Need help

[Valdo.S.]

Hello guys

I have 75 gallon tank,last week i bought 12 discus,they very young,approximately 2 inch.
My biofilter still caching up on bioload so i doing everyday wc about 60%,but small amounts of ammonia is always present in the tank
I feeding them five times in a day, today i have read about tubifex harm to discus,and my babies ate them several times in a day.
Now getting paranoid about they shape.One of them already sitting in a corner,other looking like triangles,some of them have too big eyes...... or maybe its only in my head
That's why I need your help and professional opinions.Im uploading some pics.
Just tell me what do you think about my fish and advise me how to proceed with that.

I am very grateful for your time,thank you

[donnacona]

They look fine to me and the tank is immaculate just keep it up and keep up the water changes good luck.
Stu

[warblad79]

I would be concern if they don't eat and stay on the corner. I have 35+ fry and I monitor every one of them if they don't eat I know there's something wrong.

[Valdo.S.]

Music to my ears,thank you guys
they eat like crazy, always hungry, but one of them have problems, corner sat a couple of days and ate very little.
The last 3 days not feed tubifex, wc to 80% and the equation began to mend, he now more active,I hope everything will be fine.
I wonder if the poor condition fish spawns is hatched fry will also be poor, or they will be nice and healthy ?

[Phillydubs]

Just make sure you vac up all those left overs... do not let that sit too long as it will go bad and they will still try to graze off of it, feed only what they will eat or do quick vacs after feedings to ensure no issues there...

They are very small and it will be hard to tell until they start to grow more, but so far so good!

[Valdo.S.]

Ok,thank you,ill do that
I don't know if I have a problem or
not, but my discus appear to be itchy... sometimes they rubbing their
eyes against the plant leaves... I don't know if I should be
concerned or not, they are all eating and fighting each other still... is this normal behaviour ?

[Filip]

The last 3 days not feed tubifex, wc to 80% and the equation began to mend, he now more active,I hope everything will be fine.

What kind of tubifex do you use Valdo? Dried cubes or live tubifex?

[Filip]

Ok,thank you,ill do that
I don't know if I have a problem or
not, but my discus appear to be itchy... sometimes they rubbing their
eyes against the plant leaves... I don't know if I should be
concerned or not, they are all eating and fighting each other still... is this normal behaviour ?

My adults somethimes also scracth on decor objects , and in my oppinion its a sign that water quallity is a little less than perfect for them .
I always do more WCs and cleaning when i notice this itching starts repeating too often .

[Valdo.S.]

I've used a live tubifex about four days, in the morning and before lights out
yea,can be water issues,and i hope it's not worms of some sort.
i'm trying to do my best on them,but have a feeling it's not enough :)

[Filip]

Live tubifex are notorious for carring deadly pathogens on them.
Although all the fish love it and its one of the best food for quick growing fish it can also kill them all.

[Willie]

Shift away from live tubifex as soon as you can. The pathogens they carry could well be carrying parasites and pathogens, resulting in the eye scratching. Feed a high protein food. Beefheart is best.

Willie

[Jack L]

i've grown them on beefheart mix and works fine. there are many recipes on board for it.

[Valdo.S.]

ok thank you,I changed tubifex to frozen artemia, also give them pellets and beefheart mix
and i think i found why they scratch their eyes,on my filter intake was no sponge, so all that dirt collecting and decaying there and doesn't matter what i done wc,all that stuff was anyway in aquarium.

[Valdo.S.]

guys i have a new problem :(.i think my beneficial bacteria in a filter are dead,its no sign of any life,no nitrites or nitrates,ammonia only
i thought its caching up,but truth is he's dead.
What to do,how to cycle him now when i have fish in my tank ?

[MattArmstrong]

If you test non-zero Ammonia I think you are right and your cycle is not done. Your biological filtration is probably not dead. The process often takes more than one month. E.g. with no water changes Ammonia will peak somewhere around day 15-20, and nitrite will peak long after that, before the biological filter can keep them both at zero.

You saw improvement in your fish with 80% daily water changes, so I would continue with that and probably increase it to 90%.

There are products that help cycle faster. Seachem Stability, Dr. Tim's One and Only, Tetra Safestart, etc. If your local fish or pet store has only one choice, use it.

If you have a choice, I'd use Seachem Stability in your situation, since their claim is that their bacteria (a) survives on the shelf for a very long time, so you are unlikely to bet a "bad" bottle, and (b) reproduces fast even in water with high levels of ammonia. Just add their daily recommended amount after every water change. I have heard of people having their tanks do a "mini cycle" after stopping this product, so I would stop slowly. E.g. do their 7 day process, then the following week do a 1/2 daily dose, then the following do a 1/4 daily dose. This will allow the bacteria that is attached to the surfaces in your tank and filter take over from the bacteria you add to the water. Test water regularly.

With any of these products, definitely add an air stone. Adding these products can cause bacterial blooms (in this case, with desirable bacteria) that consume oxygen and distress the fish.

All that said, with 12 small discus in a 75 gallon tank, you may be able to just do daily 90% water changes while it cycles. I would not do this personally, because your fish are still in a critical growth stage, and without some assistance your tank will have non-zero ammonia and nitrites for at least a month. That can't be good.

If you need more help I would ask in the emergency room forum, after filling out the questionnaire. Giving more details about your tank and situation will help people help you: http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forumdisplay.php?34-Emergency-Room

[CrazyAngels]

Do you know what your water is treated with? is it Chlorine or Chloramine. My local tap water is treated with Chloramine so it shows ammonia when I test it even after using SAFE or PRIME. One thing is for sure, keep your WC's going to help keep the spike low until cycle catches up and it will. Good luck

[Valdo.S.]

omg,thank you,very grateful for the advice, I know for sure that they have safestart, I used it
and thank you for emergency link ill try there

[Valdo.S.]

sorry CrazyAngels i do not know,but i test it strait from the tap for ammonia,it was ammonia free,and after wc all good
it's not spiking much to 0.25mg/liter,anyway its still there,and i'm afraid it affect my young fish,and yea i will need alot of luck for my situation,thank you :)

[modealings]

I'm definitely not an expert but I wrecked my nitrogen cycle adding too many fish not to long ago...

1. What test kit are you using? My API ammonia kit often reads 0.25, but I got the Ammonia Alert device from seachem and it always reads 0.

2. You could consider trying Special blend and nite-out from eco-labs if you truly think your cycle is not done. I used both and cycled a tank in ~10 days. I would just add them after a big water change to give the bacteria a chance to settle in the tank.

Again not an expert but just what worked for me.

[Valdo.S.]

hey,im using tetra NH3/NH4 test,i test tap water before and after using tetra aquasafe in both cases reads 0.0
good idea, I will try, thank you for help

[Valdo.S.]

Merry christmas everyone !!!

[Akili]

Seasons greeting to you and yours Valdo.S.