difficuties with changing food, help!!

[maxpain]

i got a half dozen 6 month old discus 3 weeks ago. i've been feeding them frozen blood worms and brine shrimp. so now they are spoiled. the local breeder fed them flakes and frozen. i''ve been introducing them to a beef heart flake mix. i wanted to give them a more balance diet and also a little more convenient for me. it's been 4 days now and 2 out of the four juvies eat the flakes, the other 4 spits them back out. i'm concerned because they look a lot thinner than the other ones. should i be persistent and not give in? how long should i do this?

[Eddie Wells]

Feed them the flakes the first feeding of the day when they haven't eaten all night and I think you will find that they will start accepting them. Really 4 days isn't that bad. Keep us posted.

Eddie Wells

[maxpain]

i've actually been feeding them flakes throughout the day. morning(7:30), after work(5pm) and evening (9pm). the other four have not been eating at all for the last 4 days. i will continue with the flakes until they eat them.

do you think they will starve themselves to death?

[Eddie Wells]

i've actually been feeding them flakes throughout the day. morning(7:30), after work(5pm) and evening (9pm). the other four have not been eating at all for the last 4 days. i will continue with the flakes until they eat them.

do you think they will starve themselves to death?

I really think they will start eating it maxp in the next 2 or 3 days. I had the same problem when I first received mine. They loved frozen bloodworms and that was all they would eat. It took a week to a week and a half but they finally started eating ON Reef Flakes then Super Beef Heart Flakes and then freeze dried blackworms. I feel they are now on a pretty good line of food. Besides don't feel bad as the brine shrimp that they would eat for you doesn't have very much nutrition in it all. But don't overdo it on the freeze dried black worms or you will have the same problem with them, ( the fish love them).
Keep us posted and let us know in the next 2 or 3 days how it's going.

Eddie Wells

[jeffh2]

My discus were fussy at first until i tried ON prime reef or their discus flakes. They eat flakes twice a day, bloodworms once and Sera Discus pellets at night. they love to blow the pellets out of the sand at night for their midnight snack. Bloodworms are still their favorite food and they eat them out of my fingers when I let them. Where did you get your fish? locally?

[5star]

Combine both then gradually adjust them over to the foods. They should take it if there healthy. 2 weeks time should be about right.

[maxpain]

thanks everyone for the great advice. i gave in today. i didn't have the heart to see them not eat anything. i know it would be better for them in the long run so i will try my hardest not to give in. i will get them to eat the beef heart flakes and other nutritous foods.

jeffh2, i got the discus from mench. he's got some really nice size juvies and adults.

[kyubi]

have u ever try feeding the food that they love and sneak in a little flakes.. it's work for mine friends and as for me , i got mine discus from a breeder that was already feeding them flakes and variety, lucky me....:p

[mjs020294]

My advice would be get a fish feeder and set it to feed flake four times a day while you are out. We had some fickle eaters but since we started using the feeder they are all greedy as hell.

They are lined up across the front of the tank looking for food all day. They get fed all sorts, about 10-12 feeds a day and nothing ever makes it to the bottom.

Lots of smaller feeds seems to do the trick with Discus.

[jeffh2]

They were probably spoiled by Mench who fed them brewmasters Freeze dried Blackworms. Go to brew's site and order some and you will have fat happy discus!!!!!

[maxpain]

finally, after a few days, they are eating the flakes. some even go right to the top to get at the floating flakes. the mixing of frozen and flakes worked great. i have a grocery list just for my discus.

thanks again for the great advice everyone.

[goodoo]

Hang in there. it usually takes me a month to get discus eating what
i want them to eat. Mainly because I make the same mistake and spoil them

[maxpain]

4 will eat the flakes, but the other two shows no interested. i'm going to try different foods also. i want them to eat everything i throw in there. is that even possible, are they like people where they will select what they eat?

[Eddie]

4 will eat the flakes, but the other two shows no interested. i'm going to try different foods also. i want them to eat everything i throw in there. is that even possible, are they like people where they will select what they eat?

Yes, it is possible but as you've noticed, they get used to certain foods and some will tend to have a favorite. I know if you keep feeding them one food that they like most, good luck ever changing it. ;)

[maxpain]

got some freeze dried black worms. my discus love them. 5 of 6 are now eating the the beefheart flakes. what do you guys think about freeze dried blood worms?

[Eddie]

got some freeze dried black worms. my discus love them. 5 of 6 are now eating the the beefheart flakes. what do you guys think about freeze dried blood worms?


Not as good as the FD blackworms IMO.

[Eddie Wells]

Not as good as the FD blackworms IMO.

+1

[goodoo]

keep trying . It takes time .

[Keith Perkins]

Mine greatly prefer frozen to freeze dried, even though I only give them as an occasional treat.

[maxpain]

i will stick with the fdbw and forget about the freeze dried bloodworms. and yes, they love the frozen bloodworms the best but i will not feed them that all the time because of the nutrition value. i have not tried any live foods and probably won't ever, but i would like to try out the ON prime reef foods. btw, where can i get the ON prime reef food?

[Eddie Wells]

Here you go Max !

http://www.igopro-online.com//pindex.asp

[jeffh2]

In Rochester go to Caribbean Forest near culver and norton street. I also purchase ON Discus flakes and prime Reef at ABC pets in Fairport if you are on the eastside. They also have a Discus tank with many sizes at times he used to be a breeder