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Finicky Feeder
Q: I have a discus who seems to be trying to eat the same piece several times and spitting it out again. This is the case for granules, flake food, and freeze-dried bloodworms. Other than this he seems very healthy. He has a good colour and is bullying the other three smaller discus in the tank. Any advice? Will this type of thing just come and go? It has only been happening for one day; before this he has eaten lots. I understand there is a parasite that can cause this, but it would come with white excretions. There’s no sign of this yet. If there is something wrong, I’d like to resolve it early on. Otherwise, if it is something which just happens from time to time, I'll know to just monitor.

A: This is a very common problem with some discus. Just like some humans, discus can be finicky feeders and appear to not eat very much, causing alarm bells to ring for worried keepers. I often hear discus keepers say, "my discus have not fed now for three months." If it hadn't fed for three months it would not be still swimming around the tank! It simply must be eating something. It is very possible for a discus to live to a good old age and appear to eat nothing. It will just pick at a few pieces of food and be fine. You are right, though. It may be possible that some type of parasite has caused the discus to act like this, particularly if this behaviour has never happened before. In this case the best thing to do is to treat for parasites inside and out, just in case, as a precaution. Treat with a three-day course of Octozin made by waterlife and at the same time treat with Wormer Plus. It would do no harm to try this anyway as a health boost from time to time.