Discus fish live in the waters of South America in Brazil and Peru. Discus fish are classified as “grazingers” and are constantly looking for food in the wild. The discus is tall and the body is compressed laterally. Their swim bladder is on the stomach. They have a small stomach and a short digestive tract, and these small stomachs are designed to hold a small amount of food, so giving too much discus can be a problem. Even minor constipation can cause serious problems for discus fish.
Discus diets are diverse and must contain the nutritional value needed to survive.In discussions with our breeder Nick Lockhart Perfect discus, I asked him what to recommend for his daily diet.
Nick feeds our discus twice a day. He generally feeds on living white bugs twice a week. White worms are cultivated on-site, refrigerated in a small apartment-sized refrigerator, and temperature-controlled by a device that uses a probe to maintain a temperature of approximately 55-65 degrees for best results.
Nick also feeds a variety of diets with blood worms, plankton, white worms, emerald entrees, mysidacea, and white mosquito larvae. The emerald entree is perfect for discus fish. Originally formulated for saltwater fish, it has proven to be an excellent bait for freshwater fish. Emerald entrée is fortified with omega-3 fatty acids such as EPA and DHA and has proven to be important for optimal growth and disease prevention.
Discus fish and many African cichlids eat a lot of wild blue-green algae. Spirulina is a blue-green algae and has a special protein called phycocyanin that is not found in other algae and terrestrial plants. Spirulina powder is readily available at most pet stores. Japanese scientists have linked phycocyanin to improved kidney and liver function. Japanese aquaculture companies make heavy use of spirulina because it has a positive effect on fish.
Good hygiene is paramount in a discus tank, so do not feed more than the discus can consume in about 5 minutes. Since they are herbivores, they tend to eat a little slower, so they need a little more time to fill up. I read that it’s good to keep the discus “fast” for up to 2 days to flush the toxins out of the system. Nick also said that the fish can go for two weeks without food, so skipping a day here doesn’t really hurt the fish. Of course, you don’t have to drive them to starvation, but going for a day or two without food will never hurt the discus. It is much better to underfeed a little than to supercharge.
With care, the discus thrives in the aquarium. A lot of information is available for potential discus breeders, and any common sense thrown along the way is harmless. Discus lives long, so aquarists can enjoy these friendly fish for 10 to 12 years.
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