how long can a discus go without eating? its been a foodless month for mine

[nick_76]

thoughts anyone?

it has not lost any weight but the complete lack of interest in food and leftovers at the bottom of the quarantine tank say its not eating. no bulges or other strangeness going on..in fact other than a white spot above the eye that popped up this past weekend, you would think this is a perfectly healthy discus

saw it poop once and only once(after a filter failure induced near death experience about a week ago), brown and normal...not white and stringy

tried frozen blood worms, live black worms, hikari discus gold, marineland flakes, frozen brine shrimp..

im at a complete loss

 

[Gryphon]

Try Peas

 

[Anthraxx]

give beef heart a try.. but honestly the lack of interest in blood worms concerns me.. could u possibly capture some mosquito larvae? maybe he will go for some live stuff. i can also say that something is wrong as a healthy discus is one that searches for food. give some epsom salt a shot and see if that doesnt clean up any blockage he might have?? GL to ya i really hope u dont lose your last one.

 

[nick_76]

tried peas last night. no interest in them at all....

is there a difference between epsom salt and the stuff sold as aquarium salt ?(the coarse grained stuff...not the saltwater aquarium salt)

 

[ShortyKiloGyrl]

Epsom salt is what people use to soak in but works as a laxative of sorts and will help a fish with constipation or a blockage. I don't know anything about discus but know it works for bettas in the same way. Just be careful on the amount used.

 

[Anthraxx]

no not really, epsom salt is for sale at a grocery store and ends up being cheaper is all. most fish stuff can be had at a hardware store for 1/3-1/2 off just because it doesnt have a fish on it

 

[nick_76]

i think its amazing that this fish looks as healthy and has as much energy as it does (not exactly hyper, but normal for a discus). its completely baffling. and how does it not lose weight after not eating for a month?

epsom salts have a laxative effect? i guess ill switch over to them....madness suggested that some time ago but i didnt know there was a difference between that and regular aquarium salts

maybe ill give live black worms another try too...peas and bloodworms and hikari "kibble" garner no interest

 

[Anthraxx]

also maybe try feeding the blackworms some of the hikari kibble. i know ive done that for fishing outings (and omg does it work at least with nightcrawlers)

 

[nick_76]

Epsom salts and live black worms did it, he finally ate...of course, hunger may be the best condiment, I dunno....

of course, hes not ready to go back to general population..it took hours for him to eat what a healthy discus eats in minutes, and I really want him on hikari kibble&frozen foods....im not convinced that live black worms are a good idea long term, but still, its a relieving sign of progress...

 

[Anonymous]

Woot! At least he's eating again.

 

[nick_76]

i know! huge relief.....hopefully it keeps this up

 

[star_rider]

what are the tank parameters?

temp? pH? daily water changes?
temp is often a culprit in loss of appetite with discus , as are a few other ailments that co incide with loss of appetite.

the fact that it is eating is a plus..
espsom salts aka magnesium sulfate are often used as they are a good prophylactic treatment for a few minor issues( constipation being one)

salt(table aka sodium chloride) in general is often used as a general prophylactic treatment and can also assist in treatment of other ailments.

are the discus domestic discus?