sick discus.

Hi, lizzie here. I'm new to the forum so I should introduce myself. I have kept fish on and off for years, but only recently got into it serously. I have a 250L tank with a few mixed teras, some cardinals, two peppered corys(my favourites) five baby angels, one red betta three clown loach and two plecos. I also have a 60l Tank which I am in the process of setting up for the baby angels and a couple of peppered corys. it is the two discus in the25l tank that are having problems. This tank was only supposed to be a quarrantine tank for them. but a few days after they arrived I found that they were riddled with fluke. I treated this and they appeared to be recovering. then they suddenly went black and stopped eating. I was advised that this was caused by internal parasites and i should treat them with kusuri first aid for discus. Which I did, for the four days recommended. now they have their colour back and appear to be healthy again, except that they are now floating vertically, face up. and don't seem able to swim and have stopped eating again.

I am worried that they have been over medicated or that they were so sick they now can't recover, any advice would very welcome. I have never had these problems before and am feeling overwhelmed and helpless.

Lizzie19

Rbishop said:

What are the water parameters on the QT tank? How frequently are you doing water changes on it?

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Sorry I didn't get back before. the parameters before they began to get sick were ph 7.2 nitrates between 0 and 10 and temp 27'

When I moved them to the hospital tank they were 0.0 an 80' with ph 7.2 . two died right away the other three responded to treatments and looked reasonably well but would,t eat. then one by one they began to turn head up and didn't seem able to swim at all. they just floated there head facing up doing nothing. I have one left in the hospital tank. and four healthy fish who never got sick.

sorry in the qt tank i did 30% water change daily.

I Have three 25 litre containers which are constantly cycled for water changes, the fish that died were all adults, I had them in the same tank for about a year at 27c. the survivors are four of a group of 5 babies I had recently bought, it was one of them who first got sick. When the first fish got sick (about a week after it arrived) , i treatet it with interpret no 9. then when more of them got sick I put them in a hospital tank and treated them with kusuri wormer plus and chloramine-t. by this time they were all showing sighns of gill flukes. it was after i had got rid of these that they began to die one by one after first tipping face up and being unable to swim. I should mention that at the same tme as the first fish got sick my four adult angel fish died overnight with no sign of disease. baby angels seem fine, but I am noticing now that I seem be having problems keeping the ammonia level down. too many fish in the tank? (two plecos, five corys, five baby angels, four 2" baby discus, one golden loach, three clown loach.

SubRosa said:

27 C is a bit low for Discus, particularly when they're sick. Raise the temp to 32C for treatment, and afterwards maintain them at 29C or 30C.

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Yes I realise this now, I have raised the temp to 30c for the babies that are left. still having the ammonia problems though. how often should i be doing water changes? at the moment I have been doing 20% twice a week in the main tank.

Star_Rider said:

they are in a 25l tank? did you calculate the dosage for the small tank..normally the treatments are for 10 gal tanks


are you aging water?
is pH varying from source after you let it sit out overnite with airstone for circulation?
are these young discus? temp 80f??..bit cool for young discus BTW, mine are at 84 -86 f

what did you use to treat flukes?

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I did calculate dosage for the amount of water in the tank. but I ended up with too many fish in the quarrantine tank. now think i should have left them in the main tank and treated that.