How long can a discus go without eating?

[Mep1127]

Hey guys I'm just wondering how long a discus can go on without eating. I plan to take a vacation for a week sometime in august. We all know nobody can ever take care of our discus the way we do, so of course i don't trust anyone with them. I've had them for about 6 months they are still 4.5 inches and growing. I was pondering on the idea of an automated feeder but I'm not sure I want to do that... pellets and flakes get kind of messy since I'm not there to vac up left overs. Anyone have luck with vacation feeder block by chance?

I hope that wont stunt growth severely =/ if it should.

[Floppy Fin's]

I think I would have a trusted friend come over and learn your routine.. feeding and cleaning the tank if bare tank. At least a once a day feeding and cleanup.

[DiscusBR]

They can easily go a week without eating. Stop feeding the day before you leave, do a big water change and vacuum the bottom the day you leave and they will be fine. Clean water is much more important than feeding for a week.

[Skip]

eddie's fish went 38 day.. while he was out doing air force stuff

[DerekFF]

Yeah at 4.5 inches 1 week is no big deal. Auto feeder once a day if youre paranoid to keep them fed and not make the water dirty

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[flexo248]

auto feeder but only set a small amount of food......what kind of filter do you have.......that will help make the judgement of the autofeeder

[ericatdallas]

I let my discus go without food for 12 days while I was on vacation. They all survived. Probably not the healthiest thing though.

[DiscusBR]

I let my discus go without food for 12 days while I was on vacation. They all survived. Probably not the healthiest thing though.

Getting amonia and nitrite readings in the water due to no WCs and bottom vacuuming is a much more significant threat to your discus health than a week with no food. People ignore the fact that in the Amazon discus go a long time without getting much food during the dry season. I read a study based on autopsies of wild discus which found that a large number of them had nothing in their tummies. It is not accidental that they breed in the beginning of the rainy season, where there is more food and more survival chances for the fry.

[DerekFF]

Getting amonia and nitrite readings in the water due to no WCs and bottom vacuuming is a much more significant threat to your discus health than a week with no food. People ignore the fact that in the Amazon discus go a long time without getting much food during the dry season. I read a study based on autopsies of wild discus which found that a large number of them had nothing in their tummies. It is not accidental that they breed in the beginning of the rainy season, where there is more food and more survival chances for the fry.

A cycled tank will not get ammonia and nitrite readings from 1 week of no water changes and once per day autofeeder feedings.

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[Riche_guy]

Forget the automatic feeder. Safer just not to feed them for the week and nitrite will remain low with extra food not being in the tank.

[DerekFF]

This forum is filling up with paranoids

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[DiscusBR]

Forget the automatic feeder. Safer just not to feed them for the week and nitrite will remain low with extra food not being in the tank.

+1


A cycled tank will not get ammonia and nitrite readings from 1 week of no water changes and once per day autofeeder feedings.

I was answering Eric, who did not mention one feeding per day. But the impact of one feeding will depend on many other variables, like tank size, stocking levels, filtration, etc. The general advice is a general advice: no feeding is safer.


This forum is filling up with paranoids

And are you planning to run for its presidency? :)

[DiscusDrew]

Im sorry and take it as paranoid, I know a tank can take a once a day feeding if well cycled.... even if the fish DONT eat the food honestly... but that said, I see and have experienced little too no harm of not feeding for a week, it is NOT a long stretch at all. As such, my advice as well would be to skip the auto-feeder, just feed heavy two days before you go, then right before you go do a big water change. Everybody will be happy and healthy when you get back, without any fuss or headache of worrying about water quality or anything of the sort.

[Cameronv]

This forum is filling up with paranoids
+15

[DiscusBR]

Several SD members going to therapy lately:

74108

[Riche_guy]

Speaking of paranoid once again, I was a big avid user of automatic feeders for feeds while I was at work until mine stopped working with the food window in the down position and all of the colour bits falling into the tank. When I arrived all my fish were laying at the bottom of the tank having trouble breathing and discoloration. With cleaning the tank and WC I was able to save most except for 2 or 3 of them. I never used the feeder again. Not to mention how many times I dropped the feeder into the tank before this episode!!

[DerekFF]

Was it days before you caught this?

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[Riche_guy]

Was it days before you caught this?

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It was the same day!

[DerekFF]

Was it heaps of food? Thats a short time frame for it to nuke a tank! Like everything automated theres bound to be something happen sooner or later. For me the feeder gets clogged and just stops feeding lol.

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[DiscusDrew]

Was it heaps of food? Thats a short time frame for it to nuke a tank! Like everything automated theres bound to be something happen sooner or later. For me the feeder gets clogged and just stops feeding lol.

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Sounds better than the alternative haha

[Mep1127]

Lol no paranoia here ( for the most part ) I just know nobody can dedicate so much time as to put the work into my routine. I have an fx5 for a filter. If i can get away with a week than no worries, but they are living animals who need to eat as we do. I'm going to attempt at least a food block. Definitely clean the filter a week before and a major water change the night before i leave. Maybe they'll like those tetra gel blocks.

[Riche_guy]

Was it heaps of food? Thats a short time frame for it to nuke a tank! Like everything automated theres bound to be something happen sooner or later. For me the feeder gets clogged and just stops feeding lol.

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The feeder was full of Tetra Color Bits. It completed emptied. The bottom was completely covered with food. The tank was polluted.

[DerekFF]

Nasty.

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[rubinsteinnyc]

so whats the name of the feeder that died on you? what feeders do you guys use?

[DerekFF]

I dont really think a name brand that failed will help. Its s little electronic device with moving parts. THEY WILL FAIL sooner or later. To what extent will differ but hopefully like mine instead of his

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[Mep1127]

I dont really think a name brand that failed will help. Its s little electronic device with moving parts. THEY WILL FAIL sooner or later. To what extent will differ but hopefully like mine instead of his

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I agree... which is why i was weary of an automated feeder in the first place. Happened to a friend few months back and the fish surely died of ammonia etc. Well I see a week won't do bad but as I said before i shall try a gel and or food block

[Riche_guy]

I agree... which is why i was weary of an automated feeder in the first place. Happened to a friend few months back and the fish surely died of ammonia etc. Well I see a week won't do bad but as I said before i shall try a gel and or food block

As was mention here by several people who have left there fish for a week, there is no dager of no feeding in that time frame. If you fed them properly the while you have them, they are in good shape. :)

[dragon1974]

Went 24 days without food and w/c. Had someone come in once a week to make sure that all was well with the tanks. Had an IP camera setup to take a look at them once in a while but that was it. No deaths

[Crunchy]

If worried about feeder accidentally dumping food, just fill the feeder with max 3 days worth of food. That way they will eat once a day for 3 days and 4 days fasting.

[DiscusBR]

If worried about feeder accidentally dumping food, just fill the feeder with max 3 days worth of food. That way they will eat once a day for 3 days and 4 days fasting.

There is no need to feed ADULT discus during vacations. As dragon1974 has shown, they can go a long time with no food and no problems. I have had the same experience as him/her, up to three weeks with no food and no problems.

[zchauvin]

There is no need to feed ADULT discus during vacations. As dragon1974 has shown, they can go a long time with no food and no problems. I have had the same experience as him/her, up to three weeks with no food and no problems.

+1 it isn't science so why keep coming up with different solutions... Here's a good idea, don't feed the fish, very simple

[WayneW]

Hey guys I'm just wondering how long a discus can go on without eating. I plan to take a vacation for a week sometime in august. We all know nobody can ever take care of our discus the way we do, so of course i don't trust anyone with them. I've had them for about 6 months they are still 4.5 inches and growing. I was pondering on the idea of an automated feeder but I'm not sure I want to do that... pellets and flakes get kind of messy since I'm not there to vac up left overs. Anyone have luck with vacation feeder block by chance?

I hope that wont stunt growth severely =/ if it should.

I've tried feeding very little for 21 days by auto feeder when I was on long vacation. I just used NSL Thera A and asked someone to pour 2 caps of Tetra Nitrate Free on weekly basis. Hence no water change at all throughout the 21 days. My tank set up is 50 gal with 11 x 4" discus, 2 sponge filter and one power sump top filter. All discus were healthy and some approaching 6" by now. Tried and tested, it works.

[DISCUS STU]

All sounds like good advice, one week isn't that long. I usually do auto feeders especially for the grow outs. I only use Tetra Bits because the fish always eat it and usually nothing is left if the portions are right, flakes just clump up due to humidity. I like the Grasslin Rondomatic (sorry for the plug) but they don't make it anymore. If not feeding it's also been recommended to lower the temp. a few degrees so the fish are a little less active and using less energy.

[Saker]

Great info. Thanks!