Help! My discus keep geting sick and dieing

[Falstaf]

Greeting everybody,

I'm sorry that my first post here has to be like bad news, but I'm really desperate already.

Here is a little history, I've had tanks almost all my life, I'm no expert but I know my way around fish tanks and I design planted tanks. So finally after years and years of wanting to keep Discus (which I just adore) I decided to go for it. Sorry to say that this has been a downfall to chaos!

I bought a 40G tank for them, I cycled the tank as it should be done, in fact I gave it a few weeks more just to be sure. so I went and bought my first pair, I had read a lot about discus from selecting illnesses, breading, keeping etc. Well as soon as they got here, they got all black and cramped fins, and developed ick. so I started treating for it, it didn't worked, and they developed cloudy eye, so I went back to the guy who sold them to me and said I needed to do a harder treatment, so I got from him Clout, and treated the tank, one made it and the other died.

Ok so after that, the tank was a mess, the biological filter was totally destroyed, so it went into cycle again, which my remaining one didn't liked at all, but he's a fighting buddy and made it through the cycle.

So I got him 2 more tank mates, this ones where smaller, like 1.5" and I got them this size because I thought it was going to be easier for them to adapt to the conditions of the tank. Same thing happened all over again, this time they just went straight to cloudy eye, then appetite loss then it was a really awful process to watch as they starved to death, as much as i did, and tried and asked and did I couldn't do anything to save them.

At this point I felt so bad an so guilty that in the mean time I was cycling a 20G tank. so I tore down the 40G and started with it all over again, meanwhile I moved the original and remaining Discus, to this tank, and he was happy.

A week later I got him 3 tank mates, the most beautiful fish I ever seen, blue diamond, blue diamond snakeskin and a purple blue diamond, I came home and did everything I ever knew to adapt them to their new tank, they where happy, I was happy and for the first time in 6 months I could wake up in the morning not dreading to find one of my beautiful fish sick or dead.

Today, I turned on the lights and all of them are sick!!!! almost black, cloudy eye, and swimming on their sides, I have no idea what's happening or what to do. I thought my PH went up, but I just did all the test and this came out:

PH 7
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Kh 4
Gh 4

So I'm totally lost, if I loose this 4 I'm ready to let go of discus, I don't feel it's fair to them. So any advise will be greatly appreciated, I'm ready to do anything and try anything.

Tank Info
20G
Planted
4 Discus
4 ottos
10 Black Neon Tetras
1 Golden Nugget Pleco 2"
Filtration: Dolphin 1200 and AquaClear Mini

Food: Tetra's Pro Flakes, Color bits, Arthemia, Moine, and frozen bloodworm.

[Carol_Roberts]

Hi Flastaff and welcome to SimplyDiscus :wave:

sorry you are having so many problems. Discus turn dark for many reasons. I don't know the reason yours are sick now, but let me point out several things that may be the cause.

1. Quarantine all new fish for 4 - 6 weeks before adding to your existing stock. I don't know how long you've had the last two discus, but if less than two weeks or if you've added other tank mates I'd suspect they brought n illness with them.

2. You should not have ick at proper discus temperatures. Your tank should be 84 for juveniles.

3. Juveniles do best in groups of 6 or more.

4. Juveniles do best in bare bottom tanks - no plants, no gravel.

5. A 20 gallon tank is way to small for 3 discus, plants, gravel and all the tank mates you have. I suspect you are only changing your water once a week too.


Do you have an empty 29 gallon tank? If yes fill it with dechlorinated, 86 degree warm water with 2 tablespoons salt per 10 gallons. Move the filters from the 20 to this hospital tank. Add the discus. Do 30% - 50% water changes per day adding back salt removed. See if they improve in a couple of days or if they exhibit more symptoms.

[Falstaf]

Hi Carol,

Thanks for replaying.

I do 20% water changes everyday, and the temperature is always kept at 84C constant i even age water for it to be at the same temperature and properly aerated.

I don't have a spare tank, but i'll try to get one today, and try this out, they are not looking that good :( do you think it will help to add salt in the mean while to the tank they are now?

[Carol_Roberts]

An extra water change may do more good for now. Are interior of filters clean? Smell the water and inside the filters - does the water smell almost good enough to drink? Many times uneaten food is pulled into the filter where it decomposes fouling the water

[Falstaf]

yes i just cleaned both last night, and the water smells fine, not rotting odor or fishey odor

[pcgamer02]

I cant really comment on the discus side of the problem, but I have had quit a a few battles with ich.(Clown loaches get it easy, and I like clown loaches :P) anyway as carol said rais the temp to somthing like 86 or 87 w/ aquarium salt. the ich should died shortly after. Salt has solved 90 percent of my aquarium disease related problems, I would suggest trying that with a higher temp. good luck.