Discus Trouble

[discusboy]

Water 84 F
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrates 0 ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Ph: 6

60 Gallon Fresh Water

Bio Wheel and Sponge and Marineland Filter

2 Striated Turquoise Snakeskin

Over the last three days my lil buddies have gone from great to bad in a short period of time.

The brillant color they once were is know a dark color
They huddle in the corner together, they won't eat and are very skittish and jumpy.

Eyes are clear, no fin rot but one of them has cottony white patch on lower body.

Heavy breathing and they sit listless and wobble back and forth.

Any help would be great !!

I am currently using Pimafix, second day.

I have not seen this disease myself before.

 

[Dkarc]

What are your water changes like?? If they're not adequate, they will get sick. You didnt mention if this is a barebottom tank or a planted one...if its a barebottom tank, add in 4-5 tablespoons of salt per 10 gallons and do water changes of 50% DAILY. Increased water changes and salt are ALWAYS the first line of defense. Pimafix/Melafix IMO is worthless...doesnt do much, or not enough...just stick with salt and heavy water changes for a few days...also, a big thing with discus are the tank walls...wipe down every surface...sides and bottom too if its BB. They produce a natural slime coat and that slime coat is being continually produced...all the excess just falls off basically and sticks to the tank walls...and bacteria and parasites will proliferate in that slime like you wouldnt believe. The key is to reduce the bio load as much as possible by keeping the tank as clean as possible. If they're in a planted tank, it would be wise to put them into a hospital tank of around 10-20+ gallons for the duration of the treatment. See how they do after a few days of the water changes and heavy salt...if they dont improve, let us know and try to post a picture so we can get a better understanding of what's going on.

-Ryan

 

[Harry Tolen]

How long have you had these fish and have any fish been added to the tank recently? Also, what are your water changes like?

It is nearly impossible to diagnose long-distance, but what you are describing sound a lot like that disease that has been going around in the discus/angelfish community. The cures I have seen all involve getting the pH down really low (less than five) and cranking up the heat, which might be fatal for any non-discus tankmates. Also might be hard depending on your KH. I have also seen metronidazole recommended in conjunction with the above.

Good luck.

 

[KingOfTheDeep]

if your nitrates are at 0 then your tank is not cycled..

water changes are the best thing you could do, i do 30% water changes on my discus tank every 4 days and they are extremely healthy

 

[discusboy]

Discus Trouble 2

Hello everyone,

I increased the temp of the tank and increased salt and the fish seem to be doing quite well.

I also added Coppersafe which seemed to bring on the best improvement.

They are feeding, swimming and not hiding in a cover. And all there color has come back.

I have a bare bottom tank with no plants. Just three big discus. Water changes are 20 % every other day.

I appreciate your help, all of your comments were useful and very helpful :hi: