Has anyone made a Beefheart mix for Discus

Brett,
I quite regularly made Beefheart based food for both Discus but I also found it to have been good for most other Cichlids - with the most definite exception of African Cichlids and Apistogrammas, the protein level is far too high for what are essentially non-meat eating Cichlids in the case of the former and for some reason that I never really fathomed out it would often 'bloat' the Apistos too, inevitable conclusion being their demise.

I used to loathe the 'trimming' of the Beefhearts, it would seem to take forever to get both all the fat off but then you were faced with the unenviable task of cutting out all the veins and arteries, as well as any sinews too. I eventually moved over to using Turkey hearts, which - if I remember it right were cheaper - and easier to manage too.

Otherwise the article you quote from seems pretty spot-on, although I would often substitute shellfish instead of the fresh fish (I used to use quite a lot of Cockles and Mussels as a friend had a shellfish stall and would give me what he hadn't sold when it came to time to close up on a Sunday afternoon) and I never used either of the Holland and Barratt extras either. I would 'bulk' it up with either flake food or something like Tetra Doromin (this would also absorb much of the moisture too) and I experimented with Gelatine and found the 'mix' less liable to thaw out into a bit of a mushy 'blob' when used than when it wasn't - but I never experimented overly with it - if I had some to hand I would use it, if not I wouldn't. I would add some 'multivitamin' tablets, but think their benefit was lost once the mix got frozen...I also would add whatever vegetables I was able to get - such as Spinach, Frozen Peas and Sweetcorn (both 'skinned' first) and 'blanched' Brussels Sprouts. A hand mixer was definitely superior in my view than using a blender - but I have also used one, just think the food was too fine that way - with the mixer you could better control your particle sizes.

So, if you've a good couple of hours(?) to spare - give it a go, otherwise I think most any frozen fish food suppliers will also have stocks of ready prepared 'mixes' - but couldn't suggest a shop in your area - perhaps someone from there could make a suggestion?

Hope that helps,

John