Stringy white poop

I've done some reading at it looks like Hex, but this would bAttachment 91948Attachment 91948e my first case of it and I'm trying to see if it really is Hex or something else. Please help.





1. Please explain the problems with your fish. When did you notice the problems and did anything unusual happen that you think started them?
My discus doesn't defecate often, or well I haven't seen it defecate but when I do, lately her droppings have been white and kinda shiny looking, and kinda looks like fluff and then stringy in some parts

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).

see above answer
3. What medications/ treatments have you already tried and what were the results. Include dosage and duration of treatment.

I haven't tried anything except water changes.

Tank/Water

4. Tank size and ages, numbers and sizes of fish.

55, up and running since july, discus ready since august and I just recently put discus in a month ago. both of my discus are about 1.5 to 2"
5. Water change regime (What percentage and how often).

about 25% either every day or 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?
its been running since july 2015, no my substrate is about .5" thick, its planted

7. Do you age your water? If you do for how long and what is the ph swing.
no, I take tap water and condition it and let it sit for about an hour.

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 __83___

- ph __6.6___

- ammonia reading __0__

- nitrite reading __0__

- nitrate reading __40ppm__
I'm doing a water change right now
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 __x, I was using kents r/o but I am trying to grow out my discus__

- RO water ____


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

10. 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.

nitrate at 20 ppm. I will be doing a lot more water changes as in more than 25%. I'm unsure as to why this is spiking now. All of my levels have been very neutral since I started the tank

1.You got only 2 juvie discus,they need to be at least 6 to feel secure.
2. They are too young for 5 inch substrate planted tank,their immune system cannot put up with the dirt in substrate tanks.this should be Bb tank or at most 1 inch sand bed until they grow 4 inch.

3. You got 40 ppm nitrates.try to keep them under 10 all the time.
4. 25 % wc is too little for substrate tank.

For now If I were you i would put them In a BB Qt tank do 90% wc daily, add a level tablespoon of salt on 10 gallons and raise a temp above 90.
After a month doing this daily routine they should be fine.