Beef Heart Mystery
Beef Heart Mystery
It's interesting to consider how beef heart became a staple in discus diets. Who actually figured out that discus are fond of beef heart?
Re: Beef Heart Mystery
Re: Beef Heart Mystery
It was a budget-friendly way to provide a high-protein diet for rapidly growing discus. I'm not aware of who initially used it, but it's likely a discus farmer took advantage of its affordability. Breeders often shared their feeding methods, and this one caught on with the general public. Over the years, there's been a lot of debate about feeding mammal meat and fat to fish. These days, most of us opt for high-quality protein food - it's just easier with our hectic lives. Beef heart requires extra maintenance, which is time-consuming and messy. It fouls the water faster, leading to more frequent water changes.
It was a budget-friendly way to provide a high-protein diet for rapidly growing discus. I'm not aware of who initially used it, but it's likely a discus farmer took advantage of its affordability. Breeders often shared their feeding methods, and this one caught on with the general public. Over the years, there's been a lot of debate about feeding mammal meat and fat to fish. These days, most of us opt for high-quality protein food - it's just easier with our hectic lives. Beef heart requires extra maintenance, which is time-consuming and messy. It fouls the water faster, leading to more frequent water changes.
Re: Beef Heart Mystery
Re: Beef Heart Mystery
Beef heart isn't anything special. It's just lean organ meat. Many hunters use deer or elk heart for their discus. Here in the Midwest, beef heart's a traditional German holiday dish. I do big water changes often and rely on beef heart for growth.
The thing is, muscle's just protein - same 20 amino acids as all other meats, including fish. The beef heart you buy probably comes from a dairy cow. There are rumors about hormones in the heart affecting our discus, but that's not true. Some recipes add stuff to beef heart, but I think it's unlikely a cow producing 14,000 pounds of milk a year is lacking anything. Most commercial beef heart has additives like spinach, but that's just to extend the product.
Preparing beef heart can be a mess. I found a local butcher who cleans and grinds it for me at a reasonable price. My young discus get a lot of beef heart because it really helps them grow fast. That means I have to do big water changes often. My adult discus mostly eat dried foods, but they get beef heart sometimes.
Beef heart isn't anything special. It's just lean organ meat. Many hunters use deer or elk heart for their discus. Here in the Midwest, beef heart's a traditional German holiday dish. I do big water changes often and rely on beef heart for growth.
The thing is, muscle's just protein - same 20 amino acids as all other meats, including fish. The beef heart you buy probably comes from a dairy cow. There are rumors about hormones in the heart affecting our discus, but that's not true. Some recipes add stuff to beef heart, but I think it's unlikely a cow producing 14,000 pounds of milk a year is lacking anything. Most commercial beef heart has additives like spinach, but that's just to extend the product.
Preparing beef heart can be a mess. I found a local butcher who cleans and grinds it for me at a reasonable price. My young discus get a lot of beef heart because it really helps them grow fast. That means I have to do big water changes often. My adult discus mostly eat dried foods, but they get beef heart sometimes.
Re: Beef Heart Mystery
Re: Beef Heart Mystery
I've got a connection with a local hog processing farm nearby - they're great people, and I even get to use their UPS pickup for shipping my fish. They handle heart valves daily, so it's convenient.
I've always been curious about using pig heart, despite hearing it's not ideal. But isn't every heart low in fat and high in protein? I could get it cleaned and at a low cost, which would be a huge help for my medium-sized fishroom - my feed bill is substantial. I don't currently feed heart, but if pig heart is a viable option, I'd love to know. What do the experts think?
I've got a connection with a local hog processing farm nearby - they're great people, and I even get to use their UPS pickup for shipping my fish. They handle heart valves daily, so it's convenient.
I've always been curious about using pig heart, despite hearing it's not ideal. But isn't every heart low in fat and high in protein? I could get it cleaned and at a low cost, which would be a huge help for my medium-sized fishroom - my feed bill is substantial. I don't currently feed heart, but if pig heart is a viable option, I'd love to know. What do the experts think?
Re: Beef Heart Mystery
Re: Beef Heart Mystery
I'm not aware of any reason why pork would be less healthy than beef, FishNe. The heart is just a muscle, after all. While it's true that pig hearts are smaller, that doesn't necessarily mean they're less nutritious. It's possible that the yield might be lower after removing the connective tissue and blood vessels, but what's left should still be perfectly good.
USDA inspection standards are extremely rigorous, so if the pigs' livers and kidneys are safe for human consumption, I see no reason why the heart wouldn't be just as safe.
I'm not aware of any reason why pork would be less healthy than beef, FishNe. The heart is just a muscle, after all. While it's true that pig hearts are smaller, that doesn't necessarily mean they're less nutritious. It's possible that the yield might be lower after removing the connective tissue and blood vessels, but what's left should still be perfectly good.
USDA inspection standards are extremely rigorous, so if the pigs' livers and kidneys are safe for human consumption, I see no reason why the heart wouldn't be just as safe.
Re: Beef Heart Mystery
Re: Beef Heart Mystery
My gut told me it was fine, but I've always had this lingering concern that pig heart might be too fatty. I think some folks might be put off by the idea of using "the nasty bits" from a pig, but if a pig's heart valve is suitable for human use, I figure it's good enough for my discus.
My gut told me it was fine, but I've always had this lingering concern that pig heart might be too fatty. I think some folks might be put off by the idea of using "the nasty bits" from a pig, but if a pig's heart valve is suitable for human use, I figure it's good enough for my discus.
Re: Beef Heart Mystery
Re: Beef Heart Mystery
When we think about muscle, we typically consider the two main types - striated and non-striated. The striated variety is found in the more active parts of our bodies and in animals, it's the same. This is why the traditional cuts we eat, like the limbs and back, are leaner. Organ meats, on the other hand, are composed of non-striated muscle and are generally fattier. However, the heart is a notable exception. Cardiac muscle is striated, which makes sense given the heart's constant activity. While it's not identical to the muscle in your thigh or bicep, it's remarkably lean.
I think the stigma surrounding pigs may have originated from their historical diet of slop or garbage. But modern animal husbandry has changed all that. Pigs are now fed rations formulated to the same standards as those for beef, dairy, chicken, or turkey. If you know anything about livestock, you might even argue that pigs are the cleanest of the bunch.
When we think about muscle, we typically consider the two main types - striated and non-striated. The striated variety is found in the more active parts of our bodies and in animals, it's the same. This is why the traditional cuts we eat, like the limbs and back, are leaner. Organ meats, on the other hand, are composed of non-striated muscle and are generally fattier. However, the heart is a notable exception. Cardiac muscle is striated, which makes sense given the heart's constant activity. While it's not identical to the muscle in your thigh or bicep, it's remarkably lean.
I think the stigma surrounding pigs may have originated from their historical diet of slop or garbage. But modern animal husbandry has changed all that. Pigs are now fed rations formulated to the same standards as those for beef, dairy, chicken, or turkey. If you know anything about livestock, you might even argue that pigs are the cleanest of the bunch.
Re: Beef Heart Mystery
Re: Beef Heart Mystery
I was curious, what's your current discus diet, Liz?
I was curious, what's your current discus diet, Liz?
Re: Beef Heart Mystery
Re: Beef Heart Mystery
I'm currently using pellets for my morning and mid-day feedings, and then switching to tubifex for dinner.
I'm currently using pellets for my morning and mid-day feedings, and then switching to tubifex for dinner.
Re: Beef Heart Mystery
Re: Beef Heart Mystery
I've got some insight to share. I used to make my own dog food and would switch between pork and beef heart, depending on what I could get my hands on. Looking at the macronutrients, I figured they were pretty similar.
I've got some insight to share. I used to make my own dog food and would switch between pork and beef heart, depending on what I could get my hands on. Looking at the macronutrients, I figured they were pretty similar.