About 3 weeks ago I purchased 3 discus fish and put them into a 30 gallon tank. (See tank specs.) I purchased 2 fish from 1 lfs, and the 3rd from another. The reason why I had to buy them from separate stores was, I had to make a school since they are only about the size of a silver dollar, and the original 2 were fighting. I didn’t learn about the need for at least 3 until AFTER I got the 1st 2 home.
I short, the 3rd fish I bought ended up being really sick. The 2nd day after purchase, he turned black, developed a white slim coat, and started to dart and brush against plants and the side of the tank. He infected one fish, and not the other. They stopped eating. I have now lost 1 fish, but NOT the one who originally had the infection. Here was my course of action:
I think it is internal parasites and a secondary infection brought on my stress…
Week 1:
-50% water change
-Upped temp to 88
(Lost first fish)
Week 2
-Kept temp at 88
-25% water change, removed carbon
-Paragon: every other day for 5 days, followed up with a 50% water change
Week 3 (started this Sunday 2/16/02)
One fish out of the 3 never showed signs of sickness, 1 died, so now there is only the original sick fish that has not shown signs of improvement. It is still black, all white and filmy, still darting into the plants, becoming very emaciated.
-Set up a hospital tank (water parameters same as tank, see tank specs), temp at 93 deg. Fahrenheit, 5 inch bubble wand, no décor or lights. (I know now that I should have quarantined in the first place)
-Aquarium Salt
-Malachite Green + Formalin
-Also treated 30 gallon tank with MG/F and left temp at 88F (poor plants!) as a precaution (No additional sick fish!!!! Yay!)
It is now 5 days into week 3, I just did a 50% water change on the hospital tank, and the fish is still alive, but no change. S/He is VERY emaciated, lethargic, still black. Top fin is not clamped so much as before, but defiantly no signs of improvement. I have not seen this fish eat in 3 weeks.
What should I do now??? Should I do another round of Paragon? Should I wait? Should I do garlic on the food? Should I lower the pH? I am at a loss, and I really want to save this poor fish, it is such a fighter.
Please, any advice would be great.
Thank you for reading my letter.
Email: vixen@thesloth.net
MSN messenger: vixen88@hotmail.com
AIM: banefull00
Tank Specs.
30 gallon planted tank up about since last November. Set up specifically so I could house Discus.
Filter: HOT Magnum canister with peat granules, Tetra 30-60 gallon Whisper, one side with carbon media, the other side with Bio-Chem Zorb media to polish out black water
DIY CO2 injector, ran into canister for diffusion
Lights: 130W pc (2 X 65W 64K each), 12 hours on timed
Water: 90% RO/DI water, 10% tap drained over a bail of peat. Always prepared at least a week in advance. 30 % Water changes every Sunday. Water tests done on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Temp: 85 F
NH3/NH4 = 0
NO3 = >0.25
Ph = 6.0
Cl2= 0
KH = 5 GH=8
Fe = 0.5
K+ = 20
PO4 = 0.2
O2 = 8
CO2 = 16
Décor = live plants, drift wood, slate rock
Population = 1 Discus, (1 other Discus in hospital, only in the 30 gallon tank for 1 week) 3 serape tetra, 3 black neon tetra, 1 bubble bee goby, 4 black Kuli loaches, 2 panda Cory cats, 3 bronze Cory cats, 1 Chinese butterfly loach, 1 gold nugget pleco. All except the Discus have been in there for a long time, transferred over from a 20 gallon I have had for 2 years.
Diet: AM = Flake PM = Different protein every day, rotating blood worms, brine shrimp, and discus delight
I short, the 3rd fish I bought ended up being really sick. The 2nd day after purchase, he turned black, developed a white slim coat, and started to dart and brush against plants and the side of the tank. He infected one fish, and not the other. They stopped eating. I have now lost 1 fish, but NOT the one who originally had the infection. Here was my course of action:
I think it is internal parasites and a secondary infection brought on my stress…
Week 1:
-50% water change
-Upped temp to 88
(Lost first fish)
Week 2
-Kept temp at 88
-25% water change, removed carbon
-Paragon: every other day for 5 days, followed up with a 50% water change
Week 3 (started this Sunday 2/16/02)
One fish out of the 3 never showed signs of sickness, 1 died, so now there is only the original sick fish that has not shown signs of improvement. It is still black, all white and filmy, still darting into the plants, becoming very emaciated.
-Set up a hospital tank (water parameters same as tank, see tank specs), temp at 93 deg. Fahrenheit, 5 inch bubble wand, no décor or lights. (I know now that I should have quarantined in the first place)
-Aquarium Salt
-Malachite Green + Formalin
-Also treated 30 gallon tank with MG/F and left temp at 88F (poor plants!) as a precaution (No additional sick fish!!!! Yay!)
It is now 5 days into week 3, I just did a 50% water change on the hospital tank, and the fish is still alive, but no change. S/He is VERY emaciated, lethargic, still black. Top fin is not clamped so much as before, but defiantly no signs of improvement. I have not seen this fish eat in 3 weeks.
What should I do now??? Should I do another round of Paragon? Should I wait? Should I do garlic on the food? Should I lower the pH? I am at a loss, and I really want to save this poor fish, it is such a fighter.
Please, any advice would be great.
Thank you for reading my letter.
Email: vixen@thesloth.net
MSN messenger: vixen88@hotmail.com
AIM: banefull00
Tank Specs.
30 gallon planted tank up about since last November. Set up specifically so I could house Discus.
Filter: HOT Magnum canister with peat granules, Tetra 30-60 gallon Whisper, one side with carbon media, the other side with Bio-Chem Zorb media to polish out black water
DIY CO2 injector, ran into canister for diffusion
Lights: 130W pc (2 X 65W 64K each), 12 hours on timed
Water: 90% RO/DI water, 10% tap drained over a bail of peat. Always prepared at least a week in advance. 30 % Water changes every Sunday. Water tests done on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Temp: 85 F
NH3/NH4 = 0
NO3 = >0.25
Ph = 6.0
Cl2= 0
KH = 5 GH=8
Fe = 0.5
K+ = 20
PO4 = 0.2
O2 = 8
CO2 = 16
Décor = live plants, drift wood, slate rock
Population = 1 Discus, (1 other Discus in hospital, only in the 30 gallon tank for 1 week) 3 serape tetra, 3 black neon tetra, 1 bubble bee goby, 4 black Kuli loaches, 2 panda Cory cats, 3 bronze Cory cats, 1 Chinese butterfly loach, 1 gold nugget pleco. All except the Discus have been in there for a long time, transferred over from a 20 gallon I have had for 2 years.
Diet: AM = Flake PM = Different protein every day, rotating blood worms, brine shrimp, and discus delight
