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.
