Discus Dying

[ziggy4M1]

Hi to everyone

Was just wondering if anyone could help , this has been a 2 year process , don't want to take the time now but the tank is a 65 gallon tank ,I do weekly ,sometimes biweekly water changes ,all water perimeters are good . temp is good , running 1 canister filter and a hang on back power filter , ultr violet sterizler .
Two years ago purchased 6 two inch discus from the fish den , out of the original six I have one left. Last july purchased 6 more from the fish den . out of this batch I have two left . Its not that they day all at once ,its months apart. two fish turned black which I figured was a bacterial infection . Does anyone have any feedback as to what I may be doing wrong . Right now I have two big ones who seem to be doing well ,eating ,swimming around , one dose'nt seem to grow very much . still seems to be the same size as when it got here in july. Or could I just be purchasing from the wrong place . only want to keep 6 to 8 discus ,I think 8 would be pushing it may be better with six . They just seem to die for no apparent reason ,only th e two turned black the rest one day their fine a day later they died . Right now I am just scared to add three more discus as with the two purchases I should have 12 discus but only have three left alive .Can anyone help . thanks

Warren

[John_Nicholson]

Making some assumptions here that might be wrong.....Start buying your discus from a better source. When you start with sick/hormoned fish you don't stand a chance. Second if you are going to buy them small get rid of your gravel and start changing 50% of your water daily until they are adults. Your water is made up of hundreds of compounds. Your test kit is only checking a couple. They are basically useless unless things are really bad. Other than that you are going to have to provide more info....

-john

[afriend]

ziggy4M1,

I agree with what John has to say above.

When I first started keeping discus, my experience was similar to yours. One possible difference might be that my fish were purchased from what I found out later was a reliable source for quality discus. Since I don't know what your source is, I can't be sure of yours, it may be alright or not.

What I can say with confidence is that you need to change your water exchange rate, especially since you have small fish. Here's a link that explains the concept of why water exchange AND tank maintenance is necessary to keep discus healthy:

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?120956-What-Are-Bioload-and-Biomass-and-Why-They-Are-Important

Keeping discus healthy is not difficult once I understood what I was dealing with.

As to a good source for discus, I recommend the following:

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forumdisplay.php?119-Kenny-s-Discus-(Kenny-Cheung)-Daly-City-California

When you buy from Kenny, you will be getting far more than quality discus. I have found that his customer service and advice is absolutely the finest that anyone could possibility ask for.

Paul

[Akili]

Hi to everyone

Was just wondering if anyone could help , this has been a 2 year process , don't want to take the time now but the tank is a 65 gallon tank ,I do weekly ,sometimes biweekly water changes ,all water perimeters are good . temp is good , running 1 canister filter and a hang on back power filter , ultr violet sterizler .
Two years ago purchased 6 two inch discus from the fish den , out of the original six I have one left. Last july purchased 6 more from the fish den . out of this batch I have two left . Its not that they day all at once ,its months apart. two fish turned black which I figured was a bacterial infection . Does anyone have any feedback as to what I may be doing wrong . Right now I have two big ones who seem to be doing well ,eating ,swimming around , one dose'nt seem to grow very much . still seems to be the same size as when it got here in july. Or could I just be purchasing from the wrong place . only want to keep 6 to 8 discus ,I think 8 would be pushing it may be better with six . They just seem to die for no apparent reason ,only the two turned black the rest one day their fine a day later they died . Right now I am just scared to add three more discus as with the two purchases I should have 12 discus but only have three left alive .Can anyone help . thanks

WarrenA 65 gal tank can easily house 6 adults with no problem, also you need to increase your water changes both in quantity and frequency like John mentioned.Weekly or biweekly changes have most likely has contributed to your situation. Any new additions must be quarantined at least for six weeks minimum even if they come from one of the sponsors.

[DISCUS STU]

Making some assumptions here that might be wrong.....Start buying your discus from a better source. When you start with sick/hormoned fish you don't stand a chance. Second if you are going to buy them small get rid of your gravel and start changing 50% of your water daily until they are adults. Your water is made up of hundreds of compounds. Your test kit is only checking a couple. They are basically useless unless things are really bad. Other than that you are going to have to provide more info....

-john

This just about says it all.

[Las Vegas]

Water quality! Weekly or Biweekly is not good. It should be at least %50 every two no more than three days. I will only keep my Discus in water with PH level at 6.5 to no higher than 7.0

[rickztahone]

Making some assumptions here that might be wrong.....Start buying your discus from a better source. When you start with sick/hormoned fish you don't stand a chance. Second if you are going to buy them small get rid of your gravel and start changing 50% of your water daily until they are adults. Your water is made up of hundreds of compounds. Your test kit is only checking a couple. They are basically useless unless things are really bad. Other than that you are going to have to provide more info....

-john

I really could not have said it any better. Start with better quality, nuke your current tank, and start over. It will be a huge hit to you now, but the reward will be a tank full of healthy discus and it will be worth it in the end.

[MendoMan]

I really could not have said it any better. Start with better quality, nuke your current tank, and start over. It will be a huge hit to you now, but the reward will be a tank full of healthy discus and it will be worth it in the end.

Excellent advise, one thing you missed though is to STUDY and learn all you can from the right sources before starting over.

[Mrs. J]

Listen to all that is being said here. I started with top quality fish from Hans....put them in a beautifully planted tank, driftwood, sand substrate, etc.....After a short time went bare bottom....clean, clean, clean water....and lots of studying both here on the forum and any resource I could find. Thanks to a lot of hand holding by this group my Stendkers are all healthy and I have not lost one. I thought I knew how to keep Discus because I was successful in the past.....but it was pure LUCK.
Start over with a clean tank, clean water, etc. order quality fish and take this group's information to heart. Good Luck