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Hybrid_Reality
05-26-2018, 09:12 PM
Had my little discus for over 2 weeks now. Noticed a white spot on his dorsal fin. He is un-bothered by it, but it concerns me. He is the only discus in the tank and the other fish look normal. Im new to the hobby and am doing my best to take best care of the tank.
Tank is 38 gallons
2 Penguin 200gph filters
No carbon
Ceramic media in filter
20% WC every other day
Temp is 83.5-84F
Any suggestions?

Edit- not sure why this site gives me a hard time to

bluelagoon
05-27-2018, 09:07 AM
I would suggest larger more frequent WC's.Pimples usually are a sign of water quality.It would be a good idea to show a pic of the whole tank for a better understanding of what things look like.A substrate cleaning if you have one will need cleaning just about each time you change water.20% WC is not much for young discus.Some times when folks here something they don't like or understand,they might think somebody is giving them a "hard time".Sometimes it's your own mood/feelings and may be read wrong and not the way it was intended by the writer.

brewmaster15
05-27-2018, 09:37 AM
I would suggest larger more frequent WC's.Pimples usually are a sign of water quality.It would be a good idea to show a pic of the whole tank for a better understanding of what things look like.A substrate cleaning if you have one will need cleaning just about each time you change water.20% WC is not much for young discus.Some times when folks here something they don't like or understand,they might think somebody is giving them a "hard time".Sometimes it's your own mood/feelings and may be read wrong and not the way it was intended by the writer.

I agree with Mervin on the water quality issues and suggestions.

Mervin, I suspect (and hope to be the case) that the op means" the site gives him a hard time to" post his pics?
If so you can get around that sidewise posting if you take the pic on your phone and edit it and save it. I do simple minor crop and save. I dont know why but the forum software often posts pics sidewise depending on your orientation. Its a pain that I wish I could solve...the work around I just gave you does work though.

Hybrid_Reality
05-27-2018, 10:34 AM
Sorry about that! Yes, I was referring to uploading pictures. I'm going to try to do what was suggested above and upload a pic of my tank. I did want to update you all that I noticed the dot has vanished as of this morning. I don't mind doing more frequent water changes, I am just hesitant as I have only added ceramic filter media a week ago and don't want a large water change to upset the balance of the water and give me a ammonia spike or similar. Which brings up another question, I was told to monitor the ammonia and so far it has been zero. How big of water changes can I start doing safely? I also have nat geo substrate which when i vacuum actually sucks it out of the tank. I don't mind this since I want to change it to white substrate eventually, but is there a trick to cleaning the gravel?

Gabriel13
05-27-2018, 10:45 AM
Try vacuuming the gravel with the vacuum tip angled instead of straight up and down. What will help is to monitor your feedings and remove the uneating food shortly after that so it doesnt foul your water. Your substrate wont get so dirty either.

brewmaster15
05-27-2018, 10:50 AM
I think you may be in for a rocky start here. Cycling a tank with discus in it is hard. You really should just do massive daily water changes and over time the tank will cycle. I wouldnt wait for ammonia spikes and nitrite spikes to start. Large daily water changes will slow down your cycle but is safer for your fish,ime.

Your gravel looks pretty fine but is still going to trap food and debris so you should use a python to clean it well. Im not a big fan of substrates for juvenile discus tanks for that reason.

How many discus do you have there?Im seeing one? They really do best in groups of 4-6 when young as they can stress out otherwise.It also helps them grow by creating competition for food and increasing their appetite as the group feeds.

Have you had a chance to go through our beginners forum?
al

ps..looks like the pic work around worked for you.

Gabriel13
05-27-2018, 10:51 AM
Also, large water changes are only gonna help your water quality and give that new media a chance to catch up. The beneficial bacteria are cultivated on the objects in your aquarium not so much in the water column.

Hybrid_Reality
05-27-2018, 10:52 AM
Been trying to upload another angle of the tank, but it keeps failing for some reason.
I will try the angled vacuum- good idea

Hybrid_Reality
05-27-2018, 11:09 AM
I think you may be in for a rocky start here. Cycling a tank with discus in it is hard. You really should just do massive daily water changes and over time the tank will cycle. I wouldnt wait for ammonia spikes and nitrite spikes to start. Large daily water changes will slow down your cycle but is safer for your fish,ime.

Your gravel looks pretty fine but is still going to trap food and debris so you should use a python to clean it well. Im not a big fan of substrates for juvenile discus tanks for that reason.

How many discus do you have there?Im seeing one? They really do best in groups of 4-6 when young as they can stress out otherwise.It also helps them grow by creating competition for food and increasing their appetite as the group feeds.

Have you had a chance to go through our beginners forum?
al

ps..looks like the pic work around worked for you.

The tank is cycled. Been established for around 4 months now. What I meant was I've only recently added ceramic media to the filter which I was told is necessary to be able to get away with large water changes. I'll look into a python filter as you mentioned. Any tips on how to change the substrate while fish are in the tank?
Currently only have 1 discus. Wasn't even expecting to get it, but my local supplier had 2 juveniles in stock and I took a shot. Didn't want to buy more than 1 at the time because they arent cheap, and I wanted to make sure I could care for them.
For water changes, Ive been using 5 gallon buckets with tap, aged 24 hours.

Edit- Would love to get another , but my tank size I believe limits me, and I have no way to quarantine them as this is my main tank and I have but a small apartment

Hybrid_Reality
05-27-2018, 11:10 AM
Also, large water changes are only gonna help your water quality and give that new media a chance to catch up. The beneficial bacteria are cultivated on the objects in your aquarium not so much in the water column.

That is great to know. I feel more confident in doing that now

bluelagoon
05-27-2018, 11:24 AM
You can remove the substrate with the hose of your python,if the pebbles are small enough.I would do it with a couple of your WC's and not all at once since this is were the most of the BB are at and not on the bio media yet.The pet shop owner seems not to know much about discus.He/she sold you a lone baby discus.

Gabriel13
05-27-2018, 11:41 AM
The tank is cycled. Been established for around 4 months now. What I meant was I've only recently added ceramic media to the filter which I was told is necessary to be able to get away with large water changes. I'll look into a python filter as you mentioned. Any tips on how to change the substrate while fish are in the tank?
Currently only have 1 discus. Wasn't even expecting to get it, but my local supplier had 2 juveniles in stock and I took a shot. Didn't want to buy more than 1 at the time because they arent cheap, and I wanted to make sure I could care for them.
For water changes, Ive been using 5 gallon buckets with tap, aged 24 hours.

Edit- Would love to get another , but my tank size I believe limits me, and I have no way to quarantine them as this is my main tank and I have but a small apartment

You can grab a 50gal tote at walmart and age your water in that. This way you can up your water changes safely. Get an air pump, air stone, heater to age the water. A simple floating tube thermometer will work just fine to monitor the aging waters temp. Bring the aged water up the same temp as the tank. Your fish will love you for it. This is if you're not already doing this to age your water.

brewmaster15
05-27-2018, 11:57 AM
to remove the gravel just do a little each water change so your filter can compensate. The biggest issue is to be sure you clean the substrate well before hand.Pockets of anaerobic bacteria in substrate can liberate toxic gases to the tank when disturbed.We have had many members lose fish like that.

You are in a hard spot for keeping discus. 38 gallons is small for a group but you can still grow out several youngsters together and then either upsize the tank if you can find the space or you can decrease the discus number and hope for the best. Young adults are okay on their own. It comes down to how much you want to succeed with Discus. Right now your tank is not really optimal for the one you have. It looks stressed. It may settle in and do ok but its just not how it usually works out.

al

Hybrid_Reality
05-27-2018, 12:18 PM
You can remove the substrate with the hose of your python,if the pebbles are small enough.I would do it with a couple of your WC's and not all at once since this is were the most of the BB are at and not on the bio media yet.The pet shop owner seems not to know much about discus.He/she sold you a lone baby discus.

Agreed! Told me my Ph was too high as well and had me buy proper ph 6.5. Used that for a month before knowing better. Luckily, i stopped doing that and left the ph alone.

Hybrid_Reality
05-27-2018, 12:19 PM
Thanks for the tip! I hope he’s not stressed, he’s quite active, swims against the front of the tank when he sees me, and has a good appetite. Here’s a quick vid : https://youtu.be/25zHd2e0FdA

Hybrid_Reality
05-27-2018, 12:23 PM
Feeding time https://youtu.be/6WODHaGDxzs

Hybrid_Reality
05-27-2018, 12:41 PM
to remove the gravel just do a little each water change so your filter can compensate. The biggest issue is to be sure you clean the substrate well before hand.Pockets of anaerobic bacteria in substrate can liberate toxic gases to the tank when disturbed.We have had many members lose fish like that.

You are in a hard spot for keeping discus. 38 gallons is small for a group but you can still grow out several youngsters together and then either upsize the tank if you can find the space or you can decrease the discus number and hope for the best. Young adults are okay on their own. It comes down to how much you want to succeed with Discus. Right now your tank is not really optimal for the one you have. It looks stressed. It may settle in and do ok but its just not how it usually works out.

al

If I were to get another one, is there no other way around doing a quarantine first? I wouldn't be completely opposed to getting a 10g tank. Are you saying the discus alone wont live a healhty, happy life on its own? I do plan on getting a 55g or more within 6 months..