Blue Diamond changing color.. ? plz

[CelticMyst]

Hello everyone,
I have a blue diamond that I have had for a few months now. He is about 3.5 inches round. So not sure how old he is. I have noticed in the last three days that he has become almost black in color. I am showing you a photo of him previous to this color change.
Any idea of why he has changed color? Is he sick? He is staying by himself a lot and when any of the others come near him he chases them away. Any suggestions on what can be wrong with him?
Thanks for any advice, ~ kate

my file size is to large for the two photos in one post, so will add the other photo to a reply. thanks so much..

[CelticMyst]

Here is is his dark coloring that he is showing now.

[Kindredspirit]

Hey Kate ~ sometimes a BD will turn dark when they are starting to lay eggs. I am not sure this is the case with yours. He is sure a pretty blue in that first picture!

Is he eating? And the fact he isolates himself is a bit alarming as well ~ Kate, can you post your tank size, temp, wc routine, and test your water params as well? Is your tank bb or has substrate?

Have you added anything new to the tank lately? He is the only fish not up to par?

I know these are a lot of questions, but ultimately, in the end, it will help us help you:)


Hang in there!:)


Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_4_10.gif

[Polar_Bear]

While they will turn dark when laying eggs, they will certainly not turn black like that. Your fish is very sick IMO. Exactly with what ailment we would need much more information to determine. Sorry

[Kindredspirit]

they will certainly not turn black like that.

Well, Larry, this is not necessarily 100% true! My BD, was it last night?....anyways, was very dark ~ almost black at times, while laying eggs:) Remember the pictures?

Having said that Kate ~

He very well may be sick:( I am afraid Larry could be correct ~ answer all those questions, okay?, as soon as you can:)

[CelticMyst]

Hello Marie
thank you for getting back to me. :) Ok. I will answer what I can,
the tank size is 55g. GB, amazon sword plants, driftwood. The temp is 84* I have six discus and six cardinal tetras. The API water test tells me that the ammonia is 0, nitrite 0 and nitrate 10. I do 30% water change every three days. I noticed his/her eyes turned very red before the fish turned so dark. Ricky blue was staying at the bottom of the tank behind the amazon sword for a while and defending that area from any of the other fish that would come near and chase them off. I thought this odd and looked there for any eggs. I also wondered if it was changing color to attract a female? Also I dont know if it is a male or a female anyway. I noticed this morning that the black color is starting to fade, but is still dark now. The only thing I have changed is in the diet. I was giving them the hikari frozen brine shrimp and now giving them the hikari frozen brine shrimp w/spirulina along with the other foods they get; frozen beefheart, frozen krill and cichlid flakes. The other fish are doing fine, tho one of them, Casper that I had posted about a few weeks ago was very sick, and I thought I almost lost him, but he is doing fine now and swimming and eating once again.
Hi Polar_bear,
thank you.. I sure hope he/she is not sick..But I agree the color is alarming! any help would be appreciated. :)
~ kate

[Kindredspirit]

I do 30% water change every three days.
~ kate


Kate, you should up your wc IMO ~ if you take care of the water, everything else shld fall into place ~ and 30% wc twice a week ...well, has bad written all over it!

You have real plants, so I don't know if daily wc are wise....sorry:o I am glad your water params look okay ~

What did you do to help Casper?

Don't add anything else to your tank, Kate ~ Always QT in a separate tank ~

[CelticMyst]

Here is a new photo that I just took a few minutes ago showing the dark color is fading..
Anyway to identify if it is a male or female?
thanks, ~ kate

[CelticMyst]

thanks Marie
I was doing 50% water changes at one point twice a week, then thought if I would do a 30% on every third day that it would be ok. But I will up the wc to doing 50% on every third day then and see what happens. With every wc I do a heavy vacuum as well.
For all I know if there were eggs in the tank, I may have vacuumed them up. Do they normally lay the eggs in the substrate or do they lay the eggs on a flat rock or wide leaf such as the amazon sword plant?
I do not know what was wrong with casper, he just got so weak, didnt change color at all, but was being bullied by another juvenile discus and I thought he may have been hurt. I at one point even put him into a 5x5x6 breeder net box that I had attached to the inside of the tank, because he was so weak he attached himself to the filter tube. He layed on his side and at one point I thought he was dead. I had at that point added maracyn to the water but after advice from others here, thought it wasnt a good idea. I did not add salt to the water either, since the others seemed fine. I do not have a QT set up as I used all the extras for Betta fish. I then put up the divider in the tank and kept Casper by himself so that he couldnt get to the filter tube and get sucked to it. Once I saw him swimming around fine again and eating well I took the divider out, hes been fine ever since.
thanks again, for you help! :) ~ kate

[jeep]

I agree with Larry. Unfortuantley, that BD is stunted, and while maybe not necessarily "sick", stunted fish turn dark for many reasons... especially in planted tanks with only 2 - 50% W/C's per week...

It also looks like a BD cross, which could also explain color variations...

I would up the W/C's and pound it with good food!!! :)

[CelticMyst]

I agree that the Discus I have are from local breeders who I am sure have cross bred different types and colorings. But to say that the pool lil guy is stunted?? What do you mean by that? It seems like it has a good shape... ???
What good food would you recommend I get? I would like to feed them the right diet, any suggestions would be helpful.
:)

[Kindredspirit]

But to say that the pool lil guy is stunted?? What do you mean by that? It seems like it has a good shape... ???


Well........Kate, Dear ~ he is stunted I am afraid:( If you look at his body compared to his eye...his eyes continued to grow, but his little body did not ~ His eyes are big, babe....

His shape is really...pointy as well ~~ round is best:) Shape IMO, is everything...pancake round:) Then color, health, and whatever!

Some say that lack of wc and lots of protein in their diet contributes to stunting, Kate.

On baby discus, on mine, I changed more than 50% of water daily for almost two years....honestly! Start out with good stock is best ~

So ~

You love him? That is all that counts:)

[CelticMyst]

Hi Marie...
well.. yes, I love my stunted Discus, Ricky blue... ;). I feed them three times a day, with frozen brine shrimp in the am,( a whole thawed cube), six hours later they get cichlid flakes by Omega One and then six hours later they get either, frozen Krill, beefheart, bloodworms or another brine shrimp cube. So it comes to roughly, a feeding at 7am, 2pm and then for the nite at 9pm. Should I be feeding them more often and another source of food?
Guess your right about that 'large eye'.... ohhh well... they are not show quality and never planned it. They are my home aquarium love bugs... and I do love them. Locally grown... nothing fancy.
BUT someday when I am more experienced with them, guess i will have to ask for a christmas present of a pure strain. I love the melons.. :)
I have others in the tank and would love to post their photos so that someone can tell me what kind they are. But would like to do that in the right topic section...
I will be upping the wc's starting today. How about if I do a 30% wc every day? will that work out ok for them?
thanks, ~ kate
BTW... Your rashja ( hope I spelled that right) OMG... is ONE beautiful dog!! Hated to use the word 'dog'... its such a magnificent animal!! what perfect markings ... :thumbsup:
Is it a malamute or part wolf?
~ kate

[April]

i bet ifyou do daily wcs for awhile he will perk up. also..discus dont really like nitrates over 5.
do daily if you can for a bit and then let us know how its going. glad you didnt lose your casper. whatever you did..you seemed to turn him around. usually once they are weak and stuck to the tube..its bad news.
its possible..he was already begun to stunt before you got him. its not easy raising small fry..and if they lose their window of opportunity..then they do stunt. maybe not even be your fault. its quite an art to raising fry.

[White Worm]

I have six discus and six cardinal tetras.


I feed them three times a day, with frozen brine shrimp in the am,( a whole thawed cube), six hours later they get cichlid flakes by Omega One and then six hours later they get either, frozen Krill, beefheart, bloodworms or another brine shrimp cube. So it comes to roughly, a feeding at 7am, 2pm and then for the nite at 9pm. Should I be feeding them more often and another source of food?
Not enough food. 2 larger (older) discus can easily polish off one cube by themselves 3 times a day. I have 8 discus in one tank with some sterbai and bn plecos and I will drop in 2-3 cubes of FBW in the morning, they are auto fed tetra bits throughout the afternoon and then a good amount of live white worms for dinner and they still look at me like they are starving. I can drop a block of FBW in the breeder tank (2 adults) 3 times a day easily and they also stare at me like I never feed them.

[Kindredspirit]

Hi Marie...
well.. yes, I love my stunted Discus, Ricky blue... ;).


Well then you are good to go:) I gots one, Kate, and I love em!




I will be upping the wc's starting today. How about if I do a 30% wc every day? will that work out ok for them?


Kate is there a reason that you can't pull off 50% a day? Remember, it usually is all about the water ~ esp now, since some are not feeling well~






BTW... Your rashja ( hope I spelled that right) OMG... is ONE beautiful dog!! Hated to use the word 'dog'... its such a magnificent animal!! what perfect markings ... :thumbsup:
Is it a malamute or part wolf?
~ kate


Thank You! He is Siberian Huskey, Kate ~ want him? He is sitting here howling at me as we speak ~ they don't bark, only howl!

We tell folks he is part wolf if they are annoying us:) Just the other day, as I take him to work at times, since sometimes I venture into bad areas....I was "approached" and they ask the same ol question, "will he bite?".......I said: " any closer he will take your hand off!".....

Needless to say, they scamper off!

In reality, he is a sweetheart:)

[CelticMyst]

i bet ifyou do daily wcs for awhile he will perk up. also..discus dont really like nitrates over 5.
do daily if you can for a bit and then let us know how its going. glad you didnt lose your casper. whatever you did..you seemed to turn him around. usually once they are weak and stuck to the tube..its bad news.
its possible..he was already begun to stunt before you got him. its not easy raising small fry..and if they lose their window of opportunity..then they do stunt. maybe not even be your fault. its quite an art to raising fry.

Hello April
thank you.. I believe that Ricky Blue was stunted when I bought him, unfortunately I was looking at the largest blue diamond in the tank, and that was him. I did notice the large eyes then and wondered about it. I should have gone with my gut, telling me to get the smaller rounder one.
~ kate

[CelticMyst]

Not enough food. 2 larger (older) discus can easily polish off one cube by themselves 3 times a day. I have 8 discus in one tank with some sterbai and bn plecos and I will drop in 2-3 cubes of FBW in the morning, they are auto fed tetra bits throughout the afternoon and then a good amount of live white worms for dinner and they still look at me like they are starving. I can drop a block of FBW in the breeder tank (2 adults) 3 times a day easily and they also stare at me like I never feed them.

Thanks,
sounds like I have been starving the guys! I have plenty of food to give them so that wasnt the problem, just always thought I was giving them enough at each meal. Gawd.. these guys are hungry!!! :noway: I will up the food for sure starting with the next meal. When you say 'drop in' cubes, are you just putting the frozen BS into the tank and let it thaw in there while they eat it? Is this ok to do? I thought that the cold was not good for their stomachs. I thaw out a cube in a bowl with a little tank water and use a plastic syringe to suck up the BS and feed them that way. I pass it over the top of the tank in different areas so that they all get a chance to get to the food. Then I wait til they eat that up and I add more.
Thanks so much for the advice, I have been wondering how much food to give them.
~ kate

[CelticMyst]

Well then you are good to go:) I gots one, Kate, and I love em!
:)






Kate is there a reason that you can't pull off 50% a day? Remember, it usually is all about the water ~ esp now, since some are not feeling well~



RickyBlue seems to be doing much better. I cannot believe how much of his old color is back, so quickly too.But he is one that had been a bit of a problem when i brought him home. He didnt want any food, and I swear he didnt eat for a week. I tried everything. He would go to the food, but not eat it. and was very shy and stayed in the corner away from the others. It took awhile and he came around and starting eating and interacting with the others.
As far as water change goes.. it is hard for me to haul 5-6 five lb buckets full of tank water out the door, and then haul in the same amount of clean water. And to do that everyday would be even harder. that is why I thought if I took out at least 20g of water a day it would help my back out. My husband helps me when he gets home from work, but I just can't ask him to do this for me every night, as its my hobby. He doesnt want me to cart any water due to my back problem, but I see how he is hurting sometimes when he gets in and I just dont feel right imposing on him to do these water changes every day. So I figure if I can get in the smaller ones during the day, then he can still help me with the 50% wc every third day. that means some days its two wc's.
does that make sense?








Thank You! He is Siberian Huskey, Kate ~ want him? He is sitting here howling at me as we speak ~ they don't bark, only howl!

We tell folks he is part wolf if they are annoying us:) Just the other day, as I take him to work at times, since sometimes I venture into bad areas....I was "approached" and they ask the same ol question, "will he bite?".......I said: " any closer he will take your hand off!".....

Needless to say, they scamper off!

In reality, he is a sweetheart:)
They are sweethearts! I had a siberian husky when I was growing up. Its those malamutes that are so much larger and fuller, and so I thought your beauty was a malamute. Yours is truly show quality! :D
welll... going back to bed and see if I can get some sleep insomnia got a hold of me tonight... :sun:
~ kate

[Polar_Bear]

Kate,
I agree with everyone above. Your water changes are far too few and you should be feeding discus that size twice as much as you are. The other thing to note is that frozen brine shrimp have almost no nutritional value, you would be better off feeding them flake or pellets. Feeding them so much more will make doing more water changes even more important. I do feed my discus FBS but it is used as a suppliment, it works on discus the same way bran works on us.

[Polar_Bear]

Thanks,
sounds like I have been starving the guys! I have plenty of food to give them so that wasnt the problem, just always thought I was giving them enough at each meal. Gawd.. these guys are hungry!!! :noway: I will up the food for sure starting with the next meal. When you say 'drop in' cubes, are you just putting the frozen BS into the tank and let it thaw in there while they eat it? Is this ok to do? I thought that the cold was not good for their stomachs. I thaw out a cube in a bowl with a little tank water and use a plastic syringe to suck up the BS and feed them that way. I pass it over the top of the tank in different areas so that they all get a chance to get to the food. Then I wait til they eat that up and I add more.
Thanks so much for the advice, I have been wondering how much food to give them.
~ kate

I never thaw any frozen food, others do. My fish now actually prefer their food frozen, I guess because it's what they are used to. If you can, feed them 6 times a day. Don't put more food in at a time, feed more often though.

[Kindredspirit]

Feeding them so much more will make doing more water changes even more important.


This is really important, Kate ~ But you really now, need to up your wc, since you are going to slam them with a variety of food:)

[2sybs]

not to change the subject but I couldn't pass on this....


Thank You! He is Siberian Huskey, Kate ~ want him? He is sitting here howling at me as we speak ~ they don't bark, only howl!

They do NOT howl... they "Rooo"/"talk" to you.



We tell folks he is part wolf if they are annoying us Just the other day, as I take him to work at times, since sometimes I venture into bad areas....I was "approached" and they ask the same ol question, "will he bite?".......I said: " any closer he will take your hand off!".....

Though they can look fierce they are actually one of the friendliest breed you will find and make the worlds worst watch dogs cause they just love everybody.
We love our fuzzy kids.
And just so I am not accused of hijacking this thread....
uh.... Yeah, not more food just more often and 50% WCs
;)

[CliffsDiscus]

Kate,
Your Blue Diamond is stress, my suggestion would be to set up a small bare bottom tank and
do 80 to 90 percent daily of waterchange, add some medication like Furan 2, the Discus should lighten up once it is well.

Cliff

[dvarnay]

I was giving them the hikari frozen brine shrimp and now giving them the hikari frozen brine shrimp w/spirulina along with the other foods they get; frozen beefheart, frozen krill and cichlid flakes. ~ kate

Also if you are feeding frozen beef heart you will need to vacumn the bottom of the tank to stop left over food fouling your water.IMHO I always feed beef heart before doing my water changes.

[CelticMyst]

Kate,
I agree with everyone above. Your water changes are far too few and you should be feeding discus that size twice as much as you are. The other thing to note is that frozen brine shrimp have almost no nutritional value, you would be better off feeding them flake or pellets. Feeding them so much more will make doing more water changes even more important. I do feed my discus FBS but it is used as a suppliment, it works on discus the same way bran works on us.

thank you! I have OmegaOne cichlid flakes w/vitamins. Is this a good flake to give them? Is there a good name brand of pellets that I can buy for them? I want to make sure they get the right foods and willing to go today and buy some.
Please recommend a good brand for them.. I buy at Petsmart so will have to use what they have, though they do have a nice variety of foods there.
~ kate

[CelticMyst]

Also if you are feeding frozen beef heart you will need to vacumn the bottom of the tank to stop left over food fouling your water.IMHO I always feed beef heart before doing my water changes.

Hello Debbie, thank you for your advice. Actually the time that I do feed them the beefheart is always on the day that I do water changes so that it doesnt sit on the bottom of the tank.
~ kate

[CelticMyst]

Kate,
Your Blue Diamond is stress, my suggestion would be to set up a small bare bottom tank and
do 80 to 90 percent daily of waterchange, add some medication like Furan 2, the Discus should lighten up once it is well.

Cliff
I don't have a QT available at the moment, but wanted to mention that the blue diamond has changed back to his normal coloring at this time. On the Furan 2, is this something I can purchase online?
thanks ~ kate

[CelticMyst]

This is really important, Kate ~ But you really now, need to up your wc, since you are going to slam them with a variety of food:)

I am going to do a 40% water change & vacuum every day. But on every third day it will be a 50% water change. I will up the amount of times that they are fed, but not the amount of food as advised. Going to go with advise on what foods to get them tho. Thanks for your help! :)
~ kate

[CelticMyst]

I have fed the Discus Omega One freeze dried Bloodworms, but they do not seem to be interested in them. I thought that Discus liked blood worms? They eat the cichlid flake most of the time, but will go crazy for the frozen brine shrimp w/ spirulina. They like the frozen Krill, but I hear that is only to be given once in a while? The frozen beefheart they are not all that crazy for either and I see it passed up a lot in the tank. Any advice on a food that Discus really love?
~ thanks, kate

[CelticMyst]

Also, I have seen those cone shaped auto feeders in photos of Discus but have not been able to find them online.They float on top of the water. Anyone have a good source online for items such as that for the Discus?
thanks, ~ kate

[Polar_Bear]

Also, I have seen those cone shaped auto feeders in photos of Discus but have not been able to find them online.They float on top of the water. Anyone have a good source online for items such as that for the Discus?
thanks, ~ kate

http://www.arcatapet.com/item.cfm?cat=455 or http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/10844/product.web

both are the same feeder.

[2sybs]

http://www.arcatapet.com/item.cfm?cat=455 or http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/10844/product.web

both are the same feeder.

Kate,
The second link (thatpetplace.com) also carry a variety of fish foods including O.S.I. Discus flakes, not something I have found at my local PetSmart. They also carry a lot of them in larger containers so you don't have to buy quite so often.
I put in an order with them whenever I am running low on the Discus flakes myself and thats when I also pick up a few of the other odd ball items I am looking at. :p

Btw: I am not sure there is any one real favorite food as mine will eat everything I give them, It's all in what they are trained to eat. And mine eat mostly flakes in the AM (spread out in small amounts) and anything from FDBW, FBS(to keep them regular) & frozen cubes in the evening when I get home.
Ray

[CelticMyst]

http://www.arcatapet.com/item.cfm?cat=455 or http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/10844/product.web

both are the same feeder.

Thank you for the links, I see the cone feeder there. I have looked them over and find a lot of choices for food in the second link as well. Also looking at the clean/drain and fill kits too. That would help with the load of carrying buckets, I will have to show it to my husband and see what he thinks of them. ;)
thanks so much for the help! :)
~ kate

[CelticMyst]

Kate,
The second link (thatpetplace.com) also carry a variety of fish foods including O.S.I. Discus flakes, not something I have found at my local PetSmart. They also carry a lot of them in larger containers so you don't have to buy quite so often.
I put in an order with them whenever I am running low on the Discus flakes myself and thats when I also pick up a few of the other odd ball items I am looking at. :p

Btw: I am not sure there is any one real favorite food as mine will eat everything I give them, It's all in what they are trained to eat. And mine eat mostly flakes in the AM (spread out in small amounts) and anything from FDBW, FBS(to keep them regular) & frozen cubes in the evening when I get home.
Ray
thanks Ray :) You are right about the variety of fish foods in the second link. I have some ideas on food to get now. I would like to try the Omega One sm pellet Cichlid and the Hikari staple ( green bag) daily food. I do wish they would like these Omega One freeze dried blood worms tho. Its so easy to feed them rather than trying to use the plastic syringe and feed them the frozen when it thaws. But they just don't seem interested in it. I wonder if they would get used to it over time? I just hate to see it sit in the tank and cause the foul water from decaying food.
Ricky blue has a lot of his color back and I do see him/her eating again.. but not as much as the others, he shies away when the others peck at him. Funny he is the largest in the tank too.
thanks for your help! :) ~ kate

[dvarnay]

I have fed the Discus Omega One freeze dried Bloodworms, but they do not seem to be interested in them. I thought that Discus liked blood worms? They eat the cichlid flake most of the time, but will go crazy for the frozen brine shrimp w/ spirulina. They like the frozen Krill, but I hear that is only to be given once in a while? The frozen beefheart they are not all that crazy for either and I see it passed up a lot in the tank. Any advice on a food that Discus really love?
~ thanks, kate

Kate

My discus don't particularly like freeze dried blookworms either but will scoff down frozen bloodworms. Try them as I notice the foods your discus seem to like best are the frozen varieties anyway. Also another tip is when introducing new food do this first thing in the morning when they are at their most hungry. You might also like to try tetra colour bits I find that the discus like them also.

Hope this helps.

Cheers
Debbie

[White Worm]

Frozen blood worms (cubes) by hikari and if you really want them to go crazy...live food. Dont worry about thawing the frozen food first. The tank water will melt it rather quickly. I just drop the cubes in the tank and let them pick at it until gone.

[CelticMyst]

Kate

My discus don't particularly like freeze dried blookworms either but will scoff down frozen bloodworms. Try them as I notice the foods your discus seem to like best are the frozen varieties anyway. Also another tip is when introducing new food do this first thing in the morning when they are at their most hungry. You might also like to try tetra colour bits I find that the discus like them also.

Hope this helps.

Cheers
Debbie
Hi Debbie... thanks for the advice, it sounds like a great time to introduce new foods. :) I will try that. I would think that the Omega One cichlid flakes are pretty much the same thing as the tetra color bits. I do have a container of the tetra color for the community tank fish.
I was a bit nervous about the pellets, reading some where that they can expand the fish's stomach and have to be really careful on feeding them. Is this true?
~ thanks, kate

[CelticMyst]

Frozen blood worms (cubes) by hikari and if you really want them to go crazy...live food. Dont worry about thawing the frozen food first. The tank water will melt it rather quickly. I just drop the cubes in the tank and let them pick at it until gone.

I will be picking up some of the Hakiri frozen blood worms this week. Live foods? Other than the live brine shrimp what others are there?
NOT live worms?? euuuuu..... :scared:
I did take a cut out of an onion netting bag and clipped it to the side of the tank with a cube in it, I think it gave them something to work at.. but it did melt pretty fast and pieces started falling out for the others. But there are a few that crowd around the net and wont let anyone else near it. That is why I was using the syringe to splay the BS over a wider surface area, making it easier for the shy ones to get to the food. Im wondering how they would react to the cube on the bottom of the tank... will have to check it out. :)
thanks, ~ kate

[CelticMyst]

Well, tried the other method of feeding them. I plopped down a hakiri frozen bs cube and a hakiri frozen beefheart cube into the tank to see how it goes. All I can say is no wonder there is a lot of wc's going on!! wow... I couldnt believe all the food dropping to the floor of the tank. Are the Discus grazers by chance? I sure hope so. lol..
They are looking at the top of the tank for their hand feeding meal and there is all the fbs floating to the bottom. I sure hope they find it! ;) So I will let them have a go at it.. and get ready to do a vacuum and water change this morning.
I think that I will find that cone feeder asap! ;) For the cost of shipping I will add in some other foods to the order as well! :)
~ kate

[Kindredspirit]

Kate ~ you must really get some pictures up, girl:)

[CelticMyst]

Good morning Marie!

LOL on the photos.. I have loads of photos! heheh... and I also have a lot of my tanks on youtube. I can add a link to youtube..
and about the photos... is there a specific category to upload photos to? :D
~ kate

[Kindredspirit]

You can post pictures in the Photo Gallery, Kate ~ I have oodles over there:) If you need help let me know ~ or hell, post a thread and anyone can assist you:)

Oh ~

Good Morning, Kate!

[CelticMyst]

Thanks! I will have to check them out. I LOVE photos..:D
I will post over there as well...
~ kate

[dvarnay]

Hi Debbie... thanks for the advice, it sounds like a great time to introduce new foods. :) I will try that. I would think that the Omega One cichlid flakes are pretty much the same thing as the tetra color bits. I do have a container of the tetra color for the community tank fish.
I was a bit nervous about the pellets, reading some where that they can expand the fish's stomach and have to be really careful on feeding them. Is this true?
~ thanks, kate

Kate

I have been feeding colour bits to my discus for 5 years now and have had no problems. I don't know if anyone else has had problems with them if you are worried don't do it the cichlid flakes are fine. And as the others have suggested live food black worms are great just stay away from tubiflex worms.

[bgbdwlf2500]

Hi Debbie... thanks for the advice, it sounds like a great time to introduce new foods. :) I will try that. I would think that the Omega One cichlid flakes are pretty much the same thing as the tetra color bits. I do have a container of the tetra color for the community tank fish.
I was a bit nervous about the pellets, reading some where that they can expand the fish's stomach and have to be really careful on feeding them. Is this true?
~ thanks, kate

if you watch when you drop the color bits in the water they expand a little bit. what i heard and what i do when i feed them those (which is rarely) i put some in water first just like you do with your frozen stuff... then dump them in the tank, that way they have already expanded....