What do discus like to eat

Therefore use on special occasions only. In conclusion, your discus fish diet is especially relevant in keeping healthy discus.

So make sure you feed them a variety of foods while keeping a close eye on the quantity you feed them. Finally, I hope that this article helps and that you are better educated on All About Feeding Discus. Feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions. Best Food For Discus Fish. I have out of the hobby for over 30 years. Back then all my discus would was tubifex worms.

I did have two batches of fry this way. Was a lot of work getting worms ever week or two. I have always had a tank, thinking of trying discus again. Thank for your the information.

Thanks for the information on feeding discus…I will stay away from live blood worms. I guess that includes live black worms too.. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Please enter an answer in digits:. Automated page speed optimizations for fast site performance. They have a high protein level, which is not only important for the growth of young fish but also helps older fish to maintain high energy levels.

The granules sink in water and become softer as they settle. Swelling food can cause problems for the fish if they eat the granules before they have had a chance to swell to full size. This is another Discus food that has been enhanced with garlic, with other ingredients including spirulina, algae, fish oil, and vegetables including spinach and carrot.

The food has been further fortified with the addition of vitamins B1, B2, and vitamin E. The Sera granules are expensive compared to a lot of other foods, but their granular shape and fortified ingredients make them a very good choice for your prized Discus.

Cobalt Discus Hans Flakes. The Cobalt Discus Hans flakes contain a mixture of salmon fish meal, spirulina, earthworm powder, and garlic powder. This mixture provides the vitamins and nutrients that are essential to good growth and overall health of your Discus.

The bacillus sp. The food is formulated to prevent color from leaching into the water and clouding the tank, which makes tank maintenance easier too. There are some reports of the flakes turning to dust in transport and this does mean a loss of food when buying.

To remove this dust, pour the food into a watertight container and fill it with water. The dust remains at the top and can be poured away.

Ocean Nutrition Discus Flakes. As such, it contains a lot of protein. Protein is important for young fish because it helps them grow, while mature fish benefit because it helps retain high energy levels and ensures that your fish feel sated after eating.

This food is cheaper than other fish foods. However, while Ocean Nutrition claims that the small flakes are ideal because they equate to a single mouthful in each flake, they are too small for a lot of adult cichlids.

This food also suffers the same fate of a lot of fish food flakes, with the flakes effectively disintegrating to dust and leaving a cloudy mess in the bottom of the container. Most buyers report that, despite the dust issue, the food does not discolor or taint tank water, however, which can be a big problem with some fish foods.

Omega One Discus Sinking Pellets. Omega One claims that the Discus sinking pellets are the only Discus food in the world made from fresh Alaskan seafood. Despite this, there have been some reports that Discus will not take the food.

If your fish do enjoy this food, it offers good value for money, and the sinking pellets are considered less messy than flakes. The pellets sink slowly, encouraging your fish to try them, and they can still be found if they do sink to the bottom before being eaten. Sinking pellets can also be used to prevent bladder problems that occur with regular surface feeding. Buyers have reported that, after adding this food to a balanced Discus diet, the colors of the fish have improved considerably.

Unlike a lot of other fish, Discus require a diet that is high in protein. Young fish benefit from a protein-rich diet because it helps them grow into healthy adult fish, while older fish use the protein source to maintain high energy levels. So, a good quality fish food that is complete with the vitamins and minerals needed, not only encourages a long life but it maintains energy levels and can even encourage brighter and more vivid colors from your beautiful Discus.

Discus benefit from being given a varied diet, rather than a single source of food. They are carnivorous and enjoy beefheart and bloodworms, although in the wild they would eat shrimp, insects, and even some small fish.

However, beefheart and bloodworms do not provide the vitamins and nutrients required to ensure a long-living and healthy fish so you should supplement with flakes or pellets. Discus food usually comes in the following forms:. The food you feed your captive discus fish can have a significant impact on its coloration.

In order to meet their basic nutritional needs, discus fish require a varied diet of commercial cichlid flakes or pellets supplemented with various live, frozen and freeze-dried foods. To enhance the color of your cichlids, offer them shrimp eggs or commercial foods that have been fortified with color-enhancing ingredients like paprika, lobster roe and astanxanthin.

Keep in mind that wild-caught specimens may not accept commercial foods at first and may need to be fed a diet of live food.

Tank-bred specimens, however, should readily accept commercial flakes and pellets. Katherine Barrington has written on a variety of topics, from arts and crafts to pets, health and do-it-yourself projects.

By using the site, you agree to the uses of cookies and other technology as outlined in our Policy, and to our Terms of Use. Discus Fish Facts The discus fish belongs to the family Cichlidae, which is one of the largest families of freshwater fishes, containing over 2, different species.

Wild Discus Fish Diet In the wild, discus fish feed primarily on zooplankton and other small aquatic organisms like insects and invertebrates.