Wild caught discus can be challenging to keep, due to their specialized water chemistry and dietary needs, however, most discus sold today are captive bred and are much easier to keep.
That said, they are not for beginners for a variety of reasons. Through selective breeding, numerous color varieties are available and more continue to be developed. For care and maintenance purposes, the information presented here can also be used for wild caught P. Discus are found in floodplain lakes and flooded forests of the lowland Amazon River basin and some of its tributaries, including the Rio Negro.
These areas experience extreme changes in water level due to seasonal flooding. Discus tend to congregate near fallen trees, known as "galhadas", along the shore. They prefer quiet water and are rarely found in areas where there is strong current or wave action. Discus prefer warm, soft, acidic water. In addition discus are sensitive fish who appreciate pristine water conditions. Feed them only the amount of food that they can actively eat in about five minutes. Because discus have grinders in their jaws instead of teeth, they eat with this process: They mouth the food, spit it out, and then recapture it before swallowing.
The discus can dispel water at foods resting on the bottom of the tank and then pick it up as it float upwards. After their main feeding, they will search for leftovers at the bottom of the tank and clean up the leftovers for up to an hour.
Therefore keep a close eye on the food quantity. Almost all discus enjoy food that is floating around, while others prefer the food that is at the bottom. Some discus will even eat food out of your hand! Due to the great personalities of discus fish, each fish may like a particular food more than others! Therefore, you must feed them a variety of foods. Not Live! Live worms can cause parasite issues! Therefore stay away from live worms. You will have to keep in mind mainly the same things as when looking for goldfish foods or quality betta pellets.
Before browsing the online stores for discus food, you need to know what discus fish usually eat. Given their carnivorous nature, they will do best with beef heart and bloodworms because in the wild they eat small shrimp, insects, larvae, and small fish. You will find packs of bloodworms specifically formulated for discus fish as well as frozen beef heart that is broken up to meet their needs. Their diet should be fortified with flakes and pellets containing vitamins and minerals.
Therefore, besides making sure their eating program includes foods that will satisfy their carnivorous needs, you will also need to introduce vitamins and minerals into their eating habits. You might not have the possibility to feed your discus live food all the time. Here is where frozen foods come into sight. The shelves of pet stores now offer both live and frozen foods in a variety of formats to meet different needs.
Just make sure you read the labels carefully before buying. Discus fish usually go a bundle on live and frozen bloodworms that you can simply put in a feeder cone. Such worms can be stored in the fridge until needed.
Also, if you go for live blackworms, beware that they might carry parasites that can affect the fish. The foods you can find for you discus include fish flakes, pellets, and, as mentioned above, live or frozen food. No matter the ones you go for, make sure you combine them in order for them to intake all the vital nutrients needed for a strong health. Granules are the best processed food for discus fish since they feed from the middle of the tank and rarely at the surface.
In case you opt for pellets, soak them in water first to make it easier for the fish to eat them. Otherwise, they might become bloated. It is best to go for both live and dry food in order to bring your fish to peak health. Check the information on the label to learn more about the nutritional value of the food. Combine various foods if needed to make sure your discus fish gets all the vital minerals, vitamins, and nutrients.
These are usually available in the form of pellets. Some types of Australian Blackworms actually come from Australia, but most of those that you will come across nowadays are farmed and freeze dried in the United States. Brine shrimps are another popular nutrient-based diet that you can feed your discus fish and they are a good substitute for worms since they are rich in minerals and vitamins. You can find them either frozen or live, depending on your budget or the shops you have available in your area.
Before feeding the brine shrimps to your pet fish you will need to take the time and rinse the shrimps to remove any salt that may be on them. Furthermore, if the shrimps are frozen you should wait for them to defrost completely before giving them to your fish.
One big advantage of brine shrimps is that they can help strengthen the discus fish colors since they contain large amounts of beta carotene. The most popular recipe involves using beef heart and shrimp blended together with gelatin. Making your own homemade food can save you a lot of money in the long term since you can store everything you make in the freezer where it can last you for months.
You can also use homemade food in combination with granules, pellets, and flakes so that your fish can get all the vital nutrients needed for a long and healthy life. The main setback with homemade food is that it can dirty your fish tank very fast since it is much messier than the commercial foods you find in pet shops or online.
You should never feed in excess and only offer what they can realistically eat within several minutes. As an example, an adult discus weighs around 75 grams, which means that it should be fed approximately 2. The diet should also be supplemented by fats and vitamins.
Thus, your fish should eat a combination of live food, freeze-dried food, and frozen food in order to get the correct ratios of proteins, fats, and vitamins. Live food, in particular, is very important especially for young discus fish since they will prefer it over any other type. You can also get granules, flakes, or pellets and it is important to combine them in order for your fish to get all the vital nutrients they need.
White worms are also especially beneficial for stimulating the conditioning and breeding of discus fish as they are also high in fat, allowing the fish to quickly add size and mass. Another popular food type among discus keepers is beef heart, which is typically frozen. Discus beef heart, however, is not as easily attainable as the above-mentioned food types. Typically, to obtain beef heart, one must contact their local butcher days in advance and specifically ordered for.
Beef heart must be used with caution, however, as it is not a normal part of the discus diet in the wild. Countless discus breeders use beef heart to fill out smaller discus as it quickly adds size to make discus fish look bigger and stronger. It is also a quick way to raise baby fry.
Some discus keepers choose to add combinations of different vegetables such as peas, carrots, cabbage, and red peppers to create a beef heart mixture that can be scooped into small spheres and placed at the bottom of the tank or to the sides.
Chicken, turkey, and mutton hearts are also commonly used and mixed in with the beef heart to provide a variety of tastes to the finicky discus fish. In addition to protein, discus fish also need an ample amount of fats in their diet in order to maintain optimum health. In addition to the live white worms mentioned above, crustacean oil is also an excellent source of fats necessary for the nutritional needs of the discus fish.
Crustacean oil is typically omitted from flake foods so what many discus breeders choose to use are brine shrimp. High in both protein and fats, brine shrimp are an ideal food source, especially for young fry and juvenile discus.
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