The discus fish has its habitat in the South American waters of Brazil and Peru. Discus fish are classified as “herbivores” and, in the wild, constantly drill for food. The discs are tall and have a laterally compressed body. Your swim bladder is located in the upper part of your stomach. They have small stomachs and short digestive tracts, and with these small stomachs designed to hold small amounts of food, overeating the discus can be a problem. Even a minor case of constipation can cause serious problems for discus fish.
The diet of discus fish must be varied and contain the nutritional value they need to survive. In a conversation with our breeder, Nick Lockhart from Perfection Discus, I asked him what he would recommend for the daily diet.
Nick feeds our puck twice a day. It feeds on live white worms generally twice a week. The white worms are grown on site and kept refrigerated in a small apartment-sized refrigerator, and the temperature is controlled by a device that uses a probe to maintain a temperature of about 55 to 65 degrees for best results.
Nick also uses bloodworms, plankton, white worms, Emerald Entree, mysis shrimp, and white mosquito larvae to provide a varied diet. Emerald Entree is a good choice for discus fish. Although it was originally formulated for marine fish, it has proven to be an excellent diet for freshwater fish. Emerald Entrée is fortified with omega-3 fatty acids like EPA and DHA, which have been shown to be important for optimal growth and disease prevention.
Discus fish and many African cichlids eat a lot of blue-green algae in the wild. Spirulina is a blue-green algae and has a special protein called phycocyanin that is not found in other algae or land plants. Spirulina powder is available in most pet stores. Japanese scientists have linked phycocyanin with better kidney and liver function. Japanese fish farmers make extensive use of spirulina, due to its positive effects on their fish.
Because good hygiene is of the utmost importance in the puck tank, you should never feed more than the puck can consume in approximately five minutes. As they are herbivores, they tend to eat a bit slowly, so it takes a little longer for them to feel full. I have read that it is good to allow a disc to “fast” sometimes for up to two days, which allows it to flush toxins from the system. Nick has also stated that a fish can go two weeks without eating, so skipping a day here and there is not really harmful to the fish. Of course, you don’t want to drive them to the point of starvation, but it will never hurt the puck to go a day or two without eating. It is much better to feed them a little less than to overfeed.
If you are careful, the discus will thrive in the aquarium. There is a lot of information available to the potential Discus breeder, and a little common sense along the way wouldn’t hurt either. As the discus are long-lived, the hobbyist can enjoy these friendly fish for ten to twelve years.