Fin fluttering Discus

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FishyMatty

FishyMatty

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Jan 30, 2007
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What does it mean when a discus flutters all his fins? My 6" Blue diamond flutters his fins every so often. It almost seems like hes twitching. None of the other fish are acting weird or spazing out at all. I have noticed another fish do it but it seemed like more of a territorial thing because he would be near another fish at the time but the blue diamond does it when hes by himself, or at least not while interacting with another discus.
What is fin fluttering?
 
S

soobie

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Are your water parameters OK?
 
FishyMatty

FishyMatty

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Water is fine. If indeed fin fluttering is like scratching your head then what is making him itch? There is no signs of any external parasite and he does it to often for me to say its an occasional head scratch. I would say I saw him do it 5-10 times yesterday.
 
pinkertd

pinkertd

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May 29, 2007
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Maybe something in the water or your change water that he's having trouble getting used to? Is your water or water conditioner or other tank additives different that Al's?

Debbi:)
 
RedScare

RedScare

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Jul 1, 2007
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My Discus do that every once and a while. When they spawn and the fry eat from the parent the parent will shudder very hard to shake off the fry.

At worst you could have parasites but you will need further clinical correlation to determine if there is a problem.

Do you use carbon in your filter?
 
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1boatnut

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Oct 3, 2006
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Is this a disus only tank?
What is the water temp ?
 
FishyMatty

FishyMatty

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The temp is 88° There are other fish besides discus(cory cats & oto cats)
No carbon, and I've had them for a few weeks now and they seem acclimated quite well but they still hide in the corner during water changes. About 10min after I'm done with the WC they are back out and swimming. I use prime as a water conditioner and I only add small amounts of macro and micro nutrients. I soak there food in vitamins too.
 
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1boatnut

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Are these Discus tiny and in the grow out stage ?

The reason I ask is that is usually the temperature when trying to grow out Discus.

Also that temp is way to hot for Otto's(78 degrees) and on the border for Cory Cats
(up to 82 degrees but can tolerate up to 90)

I don't think the fluttering is any issue to be concerned,I would just keep an eye out . Is there any time in particular you notice this behavior?
Also (the other fish) that has done this,is it a Discus also ?
 
pinkertd

pinkertd

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This has nothing to do with the fluttering you are having, but don't you have adult discus? For adults,you do not have to keep the temp up that high. Most of what I've read from the discus experts is 84-86 for juvies, and 82-84 is perfect for adults. I think keeping adult discus at 88 all the time will be detrimental to their lifespan. Still think about the idea that maybe the BD is sensitive to the macros and micros being added to the tank. Reason I mention it is i've noticed that not all of my discus like that I add excel once in a while. He might be more sensitive to water additives than all the others. Macros and micros are still chemicals aren't they?


Debbi:)
 
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