What to Feed Discus Fish

Return To; Wild Discus in Your Aquarium

Discus fish have fairly simple dietary habits. They are omnivores and will eat both meat and plants. An assorted diet that offers both will ensure that they get all of the nutrients they need to color up and be healthy. I feed all of my Discus Hakari frozen bloodworms and either Formula One or Omega One flake to enhance their natural colors. You can also include spirulina flake and freeze-dried krill, which is also good for growth and color. There are several articles written about feeding Discus fish beef heart, I stopped feeding a beef heart mixture this years ago. The reason for this was simply, most of my customers do not want to make a beef heart mixture, and unless you bind it together well, it just falls apart and pollutes your aquarium. It’s simpler to let customers know the fish they receive from me are readily eating prepared foods that can be bought at a local pet store. As a treat, Discus fish can be fed adult live brine shrimp. They love chasing the live food and it is good roughage in their diet. I have also feed red wigglers, which are smaller composting earthworms you can buy online or at some garden centers. These worms are too big for small Discus but adult fish can easily bolt them down. If you have the patience to raise them, white worm cultures are also a good source of fat and protein. I do not feed live black worms, as this can expose them to both internal and external parasites. Try to feed two or three times daily for maximum growth. You can over feed the frozen bloodworms, but feed sparingly the dried food which can quickly foul your aquarium water if overfed.

Learn More;  Discus Fish Disease and Treatments