Discus won' eat

[gotwins86]

I am starting to worry about my leopard discus. I haven't really seen him eat for a little while now. Maybe 3-4 days. He never really ate that well before that either.

I have had the discus for 2.5 weeks now. He has always been really shy. But will go out swimming in the open and with the group often. But whenever I feed the discus, we will go off and into the corner. Never coming out to eat. It isn't because he is scared of me. He usually goes once the other start attacking the food.

He is the smallest of the group(he is maybe 2.5 inches), got 8 of em 3+ inches. Others are growing nicely, he has stayed about the same. He never really gets picked on. They are establishing a pecking order a little, but I never notice them going at the leopard.

Is this something to worry about? Give it more time? I have a german wonder that kind of acts the same, but i do see him eat here and there. And he seems to be growing.

Attached are some pics. Wondering how he looks to others.

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[Second Hand Pat]

Hi Zac, it does look like it is falling behind. Perhaps try raising your temperature to encourage it's appetite. Have you seen it's poop?
Pat

[gotwins86]

I haven't seen it poop. But I can see everyone poop on the bottom of the tank. All looks the same.

I had the temp at 84-85. This morning I upped it to 88 and added an air stone. Will see if that helps.

Glad he is looking ok. I must have watched him for 30 mins last night. Convincing myself anything and everything was wrong. But probably just acting like a young discus in a new environment. Just a first time discus owner i guess, still learning things.

Thanks

[brewmaster15]

Zac,


He is the smallest of the group(he is maybe 2.5 inches), got 8 of em 3+ inches. Others are growing nicely, he has stayed about the same. He never really gets picked on. They are establishing a pecking order a little, but I never notice them going at the leopard. They don't have to actually attack him to intimidate and stress him. The dominate fish have a way of doing that with posture and behavior alone. Unfortunately it sounds like your little guys is probably the low man on the totem poll. Typically they have a rough time. You can try separating him a hospital tank to get him eating.

al

[gotwins86]

Well lost my blue turq this morning. Leopard is doing better, swimming out and about way more. But only eating blood worms, don't see him eating anything else. Also I think my snakeskin has stopped eating, but is always out swimming. German Wonder is back swimming and eating normal. Blue Turq stopped eating a week ago and hid in the corners a lot. I did notice white stringy poop for 2 of them(leopard and marborol). Started treating with metro last Tue. Don't have pics right now, but I am now worried about my leopard(acting and swimming normal, but only eats bloodworms, I feed once a day) and my Snakeskin(acting and swimming normal, stopped eating for about a day). With metro I has treating with Metroplex(575mg, * 70% = 400mg metro) every other day with a water change every other day.

Any thoughts?

Problem

1. Please explain the problems with your fish. When did you notice the problems and did anything unusual happen that you think started them?
See above. Started a few weeks ago with leopard. Stopped eating, hiding in corners.

2. Symptoms (i.e. turning dark, excess slime, not eating, clamped fins, flashing, darting, clamped gills, white/yellow/green poop, hiding, headstanding or tailstanding, white on tips of fins, rotting or fungus, blisters/white zits on fish, bloated, cloudy eyes, wounds).
White string poop

3. What medications/ treatments have you already tried and what were the results. Include dosage and duration of treatment.
Metro, still currently dosing. Started Tue, every other day


Tank/Water

4. Tank size and ages, numbers and sizes of fish.
75 gallons, 8 x 3.5"

5. Water change regime (What percentage and how often).
50% every other day

6. How long has tank been running? Is it bare bottom? If you have substrate, what type and how deep is it?
2 Months, Bare bottom

7. Do you age your water? If you do for how long and what is the ph swing.
Yes, 24 hrs. PH swing is minimal

8. Parameters and water source;

Note: Water Parameters are important in diagnosing problems within a tank. If you don't own test kits for the following information, you can purchase them, test your parameters and post this info as soon as possible.


- temp ___86_bumped up to 90 this last week_

- ph __7.6-7.8___

- ammonia reading __0__

- nitrite reading __0__

- nitrate reading __usually around 10-20 before water change_5-10 after_hard to tell with API, but never more than 20

What type of water or combinations of water sources do you use? If it is an RO/tap/well water mix, please list percentages in the mix.

- well water ____

- municipal water __100__

- RO water ____


9. Any new fish, plants or inverts added recently.
No

10. Please tell us what you feed your fish and how often. This can be critical information for solving the problem so be as specific as you can.
Feed 4 times a day. Usually flakes and pellets in the morning. FDBW, Then Flakes, then FDBW and Bloodworms in the evening.
Only started feeding bloodworms a week ago, trying to get leopard to eat.(only thing he does eat)

11. Include any pictures or videos you have which shows the symptoms. If you can't add them to this post, please provide a link to them.
Can add later

[brewmaster15]

3. What medications/ treatments have you already tried and what were the results. Include dosage and duration of treatment.
Metro, still currently dosing. Started Tue, every other day

How much and what kind of Metro? Is there a reason you are dosing every other day?

al

[gotwins86]

How much and what kind of Metro? Is there a reason you are dosing every other day?

al

Seachem MetroPlex. Directions said to do it every other day. Directions said to do 1 scoop per 10 gallons, but I through I read somewhere discus need more. So I did about 5 scoops per 10 gallons. 125 mg per scoop, 70% of metroplex is metro. So 87.5 mg metro * 5 scoops * 7(for 75 gallon tank, 65 of it water/10) = 437.5 mg of metro per 10 gallons.

Hopefully that math works out.

[gotwins86]

I should add, my blue turq that passed away overnight. His colors looked pretty normal, but his belly area was a bit pale.

[brewmaster15]

Zac,
There are alot of different recommendations on using Metro...some are better than others, IMO. Your dose of 500 mgs per 10 gal is what we normally do for discus. But I have found that the best way to dose is daily after a very large water change. I find its more effective that dosing every other day for Discus in the treatment of protozoans.

hth,
al

[gotwins86]

Thanks. I will start doing daily water changes with dosing of Metro.

Am I correct to be dosing metro based on symptoms? Couple have had White String Poop, some not eating, some hiding a lot?

[LizStreithorst]

Yes, Zac. You are doing the right thing.

[gotwins86]

Thanks Liz.

Also dose daily for amount of water changed volume or entire tank volume?

[brewmaster15]

Thanks Liz.

Also dose daily for amount of water changed volume or entire tank volume?

redose the entire amount daily. I suggest doing 90%+ percent wc daily while treating.

al

[gotwins86]

Thanks for answering all my questions. 1 more... haha

my aging barrel holds about 40 gallons. Would a water change of 40 gallons aged and about 20 gallons out of the tap be ok?

I know my ph swing is pretty minimal. I have always measured 7.6-7.8 in both tank and out of tap.

[brewmaster15]

Thanks for answering all my questions. 1 more... haha

my aging barrel holds about 40 gallons. Would a water change of 40 gallons aged and about 20 gallons out of the tap be ok?

I know my ph swing is pretty minimal. I have always measured 7.6-7.8 in both tank and out of tap.


I think you will be okay. If they get stressed do your 40 gals... Then fill up the storage barrel and fill the 20 gals from the storage barrel after filling it. That extra step will off gas alot of gas from the water.

al

[gotwins86]

So I ordered some metro from Jehmco, and it was supposed to get here on Friday, but it shipped yesterday and now tracking says it wont get her until Monday. I have enough metro on hand to do 2 full doses(500mg per 10 gallon) for 2 days.

Question is should I do 2 full doses(Thurs and Fri) and wait until Monday to resume? Or do half doses everyday to get me to Monday.

Fish are swimming around more normally now and not hiding as much. But my leopard and snakeskin are still not eating.

[LizStreithorst]

I would skip Thursday and Friday and start the entire 10 to 12 day treatment from Saturday on. If Al thinks differently go with his advice.

[gotwins86]

OK. So tonight's water change will be day 11 or 500mg/10 gal of metro. I still have 3 fish that don't really eat much. One of them eats maybe once a day, the other 2 only seem to eat once every other day. They swim around normal most of the time, but come feeding they swim to a corner and hang out. Sometimes they do swim around during feeding, but ignore food. Have not noticed any white poop from any of them.

Have done about 80-90% water change everyday with the metro dose. Tank was at 87 degree for first 7 days, upped the temp to 91 for the last 3 days.

Other 4 are acting great and eating every time.

Any advice going forward? Thanks

[LizStreithorst]

IME they sometimes don't start eating until a couple days after treatment ends. Keep treating for at least 1 more day and keep that heat up high.

[gotwins86]

Thanks Liz. Will treat today and tomorrow for 12 total days and then see how they react in the next week.

[gotwins86]

Well, 3 days since I stopped metro(Thurs was last dose). I still have 3 discus hiding alot and not eating. 3 that act just fine and 1 that is somewhere in between. I just saw some white/clearish poop floating the the tank. Not sure from who.

What should be my plan going my forward? Start metro again. Not sure I want to lose a while 75 gallon tank again. I have a 10 gallon, but probably to small. Could go buy a 20l I suppose. Dose metro again? Something else? Treat the 4 with signs? Treat all 7 of them?

[gotwins86]

Any advice?

I think I'm going to put them in quarantine tonight and start metro again. Unless someone thinks otherwise. Is a 4 day break from metro treatment long enough?

[Mando]

Any advice?

I think I'm going to put them in quarantine tonight and start metro again. Unless someone thinks otherwise. Is a 4 day break from metro treatment long enough?

I would start right away. Make sure you have enough medication to last you the 12-14 days and up the heat to about 90.

Medicate them in the 20 as it's less medication you'll have to use, and do not forget the large water changes daily.