*HELP* DISCUS sitting on tank bottom

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Arkangel77

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Aug 13, 2006
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This is what I woke up to this morning - There were no warning sighns. He/She looked great yesterday and was eating and behaving like normal. This is a 2.5yr old fish, full size and I have had him for about a month or so. I got it and others from a local breader, the others are all fine. I have attached pics. He seems to be breathing slowly. I have done water tests and all peramaters are normal and Good! Any thoughts????????????

fish 004.JPG fish 005.JPG
 

bs6749

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Aug 24, 2008
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Could be something spooked it or something it ate that didn't sit right with it. I'd do a large water change even though parameters are "good". Also see if you can get the temp to at least 86. Are any of the larger discus picking on it? When is the last time you saw it poop and what color was it?
 

Arkangel77

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Aug 13, 2006
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No clue on the poop ( I know what to look for) - I will pitch a tent in front of the tank.
I can easily bump the temp up - good call Just in case.
I have not seen anyone picking on it?
I plan to do a water change - kinda need to suck up the bottom of the tank - its that time.


*Update* = He is moving around a bit but still hugging the floor!
 

bs6749

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Aug 24, 2008
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Might want to head on over to www.simplydiscus.com/forums and check with experts in disease sickness. They would be able to help you more than I would at this point. They might even suggest something different than what I did.
 

Arkangel77

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*Update* He is up and swiming like nothing ever happened? I am gona do what we talked about and watch him closely for now? Maybe he was just sleepy?:confused:
 

Arkangel77

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Aug 13, 2006
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Well he has bin on the floor a few times but mostly hiding and the other FULL grown Fish seem to be schooling around him a little? They are still eating (but not that melon) and don't show any sighns of stress other than they seem to be grouping up a bit more than normal? This is strange and I am sceared!!!!!
 

poconogal

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Mar 22, 2006
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Pocono Mountains of PA
How is he now?

He may have gotten spooked somehow and hit himself on the glass or something. I've had that happen to one of mine one morning who was fine one second, I heard a splash and bang and then he was down exactly like yours. He'd get up and try to swim a bit then back down he went. Seems he knocked himself silly. I did see a big thin cut on his head as well. By the night time, he was up and chowing down like nothing ever happened. I'd just keep an eye on him and see if he poos, but in the picture he doesn't look bloated.
 
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Arkangel77

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Aug 13, 2006
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WELL - he is better but my fish in general are acting funny. He seems to be swimming fine and I don’t see any signs of bloat. However he is acting scared and won’t eat. He was never an Aggressive eater but now he just huddles with his Buds. I have 5 LARGE Discus and they are all acting funny/strange. These are the fish I got from that Local breeder a while back. I hade 1 of my BIG snake's laying yesterday but when I went to feed he would jump up and come pic at the food. They seem to be stressed a little but I have no Idea why? EARLY this morning everyone was swimming fine but it was sleeping time so they weren’t swimming much. The Smaller Discus that I got months ago from Huston warehouse are doing fine and act like nothing is going on.

I have had these larger fish for almost a month and they are just now starting to act funny. I did remove 3 of the BIG guys (I had 8 at first) and brought them to a buddy who has a 210 discus tank. HE is my resource as he has bin keeping discus for many years. Anyway, that’s one recent change and I ran out of live black worms on Thursday. Other than that nothing new has bin done?

I have bin doing my maintenance and checking water parameters. Nothing out of the ordinary. I did a water change Thursday and am doing one today.

I can’t recall every reading I took but this is what I can remember.
PH 7.5 (normal for my system)
TDS 350 according to my digital meter (only took 3 drops with my liquid test for hardness so I think it’s a 50 to 70 range?)
Ammonia = ZERO
Nitrite = ZERO
Nitrate = 20 (kinda normal for my test strip)
Alkalinity - can’t remember this one but it was below the optimal range as far as the test strip is concerned - maybe 40 to 50is?????

Feeding regiment is the same (tetra bits, flake, frozen Beefheart, brine, bloodworms, cichlid delight & glassworms) Different mix each day. Lights on timers, no changes to decor, and I cant think of anything else.

There are no outward signs of problems (damage of infections)????

It almost seems like they miss the Other 3 I brought to my buddy and are sad or something. I know that’s stupid and I don’t think it’s the reason but I got no clue. They just seem like they are down or blue. They (the larger ones) sometimes don’t hold there fins out, sometimes they look fine but sometimes they just let the fins sit 1/2 between out and closed.

At this point its gona be a weight and see. I am going to continue to monitor them and do regular maintenance. I just don’t know what else to do??? My Buddy is lost as well????

If you got advice I would love to here it.

Arkangel77:(
 

poconogal

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Mar 22, 2006
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Are you using strips or test kits for your ammonia and nitrite testing? Test kits are much more accurate than strips. I'd get regular API test kits and retest. If you are using test kits, what brand are they? How old are they? They expire and give false readings. I had an ammonia kit that expired and gave a 0 reading in a newly set up QT tank. New test kit read 0.5.

Are they showing anything else other than acting weird? Look at them head on and see if you see any white coating down any of their sides. Any white blotching on fins?

Have you seen their poo? If yes, dark and solid, or white and stringy, or white and thick? Yellowish?

How are they breathing? Are any flaring their gills? Using one gill? Healthy adults should breathe approx. 60 breaths per minute. Juvies will breathe faster than that, though. After a good feed, they all breathe fast and heavy for awhile.

Have you added anything new at all to the tank? Have you had a finger in another tank and then put that finger in the Discus tank or used any equipment in another tank and then used it on the Discus tank?

I see you feed frozen foods. Have any of them partly defrosted and were then refrozen and fed to the fish?

Do you live in an area that uses chlorine/chloramine? Many times in the spring the amounts used by water treatment plants are increased. So the amounts in your tap water could have increased greatly and its possible not enough Prime or equivalent has been added to the water.

Do you have substrate in your tank? Accumulated stuff in substrate can cause Discus to become ill. Doesn't mean your tank is dirty, just that stuff in substrate can usually be tolerated more easily by other types of fish, not Discus though. Also, how often do you clean your filter? Same thing goes for the filter as for the substrate.

Anyway, I think that's enough questions for you for now. :)
 

Arkangel77

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Aug 13, 2006
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Let me take this one by one and THANK YOU for the help.

I am using both test strips and Liquid tests kits to confirm. Strips are new but kits are old and I can’t remember the brand (I am at work right now).

I have bin looking at them very closely and they MAY have a little whitish blotches (I guess) on the Melons (I can see it). VERRY Light, Very small area and it kind of looks like a little extra slime coat to me? I don’t know if I am making something out of nothing because it’s very slight. Nothing on the fins and that was me looking at them from the side.

There poo is thick and dark - NO strings no white,grey looking poop. Black or Dark brown is the color.

The look to breathe normally - not heavy, just normal steady breaths. I will have to go home and check for both gills - I don’t remember noticing just one???

Nothing new is in the tank. No cross contamination. I wash hands with soap (Dish) and rinse before I work in the tank.

No frozen foods were re-frozen and I bought a LOT at one time so they have bin on the same batch for a few months now - I am getting LOW actually.

I don’t know what they use in the water. I know its Well Water and I use a RO/DI unit for my add back and changes.

I have a SAND Substrate; I suck the poop out when I do water changes. I have about 120 or so MTS, 4 Horse face loatches, 8 kulie's, 8 Cory's, and 8 Botea going threw the sand all day long. They move it around nicely.

I guess I need to go watch for both gills but I watched for breathing and did not look unusual at all. ALSO I will look at them HEAD on and see if I notice any White stuff but It did not jump out at me and I have bin Looking at them HARD of late.

Thanks and what do you think?
Arkangel77
 
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