Why is my Discus floating on its side at the top of the tank??

[Atomicmiss]

So last night I noticed one of my discus floating on its side at the top of the tank, it was only for a few seconds and he swam away fine. He doesn`t show any signs of distress wither. My sons friend who is a lil genius told me sometimes fish do that to cool off or because they are losing their slime coat. Can anyone confirm this? I noticed him doing it again today only it was for a few minutes. Hes about half an inch from the surface and hes breathing just fine but of course being a newb. My water parameters are excellent, and the tank is a 55.... I love a challenge though I guess!

[lipadj46]

My sons friend who is a lil genius told me sometimes fish do that to cool off or because they are losing their slime coat. Can anyone confirm this!

LOL! Tell him to stay in school and that people who think they are a genius generally are not. Something is not right, fill out the disease questionnaire so we can better help. Don't skip the water parameter section

sent from an undisclosed location using morse code

[Atomicmiss]

Will do :) lol he`s 13 and he is quite a smart boy but thats why I thought I`d ask here... because he is 13 :)

Where can I find this questionnaire? Ill fill it out right now and thank you!

[lipadj46]

Go to the disease section and there will be a big red message at the top with a link. The only time I see discus on their side is when they are hiding underneath something or when they are having an issue with injury or water or disease. Its hard to tell from the pic on this phone if anything is wrong

sent from an undisclosed location using morse code

[Atomicmiss]

My discus appeared just fine until last night when I noticed him floating on his side about a half an inch from the surface for a few seconds. He was doing it today for a few minutes though.

He didn't eat today but other than that he has no symptoms listed

I have not added any medications to the tank and do not use a carbon filter

My tank is a few months old and is a 55g bow front. It`s been running since I bought it and I cycled the tank before adding discus

I have 3 killifish, 2 albino corys, 3 dwarf gouramis and 2 discus. (and as soon as I get this problem fixed I will be adding 3 more and removing the gouramis)

I do a 30% wc every second day and I vacuum the 1 inch sand substrate

There is not a huge PH swing in my water when I let it age but I do let it sit for around 6 hrs.

Temp 86
PH 6.7
Ammonia 0
Nitrite was o 2 days ago and now its 1 ppm (help)
Nitrate 0

I do use tap water and check our water quality daily to make sure it falls within safe parameters.

I just turned the lights off, Its hard to get a clear pic from where he is but I`ll try!

I just reposted this in that section... Im a total newb lol.