For experienced Discus-ers how does it end...

[dennin7418]

So there are many many highly established discus owners here but no matter how good the care is, how healthy the stock is or how many water changes you do a discus isn't going to live forever.

What are the most common causes of death outside of neglect that is expected as part of nature? I'm assuming not every discus lives to 10 years old so as fish die along the way what is the usual diagnosis and/or cause???

[Skip]

jumping out of tank..

slamming into glass when scared..

mechanical equipment failure.. heater stuck on.. elec. off..

mixing sources

missing with water chemistry.. buffers, co2, ph.. etc

[dennin7418]

So sounds like most will die as a result of something going wrong with the system and not just naturally...

They really can kill themselves when they slam into the tank???

[Skip]

So sounds like most will die as a result of something going wrong with the system and not just naturally...

They really can kill themselves when they slam into the tank???

it has been witnessed and it happens

[Keith Perkins]

They really can kill themselves when they slam into the tank???

Unfortunately, yes. Had a good friend lose one just like this not long after he bought it from me, and it was part of a pair.

[dkeef]

one I had jumped and another slammed into glass and died.

[CobaltBerry]

Maybe someone could invent a clear "safety pad" for the tank walls?

[BODYDUB]

They really can kill themselves when they slam into the tank???

Yup, I've had it happen to me in the past...............

[nc0gnet0]

So sounds like most will die as a result of something going wrong with the system and not just naturally...

Well, I would'nt say that, it's just that is all anyone up to this point will admit to.

[kkdiscus]

My discus when new was really scared of human being. Whoever walked close will cause them to slam here and there onto the walls of the tank. So I tried not to go close it in the beginning.

Now is fine, and they know when I walk close it means food is coming.

[kkdiscus]

So sounds like most will die as a result of something going wrong with the system and not just naturally...

When you put the fish into an man-made environment, you can't expect it to die naturally...

[Keith Perkins]

Well, I would'nt say that, it's just that is all anyone up to this point will admit to.

Yea, haven't seen over medicating or lax water changing mentioned.

[Ryan]

Let's be honest. Discus are a long-lived fish and a lot of hobbyists, new and old, do not keep them for their entire lifespan. Most people keep them for a few years, maybe spawn them, and then when they're ready for something new they sell/trade/give them away. Everyone here has done it. Whether they go to an LFS, another hobbyist, or a random person on Craigslist, I would venture to guess that most fish don't see the end of their natural life cycle with their original owners.

Aside from that, I'd say that lax maintenance is probably a big one. That will stress a fish out which will make it susceptible to disease and parasites, and a lot of discus that "waste away" do so because they catch something like hexamita and aren't treated so they slowly get worse until they're gone. I see it in LFS all the time so I have no doubt it sometimes happens in hobbyists' tanks, too.

I know over the years, thanks to things like water issues and moving houses, I've had to part with fish I loved. Most of them went to other hobbyists here. Some spawned them, some kept them for a while and passed them off again, etc.

[aquadon2222]

Remember that most that we buy are highly inbred, raised in very sterile environments and as such have not developed a vigorous immune system, so they can be fragile and susceptible to any pathogen.

[Second Hand Pat]

Remember that most that we buy are highly inbred, raised in very sterile environments and as such have not developed a vigorous immune system, so they can be fragile and susceptible to any pathogen.

I so disagree with this statement. The few domestics I have had been extremely healthy fish and very durable.