Weekend Discus food

[Don Trinko]

We are going away for Easter weekend and there will be 2 days that I will be unable to feed my Discus. I use those dissolving blocks of food for the other fish but I don't think my Discus will eat that. Will they be OK for 2 days without food? Any good ideas how I can feed them frozen food automaticly?
My relatives are going also so I don't have anyone I would trust to feed them.. Thanks; Don T.

[CARY_GLdiscus]

No Lights, Cool temp, and a water change before You leave! NO FOOD IS NEEDED!

Your Discus will be fine without food for a few days No Problem.

hth
Cary

[aquaticplantman]

Don't know how much weight this carries since I'm contradicting Cary (who obviously knows a little something), but I wouldn't even bother changing the temperature for only two days. As long as they're normally fat and happy, and you give them a good water change beforehand, they shouldn't have any problem fasting for two days.

-- Matt H.

[Don Trinko]

Thanks for the replies. I just got them. They are healthy and eating good. They seem to like red worms. I will try other foods. They didn't eat the mysis shrimp but it is day 1 and I tried feeding them with the tank light on. I'll make sure I change part of them water and feed them well. Thanks; Don WD8PTB

P.S. I am keeping the temperature at 82 at the moment. I would hate to turn it down much.

[April]

well no dont turn it down if its already at 82. if anything when you get back..or now..turn it up a few degrees to make them eat even better. higher the heat..higher metabolism better eaters.
they'll be happy to see you when you get back..for their next dindin.

[Bainbridge Mike]

Fasting is fine for a couple of days--particularly for larger fish. It is also safer because your tank will stay cleaner when you are gone. If I leave for more than a couple of days and I have small discus--I will usually set up one or two eheim auto feeders and dispense a small quantity of tetra bits. I would try feeding tetra bits to your fish--it comes in handy when you don't have time for frozen food or run out.

Good luck.

[FishLover888]

You can use an auto feeder if yur fish are young and they take dry food. Try to feed them lighter than normal. You don't want water problems while you are away.

I did that to my discus last year for 5 weeks while I was on vacation. Big WCs before and after, then something to take out the nitrates too. I also dropped in few plants in there to help.

[Don Trinko]

I will turn the temp up a little. They are very active and ate with the light on today. So far the only thing they eat is frozzen red worms. (moskito larve) I've only had them 2 days so it's too soon to tell but thus far they have ignored chiclid flakes, brine shrimp and mysis shrimp. Eventualy I hope they will eat some dried food.
I asked the store what the fed them and they said red worms. They were in the store for over a month so I will have to retrain them if possible. It's not the cost of the red worms, I just don't thing that is a healthy diet.
Thanks; Don T.