Suggestions on home-made Discus food?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
you can use earthworms but put them in some kitchen paper towel and pop them into the fridge over night. That way you'll get the cr*p out of them.

Beefheart mixes are easy to make. All the hardware you need is a beef grinder and a sharp knife. I use a filleting knife. Take two beefhearts and cut the fat, arteries and sinews from it. If you can get turkey heart use this instead. 6-8 cloves to garlic, 2lbs of fish ( I get a mixture of cod, salmon, etc.) 1lb of spinach, 2 eggs yolks. You can add some vitamins if you like. I also add some cod liver oil (2-3 table spoons, just make sure it's not flavoured). Everyhting takes two trip through the meet grinder set on fine. Job done.
 
apisto;3282131; said:
you can use earthworms but put them in some kitchen paper towel and pop them into the fridge over night. That way you'll get the cr*p out of them.

Beefheart mixes are easy to make. All the hardware you need is a beef grinder and a sharp knife. I use a filleting knife. Take two beefhearts and cut the fat, arteries and sinews from it. If you can get turkey heart use this instead. 6-8 cloves to garlic, 2lbs of fish ( I get a mixture of cod, salmon, etc.) 1lb of spinach, 2 eggs yolks. You can add some vitamins if you like. I also add some cod liver oil (2-3 table spoons, just make sure it's not flavoured). Everyhting takes two trip through the meet grinder set on fine. Job done.
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thks for the feedback. I'm a little leary now on E/W cuz can't be sure if they came from my lawn (non-poison) vs. neighbors. so will refrain.

as for the mixes - I lack the meat grinder. a blender won't do?

here's a link I found from a vendor:

http://www.rockymountaindiscus.com/Discus_fish_food_recipe.htm
 
If they are being finicky, they will not turn down frozen bloodworms. Or live white worms. Mine turn their noses up at beefheart mixes and earthworms....and if I can chop an earthworm ....ewwwww....you can too. White worms are very easy to culture. I sell some of mine when my cultures get overcrowded. If you're ever interested in a culture, let me know!
Debbi
 
pinkertd;3287440; said:
If they are being finicky, they will not turn down frozen bloodworms. Or live white worms. Mine turn their noses up at beefheart mixes and earthworms....and if I can chop an earthworm ....ewwwww....you can too. White worms are very easy to culture. I sell some of mine when my cultures get overcrowded. If you're ever interested in a culture, let me know!
Debbi
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Hey Deb,

well, mine are eating flakes at least. they didn't seem to like the SF Bay frozen brine - but now I just threw in the frozen chunk instead of thawing in water & they eat it. guess you can only stay starved so long & be so picky so long.

they also ate live blackworms with no sweat. but this can be expensive so I will use this as a treat.

I also just picked up 4oz frozen bloodworms on sale at petsmart. you say you think they should take to this no prob, right?! will let you know when I start to feed them this.

I just ordered 2 2lb bags of flake from www.kensfish.com supposedly formulated for discus for a great price. so if they are eating my topfin & tetramin flakes, they should go to town on kens.

yes, I would like to know more about your whiteworm culturing. how do you culture them so that you have a steady supply? that would be great. how much do you sell them for?

thks so much again for your feedback, ray :)
 
They are easy ray, they are kept in moist soil in a lidded plastic container. They have to be kept in a cool, dark place. I have my containers in my basement year round. They feed on bread, oatmeal, even fish flakes, and multiply readily. Not dirty. I feed my cultures 2X a week and that's all the maintenance unless the soil begins to get too wet. Then I refresh the soil a bit. I gather worms that are on the top feeding, using tweezers and feed all of my tanks twice a week. All the fish love them including my fry! The cultures are around $20 plus shipping but they cannot be shipped in the heat. Instant death.

Be careful with blackworms, they need to be from a reliable source and very clean.
 
pinkertd;3288205; said:
They are easy ray, they are kept in moist soil in a lidded plastic container. They have to be kept in a cool, dark place. I have my containers in my basement year round. They feed on bread, oatmeal, even fish flakes, and multiply readily. Not dirty. I feed my cultures 2X a week and that's all the maintenance unless the soil begins to get too wet. Then I refresh the soil a bit. I gather worms that are on the top feeding, using tweezers and feed all of my tanks twice a week. All the fish love them including my fry! The cultures are around $20 plus shipping but they cannot be shipped in the heat. Instant death.

Be careful with blackworms, they need to be from a reliable source and very clean.
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thks. can you PM me with your info.

blackworms! oh no! :eek: I bought from LFS - how do I tell reliable or not? they were all lively in their refrigerated container. told me to clean their water & refresh with cool water & I can keep it refrigerated.

is there something in the portion I can see to look out for?

already gave them 2 feedings. what are the risks I should be aware of?

should we also be cautious if LFS sells live bloodworms?

what is the diff. between black & blood worms?

thks again, ray
 
They need to be fresh and the LFS should be rinsing them when they first receive them. They come with leeches and detritus. And I believe feeding discus blackworms going bad could kill the discus. So clean them a lot! Here's what I found on the best cleaning and keeping procedures:

The water needs changed atleast twice a day. When you go to feed the worms, put them in a plastic bag and fill half full with water and shake them, then pour out the water and refill and do it again. Most of the time it takes about 3-4 times and the water will be clear. Then put the worms back into the holder and fill with water and pick out the leeaches and feed a small portion to your fish.
 
Blackworms are fine if they are wiggling. :D I've fed them to discus for years. A great food. As long as they are no dead ones in the bunch, you're fine. Dead ones quickly spoil and kill the good ones. You can tell dead or dying ones by the color. They turn really pale when they are dying. Toss those out and the rest should be fine. Be sure to rinse them daily until clean water runs off.
 
hillbilly;3296485; said:
Blackworms are fine if they are wiggling. :D I've fed them to discus for years. A great food. As long as they are no dead ones in the bunch, you're fine. Dead ones quickly spoil and kill the good ones. You can tell dead or dying ones by the color. They turn really pale when they are dying. Toss those out and the rest should be fine. Be sure to rinse them daily until clean water runs off.
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done. all finito. they ravaged them soon as they were tossed in. kept them clean clear water didn't notice any foreign invaders. so hope all was cool. I have the frozen bloodworms they go crazy also. thk goodness they're all eating.

someday I will attempt to make a home batch.

thks all again for your helpful feedback!
 
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