Bandi Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 (edited) Hi, I just got two new discus about 4 inches, they are in my quarentine tank. I was told by the fellow i bought them from that he only fed them blood worms. I would like to get them to eat pellets and other dry commerical discus food. I have had them three days and I still haven't seen them eat anything. I offer food three times a day, and do a water change daily to suck out all the uneaten food. I have been offering small floating pellets, sinking pellets, flakes, some sort of color enhancing crumbles and dried blood worms. Still haven't seen them eat. Are they going to die on me? Edited July 29, 2009 by guzookeeper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ishkabod Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 Hi, I just got two new discus about 4 inches, they are in my quarentine tank. I was told by the fellow i bought them from that he only fed them blood worms. I would like to get them to eat pellets and other dry commerical discus food. I have had them three days and I still haven't seen them eat anything. I offer food three times a day, and do a water change daily to suck out all the uneaten food. I have been offering small floating pellets, sinking pellets, flakes, some sort of color enhancing crumbles and dried blood worms. Still haven't seen them eat.Are they going to die on me? Try NLS and get some Seachem Garlic Guard. The garlic guard makes food more attractive to fish. The fish shouldn't die after a few days without food but get some bloodworms just in case. I don't know discus and or finicky eaters but spoke to someone not too long ago and he said the garlic guard is the only thing that gets his piranhas to eat frozen food and not live feeder fish. He's still working on the pellets. Good luck L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscusKeeper403 Posted July 20, 2009 Report Share Posted July 20, 2009 I wouldn't be so worry yet. They are still settling into your quarantine tank and most fish won't accept anything other then blood worms at the moment. What else are you going to offer? A blood worm only diet is not very good for any fish, but I would also recommend offering something other then just dry food. I feed my Discus 4 types of flake, 4 types of pellets, home made seafood mix with the main ingredients tuna,salmon and clams, blood worms, brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, glass worms, beef heart strictly once a month and also the occasional green peas. This insures that all requirements of the diet are met, something that can rarely be attained by offering one food alone. As the above said, Garlic Guard is good as a parasite preventative but also as a palatibility enhancer. Buy some frozen blood worms (if you don't have them already) and just feed until they are settled in, I wouldn't be too worried about switching them over to new foods quite yet, better to let them settle in first. Once you choose to start switching them over there are two ways to do this. The easiest way is to starve them for a week or two, and then offer new food. They should readily take anything you throw into the tank. This is the easiest method, but should only be used on healthy and ADULT discus. If the fish are still growing, starving them can set them back on growth, so this method isn't recommended, instead simply try feeding a new food in the morning when the fish are most hungry, siphon out any uneaten food and offer foods they take readily throughout the rest of the day. If they do not start taking the new food after a few weeks of this method then leaving them to get hungry for a day or two isn't a problem. I have always wanted to try a method I thought up myself but never have, I thought that maybe putting garlic guard in a food they readily take for a few weeks, and then putting it into a new food may work and trick them into taking that new food more readily. The garlic guard would act as a common taste in the food and hopefully make them take it more readily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandi Posted July 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2009 Thank you Discuslova and Iskabod for your replies. I will try not to worry. I will head to my LFS tomorrow and see if they carry frozen blood worms and the garlic stuff. I live in a small town and they are VERY resticted on what they carry. But I will be going to Calgary on Tuesday so I can also pick up what I need then. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted July 20, 2009 Report Share Posted July 20, 2009 (edited) Once the fish have settled in to their new surroundings, soak your pellets in frozen blood worm juice. This will allow the pellets to soften up, which will increase palatability, and you'll be introducing a new food that already somewhat smells and tastes like their current food. As already mentioned, feed them in the morning when they are most hungry, and only a little each day until they begin accepting the food. Starving your fish (at that size) for a few days, or even a week won't affect growth, or any thing else, at least not in a way that they can't easily bounce back from. There are dry foods currently on the market that will provide your fish with all of the essential nutrients required, no need to feed a smorgasbord of frozen food stuffs, but that's your call. When you're in Calgary go to Gold Aquariums (Bay J - 4710 - 17th Ave. SE) and check out his 350 gallon Discus display tank. I believe that Dennis feeds nothing but dry food in that tank, mostly NLS, and they get a once a week 50% water change. Edited July 20, 2009 by RD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandi Posted July 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2009 Thanks again for all your help and advice. I am feeling better by the hour. These are my first Discus and I don't want to mess it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandi Posted July 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 So, it has been a week and a bit since I got the discus and I have done what was suggested...soaking pellets and flakes in blood worm juice... I have seen them eat some flakes..and I give in and feed small amouts of blood worms to them once every other day. I still offer various foods two to three times a day. They are eating...but hardly at all, except the blood worms, they come alive when they realize blood worms are floating around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 Unfortunately weaning fish off of blood worms is not an overly easy task. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ishkabod Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 (edited) Definately not an easy task nor one that has a fast solution. Give it time, you are allready seeing results which is GREAT Good luck and i'm glad to hear things are starting to work. L Edited July 30, 2009 by Ishkabod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandi Posted August 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2009 Just an update, in case anybody is interested...my two discus are now eating flakes, color crumble and maggots. I feed them 3-4 times daily and have put them in a tank with three medium sized severns. I think that has helped as they see the other fish eat..so they eat also. I just have to make sure the severns don't eat all the food as they are quicker and more food aggressive. The severns get fed on one side of the tank and the discus on the other. That way they are get food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscusKeeper403 Posted August 24, 2009 Report Share Posted August 24, 2009 Just an update, in case anybody is interested...my two discus are now eating flakes, color crumble and maggots. I feed them 3-4 times daily and have put them in a tank with three medium sized severns. I think that has helped as they see the other fish eat..so they eat also. I just have to make sure the severns don't eat all the food as they are quicker and more food aggressive. The severns get fed on one side of the tank and the discus on the other. That way they are get food. Glad to hear you got that all sorted out. I normally feed until you can see their bellies are slightly rounded. Remember to offer some foods that are high in protein/fat but not as a staple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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