What to feed a discus: the quick answer
What you feed a discus depends on its age. Young discus you want to grow need several small feeds a day of high-protein food, built around a quality frozen beefheart mix. Adults are maintaining their health, so feed them 2–3 times a day: a good quality granule and one frozen feed, with freeze-dried blackworm as an occasional treat. Avoid bloodworm and foods with added colour, and remove anything uneaten.
Discus are fussy eaters, and a discus that’s feeding enthusiastically is one of the best signs that all is well. Below are the foods I use, the ones I avoid, and how to feed without fouling your water.
Best discus fish food
| Food | Verdict | How I use it |
|---|---|---|
| Beefheart mix (frozen) | ✅ Best staple for growing fish | Main food for juveniles; vary it, never on its own |
| Quality granules (soaked) | ✅ Good staple for adults | Soak first; avoid added colour |
| Freeze-dried blackworm | ✅ Great treat | Once or twice a week, high in protein |
| Mysis shrimp (frozen) | ✅ Good treat | More protein than brine shrimp; once or twice a week |
| Brine shrimp (frozen) | ⚠️ Occasional treat | Low nutrition, feed occasionally |
| Mussel mix (frozen) | ⚠️ Finely chopped only | Large pieces caused blockages for me |
| White worm (live) | ⚠️ Use with caution | I’ve stopped using it for now |
| Bloodworm | ❌ I avoid it | Low nutrition, hard to digest, parasite risk |
Frozen foods: beefheart and mussel mix
From the many sorts of food available most seem to agree that frozen foods are the best. Most frozen foods are either a beefheart or mussel mix. Both seem to be taken well in the aquarium.
Food left overs can be a problem. I have seen Whirling caused by uneaten mussel mix food going off and then being eaten. This seems to poison the fish and it never ends well. If caught early you can stop all feeding for a week and the fish may recover. For this reason I switched to beefheart and haven’t seen the issue since. My discus love mussel, but I’ve also had two cases of digestive blockage from it. If you feed mussel, it must be finely chopped: large or rubbery pieces are hard for discus to digest. Make sure it’s fully thawed and free of shell, and remove anything uneaten straight away.
There is some evidence that feeding just Beefheart can lead to issues. So it’s always a good idea to vary the food and make sure a variety is taken.
Freeze dried blackworm
This is very popular and disappears super quick. This is a nice addition or treat but I only feed it once or twice per week, very popular and packed with protein.
Granules and dried foods
Some people say not to feed “Dry” foods to Discus but some products seem very good and the fish seem to do well on it. Some of the newer dried foods are high in protein and some fish take them well but not all. Buy the best you can find and soaking the food is a good idea before adding it to the tank. Watch out for added colours, you can quickly turn a yellow discus fish orange or red by feeding the wrong foods and this will not reverse.
White worm
I used to culture white worm and my discus loved it, but problems started around the time I used it, so I’ve stopped using white worm for now. If you do use it, rinse the worms well, keep the culture clean and only feed it as an occasional treat.
Why I avoid live foods. Live foods are the most natural food, but they can never be guaranteed free of parasites or bacteria. In a river, those bugs are diluted in a huge volume of water; a tank concentrates them, which is one reason captive discus seem to suffer so many parasite and bacterial problems. Live food can only add to that risk.
How often to feed discus
Young discus you want to grow need many small feeds a day of high-protein food, typically 3–4 or more. Adults are just maintaining their health, so 2–3 feeds a day is enough. Whenever you’re near the tank they will think it’s feeding time, but stick to a routine. The more you feed, the dirtier the water gets, so feeding and water changes go hand in hand.
How much to feed a discus
Feed only what your discus will eat in a few minutes. Start with a small amount, watch them eat, and add a little more if it all goes. You can always put more in, but it’s difficult to get uneaten food out. If food is regularly left on the bottom, you’re feeding too much. Cut back and remove the leftovers.
Foods to avoid
Bloodworm
Many opinions on this, they will eat it and appear to like it but there is minimal nutritional value and the short digestive tract of the Discus means the worm casing cannot be digested. That and the fact that they can have parasites I avoid this food. If you’re going to feed them make sure to use a quality, parasite free frozen type.
Foods with added colour
Food manufacturers seem obsessed with “enhancing” colour by adding pigments and colourants. A healthy discus is colourful already; we don’t need these additives. Colour-enhancing foods will turn yellow and white discus orange or red, and in my experience it doesn’t reverse. If you keep yellow or white fish, check the ingredients carefully, especially on granules.
Large or unchopped mussel
Big, rubbery pieces are hard to digest and can cause blockages. Chop it finely or switch to beefheart.
Keep your discus food fresh
Old food is one of the most overlooked causes of poor health and fussy eating. Food doesn’t have to be visibly “off” to be doing your fish no good.
Dried foods and granules – once opened, the vitamins start to break down, especially vitamin C, and the food slowly loses its value even though it looks the same. Buy small tubs you’ll use within 1–3 months, keep the lid tight, and store them somewhere cool and dry, not on top of a warm tank or hood. If it smells stale, has clumped together or has gone dusty, throw it out.
Frozen foods – check the date when you buy and keep the packs fully frozen. Ice crystals or pale, dried-out patches (freezer burn) mean the food has started to deteriorate. Only thaw what you’ll use in one feed, and never refreeze food that has thawed. It goes off quickly, and rotten food in warm water is exactly what fouls tanks and makes discus ill.
Live foods – keep white worm cultures healthy and fresh. A culture that smells sour or has gone mouldy should be restarted, not fed.
TOP TIP 1 – Write the date you opened it on every tub. It’s the easiest way to know when it’s time to replace it.
Discus feeding tips and mistakes to avoid
TOP TIP 2 – Do not over feed. Try and ensure that all food is eaten and the smaller left overs are removed by any clean up fish that you have.
TOP TIP 3 – Feed in sections, put food in one area and then a little bit more in another. Make sure all of your fish including the shy ones get a chance to get to the food.
TOP TIP 4 – Be very careful with Beefheart and some other frozen foods. You are putting raw meat in warm water, it will quickly go off, foul the water and poison fish if there are areas in the aquarium that food can get stuck, hidden and uneaten.
TOP TIP 5 – Pause your filters and pumps to ensure food doesn’t get pulled into the filters. Don’t forget to restart them of course.
Discus not eating?
Loss of appetite is often the first sign something’s wrong. Check your water first, then try the free Discus Health Checker to find the likely cause in under a minute.
Free guide: 7 Mistakes That Kill Discus Fish. Avoid the most common errors new and experienced keepers make. Get your free copy.
