or the hot magnum with the gravel kit. Just suck up the gravel and not worry about leaving anything behind right into the filter and clean water comes out. The best idea ever!!!:) :) :) :) However, I only use this twice a week to deep clean the gravel. Nevertheless, when I do my water changes everyday I move the gravel my self and suck what ever is floating in the tank.

[swinters66]

Ok I saw a product at Petsmart...GarlicGuard. Says its good for finicky eaters or fish that arent eating. Its supposed to help stimulate a fish's appetite, and I have seen some homemade beefheart recipes that add garlic to it....so is garlic, or this garlicguard actually good for the discus?

[Marinemom]

I've used garlic with my other fish and it works great including my saltwater reef but my discus will not touch it. I think at this point I will have to resort to live food, hence the california blackworms. My only worry at this point is if I feed them the blackworms are they going to refuse everything else?

Marinemom

[Timbo]

My only worry at this point is if I feed them the blackworms are they going to refuse everything else?

its a good possibility. they can get hooked on cbw or fbw to the exclusion of other, more nutritionally balanced, offerings.

[swinters66]

Ok...I am losing patience. I raised the temp in the tank, it was about 88.1 this morning (was 86.8 early last night) and added a little aquarium salt. Now, I have noticed that they seem more active, swimming more, and a little faster...so I dont know if its the temp or the salt or a combo of both. And I got some tetra color bits last night...so I tried feeding them. Once swam up to a sinking piece and I thought "this is it!!" but he didnt eat it. :mad: What is going on with these guys?!?!

I am also wondering if the harlequin rasboras I have in there are a bad idea...they move around a lot, darting, and they are all eating, and I read that they like slow moving peachful tank mates, and these are anything but! Should I maybe take them out and just have discus and some of the bottom feeders? I am going to get 2 more discus this weekend. Would that maybe make the discus not eat? The rasboras and their energy level and only 2 discus in the tank? Like maybe if I got 2 more dicus and those actually ATE something...the others would start eating too?

I am going to do another water change when I get home from work tonight. Do I need to add more salt when I do this?

I mean, I feel like this is some big giant experiment gone awry, not an enjoyable hobby. :(

[Marinemom]

I hear you.My discus still will not eat and it has been almost a week with no food for them. Last night I tried plankton. Again, they just run and hide when the food arrives until I siphon it out. At this point I'm getting a little impatient. So, I'm going to do a larger water change today. That they will probably like. Then I guess I'm off to fine some blackworms unless someone else has some other ideas to get them to eat.

Marinemom

[swinters66]

Oh yeah we are in the same boat huh :) My husband bought me another discus today...TOTAL surprise...cant wait to get home and see this one. All he said was when I asked what kind he got "I dont know he's blue!" Cute huh? Maybe this one will eat and the other 2 will get the hint...I can only hope...and I am getting my 4th and final discus Sat, when I am off.

Let me know if the black worms work on yours...then Ill try it. I am thinking of getting live brine shrimp on the way home, maybe they'll eat those.

[White Worm]

Ok...I am losing patience. I raised the temp in the tank, it was about 88.1 this morning (was 86.8 early last night) and added a little aquarium salt. Now, I have noticed that they seem more active, swimming more, and a little faster...so I dont know if its the temp or the salt or a combo of both. And I got some tetra color bits last night...so I tried feeding them. Once swam up to a sinking piece and I thought "this is it!!" but he didnt eat it. :mad: What is going on with these guys?!?!

I am also wondering if the harlequin rasboras I have in there are a bad idea...they move around a lot, darting, and they are all eating, and I read that they like slow moving peachful tank mates, and these are anything but! Should I maybe take them out and just have discus and some of the bottom feeders? I am going to get 2 more discus this weekend. Would that maybe make the discus not eat? The rasboras and their energy level and only 2 discus in the tank? Like maybe if I got 2 more dicus and those actually ATE something...the others would start eating too?

I am going to do another water change when I get home from work tonight. Do I need to add more salt when I do this?

I mean, I feel like this is some big giant experiment gone awry, not an enjoyable hobby. :(
Discus prefer to be in a small school size of 6-8. small fish are no worry. Actually when discus see the other small fish swimming about, it makes them feel a little more secure. With 2, they will be shy, timid, not eat, etc. You will be amazed at what happens when you get them about 4 friends to hang out with. What is your tank size?

[White Worm]

Oh yeah we are in the same boat huh :) My husband bought me another discus today...TOTAL surprise...cant wait to get home and see this one. All he said was when I asked what kind he got "I dont know he's blue!" Cute huh? Maybe this one will eat and the other 2 will get the hint...I can only hope...and I am getting my 4th and final discus Sat, when I am off.

Let me know if the black worms work on yours...then Ill try it. I am thinking of getting live brine shrimp on the way home, maybe they'll eat those.
I hope you are quarantineing (sp?) any new arrivals/additions. They could be carrying illness. You will need 6-8 and around a 90g tank to start off right. Most discus cannot resist live foods. Their natural hunting instinct kicks in. Thats why it is sometimes not good to add small fish to an already established discus tank. I did it and they all came running like I was feeding them. Yikes! They all chilled when they noticed it was friends and not food. They will come around with time.

[swinters66]

All of these discus came from the same store, the same tank. This third guy is VERY freaked out...I think mostly because my husband kept him in the bag, floating for a long time....he is a tad bigger than the other 2, but not much. He's hiding, and I have the light off for now. I am getting my 4th and last discus Sat (my day off). Its a 40 gallon tank. It's all I can fit in the bedroom right now, so the tank is away from a lot of traffic. I dont know why he was in the bag so long...my hubby told me since I am so anal about this tank (am I??) and that there was pure oxygen in the bag he didnt want to put him in the tank until I got home....so that ticked me off.

So, all I can do is wait...and hope he calms down. The other 2 went and checked him out, but are kinda leaving him be, hiding behind a big plant. So, with the 4th discus Ill get...I am hoping all will be ok.

[gdtrfb]

The plants will not like the salt. If your plants are the standard discus friendly plants a day or two at a higher than normal temperature will not hurt them. These plants are pretty strong and will recover form a short term period of stress. I also believe that discus introduced into live planted tanks take a bit longer to acclimate to their environment. Just think if you were coming from a bare bottom tank or a very sparse tank form the LFS adn then plopped into a lush planted environment. They will check and stake their territory, which is going to take longer in a tank with a ton of nooks and crannies. I have had great success with frozen cubes of beef heart. It is not gross. A red cube of frozen substance. At first you may want to dice it up and then drop it in the tank, but after a while it is fun to hold it between your fingertips and have the dish eat right from your hand. All discus I have had fall in love with beef heart. Hopefully, by now your dilemna is over.

[swinters66]

Marinemom....did you try feeding yours blackworms? I am just anxious to know how that worked.

My new guy is still hiding. The plants are fake. The new guy comes out here and there, but he is hiding at least every other time Ive checked in on him. The other two keep checking on him, from what it looks like, they are still swimming around tho.

I am womdering if I should have waited before trying discus. What was I thinking??

[Kindredspirit]

I am womdering if I should have waited before trying discus. What was I thinking??


aww.. dont say that! One thing you will learn tho is Patience! Of which I have none:( Learn the basics and there are many here to help you with the rest ~ trust me ~


Hang In There Ladies;)


Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_1_18.gif

[Marinemom]

So far I have not tried the blackworms. This afternoon I got really sick with what I think is some kind of mild food poisoning from eating some leftovers from a chinese restaurant. That will teach me. I'm not doing that again. Because of this I did not get the bigger water change done either. I guess these things are going to wait until tomorrow. I did however over the last two days raise the temperature in the tank to 88 degrees. They seem more active than before so maybe(I'm keeping my fingers crossed) they will start to eat for me. I hope so. I'm really starting to worry that if they do not eat thier immune system will be comprimised and they could get sick. Of course, I don't want that.

Hopefully I will be feeling better tomnorrow so I can do the water change and continue trying to get them to eat.

Marinemom

[White Worm]

Marinemom....did you try feeding yours blackworms? I am just anxious to know how that worked.

My new guy is still hiding. The plants are fake. The new guy comes out here and there, but he is hiding at least every other time Ive checked in on him. The other two keep checking on him, from what it looks like, they are still swimming around tho.

I am womdering if I should have waited before trying discus. What was I thinking??
Its a numbers game with discus. They just feel more secure in a group. Be patient, it may just take longer for them to settle in, especially if they are very young. i have had some the pouted for weeks and then all of a sudden, they were fine. I have had some that didnt eat for long periods of time and then they were fine. Dont worry. Its all a learning curve.

[White Worm]

So far I have not tried the blackworms. This afternoon I got really sick with what I think is some kind of mild food poisoning from eating some leftovers from a chinese restaurant. That will teach me. I'm not doing that again. Because of this I did not get the bigger water change done either. I guess these things are going to wait until tomorrow. I did however over the last two days raise the temperature in the tank to 88 degrees. They seem more active than before so maybe(I'm keeping my fingers crossed) they will start to eat for me. I hope so. I'm really starting to worry that if they do not eat thier immune system will be comprimised and they could get sick. Of course, I don't want that.

Hopefully I will be feeling better tomnorrow so I can do the water change and continue trying to get them to eat.

Marinemom
keeping the water clean will help with the immune system and keep the environment healthy until they come around.

[Dood Lee]

When I got my discus, only one of them started eating immediately. Two more eventually started eating after a week. The last one didn't start eating until after I had it for two months.

Definitely try out the blackworms though. My discus really love frozen bloodworms. Also, invest in one or two of the cone feeders. Once the discus learn to eat from the cone, the bottom of the tank stays really clean.

Edit: Forgot to add, my tank is at 84-86 degrees.

[swinters66]

I noticed too that my guys seem more active since Ive raised the water temp. I havent raised it by much...it was 87.8 this morning. The third guy was out swimming this morning, but went and hid when I approached.

I didnt do my water change either....I was too concerned for the new guy and didnt want any added stress for him. So, tonight I am getting home and doing that water change!! Its not as difficult as I thought!

I wanted to ask about live brine shrimp...we have other tanks and the fish in those love brine shrimp...so if I got some and put a few in the discus tank....I am hoping theyll eat those. But at the same time, what if they dont eat them and then I have some small brine shrimp swimming around my tank?

[Marinemom]

Finally, a little success! I'm sill holding out and not giving them the california blackworms. Tonight, I put a cube of brine shrimp in the tank without dissolving it first. I just threw it in and sat back to see what would happen. The cube bounced around for a few seconds before it started to dissolve on it's own and WOW! They all came running. I know that two out of the five ate some of it and the others were definetly interested. Maybe they are finally getting hungry enough to call off the boycott. I know that brine shrimp is not the most nutritional food for them but at least it is something.I'm not going to push my luck with this. That's all the food I'm giving them tonight.

I did a water change today of about 40% which they were really happy about and I'm keeping the tank at 88 degrees which they seem to prefer.Tonight they are more active and seem happier in thier new home.

Swinter 66-Try the brine shrimp. Mine ate some of it and this makes me very happy. If they don't eat it at least your cories will like it.

Now, If I can just get them to eat something that is a little more healthy.

Marinemom

[White Worm]

Could you try and have someone else feed them bloodworms and see if they respond? Sorry if someone already asked.

[Marinemom]

Bloodworms are an absolute no in this house. If some of it should become airbourne or if I come in contact with it in any way(I do not have to touch them to react), my reaction is so severe that it can be deadly with me. I have been stubborn with this in the past and would feed it to my cichlids in spite of my reactions which are severe, and the last time I did this I went into anaphalactic shock and could not breathe. I didn't even touch it. I was wearing gloves and punched out the cubes directly in the water and my reaction was so severe that I had to be taken to the hospital because of the anaphalatic shock and my eyes had swelled up so bad that they completely sealed shut and of course I could not see. Because of what happened and the fact that I have a serious heart condition and asthma I had to spend the night in the hospital. This all happened just days before I was leaving on my vacation to the Carribean Islands. To me it is just not worth it to even have the bloodworms in the house.

That being said, I know that bloodworms are healthy for them but there are many other things I can feed them without risking my own well being. That is just the way it has to be for me and my fish.

Do you have any other suggestions on what to feed them that has a lot of nutritional value but is not live food? I just do not want to risk parasites that can be brought in with live food.

Marinemom

[Dood Lee]

Some people have their doubts, but I have heard that live California Blackworms are highly nutritious. Otherwise, try some Hikari brand frozen Mysis shrimp. The pieces are bigger than the brine, and Mysis has better nutritional content.

You could also go and check in the Foods and Nutrition section of these forums. Many people post on foods that their discus love to eat.

[Marinemom]

Thanks, I'll try that.

Marinemom

[Apistomaster]

That allergic reaction is unfortunate because it's severe. I became sensitized
to the real Tubifex not the Black worms. A drop of there water would be enough to raise a welt on my skin.
Larry

[White Worm]

Bloodworms are an absolute no in this house. If some of it should become airbourne or if I come in contact with it in any way(I do not have to touch them to react), my reaction is so severe that it can be deadly with me. I have been stubborn with this in the past and would feed it to my cichlids in spite of my reactions which are severe, and the last time I did this I went into anaphalactic shock and could not breathe. I didn't even touch it. I was wearing gloves and punched out the cubes directly in the water and my reaction was so severe that I had to be taken to the hospital because of the anaphalatic shock and my eyes had swelled up so bad that they completely sealed shut and of course I could not see. Because of what happened and the fact that I have a serious heart condition and asthma I had to spend the night in the hospital. This all happened just days before I was leaving on my vacation to the Carribean Islands. To me it is just not worth it to even have the bloodworms in the house.

That being said, I know that bloodworms are healthy for them but there are many other things I can feed them without risking my own well being. That is just the way it has to be for me and my fish.

Do you have any other suggestions on what to feed them that has a lot of nutritional value but is not live food? I just do not want to risk parasites that can be brought in with live food.

Marinemom
OK:o

[swinters66]

Well I am glad to hear that marinemom!! I dont know if I had any success last night or I just want them to eat so bad I'm seeing things.....but I added some of the frozen Emerald Entree (there's krill, mysis, artemia (sp), spinach, romaine lettuce,spirulina, things like that) and one of them ate a small piece. Mind you it was a small piece and the other 2 didnt eat (at least I didnt see them eat anything)

So, I will try the brine shrimp. This is the most fustrating thing Ive had to deal with regarding fish.

[wolfbane]

Patience friends, they will eat! As long as they are healthy, they will give in and eat when they are ready. You are doing the right thing, WCs and small amounts of food to try, just hang on!!
I also had some fish last year that wouldn't eat for 3 weeks, then,BAM! like tigers on the food!

[Alight]

Discus like to pick at their food. Sometime they like to let it lie on the bottom a while before even taking it in once, then spitting it out, repeat and eat a bit, spit it out, etc. This is true even if they wham down some food initially. This is especially true of dry foods, and, for some reason for my fish, Hikari Mysis shrimp. Maybe they like to have it soaked, and have some of the added vitamins wash away? Who knows.

This is part of the reason that bare bottom tanks are better for raising Juvies to full size.

Anyway, let the food lie around for a couple of hours before vacuuming it out (unless it's beefheart, then get rid of it right away). It takes at least that long before it starts to rot.

[swinters66]

Yes I did a wc this morning...vaccuumed the gravel, even though I have 3 corys, it needed it...not taking a chance with uneaten food.

Unfortunately...the first 2 I got are taking the new guys habit of hiding when I go in there...ggrr. I added some more emerald entree tonight...I saw them picking around, but couldnt tell if they were actually eating or just nosing around the tank.

live or frozen brine shrimp...does it matter?

[Marinemom]

I'm sure there will be differing opinions on this but I would try to stick to the frozen food if you can. My discus are being picky but if I can get them to eat frozen, I see no reason to introduce live food. The risk of parasites is too great.

Marinemom

[swinters66]

Well I picked up a freshwater mix of frozen food. It has emerald entree (god I have so much of that now!) spirulina enriched brine shrimp, bloodworms and cichlid delight. That has turkey heart, krill, etc...Its like perfect since I want to give them a greater variety. They dont touch the color bits. The rasboras sure like it though.

At the lfs, they told me that, yeah, sometimes they let the food sit on the bottom for awhile, then pick at it. So, I dont know, maybe they are eating. Its not like I can sit and watch the tank for 6 hours :laugh: I mean after a week, they look the same, act the same, swim, etc. They do all the things they've been doing. So, I am relaxing...sort of.

Marinemom....they still eating the brine shrimp??

[Marinemom]

They are still going for the brine shrimp. Today I'm doing another water change and I will try some mysis shrimp tonight to see if they will eat that. Wish me luck!

Marinemom

[greyhoundfan]

Swinter and MM, goodluck. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you. As long as you keep with the WCs those discus will come around. Sometimes you just have to non-chalauntly drop the food in their tank. I think they can pick up on your anxiousness and in turn they get nervous. I've had a lot of fish before and discus are intelligent fish and reminds me of having puppies.

This is the longest "my discus won't eat thread" I've seen thus far. A lot of people are pulling for you. Don't worry no pressure..:D

[swinters66]

Well I do believe I had some success....I dropped half a chunk of the spirulina brine shrimp in the tank, it immediately started disinegrating. After a few seconds, it looked like some were picking around the gravel (they were behind some wood). Even the rasboras were eating some of it. I need to get a photo of all of them up.

I dont want them to only eat brine shrimp, so next time I feed, would trying the bloodworms or cichlid delight be better?

I have to clean out the foam insert on my aquaclear tomorrow. I can only imagine what it looks like....yech :inquisitive: Then another wc Monday morning.

Well greyhoundfan...I certainly dont mind keeping this particular thread going...I am learning A LOT!!! You all have been super helpful and patient, at least with me and my many Q's about feeding these guys!!

[Marinemom]

Well, the mysis shrimp did not work! They have redeclared thier boycott. Patience is running thin here. I have to let it go and just know that eventually nature has to kick in and tell them to eat. Right?

Marinemom

[Marinemom]

P.S. Is there a way to help Mother Nature hurry things up?

Marinemom

[Elite Aquaria]

I have had this problem in the past and the best thing to do is to use some Live food. The Black worms are my preference since they stay alive for a long time and do not foul the water. Once I got them to eat the Black worms I started to introduce some tetra bits and then Beef heart. The key however was to stick to your guns...What ever you decide to use continue to use the same thing until they eat it. If you change food options frequently before they get used to any of them it seems to take longer for them to begin to eat. Just be patient. They will eat the Black worms.

Dan

[Mattie]

Food: Do you remember the gentleman that was getting good growth with the hard water? He was also feeding his Discus with nothing but cat food. He would go to his house and see all these cans of cat food, but never any cat. Three cans for a dollar. The Ocean Nutrition people make Jack's food. He said if you can't find it, check with shops that sell food for marine fish, they will probably carry it. You will have better luck in the larger cities. Besides the garlic, he also recommends a little banana. He ran some tests on fry for thirty days (minimum period of time he said you should run an experiment with food), and fed them nothing but banana. For the first two weeks the fry kept up with the others, and then started to fall behind. The fact that they grew well was obvious that the banana was good for them, lots of minerals. For your own formula he reccomends four parts beef heart - one part liver (par boiled or it will pollute the tank) - one or two or three parts of some kind of marine shrimp, clam, muscle, lobster, or what ever you can find. It does not have to be the same every time - one part of some type of algae, he recommended the stuff from the Japanese health food store, although he said it was expensive, if you do not want to use algae, you can use frozen spinach, he said lettuce was not a good choice. He also does not recommend spirulina or corrilla, as it comes in powder form and is hard to control in the tank - if you are going to use vitamins, put some on the food right before you feed it - Wheat germ is ok, but no egg as it will cloud the water - Jack said run it through a grinder. If you are going to be feeding smaller Discus, you will have to get it smaller (I use a food proccesor). This formula he said should be sufficient as a single food source.

Jack said two years ago he was visiting hatcheries in Southeast Asia, where they raise Discus on the sides of the parents, with the exception of one place. He saw tanks filled with two week old fry away from the parents. In the bottom of these tanks were balls of red tubifex worms about half the size of a golf ball, and the fry would pick and pick at them all day long (like they do on the parents), and this was how they were fed. Jack said over there, this is what they feed all the Discus (tubifex), although they will tell you that they do not. Jack does not reccomend them as they carry parasites. At a hatchery in Madan in Sumatra, they raise all the fry artificialy following Jacks system (from Jacks book). Jack said it had over one thousand pairs of Discus! They sold Snakeskin Discus there, and Jack noticed the prices where higher than the others and asked why. They replied they only had twenty eight pairs of them! He said the hatchery consisted of four rooms, and in the main room the temperature was 95 degrees. The most beautiful Pigeon Bloods he had ever seen, Blue Diamonds, everything. Jack asked to see the hatching room, and he said it contained over one hundred and fifty two pans with fry in them! Each pan had anywhere from seventy five to one hundred and fifty fry. He said what a nightmare it was just to run eight himself. When asked if he did anything different than Jack, he said he had five workers that started at 7AM, and went home at 4PM (this was only the workers that cared for the pans). They were paid $ 1.95 per day! Jack said he worked the pans from 7:30 AM to 10:30 PM, but after seeing this along with the good growth they had at this hatchery, they stop a little earlier now. He just could not believe the size of this hachery.

Jack said raising Discus was not a scientific endeavor. He said it's come a long way, but not far enough.

Jerry Verwisjt

© July, 1997

[swinters66]

What ever you decide to use continue to use the same thing until they eat it.

Dan

Hmm...so maybe I should try feeding them more brine shrimp today, instead of say, the cichlid delight? I've was feeding the color bits with the frozen food the lfs made since I got them and no results. The brine shrimp seemed to have worked, at least I am thinking it did. I did notice them picking on the bottom of the tank more last night than they were. The only thing down there was the food, so I would think that is what they were picking at.

I looked up SF Bay foods...and the cichlid delight used to be called discus delight.

Sorry to hear the mysis didnt entice your guys Marinemom....If I do feed mine the cichlid delight and they eat it, Ill let you know...who knows, maybe it'll work like a charm on your guys too! :)

[Kindredspirit]

. I have to let it go and just know that eventually nature has to kick in and tell them to eat. Right?

Marinemom



Right;)



Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/29/29_2_15.gif

[jeep]

Let's get back to basics here...

First off, nature will not run it's course in fixing a hunger strike. After this much time, there is something wrong here. Contact whoever you got them from and ask them what food they were raised on.

2. If these were shipped in, cut back on your water changes. 20% per day or every other day until the problem is corrected. If not, I would cut back anyway. A fish not eating will produce no waste and the less stress the better.

3. Raise the temp to 93-95 for 10 days and add lots of air and salt at 1-2 TBS per 10g. This should not hurt your plants, but even if it did, what's more important, the fish or the plants??? After 10 days cut the temp down to 82. At any serious sign respiration stress, reduce temp immediatly.

4. Feed selectively. Don't feed at all for 2-3 days. Some don't like feeding their fish CBW's, but I guarantee you that CBW's will bring a discus off of deaths door almost immediatly. Plus, get some Colorbits and feed supplement once the fish start eating. If you don't do the CBW's, pick a food and stick to it... don't give them the option of refusing more than one food. I feed BH and Colorbits only...

4. Don't worry too much. Discus can go a long time without food. Don't expect any radical changes until 7-10 days AFTER the heat treatment...

[swinters66]

Well I am a happy camper....I watched them pick at the cichlid delight!! They dont seem to be going for any of the pieces floating around (the rasboras sure are diggin it tho) rather they are picking around the gravel. I am so thrilled to know they are taking an interest in the food and are eating some of it!! I keep peeking around the corner in my bedroom and watch them...yeah I'm retarded :D

But, now I really have to do a wc in the morning and rinse out the foam insert in my filter.

Marinemom....maybe you should try that freshwater mix...although it does have bloodworms. I dont know how severe it is for you...whether you can even touch the foil packet :undecided:

[Marinemom]

Like I said before, I can't get anywhere near bloodworms after the last time I fed this to my cichlids I landed in the hospital and had to stay there overnight because I went into anapholatic(spelling?) shock , could not breathe and my eyes swelled so bad that they were sealed shut and I could not see. That time I was wearing gloves and just punched out the cubes into the water. I did not even touch the stuff. The doctor said even if I was wearing gloves some of it became airbourne and that is how I reacted. My husband does not even want the stuff in the house.

So, on another note, I contacted the breeder and told him what I have been going through with these fish. He told me that he was feeding them mainly two things. Those would be the california blackworms and beefheart. O.K. so I am going to try the beefheart and see what happens. Other than them not eating everything else seems normal. They cruise around the tank and seem relatively happy in thier new home. I just need to get them to eat on a regular basis and all will be well in my tank of discusworld. Let's see if the beefheart is going to work.

Marinemom

[Elite Aquaria]

Beef heart is a great food. I use it but...Make sure to siphon off any excess uneaten food or you will have an ammonia problem. I would say siphon off after about 30-45 minutes.

Dan

[Marinemom]

I plan on the beefheart for tomorrow. I know this stuff can be messy so I plan on cleaning it up as soon as I think thier interest has waned from it. Thanks for the suggestion.

Marinemom

[swinters66]

Ooh thats just awful about your reaction to BWs....holy cow! Well, then skip the freshwater mix, esp if your man doesnt even want bws in the house! I dont blame him!!

I'm getting ready to do the wc before I get ready for work....all looks ok. I sure hope your guys take to the beefheart!! I am a LOT more relaxed now that I have seen mine eat...or pick..or whatever they were doing to the food haha...they showed interest at least.

I dont know where to find black worms in my neck of the woods.

[Dood Lee]

Beefheart is really messy. I used to feed my discus beefheart, but it was a real pain vaccuming the tank after every meal. The constant water changes started to affect the overall health of my plants.

I still stand by suggestion of feeding worms through a worm cone. It's by far the cleanest solution I have found to feeding discus. Almost no food ever gets to the bottom of my tank. If by some chance some worms escape and make it to the bottom, either the discus or my cory cats eat them up.

[lhforbes12]

Beefheart is really messy. I used to feed my discus beefheart, but it was a real pain vaccuming the tank after every meal. The constant water changes started to affect the overall health of my plants.

I still stand by suggestion of feeding worms through a worm cone. It's by far the cleanest solution I have found to feeding discus. Almost no food ever gets to the bottom of my tank. If by some chance some worms escape and make it to the bottom, either the discus or my cory cats eat them up.

100% agree, plus there is nothing else like CBW to get reluctant eaters to start eating. The other thing to note is that CBW do NOT carry pathogens, folks who think they do are confused.

Larry

[greyhoundfan]

The other thing to note is that CBW do NOT carry pathogens, folks who think they do are confused.

Larry

Really Larry?? Wouldn't anything that is fed to your fish live have the chance of carrying pathogens??

[lhforbes12]

Really Larry?? Wouldn't anything that is fed to your fish live have the chance of carrying pathogens??

Reid,
Read this; http://forum.simplydiscus.com//showthread.php?t=20977
I will have to agree that it is not impossible, however once you have read the thread I'm sure you'll agree just how unlikely it really is.

Larry

btw, as I said, there is absolutely nothing that I have ever used that is more likely to get a fish, any fish, eating than CBW

[Marinemom]

Oh well, I put the beefheart in the tank about ten minutes ago and they have yet to touch it. It (the beefheart) is just sitting at the bottom of the tank. I have an appointment at four o'clock and when I get back I will siphon this crap out. That should give them enough time to pick at it but I doubt that they are going to eat it.Except for a few morsels of food that two out of the five ate a couple of times these fish have gone a week and a half without food. Wait! I think I see one of them eating it.This is going to be a slow thing getting them to take food. As if it is not slow enough already! I guess I'll wait till I get back from my appointment and see how much is left.

Marinemom

[Marinemom]

I got back from my appointment at about 4:30 and I siphoned out the rest of the beefheart. Either they ate some while I was gone or the pleco ate some of it. Maybe I just need to relax and let things be. Only problem is I can't relax if they are not eating.

Marinemom

[swinters66]

Oh I know the feeling MMom!!

The spirulina brine shrimp in that mix..they seemed to like it...at least, the few times I saw them picking through the gravel. And like I said above...that cichlid delight they went after with a little more gusto than the BS. See if you can find that. They use turkey heart in that mix, not beef. Plus it was originally made for discus...so theres gotta be something in there that entices them.

Maybe my discus are shy when I watch them eat....I dont know. I peek in on them though :) and thats when I noticed them really picking around the gravel where the frozen chunk landed.

So, yeah I am a little more relaxed but I'd rather see them go at the food, like the ones in the tank at the lfs I got them from.

[Marinemom]

Tonight they are wandering through the tank picking at the gravel sand trying to find what food they can. My guess is they must be finding something. All of them still look really good to me, I'm just worried about them.

Marinemom

[swinters66]

I was thinking the same thing with my picky guys! I still dont know if they are eating what they should be...amount wise...but a guess a little picking is better than no picking! I have seen 2 actually eat, so that's half of them anyway!!

So, do they make these blackworms frozen? Or do they just offer it fresh? I still dont know where to find them where I live. Once mine are eating more than they are, I want to try the white worms...or daphnia. I read that discus love daphnia and picky eaters would really go for those. So, who knows!!

[Marinemom]

I don't know if they make the blackworms in a frozen form. I'll have to find out. When I fed my discus sone daphnia in the frozen form my guys did not touch it but it was one of the first foods I tried. They may have been still too stressed to eat. Maybe I should try it again.

So, I'm off to the doctor to get shots in my legs. After that, I have to sit around and ice them off and on for most of the day. I guess I can sit here and watch my discus. Hopefully they will be just as active as they were last night. They must have eaten something, don't you think? They did not seem to be as quiet last night. I guess that is a good sign.

Marinemom

[Alight]

I feed frozen daphnia to my Discus fry, but only until they are about 1 inch. After that, there just isn't enough to the daphnia to justify it.

I would not feed live daphnia because of the potential for disease.

For both of you, I really suggest that you create a "feeding" area for your Discus. This can be a region of the tank where you have pushed back all, or nearly all of the gravel, or a place where you have a flat piece of slate covering a 6X 4 inch or larger area. Put the food of choice in this area, and see if the Discus won't graze here. It will give you a better idea of how much they are eating, and how much you should feed, if nothing else. Also, helps keep the gravel cleaner and allows you to gravel vac very thoroughly, which I assure you is very important for growing out healthy Juvies to adult size.

[Marinemom]

That's a great idea. Thier favorite spot just happens to be behind a very large piece of driftwood. I cannot see them very well there. Maybe a spot on the side of the aquarium would be better. I'll let you know hiw it goes.

Marinemom

[swinters66]

Well I can tell you...my corys dont leave a THING left in the gravel :) and the rasboras too.

Tonight I tried a half block of the cichlid delight and a half block of bloodworms. And WOW....they started picking immediately! I usually drop the food in the opening in the back of the tank, and when the food drops to the bottom, its hidden behind some wood...so they do get fed in the same area, and they've been behind the wood for a while now.

So, I am thinking that yes, they are finally eating!!

Since I have 2 filters, I am taking one off tonight (the first one I set up-been running a week and a half longer than the second) and cleaning it out. I dont want to take any chances with uneaten food just floating around.

[poconogal]

100% agree, plus there is nothing else like CBW to get reluctant eaters to start eating. The other thing to note is that CBW do NOT carry pathogens, folks who think they do are confused.

Larry
I agree. I had a Discus that was treated for Hex and would not eat after the treatment. Larry recommended CBW. The second I put them into the tank she started chowing down. She ate like crazy after that and also began eating anything else I threw in the tank for her.

Connie

[Marinemom]

O.K. I put some beefheart in the tank a few minutes ago and the pleco started to eat it instead of the discus! Oh brother! I immediately broke it up so the fish can get some. Right now, they are all hanging out behind a large piece of driftwood and I cannot see what they are doing. They are moving around back there and from what I can see they are picking at the sand gravel.I guess that means that they are eating. I only put in a small amount because it has been such a problem getting them to eat anything. Should I give them more tonight or give them something else? It seems that the beefheart is the only thing they show any interest in other than a few morsels of brine shrimp. I plan on doing a water change in about an hour. That should give them enough time to pick at it. I haven't given them any blackworms yet. I really do not want to have to resort to that if I don't have to.My patience is running very thin with this eating thing. I really want this to work with them. When I had discus before, I did not have this problem. They (before) started to eat on the second day. Not these guys. Talk about picky.
After thier water change today I don't think I can do anything more for them today. The pain in my legs is so bad today after the shots yesterday that the doctor has ordered some Vicoden for me. I'm telling you pain makes my brain go away. Fortunetly it comes back when the pain starts to go away for awhile. I'm sure that this stuff is going to knock me out for awhile. Hopefully my discus will eat better for me tonight.

Marinemom

P.S. If the only thing I can get them to eat is beefheart, is this bad for them? I really would like to vary thier diet some.

Marinemom

[Dood Lee]

Out of curiosity, is there a particular reason why you are avoiding the use of blackworms? They are a very nutritious food for discus. You can also get them very cheap from http://aquaticfoods.com/

[swinters66]

Is this a beefheart recipe you made? Ive read a lot of those recipes...and they sound nutricious..so, that's an idea...but if they are eating, even a little bit, well thats great, maybe just keep feeding them the beefheart. Eating something is better than nothing. I was soooooo happy to see just ONE of my discus eating, even though it was barely anything at the time. Mine really like the brine shrimp too and the C delight.

By the way...what is CBW?? Some kind of bloodworm?

I sure hope you get to feeling better MMom.... :)

[AADiscus]

I have nothing against cbw but it is very easy for your fish to get addictive to them. IMO You feed them and you see they like them so much you continue to give them to them to watch them eat, etc. Then the next thing they won't eat anything else. If your bh mix is good (recipe) then if they are eating it that is good. JMO Gradually continue to try different foods, flakes, soaked bits, shrimp, etc.

[Marinemom]

. The beefheart is a reciepe that I got on one of the foods for discus forums. It has some vitamins mixed in with it and they seem to really like it. I just want them to eat something else besides the beefheart. There are two reasons that I really would rather not feed the blackworms. 1-I'm afraid that if I start with the blackworms, they will be so fussy and addicted to it, that they may not eat anything else and I will be back to square one with them(well almost), and 2-The blackworms kinda gross me out. However, as I've stated before, it's all in what I get used to. Cleaning the protien skimmer on my saltwater reef is really gross, but I clean it out every day because that is what needs to be done to insure the balance and well being of that aquarium and all the creatures in it. I suppose the same can be said for my discus tank ; the discus, need to stay in prime condition, then that is what I will have to get used to. But will I have the same problem? All they are going to want is the blackworms and that cannot possibly have all the nutrition that they need. Believe it or not, they are still picking at the beefheart because I wasn't able to do thier water change yet.(pain in my legs). It has been hours since I put the food in the tank. I still see a lot of it but alot of it is gone. How long can I keep the beefheart in the water without it really messing with the water quality? They still seem interested in this food which makes me very happy.

Diane

[greyhoundfan]

Sorry for my rudeness..

I think I had an allergic reaction to bloodworms. I never made the connection until I thought about Marinemom. I've been using Bloodworms for a while and once in a while my eyes would just flare up and develop a thick film over it..GROSS. It only happens to my right eye.

Today I fed froze bloodworms to my discus and a few minutes my eyes start acting crazy..Next time I'll becareful and wash my hands thoroughly when I handle the bloodworms. Hope I'm not allergic to them.

MM, if you use blackworms woudln't you be afraid that you'll have the same reaction as if you were using blood worms?

[Marinemom]

Actually, yes I have thought about that. A worm is a worm. Do you think I'll have the same reaction to the blackworms that I do to the bloodworms? God, I hope not. If that is the case and my reaction is the same from blackworms as it is to bloodworms, then for sure I can't give it to them. It will be out of the question.

Diane

[Marinemom]

grehoundfan,

I wouldn't say that you are being rude, maybe just concerned. Thanks.

Diane

[greyhoundfan]

grehoundfan,

I wouldn't say that you are being rude, maybe just concerned. Thanks.

Diane

Thanks Diane. You can call me Reid.:D

[lhforbes12]

Sorry for my rudeness..

I think I had an allergic reaction to bloodworms. I never made the connection until I thought about Marinemom. I've been using Bloodworms for a while and once in a while my eyes would just flare up and develop a thick film over it..GROSS. It only happens to my right eye.

Today I fed froze bloodworms to my discus and a few minutes my eyes start acting crazy..Next time I'll becareful and wash my hands thoroughly when I handle the bloodworms. Hope I'm not allergic to them.

MM, if you use blackworms woudln't you be afraid that you'll have the same reaction as if you were using blood worms?

Blood "worms" are NOT worms, cbw ARE worms
Blood worms are really the larval form of one of the chironomid midges -- insects rather than worms. You could compare them with the transparent glass worms. California blackworms, on the other hand, are a cousin to earthworm worms.

[Marinemom]

Well, that's a good thing. If I have to give them the blackworms, then I probably won't react. Please!!! It seems I'm allergic to almost everything these days.

Diane

[keno]

I think most of us have been through this with new discus, these are the things that have worked for me, i know lots of people already gave some of these ideas, but the more they are repeated the more people will know they work.

1.Temp 88-90f (very important for new arrivals imho)
2. salt 1tbsp/10gal
3.SMALL and frequent water changes with aged water, NOT from the tap(changes in PH and temp will really stress them more than they are)
4. Feed only what they were getting before!!!(very unlikely they will take anything different at this point)
5. If they dont accept what the breeder was giving them...California Black worms, has solved so many hunger strikes that I've had.
6. LIVE Brine shrimp, when I couldn't get black worms, moving LIVE brine shrimp had the same effect.

I think with new arrivals its very important to get them to eat as soon as possible, this has worked for me in the past.

Ken

[Marinemom]

keno

Thanks for the advice. my discus have started to eat a little beefheart but not much. This is what the breeder was feeding them along with the california blackworms. I would like them to take something more than a few morsels of beefheart.
I am keeping the tank at 88 degrees which they seem to perfer, I cannot do salt because this is a fully planted aquarium,I am doing water changes every other day of about 20-30 percent,beefheart is one of the things the breeder was giving them, and if I have to, I will resort to live food.

Any other suggestions to help me keep my discus in prime condition and happy in thier new home are always welcome.

Diane

[swinters66]

I noticed my fish picking more at the Emerald Entree than the food the lfs made and was feeding them. That's when I got the freshwater mix. And pretty much after that they started eating the food I put in their tank. The Emerald stuff has brine shrimp, spinach, krill, mysis, romaine lettuce, vitamins. I was surprised mine started picking at that, but hey they were eating!

They definately like the frozen mix I feed them over the color bits. They barely picked at those, so I doubt Ill be feeding them that anymore.

[White Worm]

Just a little observation here. You two have been throwing every food known to fish at them for around 2 weeks. Whos the boss here? Yes, they dont prefer the bits but if they have no food options, they will eat it. You just havent given them the chance to get used to a regular feeding schedule. Once they do, you can introduce other foods. I'm just speaking from what I have seen with my own eyes. I have around 25 or so discus and when I started, I had 8 that would only eat FBW, 4 that would only eat tetra bits, 2 that liked dried food, etc. I got tired of it and fed tetra bits only for a while and now I have 25 or so discus that tear up on tetra bits (easy and cheaper). Note.....I do feed other things on a regular basis but not all the time because they will get hooked. I have heard CBW usually cause that problem. Right after daily wc's is when they get fbw and other foods that they prefer (they are pirahnnas on a block of FBW). I can drop 4-6 blocks in the tank and they will be gone within a couple minutes plus a generous helping of bits and dried food. All end up with full bellies that I can actually see. Discus see..discus do. When they notice that they are the only ones not doing what the rest are doing (eating) they will join the party eventually. I have had a few stubborn fish that looked great but just wouldnt eat (3-4 weeks). They came around or needed some medical intervention.

[Elite Aquaria]

Just a little observation here. You two have been throwing every food known to fish at them for around 2 weeks. Whos the boss here?


Amen!!! That is what I said 4 days ago...Find a clean food and stick to your guns...I recommend using Live Black Worms.

Dan

[Marinemom]

That may be easy for you to say. You are not the one who has invested two months getting ready for the discus, and then have the fussiset eaters known to man. Maybe it's easy for you to sit there and not worry at all when your discus will not eat and have the potential to get sick and weak. Me, it makes me sick when I see this because to me I treat all of my animals as if they are members of my family and that includes my fish. If they do not eat for days on end and everyone here says that sometimes discus do not eat for a while and this is considered normal, why are you jumping down my throat just because I want what is best for my discus? If for some reason your discus did not want to eat and you know that they are perfectly healthy and normal, wouldn't you want them to eat? And if they didn't, would you not try to find something that they will eat? Remember, this is a forum for beginners with discus. That is what I am, and I am doing my best to try and learn as much as I can about discus and thier habits, so I can give them an enviroment that they can thrive in.I am new to discus but not to fishkeeping. I have several other aquariums that I have had up and running for more than a decade. The aquarium that the discus are in has been up for more than four years and is a fully established aquarium.I keep on top of thier water quality. Why not stay on top of this issue to?

In the last few days, they (the discus) have been eating beefheart, so that is what I am continuing to give them. Remember in the beginning they would not eat anything. They eat beefheart, fine. I am giving them just that for now. One food only! I just had to find out what one it was they wanted. And as far as the blackworms go, from what I understand, once I give them that there is no turning back. They may just decide to declare a hunger strike all over again and hold out just for the blackworms. I thought that the goal here is first to get them to eat and second to get them to eat anything you give them,right?

Diane

[lhforbes12]

[
And as far as the blackworms go, from what I understand, once I give them that there is no turning back. They may just decide to declare a hunger strike all over again and hold out just for the blackworms. I thought that the goal here is first to get them to eat and second to get them to eat anything you give them,right?

Diane

Diane,
I don't know who told you that nonsense, but that is precisely what it is, nonsense. My fish eat cbw, fbw, fbs, fms, pellet and flake foods. The only "trick" is to not feed them the same thing constantly. Mike gave you excellent advice, my advice is to take it.

Larry

[Marinemom]

One person says feed them a lot of different foods, the other person says feed them only one. Which one is it? I'm getting really confused here. I do not have a problem feeding them a variety of foods. They need to start eating it and they won't! And I already said I will give them live food if I need to. That is not an issue. Please stop telling me to feed bloodworms. For health reasons of my own, bloodworms are out of the question but as far as I know, the blackworms should be O.K.

Diane

[Kindredspirit]

Hey Diane ~ that is the problem on a large site such as this ~ lot of responses and many ways to skin a cat ~ What I do is select a few that you trust and heed that advice ~

You will soon discover who that is ~ Larry and Mike are pretty experienced and are def on my list ~

I once had a discus that didnt eat for 14 days! He was sick tho and yours are not ~ at least I do not think they are and I so can not read this entire thread sorry:p I agree with Larry tho in that there is 'turning back' after you feed cbw ~ but they can be come addicted...lol! Does that make sense? Any live food they really love and if you are really worried about their health and not eating go for the live foods for now ~ just do not feed that only ...later......they will come around ~ and you can cut back to other foods and they will be so used to eating by then ....they will be okay!


hth!

Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/29/29_2_20.gif

[Elite Aquaria]

One person says feed them a lot of different foods, the other person says feed them only one. Which one is it? I'm getting really confused here.
Diane

Sorry if I may have upset you. I am happy you take your pets very seriously. I have a 2 1/2 year old diabetic son so I know how it feels when a family member does not want to eat. Best thing to do is to get them to start to eat. If beef heart is working then feed it every day for a few days to open up their appetite. Then slowly start to add the variety.

And as far as once they eat live black worms they will not eat anything else goes...That is not true. I feed black worms, tetra bits, beef heart and flake.

Good luck...only trying to help...not frustrate.;)

P.S. I have had hunger strike issuses in the past.

[lhforbes12]

One person says feed them a lot of different foods, the other person says feed them only one. Which one is it? I'm getting really confused here. I do not have a problem feeding them a variety of foods. They need to start eating it and they won't! And I already said I will give them live food if I need to. That is not an issue. Please stop telling me to feed bloodworms. For health reasons of my own, bloodworms are out of the question but as far as I know, the blackworms should be O.K.

Diane

Diane,
That is somewhat understandable. Here is what I would do, and what I have done for reluctant eaters. Feed them cbw to get them to start eating. Only feed it for a day or two. Then start, slowly, mixing other foods, one at a time. Get them to accept fbh for instance, once they eat that, try something else, flakes or pellets would be the best choice. Once they are eating dry foods you are "home free". Then you start feeding as wide a variety of foods as you can. That way they will not become "hooked" on a single food and you give them the best chance of good nutrition. Make no mistake, cbw will be their favorite food, the "trick" is to limit it.

Larry

[AADiscus]

Try different foods. Not alot of variety at first. Pick two or three foods. Stick to those for a month or so. Then gradually start introducing something new. Stay away from foods that are addictive, cbws being one of them. I like cbw's but they can be addictive to your fish. Just my 2 cents. :D

[swinters66]

I agree with you Diane...it is fustrating....I know how you feel. I was so excited when I got my discus and couldn't wait for them to eat, and swim around so I could sit back and watch them. So the fish not eating, esp. after watching their tankmates at the lfs go crazy over the food, was something I was totally unprepared for. I never once stopped and asked myself "What if they don't eat?"


I know everyone here has been giving advice and trying to help us with this, and I am very thankful for all the advice, but feeling like we are being chastised..well, its not a good feeling.

My discus are eating a lot more than Dianes are. I just mentioned that they never touched the color bits so I wont feed them that anymore. They do eat the frozen brine shrimp and the frozen BW AND the ciclid delight. Plus i feel better feeding them the frozen food than a dry mix thats been sitting on a shelf for who knows how long.

One thing I did try and it worked was what I wrote awhile back...I put in a half block of BW and a half block of cichlid delight and thats when I noticed they started eating. And they ate a lot of it. Plus all the other fish in the tank eat it, so I dont have to really worry about putting too much food in the tank. So, "throwing all kinds of food at them" did work for me anyway. It took a little longer, that's all. Again, something I was unprepared for.

I also started with a cycled tank, the water quality was good and the temps were correct. The discus are also healthy. So, at this point it really was a period of adjustment and not sick fish.

Diane...keep feeding them the beefheart. I think its good that they are eating that. I think youre doing all you can for them and youre doing a fine job at it :thumbsup:

[White Worm]

That may be easy for you to say. You are not the one who has invested two months getting ready for the discus, and then have the fussiset eaters known to man. Maybe it's easy for you to sit there and not worry at all when your discus will not eat and have the potential to get sick and weak. Me, it makes me sick when I see this because to me I treat all of my animals as if they are members of my family and that includes my fish. If they do not eat for days on end and everyone here says that sometimes discus do not eat for a while and this is considered normal, why are you jumping down my throat just because I want what is best for my discus? If for some reason your discus did not want to eat and you know that they are perfectly healthy and normal, wouldn't you want them to eat? And if they didn't, would you not try to find something that they will eat? Remember, this is a forum for beginners with discus. That is what I am, and I am doing my best to try and learn as much as I can about discus and thier habits, so I can give them an enviroment that they can thrive in.I am new to discus but not to fishkeeping. I have several other aquariums that I have had up and running for more than a decade. The aquarium that the discus are in has been up for more than four years and is a fully established aquarium.I keep on top of thier water quality. Why not stay on top of this issue to?

In the last few days, they (the discus) have been eating beefheart, so that is what I am continuing to give them. Remember in the beginning they would not eat anything. They eat beefheart, fine. I am giving them just that for now. One food only! I just had to find out what one it was they wanted. And as far as the blackworms go, from what I understand, once I give them that there is no turning back. They may just decide to declare a hunger strike all over again and hold out just for the blackworms. I thought that the goal here is first to get them to eat and second to get them to eat anything you give them,right?

Diane
Never said it was gonna be easy and if it was, it would be no fun. Thats why most of us keep discus and the same reason you are...because the challenge and rewarding hobby, right?
Dont know why you are so angry? I wasnt trying to go that direction. I'm just telling you that I have been there, done that, treat my discus just the same as you do, worry about sickness, etc and I know what worked for me. Thats the purpose of different advice here. There is nothing that is the absolute rule, just opinions from different experiences. I never said one food! I said feeding schedule which you could introduce a few good foods. I was just explaining what I have done and I dont appreciate the insinuation that I dont treat my fish proper or worry about their health (if that comment was directed to me). I realize there are beginners here which we were all there at one time and everyone is still learning (even the experts). The goal here is to give you advice and you will do with it what you please. I dont think I jumped down anyones throat (if that was directed to me). Just tryin to help :(

[Green Country Discus]

Honestly, I have not read the entire thread and do not plan to LOL. Discus kept in PROPER water and at the PROPER temp and are not suffering from serious health issues EAT, because they have to ;) ....period!!! When problems are encountered, go back to the basics....water....water....water...!!! We keep water first and Discus second!!

HTH keep smiling,

[White Worm]

I know everyone here has been giving advice and trying to help us with this, and I am very thankful for all the advice, but feeling like we are being chastised..well, its not a good feeling.

Arent your first two statements contradictions?


One thing I did try and it worked
My point exactly, its called advice from experience.


I think youre doing all you can for them and youre doing a fine job at it :thumbsup:
I also think so and was just giving a different direction to try.

[Marinemom]

Mikscus

I'm not trying to imply anything. But do you understand my frustration? You said I've been throwing every food known to fish in thier tank in an effort to get them to eat. Actually I am very stingy with the food until I know what they will eat. I do not want thier water that they have to live in become a mess. I realize that you are trying to help me as well as everyone else that has posted in this thread and I appreciate that. Please accept my apologies if I have offended you but I am just so d*** frustrated with this whole issue. I am trying very hard to get this situation under control and at some point be able to sit back and enjoy these beautiful fish.

For now, I'm giving them beefheart. That seems to be thier food of choice at the moment. They ate very well tonight when I gave this to them. I will feed this to them a few more times and then try mixing some other foods with it to give them some variety. I'm sure at some point this will be just a distant memory and they will thrive in thier new home.

Thank-you everyone that has been trying to help me and my fish.

Diane

[lhforbes12]

For now, I'm giving them beefheart. That seems to be thier food of choice at the moment. They ate very well tonight when I gave this to them. I will feed this to them a few more times and then try mixing some other foods with it to give them some variety. I'm sure at some point this will be just a distant memory and they will thrive in thier new home.

Diane,
That is excellent and keep it up. You are definately on the right track now. Just remember to go slowly and have patience when you start to introduce other foods, and you will be "home free". Congrats!

Larry

[White Worm]

Diane...Trust me, there will be a time when you can just sit back, enjoy their beauty and watch them interact with you and the other fish. It is most relaxing and enjoyable when they see you across the room and rush across the tank to see you. I like to think it is me but its just that they are hungry probably. They recognize me as the almighty food giver and they really love me when I bring the FBW. It takes some time before they get that comfortable. Mine will hang out in my hand, eat from my finger tips and let me pet them once in a while. Not all of them but some. Most times I have to actually nudge them out of the way if i am in the tank cleaning because they arent scared and they dont think they have to move. Some think its funny to nip my arm hair. You will see and we will be here to help and to join in the excitement when you get there. It has taken me since Oct or Nov of last year to get my discus completely calm. Hint...Try to not wear dark color clothing around them. My discus absolutely hate it when I wear dark shorts or a dark t-shirt. I must look like a big scary dark blob to them which totally freaks them out! We're here for ya! How do you think I got to where I am? Yep, help from those here at simply. Mike

[swinters66]

No, I dont think my post was contradictory at all. Me and Diane had the same problem, found this site and asked for advice, and yes it was given by several people. But not one of them said anything like "You two have been throwing every food known to fish at them for around 2 weeks." Well, several people told us the many foods that discus like and would readily accept, so we tried it. I can see where Diane would be upset at a comment like that. So, no I did not contradict myself.

We are both doing or have been doing the best we can.

I am glad to hear Diane, that they are eating the beefheart. It's like a weight off your chest isnt it? :)

[poconogal]

Diane...Trust me, there will be a time when you can just sit back, enjoy their beauty and watch them interact with you and the other fish. It is most relaxing and enjoyable when they see you across the room and rush across the tank to see you. I like to think it is me but its just that they are hungry probably. They recognize me as the almighty food giver and they really love me when I bring the FBW. It takes some time before they get that comfortable. Mine will hang out in my hand, eat from my finger tips and let me pet them once in a while. Not all of them but some. Most times I have to actually nudge them out of the way if i am in the tank cleaning because they arent scared and they dont think they have to move. Some think its funny to nip my arm hair. You will see and we will be here to help and to join in the excitement when you get there. It has taken me since Oct or Nov of last year to get my discus completely calm. Hint...Try to not wear dark color clothing around them. My discus absolutely hate it when I wear dark shorts or a dark t-shirt. I must look like a big scary dark blob to them which totally freaks them out! We're here for ya! How do you think I got to where I am? Yep, help from those here at simply. Mike
Diane, what Mike says is absolutely the truth, including not wearing dark clothing. They really freak out! Anyway, it took mine 5 mos. to respond to me, i.e., greet me at the glass and not view me as the enemy, especially after the hood lid slipped out of my hands and banged down while they were eating. Boy did they not trust me, after that! LOL.

Also, FYI, my first two stayed in the bottom back corner when anyone was around for at least a month. They would not even come out to eat, I had to feed them in the corner, where they ate like pigs. And, yep, all they would eat was beefheart during that period, so that's what I fed, all the while slipping a little bit of something different down with it. Then one day, I dropped a few Tetra Bits in after some beefheart and they decided to eat the Bits. The next day, they came out to eat, into the center of the tank. So, they all have their timetables, it just takes patience. But it can be frustrating. I had Discus 13 years ago that were not at all like these guys, but the exact opposite, from the very beginning. So long as yours are eating something now, that's a start. The rest WILL come!

Connie

[Marinemom]

Dark colors,really? I was advised with my saltwater tank not to wear anything too bright, They (at the saltwater forum) said that freaks out the saltwater fish.O.K. So no dark clothes with the discus and no bright colors with the saltwater fish-got it. Maybe I should just have a white t-shirt to wear when I'm feeding the tanks. That should work for both situations.

Now that the discus are eating something on a regular basis, I think I can start to relax a little bit. I'm not as sressed about them now and I think they can sense that. They are not running away and hiding when I approach the tank. Instead of taking cover one of them came out to see what I was up to this morning. Funny, I thought when I got him, he would be the shy one bit I think he is the most bold out of the five. That would be the snow white discus. Are some strains more bold or skittish, whatever the case may be, then other strains? It seems that in figuring out the pecking order of the discus, the snow white seems to be running things in the tank.

Well, in the next day or two I'll see what else they will accept in the line of food, or should I just stick with the beefheart?

Marinemom

[poconogal]

Dark colors,really? I was advised with my saltwater tank not to wear anything too bright, They (at the saltwater forum) said that freaks out the saltwater fish.O.K. So no dark clothes with the discus and no bright colors with the saltwater fish-got it. Maybe I should just have a white t-shirt to wear when I'm feeding the tanks. That should work for both situations.

Now that the discus are eating something on a regular basis, I think I can start to relax a little bit. I'm not as sressed about them now and I think they can sense that. They are not running away and hiding when I approach the tank. Instead of taking cover one of them came out to see what I was up to this morning. Funny, I thought when I got him, he would be the shy one bit I think he is the most bold out of the five. That would be the snow white discus. Are some strains more bold or skittish, whatever the case may be, then other strains? It seems that in figuring out the pecking order of the discus, the snow white seems to be running things in the tank.

Well, in the next day or two I'll see what else they will accept in the line of food, or should I just stick with the beefheart?

Marinemom
Diane, I would stick with the beefheart for a few days, (maybe 4 or 5, or even a week) so that they are in the routine of eating in your tank, then drop in beefheart with a few Tetra Bits or something. It took me 2 weeks of doing that with my previous Discus 13 years ago, but they would only eat live Tubifex, which is what they were being fed, so I had no choice but to throw in Tubifex each day, and I started throwing in the Bits after a few days that they were eating regularly in my tank. Yours could take longer, or shorter, but they usually will begin to accept most other foods. The two that I have that would only eat beefheart in the corner finally started to eat Bits and came out of the corner after I threatened them with making fish sandwiches out of them, coincidentally! LOL :D Now, they eat everything including the Pleco's algae discs, peas and bananas. I think if I put a veal parmesan hero in there, they would eat that too.

Connie

[Dissident]

Feed them what they are accepting. Work on getting them to accept other foods too. I like to give tetra color bits as a walk-by food, so whenever I walk by or most of the time, I wil give them a little food.
It took a few months for my discus in my show tank in a heavy-traffic area to really get adjusted, now they are nice and calm. It takes a while for them to get adjusted, and get the pecking-order streight. Once that is all done they tend to be a lot more sociable.

[swinters66]

Well now one of my discus is getting an attitude when I feed them. Last night he kept chasing the other fish around. I assumed it was because there was some food left in the tank, he kept picking around behind the wood in my tank, and chased the other fish around if they got near. Am I right? First time Ive seen this behavior. Is that what you mean about a pecking order dissident?

[Marinemom]

Discus are cichlids and this is normal discus behavior . Now that the discus are eating, I've noticed that there is some chasing going on. I have this in my south american cichlid tank as well. They chase each other all the time especially at meal time and there's only five of them in a 125 gallon tank. As long as all of them are getting enough to eat and one is not being chased into a corner and not allowed to do anthing,everything is fine. If one is being harassed or picked on continually then you need to consider moving him to a safer eviroment for the time being until things get figured out. If he still gets picked on when you return him to his tank, you may have to remove the troublemaker. Of course there is the possibility that someone else will take his place. I think sometimes certain fish do not get along for whatever reason.

Diane

[swinters66]

Youre right Diane...I thought at first the smaller tourq. was keeping the larger turq. away. Then when they both starting picking around together, the smaller one didnt chase him away, but continued to chase off the 2 marlboros (if thats what they are). Just hearing about how peaceful discus are, and reading about their demeanor, then seeing this chasing, it almost shocked me. My husband said the same thing "Theyre cichlids".

Now that they are eating, and eating more and more each time, I am thrilled...but the chasing around is worrying me now....if its not one thing its another....:laugh:

By the way....how's your guys??

[Marinemom]

My guys are doing great. They are all eating now. Tonight I mixed in some krill with the beefheart and they ate like little piggies. I just finished thier water change about thirty minutes ago and they always like that. Don't worry too much about the chasing. It's typical cichlid behavior. Unless it gets out of hand there is nothing to worry about.

Diane

[White Worm]

Especially at feeding time!

[poconogal]

My guys are doing great. They are all eating now. Tonight I mixed in some krill with the beefheart and they ate like little piggies. I just finished thier water change about thirty minutes ago and they always like that. Don't worry too much about the chasing. It's typical cichlid behavior. Unless it gets out of hand there is nothing to worry about.

Diane
I call it the "Discus Wars." Even though they ARE peaceful towards OTHER species, they sure aren't peaceful with each other! I do believe it calms down quite a bit when they are adults, though, at least judging from the adults I had in the past. Then again, they're all different...

Connie

[Elite Aquaria]

My guys are doing great. They are all eating now. Tonight I mixed in some krill with the beefheart and they ate like little piggies. I just finished thier water change about thirty minutes ago and they always like that. Don't worry too much about the chasing. It's typical cichlid behavior. Unless it gets out of hand there is nothing to worry about.

Diane


Great news...now start to introduce other foods one at a time...Once they start to eat the new food, it may take a few feedings then move to the next.

Dan

[swinters66]

Mine are actually eating whatever I put in the tank...then the chasing begins! Now they go for the block of frozen food right when it hits the water...they used to watch it sink, then sort of poke around it, then try it. So, they are definately eating like they should!

[White Worm]

Sounds like two hobbyists have some hungry / settled fish now, congrats!

[keno]

Happy to hear things are going well for you both :) This is a great site isnt it?

[swinters66]

Oh I certainly appreciate everyones advice on this subject. If that was normal behavior for these guys...then at least I know what to expect in the future, if I get any more, get a new tank, etc!

But, should I expect the chasing around during feeding time to be permanent?

[Marinemom]

Absolutely. My south american cichlid 125 gallon tank has been up for three and a half years and they always do this at feeding time. I just put the food in and let the feeding frenzie begin!

Diane