Number of times you guys feed 2.5-3 inch discus?

[Aznman1]

Hi guys I was wondering how many times a day you feed your 2-3 inch discus. I have 10 juvies right now in a 55. Anyway I do 50% water changes once a day and feed them 4 times. Just wanna make sure I'm doing everything right. I've kept wilds but this is my first try at juvenile domestics

[John_Nicholson]

I normally 2 or maybe 3 times a day.

-john

[Aznman1]

Ok thanks. Am I overfeeding by doing it 4 times a day?

[Kal-El]

Ok thanks. Am I overfeeding by doing it 4 times a day?

No you are not. The more the better. I feed 5 times a day. Once at 7am, 11am, 3pm, 6pm, &9pm then 50% WC. On the weekends I feed 6-7 times since I'm home all day to clean after feeding. If you feed a lot you'll need to do daily WC.

[Eddie]

I normally 2 or maybe 3 times a day.

-john

+1...and maybe once. LOL

[Aznman1]

Alright thanks guys. I have them on angel plus' super color enhancing, BH, and Hi-Pro Growth flakes

[BobDaniel]

I feed my seven at least ten times a day. I probably am overdoing it, but mine "seem" to have doubled in size in a month. They arrived as 2.5 inchers but honestly they were a bit bigger. Now most are pushing 4+ inches. I try to do two 80% water changes daily in my 75 gallon tank. A couple of them are turning out really nice.

[Poco]

Mostly three times a day.

[strawberryblonde]

5-6 times per day, depending on my schedule. I keep the meals fairly small and feel by doing it this way there's less leftovers hanging around. Mine, like Bob's are growing like weeds with this feeding plan. Started out at 4", the largest is now 7" and the smallest is 6". Oh sorry, took 2 1/2 months for them to reach that size.

[John_Nicholson]

No you are not. The more the better. I feed 5 times a day. Once at 7am, 11am, 3pm, 6pm, &9pm then 50% WC. On the weekends I feed 6-7 times since I'm home all day to clean after feeding. If you feed a lot you'll need to do daily WC.

Not necessarily....Too much food can cause poor water conditions. That will also affect the growth in a negative manner.

-john

[Eddie]

Not necessarily....Too much food can cause poor water conditions. That will also affect the growth in a negative manner.

-john

+1

[Kal-El]

Not necessarily....Too much food can cause poor water conditions. That will also affect the growth in a negative manner.

-john

Well you guys are the expert, but at least it's been working for me and may not for everyone. I don't over feed only what they can eat within the 5-10min window. After that I remove the left over. so far the 5 feeding a day has put good growth rate on my Discus. Example: the ones I got at quarter size in April is already now @ 5" about 1" a month. Maybe the daily 50% WC also help.

[Eddie]

Well you guys are the expert, but at least it's been working for me and may not for everyone. I don't over feed only what they can eat within the 5-10min window. After that I remove the left over. so far the 5 feeding a day has put good growth rate on my Discus. Example: the ones I got at quarter size in April is already now @ 5" about 1" a month. Maybe the daily 50% WC also help.

Thats the thing, what works for you, may not work for another person. Also, there is no race, no competition, no prize to growing the fish out the fastest. In the end...the fish will all turn out the same.

[hedut]

I feed at least 4 to 7 time a day and WC 35% - 70% daily

[Skip]

Its the left over food from feeding that can cause problems..

[pastry]

not an expert and will say i've had my "experiences" but i do 3-6 times a day. my schedule (during the work week) is sporadic. they definitely get pampered on the weekends. mondays and tuesday i go to work and then night classes so i don't get home until 9pm (which i only have fed them before i left for work at 6'ish am in the morning; then hopefully the wife remembers to feed them once before i get home at night), yet even on those night i feed them as soon as i get home and then a small snack before lights out. i also have an automatic feeder but still not covinced it feeds much while at work. then wed & thurs they get most meals between 4:30 & 9:30 pm. i think it'd be best to have them on a standard feeding schedule 7 days of the week but that's never going to happen with me PLUS another factor is that i have them in a community tank so what they miss then there are others in there that specifically "vacuum" it up (God definitely created the corydoras for discus lovers).

[Kal-El]

Its the left over food from feeding that can cause problems..

Agreed, that's why I always suck out uneaten food. Growth rate for me has been great.

[Skip]

i can tell you.. that the 2.5" Lemon Yellows that Discus John Nicholson got from Beals.. have grown out fantastic!! and only twice day.. wth!!

i don't always listen to John Nicholson.. but when i do.. its cuz of my DOS XX

[Eddie]

The funny thing is that its fine to feed a dozen times a day, its not a new thing, even I used to feed upwards of a dozen times a day but the end result is the same.

[nc0gnet0]

The number of times you feed a day should be directly tied to the number of water changes you can do a day..........

[Eddie]

The number of times you feed a day should be directly tied to the number of water changes you can do a day..........

Truth

[BobDaniel]

I am disabled and home all day almost every day of the month. 2x or even 3x a day water changes are not a problem, however we feed only enough to be consumed in a minute or two.

[PAR23]

IMO/E, what you feed is more important than the frequency of feeds. I use to feed juvies 6-8 meals a day until I started doing more critical reading along with speaking to more experienced keepers. I now only feed home made BH mix 2-3x a day and their growth is the same if not better than my prior rountine.

[John_Nicholson]

See this illistrates the joy of the internet.....At some point someone got on here and acted like an expert. They would post that to get maximum growth you HAD to feed 6X+ times a day. Now I don't care what anyone does with their fish. If you want to feed 100X a day I don't care, but most of the sure enough experts know that you can grow the fish out to their potential with 2-3X feedings a day with proper water conditions. I am just amazed how people with very limited real experience can set the SOP of so many people who are just trying to do what is best for their fish. Beware of the internet expert....they are everywhere.....LOL.

-john

[Eddie]

IMO/E, what you feed is more important than the frequency of feeds. I use to feed juvies 6-8 meals a day until I started doing more critical reading along with speaking to more experienced keepers. I now only feed home made BH mix 2-3x a day and their growth is the same if not better than my prior rountine.

+1


See this illistrates the joy of the internet.....At some point someone got on here and acted like an expert. They would post that to get maximum growth you HAD to feed 6X+ times a day. Now I don't care what anyone does with their fish. If you want to feed 100X a day I don't care, but most of the sure enough experts know that you can grow the fish out to their potential with 2-3X feedings a day with proper water conditions. I am just amazed how people with very limited real experience can set the SOP of so many people who are just trying to do what is best for their fish. Beware of the internet expert....they are everywhere.....LOL.

-john

+1

[Skip]

I don't think there are ANY experts here..

there are people that have Many years of Discus Experience.. BUT alot of them.. don't post much anymore.. its a shame, :(

[Discus-n00b]

I feed at least 4 times a day, sometimes up to 6 if I happen to throw some in while I am walking by the tank. 7am, 12noon, 5pm, 10pm. But I also do daily WCs.

[lipadj46]

How much I feed is directly related to how much I am home (and walk by the tank). Probably 4x's a day during the week, 6x's on weekend days. I do daily 95% water changes. Also I will add that I no longer use a beefheart or seafood mix. Just super beefheart flake and freeze dried black worms. I see no difference in growth rates and I don't hear the wife complain about the mess. that's called a win win.

[jimg]

normally 2x a day weekends could be 4-5x just smaller amounts. been strictly super bh from inland, sera bits, fd blk worms, 1-2x frozen bs. best growth and color I see is with super bh.
growing out fry I used to do average 3-4x a day

[Aznman1]

Thanks for the input everybody! I really appreciate it! That's why I love this forum. Just ordered some NLS discus pellets today hopefully they will take to it pretty quick!

[shoveltrash]

interesting subject, and fascinating the diversity of replies :)

my Discus have grown out from 3.5" to +/- 6", and it's been almost 8 months - I typically feed 4x a day, but if I have a long shift they get less. daily WCs, 50-75% w/bare bottom tank. occasionally I miss a WC, with no feeding on that day. edited to add: my foods include beefheart flakes with pro-growth, ON Prime reef flakes, frozen beefheart (right before a WC), Al's fdbw, and occasionally frozen brine shrimp or bloodworms.
I'm sure my growth rate is less than others, but my fish seem happy & healthy.
*caveat* I am NOT an expert! LOL

good luck Kenneth!

[Kal-El]

I'm testing this right now with three fire reds all at 3.5" when I got them a month ago. I put one in a 75gallon with the stock of discus getting feed 4-5x daily. The other two are in a 29gallon with 3 other juvie discus feed 2-3 times. All get 50% daily water change. The reason I did this in the 29gal as I don't have tank space and didn't want to over feed and pollute the tank water by over feeding. So far the ones that get feed 4-5x grew out a lot faster and are much ticker in size right now at 4.5". The ones feed 2-3 times haven't grown much. Probably at 3.75" almost 4". Like the experts are saying there is no rush in growing them or reward and the end result will probably be the same. Personally I prefer quick growth and can afford to do daily WC. The way I look at it why not grow them out as much as you can when they are growing out the best. If I didn't I would resort to 1-2 feeding and do every other day WC. I will see how the end result of my Discus are once they are all fully grown. If they end up being the same size or not much of a difference in size i would feed less, which is less work to clean up.

[Eddie]

I'm testing this right now with three fire reds all at 3.5" when I got them a month ago. I put one in a 75gallon with the stock of discus getting feed 4-5x daily. The other two are in a 29gallon with 3 other juvie discus feed 2-3 times. All get 50% daily water change. The reason I did this in the 29gal as I don't have tank space and didn't want to over feed and pollute the tank water by over feeding. So far the ones that get feed 4-5x grew out a lot faster and are much ticker in size right now at 4.5". The ones feed 2-3 times haven't grown much. Probably at 3.75" almost 4". Like the experts are saying there is no rush in growing them or reward and the end result will probably be the same. Personally I prefer quick growth and can afford to do daily WC. The way I look at it why not grow them out as much as you can when they are growing out the best. If I didn't I would resort to 1-2 feeding and do every other day WC. I will see how the end result of my Discus are once they are all fully grown. If they end up being the same size or not much of a difference in size i would feed less, which is less work to clean up.

You are already skewing the numbers. The test isn't controlled. You would need to keep the fish in the same environment, i.e. same size tank, same number/amount of water changes, same foods, just fed less frequently AND fed the same amount.

[Kal-El]

You are already skewing the numbers. The test isn't controlled. You would need to keep the fish in the same environment, i.e. same size tank, same number/amount of water changes, same foods, just fed less frequently AND fed the same amount.

Good point Eddie you are right. My test isn't controlled. A truly good test would have to be what you mention. Maybe this is something I will test when I get pairs and produce some fry from some of the adults I'm growing out.

[Eddie]

Good point Eddie you are right. My test isn't controlled. A truly good test would have to be what you mention. Maybe this is something I will test when I get some Juvies from some of the adults I'm growing out.

If it was a controlled test, it would be pretty interesting to see. Definitely give it a shot in the future. A few other things to keep in mind would be the fish being from the same brood, same filtration and equal stocking load (equal number of fish per tank). Even with the fish being from the same brood, there can be differences in growth rate but I think identifying the best of the batch and separating them early, would make it work.

[Aznman1]

Thanks Shoveltrash! They usually get 2-4 feedings depending on my work and college classes, but they always get 50-60% water change once everyday. Very interesting kalelhawj!

[ExReefer]

I feel like we need to qualify the word "feeding" for this thread. A feeding in my mind, is not flake food, brine shirmp, etc. Those foods are snacks.

To me, a feeding is with a high quality food where I can physically see their stomach has grown in size. In my fish room, a proper feeding is with FDBW's or BH. My fish pound these foods and their stomach has grown after feeding these foods. I can see that all of them are full after feeding these foods. My fish get three feedings like this each day and some "snacks" as well. Flake foods IMO provide the vitiams and the other foods provide the growth.

[lipadj46]

I feel like we need to qualify the word "feeding" for this thread. A feeding in my mind, is not flake food, brine shirmp, etc. Those foods are snacks.

To me, a feeding is with a high quality food where I can physically see their stomach has grown in size. In my fish room, a proper feeding is with FDBW's or BH. My fish pound these foods and their stomach has grown after feeding these foods. I can see that all of them are full after feeding these foods. My fish get three feedings like this each day and some "snacks" as well. Flake foods IMO provide the vitiams and the other foods provide the growth.

IMO Food is food. I would add that a beefheart mix is a good percentage water so even if their stomachs are full how much is food and how much is water? Like I mentioned before I'm using Bill's Super Beefheart Flake as my main diet and have not seen a difference in growth yet. Just empirical evidence nothing rigorous though.

[Floppy Fin's]

No you are not. The more the better. I feed 5 times a day. Once at 7am, 11am, 3pm, 6pm, &9pm then 50% WC. On the weekends I feed 6-7 times since I'm home all day to clean after feeding. If you feed a lot you'll need to do daily WC.

Ditto...
FFins

[ExReefer]

IMO Food is food. I would add that a beefheart mix is a good percentage water so even if their stomachs are full how much is food and how much is water? Like I mentioned before I'm using Bill's Super Beefheart Flake as my main diet and have not seen a difference in growth yet. Just empirical evidence nothing rigorous though.

It's probaby just me, but I like to see a bulge in their stomach to be satisfied with their feeding. No bulge, then it's a snack to me. Flakes don't produce a bulge, but BH and FDBW's (or live) sure do and it takes just a few mins.

[John_Nicholson]

IMO Food is food. I would add that a beefheart mix is a good percentage water so even if their stomachs are full how much is food and how much is water? Like I mentioned before I'm using Bill's Super Beefheart Flake as my main diet and have not seen a difference in growth yet. Just empirical evidence nothing rigorous though.

My BH mix does not have a lot of water. It only has a lot if you buy the commercially produced stuff and once it hits the water the water in it enters your tank so if their stomach is bulging it it all food.

-john

[lipadj46]

My BH mix does not have a lot of water. It only has a lot if you buy the commercially produced stuff and once it hits the water the water in it enters your tank so if their stomach is bulging it it all food.

-john

It has much more water in it than say a dry food (but then it all absorbs water when it hits the water). My guys stomachs bulge whatever they eat, especially the little guys, flakes can make them look like raviolis too. You can argue which is more filling or which food is best but in the end protein is protein and as long as the fish is getting optimum protein they will grow. IMO water quality is just as important. I have blue knights showing growth like I've not seen before on FDBW and super beefheart flake, but I'm sure that is genetics too.

[Aznman1]

I just prefer to feed them the FDBW once a week, and then as for the other feedings I give them different types of flakes such as spirulina, ultra color enhancing, beef heart. Also pellets as well. Although there isn't a bulge afterwards the food is still consumed and the nutritional benefits are still there. Everyone feeds their discus differently tho.

[Skip]

i always add a gallon of water to my BH MIX.. so they can say Hydrated..

[PAR23]

a proper feeding is with FDBW's or BH.

Agree 100%

[TomJasper]

Its the left over food from feeding that can cause problems..

I agree that left over food spoils water quickly, but surely eaten and digested food which is later excreted spoils water too. This is why heavy feeding - even if every bit is consumed - requires frequent WC, right? It all degrades water quality.

This may be my first post on this forum, but I have lurked on and off for years. I've always wondered what the hurry is in growing out discus. My impression is that as a group, this crowd is in a much bigger hurry to grow large fish than I am...

[Eddie]

I agree that left over food spoils water quickly, but surely eaten and digested food which is later excreted spoils water too. This is why heavy feeding - even if every bit is consumed - requires frequent WC, right? It all degrades water quality.

This may be my first post on this forum, but I have lurked on and off for years. I've always wondered what the hurry is in growing out discus. My impression is that as a group, this crowd is in a much bigger hurry to grow large fish than I am...

Glad you came in and its true. Its a growing thing....LOL. I used to try to grow mine out super fast too...back in the day.

[Jdizon20]

Interesting thread i found while researching how much to feed. I must have missed this topic. All this time I thought there was a correlation between the amount of feedings a day to the propensity of stunting a juvie discus, I guess not? it sounds like twice a day feeding is enough not to stunt a young discus? And the Amount of feedings (assuming water is kept clean via wc) only affects rate of growth? I only feed twice a day because of my schedule and always felt guilty about it. Weekends I try to feed more. I'm in no hurry to grow them, I just don't want to stunt them.

[kimbo]

The number of times you feed a day should be directly tied to the number of water changes you can do a day..........
That is so true! Its just like a baby the more they eat the more they poo and fling it everywhere.

[moik]

Feeding 2 x a day will make your discus stunted,,especially if you feed flake/low grade pellet..Usually feed 4x a day with moderate amounts of food or 3x a day for heavy feedings at a minimum for growth/girth....Water changes were done every other day at 60-70% ,,no need to change water everyday except for discus under 2" size. I only had bare bottom tanks,,,decorated tanks will be different,,along with many other factors..There are several threads of mine witch show the young juvie discus adult....Pictures prove themselves for discus sizes above 6.5" and with girth to them too. Anyone can buy a large discus, try and raise them this large.. Funny,,,seeing things change perspective when you been around here for long while..
Interesting thread i found while researching how much to feed. I must have missed this topic. All this time I thought there was a correlation between the amount of feedings a day to the propensity of stunting a juvie discus, I guess not? it sounds like twice a day feeding is enough not to stunt a young discus? And the Amount of feedings (assuming water is kept clean via wc) only affects rate of growth? I only feed twice a day because of my schedule and always felt guilty about it. Weekends I try to feed more. I'm in no hurry to grow them, I just don't want to stunt them.

[moik]

Do a little more research....I only done daily water changes on discus less than 2 inches in size..No need to do daily water changes..I have done water changes every 2-3 days (75% plus)......Never seen any reason to waste water, look at my results...
That is so true! Its just like a baby the more they eat the more they poo and fling it everywhere.

[John_Nicholson]

Feeding 2 x a day will make your discus stunted,,especially if you feed flake/low grade pellet..Usually feed 4x a day with moderate amounts of food or 3x a day for heavy feedings at a minimum for growth/girth....Water changes were done every other day at 60-70% ,,no need to change water everyday except for discus under 2" size. I only had bare bottom tanks,,,decorated tanks will be different,,along with many other factors..There are several threads of mine witch show the young juvie discus adult....Pictures prove themselves for discus sizes above 6.5" and with girth to them too. Anyone can buy a large discus, try and raise them this large.. Funny,,,seeing things change perspective when you been around here for long while..


Sorry but I disagree. I have been raising discus a long time and have raised several generations of discus. In other words my own fry to adults and in turn breed them. I feed twice a day 95% of the time. It is BH and I feed heavy, but my fish are not stunted. If anything I am know for large discus, not small ones.

-john

[moik]

You disagree but you only feed beefheart...What a contradiction of discus 101...Varied diet for starters..Breeders mainly use beefheart for profit /cost equasions,but most ot the actual discus breeder fish get spoiled dietwise...There are secrets in many hobbies like aquarium hobby..I have been here a long time and never knew til now that you are known for large discus..Heh,Lets see some pictures!!!!!!!! not the ones you bought large either...
Sorry but I disagree. I have been raising discus a long time and have raised several generations of discus. In other words my own fry to adults and in turn breed them. I feed twice a day 95% of the time. It is BH and I feed heavy, but my fish are not stunted. If anything I am know for large discus, not small ones.

-john

[moon_knight1971]

I don't have the experience like most of you but I've found discus are hardier than they are usually given credit for, especially if they are in an a good sized bare bottom tank at that size. I usually change 80% of the water every 2 days and feed them a variety of foods 6 times a day until they are 4 inches then I go to 4 feedings a day and biweekly 80% water changes with good results. I find more success with blue strains than any of the others I've tried raising. Seem to grow much larger than any other color.

Joey!

[John_Nicholson]

You disagree but you only feed beefheart...What a contradiction of discus 101...Varied diet for starters..Breeders mainly use beefheart for profit /cost equasions,but most ot the actual discus breeder fish get spoiled dietwise...There are secrets in many hobbies like aquarium hobby..I have been here a long time and never knew til now that you are known for large discus..Heh,Lets see some pictures!!!!!!!! not the ones you bought large either...

Why do I sense hostility? I cordially disagreed with you. We all know that I shut down my fish house dure to the drought and just got fish again in June. While I am growing out some nice fish they are a long way from adults currently. I have some from Chad that I got at around 2 1/2 inches and thr largest is 5 1/2 at 9 months. In another 9 I can gladly post pictures for you.

I also disagree that feeding bh heart is against discus 101. If anything it is the standard.

-john

[nwehrman]

As an owner of fish John grew out (above mentioned drought fish!) from babies...they are not stunted at all! In fact most are show quality.

Just FYI -

[moik]

No hostility intended,,sorry you took it that way....Baffles me that there is not a common standard for at least how many feedings a day are best for discus growth and overall health...Plus what would be a good water schedule is also...Plus what are the best foods for optimum growth/health too..I did not insinuate BH is bad for discus but meant to portray it takes more than just beefheart to growth healthy large discus..Varied diet..Sorry to say that I am one to "go against the grain" type of person,but the results speak for themselves...On any one given topic in the discus world there are many opinions on how its done,,but this will never change I guess....Got to be very frustrating/confusing for the newer people to world of discus..Just like Hans saying goes..
Why do I sense hostility? I cordially disagreed with you. We all know that I shut down my fish house dure to the drought and just got fish again in June. While I am growing out some nice fish they are a long way from adults currently. I have some from Chad that I got at around 2 1/2 inches and thr largest is 5 1/2 at 9 months. In another 9 I can gladly post pictures for you.

I also disagree that feeding bh heart is against discus 101. If anything it is the standard.

-john

[nc0gnet0]

Feeding 2 x a day will make your discus stunted,,especially if you feed flake/low grade pellet..Usually feed 4x a day with moderate amounts of food or 3x a day for heavy feedings at a minimum for growth/girth....Water changes were done every other day at 60-70% ,,no need to change water everyday except for discus under 2" size. I only had bare bottom tanks,,,decorated tanks will be different,,along with many other factors..There are several threads of mine witch show the young juvie discus adult....Pictures prove themselves for discus sizes above 6.5" and with girth to them too. Anyone can buy a large discus, try and raise them this large.. Funny,,,seeing things change perspective when you been around here for long while..

Your leaving out a couple of key elelments to the equation here......stocking density and tank size. I tend to agree with John here, although I don't normally feed BH. Water quality is the key to raising large discus. I strongly believe the number one issue with raising young fry/juvies is overfeeding that leads to water quality issues. Feeding mulitple times a day will grow them out faster, but I sometimes wonder if this practice is at least partially responsable for a lot of the barrel chested discus we see. Feeding multiple times a day is my preferred method (4x) but only if I can maintain water quality with my work schedule. if I can't I cut back to two times a day.

[nwehrman]

Your leaving out a couple of key elelments to the equation here......stocking density and tank size. I tend to agree with John here, although I don't normally feed BH. Water quality is the key to raising large discus. I strongly believe the number one issue with raising young fry/juvies is overfeeding that leads to water qualtiy issues. Feeding mulitple times a day will grow them out faster, but I sometimes wonder if this practice is at least partially responsable for a lot of the barrel chested discus we see. Feeding multiple times a day is my preferred method (4x) but only if I can maintain water quality with my work schedule. if I can't I cut back to two times a day.

Rick - I so agree with you - and John. Water Quality is the key!

[SMB2]

Well I have to agree with whoever posted that this thread must be confusing to a new Discus owner...it is. I have had six four inch Discus for all of two weeks. They came from Hans and have been eating his formula from day one. Now they also eat frozen Mysis, and frozen Blood Worms (which I have reduced to once or twice a week). I am waiting for my shipment of Al FDBW. They are in a well aged planted tank that gets 30-50% WC three times a week. I hand feed them to cut down on the waste, three times a day. Their bellies are quite full after each feeding so I take it that should be reasonable from a nutritional standpoint as far as normal growth is concerned. Water parameters have remained stable with the new bio-load,
nitrates 5-10 ppm which I like for the plants. The 10 Rummey Nose, and 10 Corys are otherwise never fed and seem to clean up the small bits. One down side to hand feeding so far is that the Discus won't look at flake or pellets.
They would certainly eat more if offered but I would prefer for obvious reasons not to overload the tank with waste. They do like to eat the ends off the Micro Swords and find stuff to peck at on the wood.

[MGKelly]

Analogy, When you go to the gym you don’t ask the guys with the pigeon chest for workout tips right? Well maybe you do, but anyway talk is cheap!
Please backup your comments with the fish you've raised, the more the merrier!

[Chicago Discus]

Ok heres my take on this I am no expert but this is what works for me. Also its really hard for me to talk about feeding with out talking about water changes they kinda go hand and hand. water it whats going to make your young discus grow like weeds not the food.........Josie

Adults breeding or not get fed 2x a day beef heart mix with a snack midday of a small amount FDBW. WC ones a day between 30% to 60% depending on stock level.
Juveniles fed 2x day beef heart mix 2x snacks pellets and FDBW late afternoon live brine shrimp soaked w/organic spirulina powder. 150% daily no exceptions.
Fry after two weeks free swimming Slime coat all day (if still with adults) also six times a day with BBS w/cyclopes ezze or baby fry food (my own mix) 100% daily
Fry free swimming less than two weeks Slime coat all day and stunted BBS for digestion and an intro to baby fry food (my own mix) Central system which makes it a little different with water changes 60% daily

[John_Nicholson]

Moik.....There are lots of ways that work. My way has worked for me and many others for longer than most of the people here have ever heard of discus. Discus eating a BH mix only food has been done since at least the 70's. The largest fish that I ever raised out and measured was 6 3/8 inches standard length so when you add 1 1/2 to 2 inches of tail he was bigger than most will ever own.

You were the one that was talking in absolutes....You said that fish fed only twice a day were always stunted. So are wild discus always stunted? It is a fairly well accepted fact that wild discus do not eat everyday. There are times they get a lot to eat and times they get very little. Using your logic all wild caught fish would have to be stunted. Also their offspring being fed the 72 times a day that "want to be experts" have convinced newb's that they have to feed should be much larger than their "stunted" parents, but you know what? They are not any bigger on average.

You do it you way and I will do it mine. The only thing that is confusing is when someone speaks in absolutes.

-john

[Wjmulder]

The only thing that is confusing is when someone speaks in absolutes.

-john

Amen

[Chicago Discus]

Moik.....There are lots of ways that work. My way has worked for me and many others for longer than most of the people here have ever heard of discus. Discus eating a BH mix only food has been done since at least the 70's. The largest fish that I ever raised out and measured was 6 3/8 inches standard length so when you add 1 1/2 to 2 inches of tail he was bigger than most will ever own.

You were the one that was talking in absolutes....You said that fish fed only twice a day were always stunted. So are wild discus always stunted? It is a fairly well accepted fact that wild discus do not eat everyday. There are times they get a lot to eat and times they get very little. Using your logic all wild caught fish would have to be stunted. Also their offspring being fed the 72 times a day that "want to be experts" have convinced newb's that they have to feed should be much larger than their "stunted" parents, but you know what? They are not any bigger on average.

You do it you way and I will do it mine. The only thing that is confusing is when someone speaks in absolutes.

-john

+1

[Inland Empire Discus]

In my opinion temperature plays a part in how often you need to feed as the temp. affects the the fish metabolism. For instance if you keep your tanks between 80-82 degrees then 2 feedings a day will work, but if you keep your tanks at say 86-88 degrees then you will need to feed more to keep up with their metabolism. This will then also determine how many water changes and percent of water changes are necessary per day to keep the water clean so they can grow.
I have personally have fish that were kept in cooler water and were only fed twice a day that are now over 7 inches total length and are far from stunted. There are 101 ways to raise a discus and people need to take all info into consideration and do what works best for them.
Again this is just my opinion.

[John_Nicholson]

Good point on temps. Personally I think that 82 is perfect for discus of all ages.

-john

[SMB2]

John you are correct that it is silly to deal in absolutes base on anecdotal evidence. Clearly this is as much (or more) an art than a science. With all the experienced breeders posting It would be great to see a controlled study. But even if there was strong statistical evidence for one method I suspect few successful breeders would change. It might help somebody starting out though.

[Eddie]

Analogy, When you go to the gym you don’t ask the guys with the pigeon chest for workout tips right? Well maybe you do, but anyway talk is cheap!
Please backup your comments with the fish you've raised, the more the merrier!

Thats easy... ;)


Moik.....There are lots of ways that work. My way has worked for me and many others for longer than most of the people here have ever heard of discus. Discus eating a BH mix only food has been done since at least the 70's. The largest fish that I ever raised out and measured was 6 3/8 inches standard length so when you add 1 1/2 to 2 inches of tail he was bigger than most will ever own.

You were the one that was talking in absolutes....You said that fish fed only twice a day were always stunted. So are wild discus always stunted? It is a fairly well accepted fact that wild discus do not eat everyday. There are times they get a lot to eat and times they get very little. Using your logic all wild caught fish would have to be stunted. Also their offspring being fed the 72 times a day that "want to be experts" have convinced newb's that they have to feed should be much larger than their "stunted" parents, but you know what? They are not any bigger on average.

You do it you way and I will do it mine. The only thing that is confusing is when someone speaks in absolutes.

-john

+1


In my opinion temperature plays a part in how often you need to feed as the temp. affects the the fish metabolism. For instance if you keep your tanks between 80-82 degrees then 2 feedings a day will work, but if you keep your tanks at say 86-88 degrees then you will need to feed more to keep up with their metabolism. This will then also determine how many water changes and percent of water changes are necessary per day to keep the water clean so they can grow.
I have personally have fish that were kept in cooler water and were only fed twice a day that are now over 7 inches total length and are far from stunted. There are 101 ways to raise a discus and people need to take all info into consideration and do what works best for them.
Again this is just my opinion.

+1

[nc0gnet0]

Good point on temps. Personally I think that 82 is perfect for discus of all ages.

-john

82 degress F is good......... 28.2 C is perfect :D

[John_Nicholson]

LOL.

-john

[Trier20]

I'm a little late to this party but ill chime in anyway. I agree with Josie that it is hard to talk about feeding with out talking about WCs. Free swimmers get bbs 3x daily or 5x daily on my days off. When seperate from parents temp goes from 84 to 87 degrees they are fed ground FDBW and omega one prime reef flakes 3x daily and bbs1x before nightly WCs. Water is changes 80% 2x daily. When they reach 2in in size they are fed FDBW 3x daily with 1 90% waterchange, this continues until they reach 4in then they get 1 90% water change every other day and temp goes back down to 84 degrees. Though I only feed three times a day I do feed heavy with a high protein food. I think the key is giving them plenty of clean water. Poor water quality = poor discus.
As you can see everyone has their own technique. Find what fits your schedule and works for you.

[melita]

I feed my small discus 2.5 ,3 inch black worms ,flakes and pellets I ordered some discus hans food .they are not fussy about the pellets so I try to feed when they are hunger in mornings but they are always hungry it seems .
They seem to be growing fine .
I change the water two or three times week .
I had my water tested because I could not get the gh it was 5 so pretty low .Not lot minerals small amount iron .kh is6.5?
I have a number pieces of coral in my tank should I run crushed coral in my filter .