Discus foods

5. Food and feeding discus fish 

 

Our tips for easy, all-in feed for discus fish 

Feed our STENDKER discus feed 3 x daily. It has been used successfully in discus breeding 

operations for 45 years and as an all-in feed contains everything discus fish need for healthy, 

balanced nourishment. 

 

Defrosting instructions 

Always defrost the frozen feed before feeding! 

Remove as much frozen feed as you need for two days (feeding 3 times daily). When thawed out, 

the feed can be kept for two days in the refrigerator. Use secateurs to divide up the blocks of 500 

grams. Place the frozen portions in a food storage container (with lid) and allow them to defrost 

slowly in the refrigerator. After c. 8 hours the feed will be thawed out ready for feeding to your 

discus fish. 

Do not defrost by placing in a sieve and holding under running water because vital vitamins 

and nutrients will be washed away. 

 

How much to feed 

Only feed as much as the fish can eat in five minutes. If any feed is left, remove it from the tank 

substrate using a net and reduce the amount for the next feed. 

 

Feeding: 

Feed your discus fish daily with our STENDKER discus feed. 

1 x in the morning (1 hour after switching on the light) 

1 x at midday (preferably always at the same time) 

1 x in the evening (2 hours before switching off the light) 

 

It is a good idea to feed at two or three points (e.g. small portions to the left, right and in the 

centre of the aquarium) to give the weaker fish a good chance of getting to the food. When 

defrosted, the feed can be easily divided up with a knife or spoon and fed to the fish. Our discus 

fish and other companion fish will eat our feed quickly and with enjoyment. 

 

  

"Food and feeding discus fish“ Page 2 of 2

 

 

Refusing food after transport 

Transport and adjusting to a new environment is a very stressful experience for the fish. They 

may refuse food for up to four weeks, especially larger fish. Smaller discus fish (up to 14 cm) are 

less sensitive, adjust more quickly to new surroundings and generally eat well the following day. 

Since our discus fish are generally well nourished, a refusal to eat by nearly full-grown discus fish 

for this length of time will not be a serious problem. In such cases we recommend raising the 

temperature of the water in the aquarium slowly to 33 °C for around two weeks (remember to put 

the plants in the quarantine tank beforehand). Raising the temperature will raise the metabolism 

and hence stimulate the appetite of the discus fish. If you use our STENDKER discus fish feed, 

the change to a new environment will be easier. 

 

 

 

Why our STENDKER discus feed is so good 

We have been breeding discus fish for more than 45 years and over this period we have 

developed a feed mix which is specially adapted for the needs of discus fish. Our own 

STENDKER discus feed is the only feed we use in our breeding operation. It contains 

everything discus fish need to be healthy and is an excellent all-in feed. STENDKER discus feed 

contains a mix of ox heart, vitamins, vegetables and a digestive aid for discus fish so they can 

absorb and digest animal protein more easily. 

When you see our fish you will notice immediately how healthy discus fish look when they are fed 

with our STENDKER discus feed. Make up your own mind by trying out our feed. Of course, the 

quality of the feed depends on careful production methods, the correct proportions of ingredients, 

the quality of ingredients, composition and gentle methods of preparation. You can rest assured 

that we have considered all these factors in our fish feed. 

You can have access to a high quality all-in feed which is easy to use by buying our STENDKER 

discus feed (a wholesome all-in fish feed) in pet shops. Our STENDKER discus frozen feed is 

available as 30 g sausages, 100 g blister packs and 500 g flat blocks. This excellent balanced 

feed mix is a major factor in the health, rich colouring, fertility and growth of discus fish. Ask in 

your pet store. 

By the way: Other fish love our feed and water plants in your aquarium normally will not need 

additional fertiliser. 

 

  

"Food and feeding discus fish“ Page 3 of 2

 

 

General information on discus fish feed 

Ox heart was wrongly criticised by the media, in our opinion, as a source of nourishment for 

discus fish ("there are no cattle in the Amazon basin“). Cattle are not treated with hormones; 

regular checks are performed by vets. Ox heart is animal protein which discus fish absorb in the 

wild by eating small shrimp, worms and insect larvae. Since some of these creatures are rarely 

found in these latitudes, are expensive and in some cases are heavily contaminated, ox heart is 

frequently used in this part of the world as a source of protein for discus fish. Ox heart as a single 

source of nourishment is not sufficient to feed discus fish, in our opinion. 

Nor do we recommend using red mosquito larvae and Tubifex as feed for your discus fish 

because both types of feed (which originate in highly contaminated water) often introduce 

microbial infections into the aquarium. 

We also do not recommend cyclops since they often carry tape worm larvae which develop into 

tape worms and can massively inhibit growth in discus fish. 

Dried food, irrespective of the brand, is not sufficiently adapted to the needs of discus fish in our 

opinion since the fish do not enjoy this feed and therefore do not absorb enough nutrients. In 

order to ensure good growth and robust health in the long term, feeding with dried food is not 

enough, in our view. However, if alternated with our discus food, dried food can be a welcome 

change for your discus fish. We consider other frozen foods, e.g. water fleas, artemia, mysis, 

white and black mosquito larvae to be good as supplements but should only be used as 

titbits. 

other food for Discus

How to Feed your Discus Fish

Discus eats all kinds of food and they like live food:

• Brine Shrimp – fry / baby discus
• Tubifex worm – young discus (1.5 in size)
• Bloodworm, Beef heart burger – young discus (2in size) to adult discus
• Dry food or pellets – young discus (2in size) to adult discus

When they are not eating ..

1. Do water changed and starve the fish for a few days
2. Then feed them with live food. Little bit at a time. Be patient
3. Repeat step 1 if they do not eat
4. If the fish still not eating, most properly you have to deworm (Deworming Deworming How to Deworm?) the fish
5. If they are always scared, hiding or easily frighten, they might not eat. Do provide them a comfortable environment and put the fish tank in suitable location (Suitable Tank Location)

Discus in their natural habitat, have very little to eat. If they do not eat for one or two weeks, they would not die of starvation. Do not feed them too much food. Over feeding is a bad practice. Left overs will pollute the water and the fish will have no appetite to eat. Do not feed brine shrimp to adult discus. It is too small for the adult fish to eat. Feed the amount they can eat. Over feeding can cause endless problems not because of live food or dry food, it is because of left over food that causes trouble.

Eating dry food

If you have been feeding them with red worms or beef heart, they would not like to eat flake, pellets or dry food. If you need to feed them with flake then you must train them to eat flake. Feed them when they are very hungry. Discus will eat pellets or dry food. You will have to train them. Starve them in the morning. Feed them in the afternoon. Little bit at a time. Be patient.

Deworming Discus

Deworming

Written by allan on August 18, 2005. Posted in Discus Fish Diseases, Health and Treatments

Can you guide me how to deworm the discus. Which medicine to be used and its proportion? I have three tanks size 36″x18″x18″ and two 24″x12″x12″.

Reply:
1. If the case is not too serious, you can apply antibiotic for five days.
2. Water changed and same treatment everyday for five days.

White Feces
1. When you see white feces are present in the tank, and the fish will not eat then use: Metronidazole B.P. Tablets / 200mg
Dosage: 2 tablets for 50 gallons water.
2. Change water and repeat the treatment everyday for 5 days.
3. When white feces disappeared and see black feces, internal parasites cleared.

Aquarium Lighting

Size and Wattage for different aquarium tank sizes:

Length of tank	Length of tube	Wattage
60 cm	45 cm	15 watts
90 cm	60 cm	20 watts
120 cm	90 cm	30 watts

 

Filter For Discus Tank

Discus Fish Tank Filters

Good biological filtration is absolutely required, with complete, but not overly brisk circulation, to ensure all the water and wastes are being swept up and passed through the filter. Discus are highly sensitive to ammonia and nitrites and the substantial accumulation of nitrates. Because of this, you need to be diligent about water testing, regular water changes, and caring for your biological filter media.

Before placing your discus into an aquarium, make sure the system has been thoroughly cycled. For best results, your tank should show no signs of nitrite and accumulated nitrates for two weeks or more before introduction of the fish.

Most aquarium filters can be used for your discus tank. However, they must be properly configured for your tank. The first step in this configuration is to understand the types of filters available. There are three types of filter categories and they are based on the filter's function.

Chemical Filters – Chemical filters use carbon, resins, or other chemicals. This is NOT a good filter for a discus tank because the chemicals hold impurities in the tank that water changes would otherwise eliminate. This could cause impurities to leach back into the water.

Mechanical Filters – Mechanical filtration collects debris that is removed at a later time. A pad is usually used to gather the debris and it can be rinsed periodically to clean it. This type of filter is rarely needed in a discus tank, however, because maintenance and regular water changes usually take care of removing debris.

Biological Filters – Biological filtration is the most important filtration method in any aquarium, especially the discus aquarium. For filtering a discus tank, a very porous biological filter media should be used. This type of media will allow plenty of good nitrifying bacteria to colonize it, which will make it very effective in removing toxins and impurities.

There are several styles of biological filters. The following paragraphs detail the types of filters and their basic usefulness in the discus aquarium.

• Sponge Filters
Sponge filters are really best for small tanks (20 gallons or less), but they can also be used in larger tanks, as long as you use multiple filters. They are simple filters--cheap and simply designed. They connect to an aquarium pump by a tube. The sponge is a breeding ground for bacteria, however, so have to be careful that smaller fish do not get caught underneath the sponge!
• Under Gravel Filter
For a long time the under-gravel filter (UGF) was the most popular type of filtration found in aquariums. This, however, this is not a good filter choice for a discus aquarium because the decomposing material builds up under the filter plates and it is not possible to properly clean the gravel without disrupting the nitrifying bacteria. If there are no filter plates under your gravel it is much easier to perform aggressive cleaning of the gravel, thereby removing more debris.
• Canister Filter, Fluidized Bed Filter
These types of filters create a closed system that increases the oxygen demand on the tank. These filters actually compete with the discus for oxygen! Also, if these filters fail, deadly toxins are created very quickly because of the closed system. If you decide to run a canister filter as your filtration method for your discus tank, you should have a strong aeration system to keep an adequate level of dissolved oxygen in the water.
• Hang On Power Filter
This type of filter is an excellent filter to use for your discus aquarium, if it is properly configured. The filter needs to be filled with biological media, but they usually come with a sponge or a plastic grid. The plastic grid is not ideal for filtering bacteria and some sponge material is too coarse for proper nitrifying bacterial growth. When you use this filter, make sure you use a good biological media.
• Wet Dry Filter (Trickly Filter)
Although these types of filters can be good filters for a discus aquarium, some caution needs to be used. They are excellent at degassing carbon dioxide and oxygenation, but to be effective for discus, the biological media should be placed in the webbed, submerged portion of the filter that is under the plastic bio balls. The media used should be porous and the best media is the type that is sold for canister filters.

Discus Tank

Discus need to have good height aquarium for grow best shape and size. best height for Discus Tank is 1.5 (18 inch) feet to 2 (24inch) feet . 1.5 feet and 3 feet length is best width 1.5 to 2 feet 

Aquarium heaters & water temperature control

Aquarium Systems Visi-Therm 75 Watt 10" Heater
Visi-Therm® automatic aquarium heater has a unique direct-reading temperature setting feature, which eliminates guess work and makes presetting temperatures very simple. The desired temperature is indicated on an easy-to-read thermometer-type scale and is accurately maintained by the precision thermostat. Visi-Therm® is completely waterproof and totally submersible. All these features make it the choice of experienced aquarium hobbyists.

Penn Plax Therma-Tech Heater
The Therma-Tech Heater features include: Easy-Turn Adjustment knob, double waterproof seal, precision aligned contacts, pilot light, magnetic arc suppressor, radio/computer static eliminator, and polarized plug.

Penn-Plax Therma-Flow PC Plus Heater
The Penn-Pax PC Plus 100W 8" Heater is a precision-made instrument designed to maintain accurate aquarium temperatures. It is provided for long-term, trouble-free service. Moisture-proof. For salt and fresh water aquariums.

Tetra Second Nature Acura Heater
This fully submersible heater is perfect for maintaining the proper temperature for your aquarium.