why does my discus refuse to eat?

[mole]

My discus hasn't eaten in three days. Water params are good, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, nitrate at 10 ppm. Tank is 75 gallons, temp at 86°F, pH 6.8. They're about 4 inches, tankmates are 6 cardinal tetras and 2 bristlenose plecos. Been feeding frozen bloodworms and beef heart mix. No recent changes except a new canister filter last week. They just stare at food and swim away. Any ideas?

[faldo]

New filter could've messed with the biofilter, even if params look fine. Did you transfer media from the old one? Also, 86°F is high, might stress them if they're not used to it. Try dropping to 84°F. What's your water change routine? If it's less than 30% weekly, that could be part of it.

[mrFluffy]

Mine did this once after I moved their tank. Took like a week to start eating again. Maybe they're just being dramatic? Dunno, fish are weird. You could try live blackworms, that usually gets mine going.

[Craftsman]

How old's the beef heart mix? Frozen food can go bad if it's been thawed and refrozen too much. Also, check for white stringy poop—could be internal parasites. If you see that, Metroplex in the food might help. What's your lighting schedule? Too much light can stress them out.

[Gizmo]

New filter could've messed with the biofilter, even if params look fine. Did you transfer media from the old one? Also, 86°F is high, might stress them if they're not used to it. Try dropping to 84°F. What's your water change routine? If it's less than 30% weekly, that could be part of it.

Yep, second this. Also, how's the flow from the new filter? Discus hate strong currents. If it's blasting them, they might be too stressed to eat. Try baffling it with a sponge.

[mole]

Thanks for the tips. I did transfer media, but flow might be too strong. Beef heart is fresh, made it two days ago. No stringy poop, and lighting's on 8 hours a day. Gonna try lowering temp and baffling the filter.

[faldo]

Good call. Let us know if it helps. If not, might be worth a round of general cure just in case. Sometimes they're picky for no obvious reason.

[mrFluffy]

How old's the beef heart mix? Frozen food can go bad if it's been thawed and refrozen too much. Also, check for white stringy poop—could be internal parasites. If you see that, Metroplex in the food might help. What's your lighting schedule? Too much light can stress them out.

Yeah, and if it's homemade, maybe they don't like your recipe. Try store-bought for a bit, see if that cuts it.

[lunar]

My cat did this once. Turned out she just wanted a different brand of food. Maybe your discus are just being divas.

[Gizmo]

My cat did this once. Turned out she just wanted a different brand of food. Maybe your discus are just being divas.

Not helpful, but kinda funny. Discus are totally divas though. Try soaking their food in garlic guard, that sometimes tricks them into eating.