[Doogy262]

I'm don't consider myself a paranoid person{well maybe a little} but it has only been three days and i can't help constantly checking on the discus.A quick "funny"story,this morning I woke up came around the corner and saw something orange floating in the tank and my heart fell to my knees but it was just a piece of foam that had worked it's way out of the ac 70.Do your discus occasionally swim on their sides or even rest in place sideways or are they just trying to drive me nuts?On a more serious note about feeding.These are the biggest fish i have ever had but they don't seem to eat a lot at one sitting.They are all eating and seem really like the frozen blood worms as well as the freeze dried black worms but so far won't touch the pellets.I ordered some beef heart flakes made of beef heart,shrimp and kale with no other fillers so will try this also.The question is how much do you feed your discus,how often and how much.All left over food is removed after about ten minutes.Just let me say again these guys are like little jewels i just hope I will eventually learn to relax and enjoy them.

 

[mooncon1]

I try to avoid feeding a lot of frozen blood worms they don't have a whole lot to them but the discus do love them.They can get spoiled on frozen blood worms very easily,I would feed freeze dried they have more than just water.Discus like to graze when they eat and sometimes it takes a while for them to eat.A few things we need to know is tank bare bottom,how big is tank,how many discus do you have and how big are they,that's got a lot to do with water changes feeding and so on.

 

[discuspaul]

I'm don't consider myself a paranoid person{well maybe a little} but it has only been three days and i can't help constantly checking on the discus.A quick "funny"story,this morning I woke up came around the corner and saw something orange floating in the tank and my heart fell to my knees but it was just a piece of foam that had worked it's way out of the ac 70.Do your discus occasionally swim on their sides or even rest in place sideways or are they just trying to drive me nuts?On a more serious note about feeding.These are the biggest fish i have ever had but they don't seem to eat a lot at one sitting.They are all eating and seem really like the frozen blood worms as well as the freeze dried black worms but so far won't touch the pellets.I ordered some beef heart flakes made of beef heart,shrimp and kale with no other fillers so will try this also.The question is how much do you feed your discus,how often and how much.All left over food is removed after about ten minutes.Just let me say again these guys are like little jewels i just hope I will eventually learn to relax and enjoy them.

I know what, and how, you're feeling as a first time discus keeper, but just try not to get too uptight about the feeding.
You've got a huge leg up by just having obtained some very healthy, high quality, well-fed discus from a top notch source, and if well cared for with large, frequent wcs and a clean set-up they won't disappoint you as far as eating is concerned.
You're cleaning up after any feedings, so you needn't worry about polluting the water in any way.
Try some different things - e.g. feeding only a small amount, but several times a day - mixing pellets (which you say they don't touch - probably because they've not been fed them in the past),
so mix some pellets in with foods they like (perhaps the blackworms), or add a little finely diced fresh garlic to new foods, or foods they haven't yet taken a liking to - like the pellets.
As you've already been advised above, go easy on the frozen bloodworms - that can potentially be what they crave, and it may spoil them from trying other things - and they're not that nutritious - just feed them that as a treat - maybe once or twice a week.
Remember, discus are like young children - they may get fussy as to foods, but they always seem to get enough to eat - so don't worry yourself silly over it - just do what you can, & go with the flow.
Some eat like pigs - some are just grazers - and they change their individual ways from time to time.
Get to know them better, and them you, and in a few weeks, you'll feel like an old pro, and be really amazed at their odd ways and funny antics.
Hey, that's enough of that for now. Just try to relax if you can.

 

[Doogy262]

I try to avoid feeding a lot of frozen blood worms they don't have a whole lot to them but the discus do love them.They can get spoiled on frozen blood worms very easily,I would feed freeze dried they have more than just water.Discus like to graze when they eat and sometimes it takes a while for them to eat.A few things we need to know is tank bare bottom,how big is tank,how many discus do you have and how big are they,that's got a lot to do with water changes feeding and so on.

Hi mooncon,thanks for the reply look on the second page of the fish category for discus and you will see pics of my set up and fish.this was a year in the making with a lot help from experienced discus keepers so think I have it figured out.I hope...

Bump:

I know what, and how, you're feeling as a first time discus keeper, but just try not to get too uptight about the feeding.
You've got a huge leg up by just having obtained some very healthy, high quality, well-fed discus from a top notch source, and if well cared for with large, frequent wcs and a clean set-up they won't disappoint you as far as eating is concerned.
You're cleaning up after any feedings, so you needn't worry about polluting the water in any way.
Try some different things - e.g. feeding only a small amount, but several times a day - mixing pellets (which you say they don't touch - probably because they've not been fed them in the past),
so mix some pellets in with foods they like (perhaps the blackworms), or add a little finely diced fresh garlic to new foods, or foods they haven't yet taken a liking to - like the pellets.
As you've already been advised above, go easy on the frozen bloodworms - that can potentially be what they crave, and it may spoil them from trying other things - and they're not that nutritious - just feed them that as a treat - maybe once or twice a week.
Remember, discus are like young children - they may get fussy as to foods, but they always seem to get enough to eat - so don't worry yourself silly over it - just do what you can, & go with the flow.
Some eat like pigs - some are just grazers - and they change their individual ways from time to time.
Get to know them better, and them you, and in a few weeks, you'll feel like an old pro, and be really amazed at their odd ways and funny antics.
Hey, that's enough of that for now. Just try to relax if you can.

thanks Paul each day gets a little easier but one more question about behavior.Do your discus occasionally race across the tank and hit the surface like there trying to fly.This has happened twice with no one in the room and everything quiet...

 

[fishyfishy101]

Do your discus occasionally swim on their sides or even rest in place sideways or are they just trying to drive me nuts?

I've never kept discus, but I have read that this behavior is attributed to light that is to bright. A discus's natural habitat has very dim light, so bright light can adversity affect them.

 

[discuspaul]

Hi mooncon,thanks for the reply look on the second page of the fish category for discus and you will see pics of my set up and fish.this was a year in the making with a lot help from experienced discus keepers so think I have it figured out.I hope...

Bump:
thanks Paul each day gets a little easier but one more question about behavior.Do your discus occasionally race across the tank and hit the surface like there trying to fly.This has happened twice with no one in the room and everything quiet...

That does seem like very unusual behavior - I can't honestly recall my discus doing that particular activity/move, but I've seen them do other oddball maneuvers from time to time. As long as it doesn't become an oft repeated move, I wouldn't worry much about it.
But perhaps fishyfishy might possibly be on to something here - re: the light brightness - remind us of your lighting details again, will you please ?

 

[Doogy262]

That does seem like very unusual behavior - I can't honestly recall my discus doing that particular activity/move, but I've seen them do other oddball maneuvers from time to time. As long as it doesn't become an oft repeated move, I wouldn't worry much about it.
But perhaps fishyfishy might possibly be on to something here - re: the light brightness - remind us of your lighting details again, will you please ?

I have a current sat. led on low with just blue,red and half the whites and a beamsworks led both 48 inch. this has only happened twice and not at all today so maybe something spooked them or I could go with just one light for awhile.

 

[discuspaul]

I have a current sat. led on low with just blue,red and half the whites and a beamsworks led both 48 inch. this has only happened twice and not at all today so maybe something spooked them or I could go with just one light for awhile.

Seems like your light intensity is not at all very bright, so I believe we can rule that out. Must be just an oddity in behavior for whatever reason.

 

[yakal]

Are your discus new? They might have not settled yet in their new environment. Maybe that is why they are a little skittish, or sometimes it depends on the location in your house like near a door or on a corner where they get surprised everytime you enter the room. One thing also to consider is that make sure there is some ambient light in the room for them not to get scared on the sudden light from your tank light.

This might come weird but every time you go to your tank or when feeding , put your face close to the front of the tank so they will get used to you. And dip your finger on the water surface first before feeding ( if your planning to hand feed eventually). When they get used to you, you can even catch them with bare hands and pet them on their fins

 

[Doogy262]

Are your discus new? They might have not settled yet in their new environment. Maybe that is why they are a little skittish, or sometimes it depends on the location in your house like near a door or on a corner where they get surprised everytime you enter the room. One thing also to consider is that make sure there is some ambient light in the room for them not to get scared on the sudden light from your tank light.

This might come weird but every time you go to your tank or when feeding , put your face close to the front of the tank so they will get used to you. And dip your finger on the water surface first before feeding ( if your planning to hand feed eventually). When they get used to you, you can even catch them with bare hands and pet them on their fins

Yes just got them on Sunday night so i am probably just jumping the gun.It is just the big checkerboard that seems to be a little skittish but the good news is there was no problem yesterday and they seem eager to come out when i approach so maybe that is a good sign The tank is in my living room and i live alone so give it a wide birth when i enter the room,guess you can call this new parent syndrome had the same thing when my girls were born lol

 

[discuspaul]

Yes just got them on Sunday night so i am probably just jumping the gun.It is just the big checkerboard that seems to be a little skittish but the good news is there was no problem yesterday and they seem eager to come out when i approach so maybe that is a good sign The tank is in my living room and i live alone so give it a wide birth when i enter the room,guess you can call this new parent syndrome had the same thing when my girls were born lol

Try not to be shy around them - let them see you often and get used to you being around, and comfortable with your routine with the tank.
They will soon know, if they haven't already, that you're the hand that feeds them, and that will of course help them become fully comfortable with their new surroundings.

 

[bif24701]

Try not to be shy around them - let them see you often and get used to you being around, and comfortable with your routine with the tank.
They will soon know, if they haven't already, that you're the hand that feeds them, and that will of course help them become fully comfortable with their new surroundings.

My wife pets our discus, yes. She pets them sometimes when she feeds them.

 

[Doogy262]

I can pet mine also,all that worry and they have settled in nicely,they let me touch them with my thumb and index finger like they know their not in any danger.I'm including a video I posted a couple days back of them defending their eggs in case you missed it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sStrO93xZ4c