Urgent Help Needed! Discus Won't Eat

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L

lsgraulau

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 12, 2011
84
0
6
Puerto Rico
I bought a pair of discus fish (3 1/2-4 inches including the tail) yesterday from a good local fish store and got them home in one and a half hours acclimated them and now they are coming out into the rest of the tank. Their patterns are now marked and define while yesterday they were very pale and hid most of the time. They've started chasing the school of cardinal tetras I have but they are yet to eat. I've offered them food 3 times already both flakes and pellets and even tried bits of washed chicken to get them to eat but so far nothing. Any ideas what my be wrong and how can I fix it?

I already did a 15% water change and did a 60% water change the day before I got them.
 
Water parameters? Tank size?

Also, you need more than 2 Discus.. they do well in groups of 5 or more. And for water changes... you should be doing something close to 60% DAILY water changes, not 15% a day. Post some pics of the Discus.
 
The tank is a 29 gallon and I can't get the parameters right now since no store had the testing equipment yet. I know they do better in larger groups but they where the healthiest in the fish store and I didn't want to overcrowd the small aquarium. I am in the planning stages of a much larger aquarium but it's not set to start yet.

I didn't know it was 60% daily. Previously I did 50% one day, wait one day and do another 50% the third day but now I'm 50%, 15% and then 50% again.

These are the discus:
263538_2081068982622_1121982963_2529531_2105634_n.jpg
 
I heard something about using garlic to increase the appetite in fish and to prevent or cure some diseases. Is there any truth in this and if so how much should I use?
 
Garlic will certainly get a fish to strike food. You can get some as a liquid additive for food. Like garlic guard or entice, however there haven't been any conclusive studies that have shown beyond a reasonable doubt that garlic improves the immune system in fish.

Have your tried enticing them to each with bloodworms?
 
You don't need to do 60% daily water changes. There is no set rule on that. You should do as many water changes needed to keep nitrates as low as possible, like less than 10ppm. It may be 50% once a week, or it may be 50% every other day. Who knows. It depends on your stocking levels. Get a test kit, and find out what your nitrates are. Then come up with schedule that keeps nitrates where you want them. In my 190g, I have 5 large discus and a bunch of other smaller fish. I do 20% water changes daily to every other day, and that keeps nitrates between 0-5ppm. Works for me.

As for food, give them time, they should come around. Try to give them blood worms or live black worms. That should entice them.
 
jcardona1 said:
You don't need to do 60% daily water changes. There is no set rule on that. You should do as many water changes needed to keep nitrates as low as possible, like less than 10ppm. It may be 50% once a week, or it may be 50% every other day. Who knows. It depends on your stocking levels. Get a test kit, and find out what your nitrates are. Then come up with schedule that keeps nitrates where you want them. In my 190g, I have 5 large discus and a bunch of other smaller fish. I do 20% water changes daily to every other day, and that keeps nitrates between 0-5ppm. Works for me.

As for food, give them time, they should come around. Try to give them blood worms or live black worms. That should entice them.
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When dealing with Juvi Discus, large daily water changes are recommended. The 60% was just an example how large they should be. And of course, tank size/Discus size is always a factor for how large water changes should be. You have large(I'm assuming Adult)Discus, they don't require large water changes that Juvi Discus do, plus you have a large tank. Young Discus also need to eat a lot, which contributes to the need for large water changes. Adult discus certainly don't have the appetite of a young Discus, so of course water changes can be relaxed a little.
 
Water said:
When dealing with Juvi Discus, large daily water changes are recommended. The 60% was just an example how large they should be. And of course, tank size/Discus size is always a factor for how large water changes should be. You have large(I'm assuming Adult)Discus, they don't require large water changes that Juvi Discus do, plus you have a large tank. Young Discus also need to eat a lot, which contributes to the need for large water changes. Adult discus certainly don't have the appetite of a young Discus, so of course water changes can be relaxed a little.
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Didn't you just get into discus last month and now you're a pro at raising juvies? LOL kidding ;) Like I said, it's all relative. The whole point of doing water changes is to keep nitrates down. Yeah, you're feeding juvies a lot, but you also should look at the amount of waste being produced. Just do some testing. Maybe you'll find you can do water changes every other day and not have it turn into a chore instead of a hobby. If after one day nitrates go from 5ppm to 20ppm, then yeah, you need daily water changes. Moral of the story, find out what works for YOUR tank, not what is repeated over and over on internet forums :)
 
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