Discus feeding habits   9/25/07
I am curious. Why do some discus (or fish in general) repeatedly inhale then spit out their food? Is it because they don't like it, or is it caused
by a physical problem? I bought five juvenile discus from live aquaria; they arrived two weeks ago. They are active and show no sign of illness.
Three began to feed after a few days. One more began to feed after about 10. The fifth however tries furiously to eat, but will not hold anything
down. It turns it's nose up to most foods but frozen bloodworms. When I feed with bloodworms, it will inhale three to four times, then just give up
and go after another one. Process repeats until the other fish have eaten all the food. I have had the same thing happen to me in the past, and unfortunately the fish starved to death. I tried to feed it everything you can imagine. I had to throw out all my people food in my freezer to make
room for fish food. Not really, but I'm sure you know what I mean! Anyhow, it also tried furiously to eat, but couldn't seem to hold anything down. I am only curious; knowledge is a powerful tool. If you can tell me why they do this, that would be great. If you could suggest a solution, that's even
better. Thanks for your time, effort, and love of a fabulous hobby. - Tommy
<Greetings. Because fish don't have hands (obviously) they can't explore or manipulate food items in the same way as animals with hands can. If you think about how you eat a piece of seafood like a shrimp, you'll understand the different. You'll grab hold of the shrimp, pull off the head, peel off the shell, twist off the tail, and then pop the meaty part into your mouth. A fish can't do that. If it eats a shrimp, it has to either swallow it hole (as some fish do) or else process it with its jaws, spitting out the inedible parts (as other fish do) If the prey item is particularly difficult to eat, the chewing and spitting part may be repeated many times. The water around the fish stops the prey item sinking too fast, so the fish can spit the food out and then have time to swallow it up again from a different angle if it needs to, or perhaps select only the meaty part while rejecting the shell. When fish repeatedly chew and then spit out the same food item, but never swallow it, it usually means they don't like the taste or it is too heavily armoured or too large for them to swallow safely. The solution is simply to try alternative food items. Bloodworms are usually accepted by most freshwater fish, but not all fish will eat them. Sometimes, my fish will eat one brand but not another! So experimentation is the key. Discus, at least tank-bred ones, are fairly amenable when it comes to food. They should accept good quality pellet food as well as bloodworms. Live foods such as daphnia are also a good choice. For fish that refuse to eat, live Tubifex often work remarkably well, but there is a health risk associated with them because of where they may be collected, so sterilising them beforehand is a good idea, if you choose to use them. Very few fish are happy to eat the same thing day in, day out. Varying the menu is always important. Spending a little time at Fishbase researching a particular fish is a good way to get tips on diet. Wild discus, for example, eat plants, algae, crustaceans, insects, and worms. So picking from that menu would be the best way forward. The value of plant material is often overlooked by cichlid-keepers, yet virtually all cichlids eat some plant matter. Sushi Nori, cooked spinach, and tinned peas are usually good choices here, since few cichlids will reject them, especially if they're hungry! Hope this helps, Neale>

Discussing Discus... Systems, Feeding,    7/10/06
Hello fish keeping friends,
<Hi Jarryd, Pufferpunk here>
I currently have 6 discus: one brilliant turquoise, one red turquoise, one German purple, one blue pigeon, one pigeon snakeskin and one solid white metallic blue fin.
<Sounds like my tank!>
All are getting on well I would just like to make sure that I'm doing everything properly. The tank is 68 gallon planted, temp 28.5 degrees Celsius, all ammonia, nitrates, nitrites at zero, pH at 6.5.
<I would give them at least 15g each.  I have 5 in my 90g.  I was told by the breeder I could keep 6 but 5 look comfortable in there.  Remember, they can grow as large as your hand.>
My fishy friends get fed a high quality flake food called Nutrifin mixed with a discus formula from O.S.I. in the morning, then brine shrimp at about 3 in the afternoon and then a feeding of frozen blood worms and Mysis shrimp for tea. Does this feeding schedule seem ok in your opinion??
<3x/day is perfect.  Their metabolism is high due to the high temps.  I keep my temp at 84-86F degrees.  Brine shrimp aren't very nutritious--mostly water.  For my 3rd feeding I use freeze-dried plankton.>
I carry out two 30% water changes per week, using ready made water heated to 30 degrees then pH adjusted. In terms of water changing is this too much???
<I do 70% weekly.  Here is some info on differences between several smaller WC compared to a single large WC: http://www.thepufferforum.com/articles/water/waterchangemath.html  I find no reason to adjust pH.  Especially if it goes back up after the adjustment product dissipates (unless you're running peat).  That fluctuation can be more harmful than good.  Tank-bred discus are used to any pH.>
Thank you for your time, I also have one more query, I've noticed that some discus are more rounded and thicker than others?? Is this just part of their genetics???
<Could be...>
And as discus mature do they fatten up and become more rounded?????
<Not sure what you're asking--definately a "flat" fish.  Enjoy those discus, I find them quite friendly, beautiful & rewarding to keep!  ~PP>>
Thank you so much for helping, Jarryd

Discus On Hunger Strike   2/3/06
Hi, I’m in need of your help. I have 2 Discus in my tank, everything was fine for about 2 months but all of a sudden one just stops eating. The other Discus is fine but the one that is not eating likes to hide during the day and comes out during the evening and at night but only if no one is around. I also checked for white string poop but never found any hanging off of the discus. The color is good and everything looks good but it's just not eating. It’s been about 10 days now and I’m starting to get worried. I have a 55g tank with 2 angels (not bothering the discus) 2 Clown loach, 2 Cory cats, 15 cardinal tetras, and the two discus. The water is fine I just checked it and I keep the temp. around 85-86f. What could i do to resolve this problem? Thanks, Dany
< Discus are cichlids and can be very territorial. The one discus may be dominate and chases the other discus away from the food. Usually they should be kept in groups so that one cannot continue to push the other one around. When you feed the tank you can add a little food in the corner where the other discus hides. If he still doesn't eat then there could be an interior bacterial problem.-Chuck>

First Discus, Lonely Discus, Finicky Eater? - 10/22/2005
Hi again guys.
<Hello.>
I have a couple saltwater tanks, but decided to try discus. I tried as my first fish, not a wise idea. 
<Not a terribly bad idea, if done correctly.>
I have a 55g with a penguin Bio-wheel and a Mag 350. PH 7.0, 0am, 0 nitrates, and nitrites, and ammonia. We bought a discus online last Tuesday,
<One? Just one?>
14 days ago, and cannot ever see him eat. However his color is good, and he is semi- active sometimes, and not too active other times (mostly hangs out in a corner, and sometimes swims). We feed him bloodworms, but never see him eat. 
<These fish are mostly only comfortable in groups.... Unless you are breeding a pair, a group of four is almost a minimum; they really feel/act/look better if there are a few of them.>
It looks as though a lot is gone, and he looks fine, but no matter how much we watch, he won't eat. Is it possible he is eating while we are not watching? 
<Possible, but not highly likely.>
If he hasn't eaten in this much time, seems as though he would look bad. I am doing daily water changes, 5G. The only other fish we have in there is a golden nugget Pleco. I have a piece of driftwood and a white arrowhead plant, and a gravel bed. 
<In all honesty, he's likely not eating because he's too insecure to do so, without some buddies around. One good idea would be to call the breeder from whom you purchased and ask what they were feeding him.>
One more thing. If we have success, and want to add more fish, how many total discus can we put in there?
<Four or six until they're close to adult size.... then a pair, if you wish to breed.>
Your have helped me out in a lot of my saltwater questions, and I do appreciate it a lot!!!!!!
<Glad we could be of service.>
Thanks, Jon
<Wishing you well, -Sabrina>

First Discus, Finicky Eater? - 10/24/2005
Thanks a lot!! I just ordered 3 more.  -Jon, discus newb
<Hope he perks up some with some friends around. Wishing you well, -Sabrina>

Discus Growth  9/5/05
I'm a fairly new discus keeper and was wondering if you could help me? I would like to increase the growth rate and improve the colours of my discus and was
wondering if you could help me with a nutritional plan for my discus, they are still fairly young and vary from about 2 to 5 inches. I have two tanks each
with 6 fish in them.
<Your Discus color will improve as they get older.  Frequent water changes are a great place to start, mix up clean water in a separate container, heat it to match that of the tank water and perform frequent water changes.  If you are really into it small daily water changes are good.  Warmer temperatures will increase their metabolism making them eat more and grow faster.  Check out this link for a good article on Discus Diet http://www.rockymountaindiscus.com/Discus_Fish_Diet.htm -Gage>

Fat discus? (06/28/03)
um I may have a problem.....
<Hopefully, we have a suggestion for a solution... Ananda here tonight!>
I have a 75 planted aquarium with a bunch of schooling fish and a discus a fed them today and I noticed that they all seem much fatter!
<Did you feed them something different from their usual fare? Or more than usual? I found out that one particular type of dry food that I have makes my clown loaches bloat...so now that tank doesn't get that particular food any more.>
more fat than usual I'm scared something's wrong with them but there all like this so I took out my DIY Co2 injector cuz I recently added that in there.
<I don't *think* that would have an effect on the fish looking bloated...>
Is there anything wrong with my fish or are they just full?
Thank you, Chris
<They might be bloated -- aka, your fish have gas! -- or possibly constipated. In either case, the solution is the same. Add some Epsom salts to your tank. The usual dose is one tablespoon per five gallons of tank water. But since you have discus and a planted tank, you might want to add it at the rate of one teaspoon of Epsom salts per five gallons of water each day over three days. (That's what I did for my clown loaches.) Also, try feeding your fish frozen and thawed peas. The bulk in them can help clear out their digestive tract. If the bloating doesn't go away after a couple of days, you can give them another round of Epsom salts. --Ananda>

Discus Dilemma
Hi, I've been keeping a 250 gal discus tank for about 3 years, I've suffered losses, but everyone seems to be doing fine.  About a year ago I purchased three cobalts.  They are all eating well, greet me at the tank and in general seem fine.  One of the three (Sam) has tripled in size, another (Merry) has doubled, but my concern is with (Pippin), he has not grown one bit.  He is still the size of a 50 cent piece. (if that)  He eats with the others, I make sure of that, and he's very friendly with everyone.  My question is why isn't he growing?
<Could just be a runt. Your discus are many generations away from wild fish and may carry a gene toward recessive growth>
  I've added a garlic vitamin suggested by my pet store in Phoenix, which specializes in Discus.
< When I see stuff like this I always wonder where discus encounter garlic in the rivers of the Amazon.>
The tank temp is at 86 deg, ph is around 7.2.  It's hard to get the ph lower, because my tank is directly plumbed in to my water line.  We have very hard water here.  It's convenient for me, as my water level is always constant, but I can't control the ph like I would like to.  I change out about 40 gallons every two weeks.
I have a 15 gal tank set up for emergencies.  It has a ph of 6.0 and the temp is at 86 deg.  
Should I move Pip to the other tank maybe with another smaller discus, I have 11 altogether?  I'm wondering if he would grow in a more controllable environment.
< Young fish seem to have periods of rapid growth when the are small. Sometimes these windows are missed due to environmental conditions. Your fish may have been too scared to eat and compete with the other larger fishes>
How long does it take a discus to achieve it's full size?
< In the wild probably about 2 years . Quicker in the aquarium because of the optimum feeding regimes of their owners. I doubt discus get all this choice food a couple times a day while swimming around not doing much.>
Any suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated.
<I would classify your small discus as a dwarf and would not anticipate the little guy getting much bigger any time soon. He may get along better in a smaller tank with smaller fish so he will not get too bullied around. Your water conditions are fine for discus and you are to be commended for working so hard to get the water conditions as good as they are. Get a nitrate test kit an see what they are. Discus do not like high nitrates and you may need to do a little bigger water change as your discus grow and require more space and food.-Chuck>
Joni Savage

What's up with their appetite?
I have a 165 gallon tank with 10 discus of various sizes in it.  We have a 29 gallon set up with some discus that are just about ready size wise
to go into the 165 gallon.  It seems that there is a definite head honcho in the 165.  For a few weeks he was chasing everybody terribly,
we weren't sure if anybody ever got to eat except him.   We moved all the decorations around in hopes of it making it a little less
territorial and it seems to have worked somewhat he isn't chasing much anymore but they still aren't eating that much.  We normally feed frozen
food in the morning and black worms at night.  We have noticed that the fish eat like pigs in the 29 gallon but when they get to the 165 it's a
different story.  We moved 2 over to the 165 a couple of weeks ago from the 29 gallon and now we hardly see them eat, before they were
practically eating from our hands.  I don't know if it's because of that dominant fish or possible something else.
The conditions in the 165 should be good.  The temp is at 86 and I do a partial water change every 2 days, sand bottom not many decorations....
Any ideas?   
< At that temperature their metabolism is probably running pretty high with a pretty good appetite to go with it. I would lower the temp to about 80 and switch the dominant fish to the 29 for awhile with the others that are ready to be moved to the 165 anyway and see if it makes a difference. I think after a couple of weeks the other fish may be more confident and better fed. Reintroduce the dominant fish and see how they sort things out. Depending on the size of the fish they may have been getting ready to spawn.-Chuck>       

Re: What's up with their appetite?
Is 86 degrees the best temperature to keep a discus tank normally at?
<I think that 86 degrees is a little too high for long term maintenance. At that temperature they will grow quickly if well fed. But it will also probably shorten their lifespan too>
What will reducing the temperature do and how long should we keep it at
that temperature for?
<By reducing the water temperature the fish will also be at a reduced temperature. They will not breathe as hard. Their metabolism will slow down. They may develop eggs and breed if they get a chance to develop some fat reserves. Overall I think it stresses the fish. I would drop it to 82 or 80 for long term success.-Chuck>Thanks so much for your advice!!