I just dont see how feeding foods, such as brineshrimp, mysis shrimp, etc. doesnt fullfill these needs as well. I have to Feed these frozen foods...I have two discus that DONT TOUCH the pellets...I've tried going 3 days with only feeding the NLS...wont TOUCH IT....I just dont see how feeding these two frozen (which the other three eat also) hurts their nutritional values
Discus Eating
- Thread starter Sun Devil
- Start date
Granted NLS is one of the best foods for any fish there are still potential problems with feeding it exclusively. I dont understand the whole concept behind diluting the nutrients in NLS. It does contain all of the nutrients your fish need to thrive, but other foods provide different sources of nutrients which NLS can not provide. Furthermore, feeding your fish only NLS pellets can lead to serious problems later on. Consider this: you are from a small town without many LFS's around. You run out of NLS, it gets ruined from moisture, etc. and you are without it. After having fed your fish NLS pellets exclusively, chances are they will be less likely to accept other forms of food now. All in all, it is just a better practice to feed almost any fish a varied diet, but definitely use NLS as your base food. (I am a major NLS supporter.)
It gives you better results if you feed nothing but NLS, period. NLS provides everything they need, so there isn't another food that has something they need that is not in NLS.
StarRider: Yes, all three of the discus I got from Ken. They are happy little food hogs. I "need" one more discus...
This discussion about variety in diet strikes me as being very strange. There is no question in my mind that variety is the spice of life for discus as well as hamsters, Golden Retrievers and human beings. A number of years ago, I was placed on a restricted diet in order to isolate a presumed allergy. The diet met my nutritional needs, but by the middle of the prescribed period, I was cranky as h--- because I was tired of eating the same thing over and over again. Granted, I am an advanced (presumably) life form complete with imagination, memory, etc. and perhaps discus and Golden Retrievers just want to fill their stomachs and then hang out, but you will never convince me that one food, even though nutritionally "complete," is sufficient to keep any pet happy.
This discussion about variety in diet strikes me as being very strange. There is no question in my mind that variety is the spice of life for discus as well as hamsters, Golden Retrievers and human beings. A number of years ago, I was placed on a restricted diet in order to isolate a presumed allergy. The diet met my nutritional needs, but by the middle of the prescribed period, I was cranky as h--- because I was tired of eating the same thing over and over again. Granted, I am an advanced (presumably) life form complete with imagination, memory, etc. and perhaps discus and Golden Retrievers just want to fill their stomachs and then hang out, but you will never convince me that one food, even though nutritionally "complete," is sufficient to keep any pet happy.
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Gotta love fish keeping...every one has an opinion and we all think we are right...I feel that Variety is the best along with a few others on here and reptileguy thinks NLS is the only thing that he needs...try eating only ham sandwichs and apples for one week, you get your protein, carbohydrates, dairy products and fruits...enough to survive on if you ask me...I'll bet you get tired of them...my discus are going to keep getting a varied diet until some reputable scientific data/research comes up and states otherwise...I mean even the MAIN MAN himself aka Jack Watley states that variety is the best for discus
Ken has great discus and very reasonably priced.
with food..it is a matter of opinion, we all have reasons for why we feed the way we do.
I do have a bit of chemistry in my back ground(several years in college)
one thing I learned ..the food my have the ingredients..however, not all foods have the same delivery..yes they are consumed and for the most part digested.
but no matter how complex the organism is..they use food in the simplest forms to the most complex in that order.
ie:sugars we as humans consume are digested from simplest to the most complex..the most complex are digested and used last. if they are not used they are stored as fat or passed thru the body. the same is true for proteins..etc
if you chose to use a single source for food that is entirely up to you.
but most of the discus breeders are not using one food exclusively.
makes you wonder ..why...
with food..it is a matter of opinion, we all have reasons for why we feed the way we do.
I do have a bit of chemistry in my back ground(several years in college)
one thing I learned ..the food my have the ingredients..however, not all foods have the same delivery..yes they are consumed and for the most part digested.
but no matter how complex the organism is..they use food in the simplest forms to the most complex in that order.
ie:sugars we as humans consume are digested from simplest to the most complex..the most complex are digested and used last. if they are not used they are stored as fat or passed thru the body. the same is true for proteins..etc
if you chose to use a single source for food that is entirely up to you.
but most of the discus breeders are not using one food exclusively.
makes you wonder ..why...
..because you used to have to feed a varied diet to get all the nutrition, now NLS put it all together for you. Frozen brine shrimp, beefheart, etc. is still the same thing all the time, just like ham sandwiches and apples, it's the same stuff over and over, the only dif is NLS put it all in a pellet. I am not saying everyone should stop doing what has worked for them, but if someone comes on and says you have to feed a varied diet, I will say, 'actually no, NLS is complete and the only thing necessary and you will get the best results with it if it is the only thing fed.'
I would never feed my discus on one source of food again. I used to, I even tried NLS. My fish seem so much more lively and attentive now that I feed them a varied diet of frozen, live, flake, and pellet food. Besides its just cool to see this peaceful calm fish turn into monsters going after blackworms!
peace
peace
Live food would be the last thing I would feed anything, it is way too likely to introduce parasites and diseases.
