What to feed your Discus
Kelvin explains the different types of foods you can feed your Discus and their pros and cons.
Foods for your Discus
- Sera Food
- Tropical Food
- Freeze Dried Black Worms
- Seafood Mix
What should you feed your Discus?
Because Discus are flat in shape, they require a high amount of protein in order to swim around your aquarium. That is why you should feed your Discus foods which are high in protein. Ideally, the food should have a protein level of 50% and above. This helps give your Discus energy and reduces their stress.
You also want to feed your Discus a variety of different foods so that they can get all the right nutrients and vitamins and don’t become reliant on one particular food.
Having a range of foods, particularly dry foods, can be helpful if you need to go on holidays. Dry foods are able to be fed to your Discus via a feeder, which is very convenient.
Sera
Sera Insect Food is a crowd favourite amongst most Discus. It’s an excellent dry granular food and we find that the Discus love the taste. It has 52% protein and is free from dyes and preservatives.
Sera Growth Food is a great food to feed your younger Discus. It stabilises the intestinal flora and supports quick and balanced development of the Discus.
Sera Color Food helps to enhance the colour of your Discus. It contains a combination of ingredients that optimises the colour.
Tropical
Tropical D-50 Plus is an excellent sinking granular food which already contains a colour enhancement so you don’t need to feed your Discus a separate colour food. However, avoid feeding this to yellow Discus as it can turn them orange.
Tropical Astacolor Flakes are a colour enhancing food. They have been specially formulated for super red champions. However, this food contains a low amount of protein, so ensure you also feed your Discus a high protein food along the Astacolor Flakes.
Freeze Dried Black Worms
Freeze Dried Black Worms are an excellent source of protein for your Discus. Each block contains densely packed freeze dried black worms and contains 66.6% protein!
There are three types of freeze dried black worms that are usually available.
Regular: The regular variety contains no additional additives and is the one we most recommend.
Spinach: The spinach variety also contains spinach, which we have found can cause bloat. So, if you feed this to your Discus, make sure you fast them once a week or add epsom salt to help with the bloating.
Colour: The colour variety also contains a colour enhancer to boost the colour of your Discus.
Seafood Mix
The OZ Discus seafood mix contains a variety of seafood such as tuna and prawns and a range of vitamins and minerals to keep your Discus happy and healthy. Click here to learn more about our seafood mix and watch how we make it.
FAQs
How often should I feed my Discus?
You can feed your adult Discus up to one to two times per day. Once in the morning and once in the evening. If you have young Discus in their growth stage, you can increase this to 4 times a day.
How much should I feed my Discus?
You should feed your Discus enough food so that they consume is within one to two minutes. Remove any leftover food from the tank after that time.
What happens if I overfeed or underfeed my Discus?
Overfeeding your Discus can lead to ammonia spikes in the tank if you’re not performing water changes regularly or you’re leaving uneaten food in the tank.
Underfeeding can cause stress in your Discus over time.
Can I feed my Discus beef heart?
Beef heart is a lean meat that has been traditionally fed to Discus over the years as it can help with growth and development. However, we have found that in a farm environment, when the Discus are fed beef heart, there is a greater percentage of fish with worms. That is why we always recommend feeding your Discus food other than beef heart. Any of the granular foods from Sera and Tropical and the OZ Discus Seafood Mix are great alternatives to beef heart.
Ready to learn more?
Head over to our Learning Hub to discover more. You can find out how to perform a Potassium Permaganate treament, learn about aquarium filters, and more!
Disclaimer: This is a guide only. OZ Discus is not liable for any losses and holds no responsibility in the event of the death of the fish. Users of this guide are to use the information at their own discretion and accept all risks resulting from the use of this guide.
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