Growing out cichlids

[Snowflake311]

So I am growing out some Discus I just got them. I have been doing lots of research on this. What I find strang is why don't we as cichlids keeps freak out more about feeding 4+ times a day and doing daily wc to get our fish to grow well?

So does anyone treat their Cichlids like discus keeps treat their young fish? How many times do you feed your young cichlids and how many water changes do you do.

For me I feed my young Cichlids 2 times a day and do 2 50% water changes a week. For my disucs I feed 3 or more times a day and do WC every other day.

SO are Discus people crazy? or is the way they treat their discus the way we should treat all our cichlids? what do you think? Are we stunting our cichlids by not feeding more then 4 times a day and not doing daily WC?

 

[knifegill]

I get what you're saying and would have to say 'yes', we are doing our fish a slight injustice by not feeding them small amounts constantly and doing more water changes than we do. Ideally, I'd feed my Oscar four or five times a day with a cricket here, a worm there, some massivore for lunch, etc. Problem is, feeding once a day a larger amount works. It's less ideal than a nice, balanced influx and removal of solids in the tank, but we're people and we have to go places like work and school.

Your plan for feeding discus sounds a bit like powerfeeding done correctly. Since powerfeeding (not protein-loading and causing obesity!) done correctly leads to bigger, stronger, more colorful fish it would stand to reason that your way would be superior.

But for me and my fish, nitrAtes under 20ppm and once or twice daily feedings including live food and algae wafers will have to do, and it is working fine for now.

 

[Aquanero]

Knifegill makes a good point. I feed my growouts 3 times a day. In the morning before I go to work I feed flakes, when I get home they get live/frozen of an apprpriate size be it brine shrimp, chopped earthworms sm pieces of krill, skinned peas (not all together, one day one next day another) ect. and a few hours later some pellets. I do a 50% wc on Sunday and Thursday. This works with my schedule and they seem to be fine.

 

[ryansmith83]

I treat almost all of my cichlids like discus and I like to think it makes a difference. I got my baby notatus to 2" in 2 months. Lots of food and tons of water changes.

Discus are very easy fish to stunt. If you don't keep up with the feedings and water changes you'll end up with small adults. I don't know why it happens that way, but I've seen it hundreds of times.