Ok, so I was a very bad girl and bought another discus on impulse after going to Petco and falling in love with this little guy (only 2 inches) who would not stop staring at me... However, I put him (or her) in a separate tank. So anyways, I was very hopeful for my other discus after the first water change (50%) not using the hose... but that ended quickly once I saw them the next morning and noticed that one of them (the light colored one in the photos I posted) all of a sudden appeared to have a fungal infection (small white fluffy "tuft" on its body). I treated the tank with Pimafix, as I did not feel comfortable going with anything stronger at that point since they were all so fragile. Meanwhile, the new little guy looked healthy as can be.
I did another 50% water change the next day (on both tanks). The next morning, I found one discus dead. And again, it was one of the ones who were NOT showing the obvious signs of illness that the 2 in the photos I posted had, and had not shown any signs of a fungal infection the previous day. THEN I noticed that my new little guy in the separate tank ALSO appeared to have a fungal infection (white patch)! I then realized that I may have cross-contaminated these tanks, and the little one may have had a fungal infection from the start that was not noticeable. I cursed myself out, then went ROGUE and decided to "spot treat" the little one (who like I said, I am in LOVE with) with Pimafix after watching a video on YouTube. Surprisingly, the little guy tolerated this well, and looked much better IMMEDIATELY after doing this...
I was so extremely busy the next day and did not have time for a water change, however, the day after that, all discus were alive. I actually started wondering if the water changes were what was killing my fish, as I never had fish die on the days I DIDN'T do a water change! Anyways, the 2 original surviving discus did not appear any better... The blue one (from the photo I posted) was barely hanging on to life and the other one was extremely dark. Meanwhile, my little guy did look better! Fungus symptoms were minimal, and he was swimming around (appearingly happy) still staring at me like the day he did at Petco. I did another 50% water change on both tanks, then on a desperate whim, decided to switch the little guy and the blue "dead fish swimming" (dead man walking) so that the blue one was in the "isolation tank" and the little guy in the big tank. I did this because I felt like the blue one's time was numbered, and because I believe the tanks were already cross-contaminated, so whatever... I thought maybe the healthy little guy would have a positive effect on the dark discus, as opposed to the blue one, who was gasping at the surface....
So here we are to today... The blue one SOMEHOW is still alive, but barely hanging on. Little guy looks amazing. I don't see any signs of a fungal infection anymore. The other one (in the same tank as little guy) was still dark, not looking well. I decided to put him in the "isolation tank" with the blue one. At this point, I want to keep my little guy healthy, and he is the only one who appears to have a chance. Actually, little guy seems very healthy at this point, and I do believe he will make it.
So at the end of the day, I feel as though I cannot go through with buying any more discus, because I cannot go through this stress anymore... Like I said, I ruined 2 faucets... washing dishes from the bathroom sink... And my new faucet of choice is in the basement and while using my RO filter, I got distracted not once, but twice, and forgot to check on it... resulting in TWO floods!!! I had to go out and buy a shop-vac and high velocity fan to repair the damage... Meanwhile, my children have accused me of loving my fish more than them and my husband thinks I'm mentally insane... So for now, no more discus... Like I said, little guy is doing very well, however, I know that discus do not fare well on their own. I am honestly just waiting for my "dead fish walking" to kick the bucket.... I do not believe that any interventions can save them at this point, at least not the blue one... We will see what happens with the other one, but I do not believe the outlook is good at this point.
So I'm not sure as to how to move forward with this. I don't want the little guy to be alone, but I cannot go through with buying more discus only to watch them die...