best discus tank feeding timing

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discups
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2024 8:07 am

best discus tank feeding timing

Post by discups »

What's the best time of day to feed Discus? I've got a 75-gallon tank with six adults, two juveniles, and a pair of Rams. They're on a mix of frozen bloodworms, beef heart, and pellets. Lights are on from 10 AM to 8 PM, and I do 30% water changes twice a week. Filter is a Fluval FX4, temp at 84°F. They seem sluggish after morning feeds but go nuts at night. Should I switch it up?
River
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Re: best discus tank feeding timing

Post by River »

I've found Discus do better with smaller, more frequent meals. Mine are in a 120-gallon with sand substrate and driftwood. I feed them at 9 AM, 1 PM, and 6 PM, just before lights out. They're less likely to spit food if it's spread out. Try cutting the beef heart into smaller chunks—mine used to ignore it till I did that. Also, what's your nitrate level? High nitrates can mess with their appetite.
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Slybird
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Re: best discus tank feeding timing

Post by Slybird »

Mine are total night owls. I feed at 7 PM and they're way more active then. Tank's a 55-gallon with Java fern and Anubias, temp at 82°F. I use a mix of flakes and frozen brine shrimp. The key is consistency—they get used to the schedule. If you're seeing sluggishness in the morning, maybe skip that feed and see how they react. Rams might be stealing the food too, so watch for that.
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polaris
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Re: best discus tank feeding timing

Post by polaris »

I'm new to Discus but my LFS guy said to feed 'em right after lights on. Got a 40-gallon breeder with sponge filters, temp at 83°F. They're still juveniles, so I'm doing four small feeds a day. Mostly pellets and some freeze-dried blackworms. They seem to like it, but I'm still figuring it out. How old are your juveniles?
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ameRio
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Re: best discus tank feeding timing

Post by ameRio »

polaris wrote: Sun Nov 16, 2025 11:47 am I'm new to Discus but my LFS guy said to feed 'em right after lights on. Got a 40-gallon breeder with sponge filters, temp at 83°F. They're still juveniles, so I'm doing four small feeds a day. Mostly pellets and some freeze-dried blackworms. They seem to like it, but I'm still figuring it out. How old are your juveniles?
Yo, same here! My juvies are about 3 months old, in a 60-gallon with a canister filter. I do three feeds—9 AM, 2 PM, 7 PM—and they're growing like weeds. Beef heart's the MVP, but gotta keep the water clean. How often you siphoning the substrate?
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