With the plethora of Discus food products available today, it can be hard to determine what will be best for your pets.
Contained below is a general overview of food types as well as a review of the following five products designed to promote colors, growth, and overall health for Discus fish in your aquarium:
- Hikari USA Inc. Tropical Discus Bio-Gold
- SAN FRANCISCO BAY Brand Freeze Dried Bloodworms
- Aquatic Foods Inc. AFZ Beef Heart Flakes
- NutriDiet Discus Flakes with Probiotics
- OMEGA One Super Color Flake
All About Feeding Discus
There are many opinions about Discus online today, including what foods they need. When trying to determine what the best Discus food is, we should start by looking at what Discus use for food sources in their natural habitat.
What do Discus fish eat in the wild?
Top food sources for Discus in the wild include insects, plant matter, and worms flushed into the water column from surrounding terrain. The best food for Discus fish will, therefore, mimic what they eat in the wild. Great food and nutrient sources for Discus are available from popular brands around the world.
What do discus fish eat in aquariums?
Discus fish food is designed to mimic Discus’ diet in the wild. The best sells as live or frozen insects as well as plant matter sold in flake, pellet, and wafer forms.
Live food
Ideally, a Discus diet should have 30-40 percent of proteins from meaty foods. Great food protein sources include mosquito larvae, various worms such as black worms and also brine shrimp.
Frozen food
Sometimes, a Discus will become picky about food, and their owner will wonder what to feed them. Live food for Discus can come in a frozen form as well.
Many keepers consider frozen to be the best food for Discus fish as it is easier to handle/store than live-food and contains more nutrients than the freeze-dried alternative.
Pellet food
Another form of Discus fish food is pellets. Feeding Discus standard pellets are okay, but the best pellet food for Discus is a one specifically designed for the species. Discus colors will enhance with food sources such as spirulina – all of which should be part of a Discus diet. Discus fish food in pellet form contains many nutrients, and the best Discus food in this form will list all ingredients.
Wafer food
Some Discus keepers enjoy supplying food sources in wafer form. Wafer discus foods shouldn’t break down very quickly, and you may find that your Discus will not eat this type of food.
Flake food
Discus will usually take flake food, but most keepers use this food the least. Others feel flake food is the best food for growth as non-adult Discus can grab this food easily.
Using beef heart for Discus
Offering beef heart for Discus has been successful for half a century. Beef heart is excellent for their growth, and this food source is something that your Discus may eat when they are picky. Many keepers will come up with Beefheart recipes created for Discus fish.
Feeding Discus For Growth And Health
Properly feeding Discus requires more than merely dropping some type of food into the water. Food should contain the most beneficial nutrients and lack the unneeded fillers found in some products. A healthy Discus diet not only focuses on what do they eat, but it should also take into consideration the things needed for growth, health, and immunity.
Remember not to place more food in the water than your Discus can eat in just a couple of minutes. Even the best Discus fish food can break down and pollute the water if it is not eaten, so make sure not to overfeed your Discus by offering too much food at once. All fish, including Discus, will need water changes even if you are careful when feeding Discus meals.
If you feed your Discus any type of live food, make sure it is bacteria and infestation free. Feeding them pellets should be proceeded to avoid swelling after they eat, as shown here.
Avoid feeding Discus various food products that contain too many fillers, especially when they are young, and you are offering food for growth.
A Discus diet needs to contain a majority of meat or vegetable proteins, with mineral and vitamin supplements providing for growth and immunity to various diseases.
Discus Fish Food Reviews
Hikari USA Inc. Tropical Discus Bio-Gold
A Discus fish food in pellet form that accounts for swelling.
High levels of vitamin C are found in this food, which should support your Discus and their immune systems. Its protein content promotes growth and will increase Discus size overall. You will find Spirulina in all of the best Discus food, including this Discus recipe.
This food will not dissolve quickly and pollute the water column. Its grain size helps to promote proper Discus eating habits with a smaller size. While many of the meat protein sources in this food are in meal form, it still offers a high protein content level found in the best Discus food sources.
Pros
- A Discus food source that avoids bacteria and parasites found with live food
- Contains crushed silkworm
- The granule size of this food makes it ideal for feeding fish for growth
Cons
- The pellet size on this food product may be a bit small for full-sized Discus
- A bit higher price point for the quantity of food provided
SAN FRANCISCO BAY Brand Freeze Dried Bloodworms
The best Discus food for those looking to avoid handling live worms.
Discus food needs to provide nutrients with little filler, and freeze-dried blood worms offer just that. This Discus fish food can be fed as a treat or as part of a daily Discus meal.
When you are wondering what your Discus fish will eat when they are going through a picky stage, a meal of blood worms may help to stimulate feeding.
With over 50-percent meat protein contained in each serving, many consider blood worms as the best Discus food out there. It will help to promote growth but should be part of a diet that also promotes color intensity.
Pros
- Freeze-dried blood worms provide a bacteria/parasite free meat protein
- This food helps eliminate grabbing food and spitting due to size
- Other fish besides your Discus will also enjoy this food
Cons
- Should not be used as primary food source
Aquatic Foods Inc. AFZ Beef Heart Flakes
A meal option for those looking for a no-fuss beef heart recipe.
When it comes time to determine what do Discus eat, beef heart is usually a safe bet. This product allows you to feed your Discus without having to deal with the mess and time needed to prepare other recipes. Dried kelp and spirulina found in the ingredients help to promote vibrant colors in Discus.
Multiple sources of minerals and vitamins infuse this Discus fish food with healthy immune building ingredients. Discus should not struggle with eating the flake as long as significant portions are broken down.
Pros
- Flake form of food avoids the mess involved with some beef heart recipes
- This product does not require extra mixing of ingredients to complete formula
- Provides Discus with 45-percent crude meat protein
Cons
- Flakes can be large and may need to be crushed to promote proper feeding
- Flake form food can dissolve and pollute the water column faster than others
NutriDiet Discus Flakes with Probiotics
A Discus food that contains probiotics for better digestion.
This food contains a laundry list of minerals and vitamins. That should provide your Discus with a healthy immune system as well as proper body growth. While the formula does lean heavily on vegetable protein, there are many whole and meal forms of meat that help to provide a properly balanced diet from this Discus flake.
Added chlorella and garlic guard provide Discus with content that can promote vibrant color and boost overall health. Many of the ingredients work as a time-release, which should keep fish full longer and provide continued nutrition over time.
Pros
- Contains earthworm and squid in the recipe
- This food also contains fish oil that promotes Discus health
- It is infused with many minerals and vitamin elements
Cons
- Picky Discus may not enjoy the garlic guard additive taste
OMEGA One Super Color Flake
A well balanced Discus food that provides natural crude protein sources.
The primary feature we were pleased to discover with this Discus product was the multiple whole food sources. They include herring, salmon, shrimp, as well as kelp. These nutrient sources are provided in the ‘whole’ form, not in ‘meal.’ That should give a higher level of crude content when compared to other recipes.
Extra mineral and vitamin sources have been added to help boost immunity and overall fish health. This well-balanced flake should promote growth in Discus as well as a moderate boost to overall colors.
Pros
- This food is suitable for Discus as well as their tank mates
- Marine food sources are from sustainable fisheries
- There is less starch and ash content in this flake
Cons
- Offered at a higher price point
Our Thoughts And Selection From The Reviews Above
All of the Discus fish foods examined in greater detail will provide your pets with a balanced meal. While each offers unique characteristics, they all share the common traits of providing healthy amounts of crude protein for your Discus fish diet. They can also offer the same benefits to various species of fish that may be tank mates to your beloved Discus.
- COLOR-BOOSTING NUTRITION: Super Color Flakes produce significant color enhancement thanks to elevated levels of beta carotenes in salmon skin. They are also rich in Omega 3 & 6 HUFA's to support strong immune systems in freshwater and saltwater fish
- KEEP A CLEANER TANK: Our Super Color Flakes are naturally insoluble, which reduces water pollution, and they have significantly less starch, which reduces fish waste
- SUPERIOR QUALITY: No meals, hydrolysates, digests, or any other pre-processed protein
- INSTRUCTIONS: Feed 1-3 times daily, using only as much food as fish can consume in two minutes
- GUARANTEED ANALYSIS: Min Crude Protein 42% / Min Crude Fat 12% / Max Crude Fiber 2% / Max Moisture 8.5% / Max Ash 8%
With that being said, we feel that the Omega One Super Color Flakes 2.2 oz stands out when compared to the others listed above. Its major strength, when compared to the other brands, is the number of whole sources used in its formula. Whole food sources provide the most substantial amount of nutrients with the least amount of filler in volume.
Omega Super color flake also performs strongly in the area of additional supplementation. When it comes to a balanced diet, this flake will offer you and your Discus the best overall performance.
This product comes at a reasonable price point, and the manufacturer offers the flake in a variety of package sizes. This may be beneficial as the number of Discus being fed can vary greatly from keeper to keeper. All aquarium enthusiasts will appreciate that the flake does not arrive in a completely broken down powder form as well.
The only major knock on the product is the added artificial coloring, which is hard to understand when considering the number of wholesome ingredients included in the formula. This isn’t too critical, however, so give it a try!
