This was written in responce to my question about the feeding of Discus-
"The use of earthworms in the form of manufactured pellet and flakes is fairly new to me as well.
Although I have used small worms and mince earthworms forever but they are a hassle.
The food value of earthworms is well documented but I have no links to attach for everyone.
There is no better live food than the large 6 inch earthworms for brings large Cichlids quickly into breeding condition and they bring no risk of parasites that feeder fish do. Having them available in a form usuable for tropical fish is not yet well known. In time, I'm sure they will become a standard food.
As long as I'm praising this food I'll add that it is not loaded with chlolesterol like hearts and it is more like the natural diets our fish evolved with than red meat. In the new book Bleher's Discus Vol. 1, Heiko Bleher,2006, shed a great deal of light about thenatural diet of discus. over half of all their food is made up of detritus made up of indigestible mineral grains but also a great deal of algae and microscopic plankton, the rest was terrestrial fruits, insects and aquatic insect larvae and invertebrate including worms.
These earthworm pellets also contain spirulina and shrip and are 46% protein by dry weight. They expand a great deal after being in the water and small particles scatter. The discus will spend hours tracking down every piece. This is very good because it also iis how discus feed in nature. One never finds a fat wild discus. They are continuous grazers. Very similar, in many respects, to the Butterfly Fishes of the coral reefs. Foods that do not pollute and are entirely eaten are a boon for aquarists wishing to maintain discus, angels and catfishes in heavily planted aquaria.
I also recommend that you offer your discus algae wafers. They eat far more vegetation than most of us realized.
Look to the commercial aquaculture suppliers for this food. Particularly used for the breeding stock, conditioning of catfish and Tilapia by aquaculturists at this time. Eventually I expect most of the major food brands will begin offering it to tropical fish hobbyists.
For me to switch from beefheart blend to Earthworm pellets as a discus breeder with 40 years of experience should say something. Discus breeders are an opinionated lot . Many never stray far from tradition. I am and have always been willing to experiment. My main goal is usually to do more with ever less. Incudes work and materiel."
written by Larry Waybright.
these earthworm pellets are available
here
I am trying to find a UK seller atm.
.I feed mine hole (only small though) and just rinsed.
