Proper Tachnique for Feeding Frozen Bloodworms

There are proper techniques for feeding discus fish. I will begin with frozen bloodworms as this is an all time favorite. I feed my discus Hikari Frozen Bloodworms at least once a day. If improper techniques are used it is possible to training the discus to become aggressive eaters, setting up a scenario of overeating and bloat. Frozen blood worms should never be fed with a worm cone designed for live worms. This causes the discus to compete with each other to get the food. Usually the largest and prettiest discus will get the most worms. Eventually that prized discus fish will overeat and suffer the consequences.
The proper method for feeding frozen bloodworms is to place a small amount of tank water in a container. Drop the bloodworms into it and allow to thaw for a few minutes. Then pour the worms into tank. They should be spread all over the aquarium. Discus fish eat at the surface, mid level and most importantly like to take their time and graze off the bottom at their leisure. However,if bottom feeders are in the tank, the discus will usually not eat off the bottom. This eliminates their main feeding area. Bottom feeders should not be in the discus tank. Similarly, angel fish eat so aggressively, bloodworms will never make it to the bottom. Therefore, angel fish are not a good choice for the discus fish aquarium.
The full discus experience cannot be enjoyed if angel fish or bottom feeders are in the discus tank. Seeing a school of discus fish leisurely grazing along the bottom is a sight to behold. With a little planning you can create the perfect environment for discus fish. By using proper feeding techniques you will see less aggression and have content, happy discus fish.

Discus Nutrition in Fry

The ability of discus fish to properly digest and utilize nutrients begins very early in life. If discus fry do not get a proper start with their diet, they can run into problems when they approach the two-inch size. At this time they can become impacted, and can swell up until they actually die. This information is so important that I was torn between placing it in the breeding section, nutrition section or health. I have decided to place it here with references to it in other areas.

In the development of discus fry, the stomach and digestive tract (gut) is very short and small at the time of free swimming. This is perfectly suited for the nutrient rich soft diet of the slime coat provided on the sides of the body of mom and pop. With the addition of artemia (new hatched baby brine shrimp), the stomach of the fry changes. This is because of the roughage now provided in the diet. Quite simply the artemia needs to travel through a greater distance of gut to be digested. Artemia is a drastic diet change from the soft nutrient loaded slime coat the fry have been eating off the parents’ bodies. The drastic diet change requires drastic changes in the discus gut to enable the fry to properly digest artemia. The gut of the discus fry grows and becomes three to four times as long as the body length by three months of age. Then gut growth slows down and an adult discus has a gut length of around one and a half times the body length.

If the discus fry is removed from the parents and placed on a diet that is very low in roughage, that short gut never develops properly. This is seen in discus that have been artificially raised on a really soft diet with little roughage. What can occur is problems develop when the juvenile discus is between two to two and a half inches. At some point these discus find their way into discus hobbyists aquaria, and are placed on a proper diet that contains roughage. Feeding a flake food or pellets made from coarse fish meal (a lousy, cheap discus diet to begin with) really can be a problem even with discus used to roughage in the diet. So a hobbyist has a discus that suddenly swells up like a balloon. Nothing seems to help. The poor fish just swells until he dies. Why? That tiny little gut can not digest the food. So it sits there in the gut, producing gas and as bacteria begin multiplying in the putrefied food, serious symptoms develop such as cloudy eyes, membrane problems, loss of balance and an extremely distended abdomen. To the inexperienced hobbyist, they decide the discus has internal parasites along with a serious bacterial infection in the slime coat and eyes. They treat accordingly, the fish die and the hobbyist goes away inaccurately convinced of what killed the discus.
Discus fry that are artificially raised, and never see artemia, and instead are fed with soft artemia substitutes are prime candidates for this. This may not be how you expected me to kick off the section of this book dealing with nutrition. Like I said in the beginning, I am not holding anything back. As more and more artificially raised imported discus are flooding the market, this has become a major epidemic. A simple change in the diet by the breeder would prevent this. If a discus is really swollen in the abdomen, move it to a smaller tank such as a ten-gallon size with established bio filter and slowly rehab the fish, beginning with a treatment for constipation followed by a change in the diet to foods with less roughage, such as frozen blood worms. After rehabbing the fish avoid feeding all type pellets and avoid flakefoods composed mainly of fish meal and never use freeze dried foods with discus.

Using Medications With Discus Fish

Healthy discus can carry a parasite without obvious symptoms. When stress occurs, the immune response drops, parasites can flourish. Stress can occur from shipping, temperature fluctuations, pecking order fighting, poor diet, and poor water conditions and wrong type tank mates. We recommend using a small quarantine tank for new arrivals. Fish purchased from pet stores, amateur breeders, club auctions and especially Internet auctions can be cleaned up before introducing into the main display tank. This is especially true for other species of fish you plan to add to the discus aquarium. Professional breeders, who utilize professional health screenings, offer much better opportunities for healthy stock. It is not advisable to move sick fish to a hospital tank. It causes undue stress and the whole tank should be treated, since all it’s inhabitants were exposed to the illness.
Discus problems can be divided into three categories. One is environmental. The best solution for this situation is to move the inhabitants into another aquarium if the situation is critical. Then identify the problem and correct it. Several times a year we hear from folks who have an air borne problem, such as hair spray, or spray paint or varnish which was used in an area near the aquarium which kills the filter bacteria and causes the tank to “crash”.
The other categories are parasitic and pathogenic (bacteria and viral) infections. Parasites by nature do not kill their hosts. To do so would cause their demise. However, in a weakened fish they can multiply and get out of hand. Also, parasites on a type fish that does not have an immune system accustomed to that particular parasite will not keep the parasite in check. Frequently the wound caused by the parasitic invasion becomes infected creating a dual problem. Bacterial and viral problems must be addressed immediately. Bacterial infections can kill quickly. Viral infections are chronic diseases, slowly debilitating the fish.
The key to having healthy discus is keeping the water parameters correct (within the no stress zone), providing regular water changes and an adequate diet. Mixing Medications Unless you are absolutely certain what you are doing and why, never mix medications. You can overwhelm the fish and possibly kill them. Some meds interact with others creating a deadly situation. For this reason, when using some meds I recommend removing any trace of it through carbon filtration. Carbon in a filter bag can be placed into any inexpensive hang on type filter. Just do not forget to remove it after 3 or 4 days. This is the only time I advise using carbon in a filter on a discus aquarium.
If I was reading this, and I am reading this as I write it, I would want examples. What substance becomes deadly when mixed with a certain substance? Here it is. Praziquantel is a slow, time released substance. However, if it comes into contact with formalin, it melts and presents 100 percent strength. That kills the fish as well as any plants and the all important nitrifying filter bacteria. So, run carbon any time formalin is used to remove all traces of it. This is only one example, there are others.

Internal Parasites

INTERNAL PARASITES

Flagellated protozoan is a common problem in discus. It is the primary cause for hunger strikes. These include protoopalina, octomitis, hexamita, spironucleus and others. Protoopalina is referred to as the discus parasite. It is commonly found in the gut of the discus. When a discus is under stress, these parasites multiply. True cases of hexamita are a hobbyist’s worse nightmare. However, most cases of so called hexamita are actually spironucleus or protoopalina. These are much less serious and easier to treat. NOTE: the standard treatment does not kill or remove all of the flagellates. It reduces their numbers so the fish can handle it with their immune response. In severely weakened fish, treatment can go on for some time.

DIAGNOSIS: white, stringy feces evidence this problem. The fish may darken and withdraw from the others, facing into the rear of the tank. They may bite at food and then spit it out as if disgusted with it. Left untreated the fish will waste away and die. The gut can become damaged and lose the ability to properly absorb nutrients. Hole in the head may develop. Loss of muscle in the head gives a knife edge appearance when the fish is viewed from the front. The key to this, as in all treatments is to completely follow through the full course of treatment.

TREATMENT for FLAGELLATES

1.Now is the time to raise tank temperature to 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Add 1 / 4 teaspoon metronidazole per 20 gallons. Tablets contain binders, fillers and products to prevent moisture getting into the pills. Pills are not recommended. Metro sold in pet shops is usually a blend with other substances added. Pure metro powder is recommended. You can order pure metro from Rocky Mountain Discus and have it shipped to most countries. For pure metro click here:

3.Treat for flagellates a full 14 days. Add meds daily for a week, then every other day for a week.

In extreme cases the metro can be added twice daily, once in the morning and again in the evening for a week. Metronidazole dosing and schedules are variable depending upon the severity of the infestation and condition of the fish.

A small water change can be done as needed. The discus may go several days before eating. Frozen brine shrimp or bloodworms are good foods to get them eating again. A four ounce (golf ball size) portion of frozen beef heart food can be thawed. Add one-teaspoon metro and refreeze. This can be fed for a week to the fish to ensure all flagellates are eliminated. A deworming treatment should follow.

One thing I have observed is that when I introduce vital, important information on my web site, suddenly it appears on other sites as if it was common knowledge. This has happened as I explained why discus fish treated with metronidazole frequently rebound or relapse in far worse condition. The usual answer was a tolerance to metro was developed by the flagellates, which can be true. But that is not the cause of the relapse. I will explain this in detail shortly. Anytime you treat discus for flagellates, you should follow with a deworming treatment for nematodes (worms). Most of the time a dual infestation is present. When the flagellate load is reduced, there is suddenly more room and opportunity for the worm load to increase. Within a short time, this causes the discus to take a turn for the worse, giving the “relapse” that tends to occur. Going back to metro treatments does not solve this and the fish will not improve until dewormed.

Dated Methods: Peat and Aging Tap Water

In years past peat was used in large vats to soften breeding water in discus hatcheries. With reverse osmosis filtration becoming commonplace and affordable, the peat method became obsolete. Peat methods of water softening are still found in books today, not because it is still in use, but because discus books are often reprinted with new covers and photographs added. That results in information that was current in the 60’s and 70’s still being published today.

The only discus that will appreciate stained water is certain wild caught types coming from black water areas of the Amazon. Not a lot of these are found in the hobby today. Peat is messy and is unreliable due to variation in strength. The peat tonics are ineffective and can spoil in the bottle. When a spoiled product is used the fish suffer catastrophic events immediately.

In years past tap water was disinfected with chlorine. This water could be stored in a vat and aerated to condition it. US law requires all municipal water supplies to be disinfected with chloramines. This was one of the changes seen in the aftermath of 9-11. Recently a new generation of chloramines was developed that has an even stronger bond. Simply aerating this water for 24 hours is not sufficient to eliminate the disinfectant and make the water safe for aquarium inhabitants. Storing this water in a barrel also can result in nitrification starting in the barrel. This is highly undesirable.

A conditioning agent should be used to break the chlorine-ammonia bond. Tetra's Aqua Safe, Prime and Amquel are the top three conditioners designed for chloramines. I do not use stress coat with discus. When doing a partial water change, the water conditioner can be added directly into the aquarium after removing the desired amount of water. Then tap water can then be added directly to the aquarium from the tap. The tap water should be around 80 degrees when added. After the water change it is a good idea to test the ph with a liquid drop type test kit. This should be done before and after any partial water change you give your aquarium.

The Fishless Aquarium Cycle

I get a lot of requests for help on this one. And it is always the same problem. So I will start with that. It is not necessary to build up a bio filter that is consuming 4 or higher PPM ammonia. What will happen is when you add fish you will have a massive bio filter die off. The bacteria have to keep in step with the food supply. Adding a few discus to the aquarium will not give you a bio load that requires a nitrifying bacteria colony capable of handling 4 ppm ammonia . If, however, you plan to add hundreds of feeder goldfish into a 55 gallon aquarium, then by all means carry on.
The fishless cycle can start with 1 PPM ammonia. Problems occur when the ammonia goes down, and nitrites climb, and too much ammonia is added which can harm the bacteria and stall the process. Because the filter bacteria multiply very quickly, if ammonia levels do elevate later, the bacteria will catch up. This is far preferred to creating an atomic super charged bio bed that will have a massive die off once feeding is stopped and fish are added. Trust me, this is not what you want to accomplish.
Fill the aquarium with water and adjust the ph and get the temperature correct. Do not use a water conditioner for chloramines which treats ammonia. This is crucial. You can use a product like Dechlor that ONLY removes chlorine, or you can run the tank with the filter and an air stone for two or three days to blow off the chlorine (it is a gas). If you have another aquarium you can add a small amount of water from it, from a thimble full to a cup, to the new aquarium. Adding a product called Cycle will not speed up the process. Using Stress Coat is not recommended as it will coat the bio media and hamper the bio filter bacteria. Stores push those products heavily. I have cycled tanks without adding any tank water. If you build it they will come. A lone piece of gravel from a healthy aquarium can be placed into the tank also. One piece is enough. There is very, very little chance of introducing harmful critters with a piece of gravel, as they live on or in the fish.
In a nutshell, add ammonia, cleaning unscented type is fine, until a level of 1 PPM is attained. Monitor closely and when that level drops, after several days, check nitrites. When they start rising, begin feeding the filter lightly with ammonia. This is where the problem occurs due to misunderstanding. DO NOT go back to 1 PPM of ammonia. This set of bacteria is cultured, so just feed them lightly with a few drops of ammonia daily. Otherwise, you will build up nitrites too fast, which could hurt the bacteria that consume ammonia. Too much ammonia can harm the nitrifying bacteria that consume nitrites, and conversely, too much nitrite can harm the bacteria that consume the ammonia. SO, feed the ammonia very lightly with a few drops, just enough to detect on the test. Then let it completely drop to zero before feeding again. WHEN the nitrites are zero, the filter is cultured. At that point elevated levels of nitrates will be present. That indicates a fully functioning bio filter. This filter can be maintained indefinitely by just lightly feeding with ammonia. A water change or two should be done just before fish are added to reduce the elevated nitrate levels. ALWAYS add fish when the ammonia level is zero AND nitrite levels are zero. Once fish are added they provide the ammonia and no more should be added. You should not see extremely high nitrate levels unless you are adding plant fertilizers or vitamins to the water for the fish, BOTH of which are unnecessary.
After the fish are in the tank and it is time for a water change, I recommend you use one of the following products: Prime, Amquel or Tetra's Aqua Safe to neutralize chloramines from the tap water. These products have an additional benefit. In the event you encounter deadly high levels of ammonia in your aquarium, they can be added to the tank to neutralize the ammonia. These are the water conditioning products I have never heard of going sour in the bottle. Use them with confidence.

The new test strips are a boom to manufacturers who are no longer faced with shipping a liquid product, no longer use glass vials and are extremely light weight. Some of them claim to perform many tests all at once. Trust me, you will get accurate results by using the LIQUID drop type test kits. I have assisted many hobbyists with water issues resulting from acting on readings taken with test strips. When retested with liquid drop type test kits, the difference was enormous.

Ammonia and Nitrite Spikes

Ammonia and nitrite spikes require immediate action. Regardless of whatever action led to the problem, the steps to take to remedy the situation are the same. The most common causes are upsetting the bacteria bed by cleaning the bio filter. Another is having an inadequate bio filter, either not enough of the right media or adding fish before the filter bacteria are established.
You have to take immediate action as time is the enemy here.
The first step is to acquire some aquarium salt ( Kosher salt from the grocery) and some Prime water conditioner. If you already use Prime fine, if not, get some. You also need some high quality carbon, (not charcoal, not a resin or ammo chips, just carbon, and a filter bag). If you already have carbon or a resin type media in your filter remove it and discard the media. That includes softening pillows, which is a resin.
Any deviation on the recommended products could affect your success. Especially important is to not get stress coat, which coats and plugs your bio media and builds up on the glass, providing a breeding ground for bacteria.
TRUE bottled bacteria is refrigerated and rather expensive and most stores do not carry it. You do not want to use cycle or one of the many products kept on the shelf at room temperature.
You need to do a 30% water change. Add the Prime to the aquarium before filling it. After filling it, add the salt, one tablespoon per ten gallons. Fill the filter bag with the carbon and rinse well. Place the bag in your filter. Note: Do not remove or disturb any bio media you have in the filter. If you cannot add the carbon to your existing filter, a cheap little hang on filter from Wal-Mart or a discount pet shop would work for the carbon. It just needs to move water thru the carbon.
The fish will not have an appetite. Do not feed them during this critical time.
Daily change 30% of the water, using ample amounts of Prime. Replace only the amount of salt removed – 1 teaspoon per ten gallons. If you see the fish at the surface gasping, change 30 % twice a day. After several days the tank should stabilize. Elevated levels of nitrates indicate the bio filter is function again.
The salt should be discontinued when the tank is stabilized. The carbon should remain in the filter for 3 days after the tank stabilizes. Stabilized means the fish swim naturally and water parameters are right. If nitrites were high and have normalized, the tank is stable.
If the fish are eating, feed once a day only with frozen bloodworms very lightly for a few days.
Normally salt and carbon are not used in the discus aquarium, except for specific purposes. You should never attempt an extremely large water change as it will shock the fish. Breeders doing huge changes on tiny fry have adapted the fish to that and use specialized water.

Bloat - Swollen Belly

If bloat suddenly occurs in one your discus fish it is most likely not an internal parasite. A leading cause of death among healthy discus, goldfish and other tropical fish is from overeating. This usually occurs in the larger, prettier and most aggressive eater. If this problem occurs in a one and a half inch or smaller discus that has failed to grow properly, the cause is usually a defective digestive tract as a result of improper feeding as a fry and the result is usually fatal. The condition I am addressing will be seen usually in a lone single discus. Proper diet and feeding techniques reduce the occurrence of overeating in healthy discus, three inches and larger.

Discus need small, frequent feedings, not large ones. Their stomach is not designed to hold large meals. Overeating can easily result in constipation. As the food sits in the gut it begins to decompose and rot inside the fish. Bacteria, gas and fluids are created, resulting in swelling and pressure on the swim bladder, which in a discus sits on top of the stomach. This results in loss of balance which affects the ability to swim properly. The discus will either sit on the bottom or hang in the water facing down or up as it cannot properly keep it's balance. As this progresses, the swelling in the gut increases and the abdomen becomes very distended, looking like a balloon ready to pop. The buildup of gas and fluid causes the eye to become distended, creating a Popeye effect. A hazy, cloudy look may appear on one or both eyes as bacterial growth increases. The discus fish may create extra slime and become dark, fins may become clamped and the fish will not eat. Using treatments labeled for Popeye in tropical fish will not cure this discus.

For now forget about internal worms or parasites. A swollen belly is almost always assumed by the new discus hobbyist to be internal parasites. But even heavy tapeworm infestation does not give the extreme bloated appearance of overeating. Internal parasites are microscopic with the exception of tapeworm and a couple others not common to discus. On that note gill flukes and external parasites common to discus are also microscopic.

If you have recently added some new fish and suddenly several fish are exhibiting swollen bellies it could be bacterial. The most common bacterial infection is Aeromonas. There is no single physical or behavioral sign specific for Aeromonas infections. Infected fish frequently have: small pinpoint hemorrhages at the base of the fins or on the skin, distended abdomens, and protruding eyes. Internal signs include: fluid in the abdomen, swollen liver and spleen, and the intestines are distended and fluid-filled. This is the classic Popeye bacterial infection found in tropical fsh. and while it is a real threat, 99% of the hobbyists I counsel on this issue have a discus fish with constipation from overeating.

Treatment - The discus fish must eliminate the bowels quickly to prevent death. This is done with water changes and Epsom salt (available at any drug store and most grocery stores), a laxative that works on discus. Each case is different so there is no one set standard dose. First change a volume of water equal to the amount you are already changing on a regular basis. Then add one tablespoon Epsom salt for every ten gallons of water the aquarium holds. Thus, a 100 gallon aquarium receives 10 tablespoons. Add an identical dose of Epsom salt in four hours and one more in 4 more hours if the fish has not started elimination. Look carefully the following day to determine if the fish has evacuated. If not, repeat the exact treatment done on day one beginning with the water change. If needed, repeat again the third day.

If on day two you see the fish has evacuated, change a volume of water equal to the amount you are already changing on a regular basis and replace just the amount of Epsom salt removed by the water change. In 24 hours change water again but do not add Epsom salt. The Epsom salt will be removed by water changes over time. Begin feeding with frozen bloodworms or frozen brine shrimp in small amounts.

If the fish has eliminated but the stress of the ordeal has resulted in loss of appetite, it will be necessary to treat the fish with metro for a few days to restore the appetite. Metro blends such as metro plus are not recommended as they are mostly salt and fillers. You need the pure metro to see results. The pills are not nearly as water soluble or effective as pure metro powder which is water soluble, pure and effective. Usually a daily dose of pure metro, 1/4 teaspoon per 20 gallons for five days restores appetite. Once the fish is eating continue the metro for 3 more days. I do provide the pure metro on my food and medication page of my web site, http://www.RockyMountainDiscus.com/Food_and_medications.htm

Prevention: One thing that contributes to a discus overeating is the use of a plastic worm cone for feeding frozen or live worms. The idea is to keep the worms in one place and keep them from getting scattered. However, they really should be scattered so everyone gets a fair share. And although the discus grab food as it enters the water, they like to graze along the bottom. Using the cone teaches the discus to compete for food, training the largest most aggressive eater to dominate, and possibly overeat.

Avoid feeding discus fish freeze dried foods. They can swell up in the stomach, even after soaking in a liquid, and can cause this condition. Also the nutrients are lost during processing. Be very careful with foods made of fish meal, as discus do not easily digest this. Frozen foods rarely cause this problem if presented properly. Frozen bloodworms can be placed in a small Tupperware container of tank water for 60 seconds before pouring into the tank. Although frozen foods thaw instantly when hitting the water, this prevents any discus from swallowing a large chunk of bloodworms.

Discus Fish Diagnosis

This information is geared toward the hobbyist who is willing to put forth a little effort to read, learn and develop proper discus fish care techniques. If you are taking the time to read this you probably fall into this category.
While this may sound elementary it is vital that any time your discus act or look like there may be a problem, the first action you take should always be to test the water. Do not take a water sample to the local fish store. Invest a few dollars in a liquid drop test kit for ph, ammonia and nitrite. You can get all three for under $15. and you need them. You do not have to get a nitrate test kit. Nitrate levels just indicate that the biological filter is working, and if you are adding plant fertilizer, which is not needed, the nitrates could get to a level that is not good for the discus. Do not use the dip stick tests, especially for ph and hardness. If the ph test shows a yellow color the ph is too low and is causing the nervousness, hazy eye, clamped fins or lack of appetite you see in the discus fish. A yellow color on ph means the ph is somewhere below 6.0 but does not show how low. Slowly raise the ph in the discus fish aquarium exhibiting a low ph by doing several small water changes over a day or two using tap water and Prime to condition it. Just add the Prime to the aquarium before adding the tap water. Get into the habit of always testing the ph before changing water on the discus fish aquarium.

Elevated ammonia or nitrite levels can be deadly to discus. For that reason I have an article devoted to managing ammonia and nitrite spikes.

To ensure the prevention of ammonia buildup in the discus aquarium, purchase BIOLOGICAL FILTER MEDIA sold for canister filters and place in your filter using a mesh filter bag if needed. It is made of lava rock, sintered glass or a porous ceramic. Once in the filter it is not necessary to clean it or replace it. If the filter is cleaned place the media in aquarium water. It is a delicate, living entity. This media will fit into any type of filter and is usually not sold in new filters with the exception of some canister filters. The reason for this is that filter manufacturers like to provide replaceable filter inserts which drives the after market for the filters. The simple hang on the back filter is excellent if properly loaded with media. Basically, any filter that pushes water through the bio media is fine. Rotating paper wheels are fine for a tank with a few tetras but not enough for the discus fish aquarium. Very course sponges are not a good bio material either. Your bio media is the backbone of the system and this is an area you do not want to skimp on. There are a lot of products on the market that are sold to help speed up the filter process but the best route is to let the naturally occurring process take place. Cycle and stress coat are two products that stores push heavily but I do not recommend them for the discus tank.