In the natural habitat of the Amazon, discus fish are carnivores, so those kept in aquariums should be fed a diet that meets the same nutritional needs as their relatives in the wild. Live food should be administered as clumps directly into the tank, while flakes and freeze-dried food should be sprinkled on the surface of the water. If food is not consumed within 15 minutes of administering, then the food should be removed to maintain proper water cleanliness, something that discus fish are especially sensitive to. Smaller discus will feed much faster than larger ones. For example, an adult discus weighing 75 grams should be fed approximately 2.25 grams of food per twice daily feeding. A general rule of thumb used by many discus keepers is to feed them about 3% of their body weight per feeding. Overfeeding can lead to fish obesity, which comes with a whole list of health issues, and a dirty tank. One of the biggest mistakes made by beginners is that they simply overfeed their discus fish.
Using the right combination of live, frozen, and freeze-dried food, however, is the key to maintaining healthy, well fed discus. One discus fish in the aquarium might eat flake food the second it touches the water, while another discus fish would rather starve to death than eat the flake food.
The topic of discus feeding and nutrition is one that many novice aquarists find to be quite challenging.
In aquariums as pets, however, discus fish are much more picky eaters, as each fish, with its own individual personality, will prefer different types of foods. In the dark, murky waters of the Amazon, wild discus fish typically feed on small worms, crustaceans, plant matter, insects, and detritus that gets flushed out of the surrounding forests by rainfall.
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