I hope you QT'ed? Sounds like you added this one to your existing stock
You might have a ticking time bomb here. Can you add some pics?
I bought a "rescue" discus from a LFS last week. It was more of a sympathy buy. The owner had no business carrying discus (this was the only one in the store) because they didn't know how to take care of them. No water changes, just fed flake food, etc.
Anyway, the fish is severely thin and apparently a very picky eater. I've tried everything: Beef heart, Blood worms, Frozen Brine, tubifex, pellets, flake food. It doesn't seem to like any of them. It tries them all but spits it back out. It's hungry because it's always "grazing" for something to eat. It's been like it only eats enough to survive but doesn't like it. The other discus in the tank eat like pigs so I know the food isn't bad.
In trying to come up with something the fish would eat, I decided to add a little garlic to the food. It flat tore up the blood worms and the beefheart mixed with garlic. Still didn't care for any of the other foods, but at least I got it going on something.
I take the Bh or bloodworm cube and put it in a small cup with HOT water. Just enough water to cover the cube. I throw in just a touch of garlic powder and stir it up until the cube melts and the powder dissolves. Let it sit for about 10 minutes to marinate the garlic into the food then feed it. They all liked it, and the picky one was eating as eagerly as the rest.
Maybe this will help someone out that is having a picky fish problem..
I hope you QT'ed? Sounds like you added this one to your existing stock
You might have a ticking time bomb here. Can you add some pics?
I put it in a community tank with 2 other discus. I would normally QT but I "watched" this one at the LFS for three weeks before I bought it. It was in a 10 gallon tank with just a pleco. I don't think there's a health issue. Fins and gills look good. Swims normally. Just very thin and very shy. Sorry for the quality of the pic, it was the best I could get with my phone and a shy fish.Blue turq..jpg
I hope your LFS didn't brainwashed you but why would anyone buy razor thin fish? You can't call fish healthy if it's razor thin.
Garlic is nothing new in the discus world. It has been used for a long time. While it might improve the taste it does not have any other health benefits unless use crush fresh garlic and add it to the food right when you are feeding it. I know you said that your LFS should not cary discus. The way you get them to stop is for no one to buy the fish. As long as it sells they will normally keep carrying them.
Good luck with your fish.
-john
Like I said in the OP: I considered it a rescue buy. Couldn't stand to see it in those conditions so I brought it home to "hopefully" get it back to good health and resocialized. I've been rescuing dogs for years. Same concept, different species. Since the addition of the garlic it's putting on some weight and interacts with the other fish in the tank now instead of hiding in the corner. Plan seems to be working.
Your plan is working other than you are encouraging the LFS to get more discus to sell. It is just a fish so it is not a big deal. I personally do not beleive in rescueing a discus. Often these fish have all types of bad things that they are carring and you are just putting your currently fish at risk.
-john