Terribly Emaciated

[Heartbreaker]

Hello:

I've been searching the forum for the past hour regarding Discus fish being evacuated/skinny/dark etc but I can't seem to find the combination I have going on. Forgive me if this is a repeat thread:

I was out of the country when I ordered some new discus. The person watching my apartment didn't follow my quarantine instructions and added the new discus to my tank (contaminating the entire tank). That being said, the new discus are very active, involved in the pecking order, etc. They even eat, etc. The problem: They are terribly emancipated. The crazy part is that it's only those 2. The rest eat just as much but just are not like them.

what I've done so far:
water changes 2-3x a week.
Doesed with API general cure 3 times 48 hours apiece
After a week, did a 24 hr bath with Levemisole.

Today would be a week later when I was going to do another 24 hr bath but I wanted to get some opinions from the veterans here. Any advice will be appreciated. See attached: IMG_1098.jpgIMG_1099.jpgIMG_1100.jpgIMG_1101.jpgIMG_1102.jpgIMG_1103.jpgIMG_1104.jpg

[Akili]

Please complete questionnaire ................http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showth...lease-complete

[Heartbreaker]

DISEASE QUESTIONNAIRE


1. Please explain the problems with your fish. When did you notice the problems and did anything unusual happen that you think started them?
Emaciated/skinny but active. A more in depth description is listed in first post on thread. Noticed 6 weeks ago.

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).
Discus are just extremely skinny. Occasional darkness but otherwise very active.


3. What medications/ treatments have you already tried and what were the results. Include dosage and duration of treatment.
Please see the first post on this thread


Tank/Water

4. Tank size and ages, numbers and sizes of fish.
--116 gal, 11 discus. Between 5.5" - 3.5"


5. Water change regime (What percentage and how often).
25% 2-3 times a week


6. How long has tank been running? Is it bare bottom? If you have substrate, what type and how deep is it?
Running 2.5 years. Sand bottom. 2.5"


7. Do you age your water? If you do for how long and what is the ph swing.
water not aged. Treated with Seachem Prime. PH regulator installed w/CO2 due to previously having a planted aquarium.



8. Parameters and water source
Tap Water

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 (Just noticed) 78 (just raised to 83)

- ph 7.4

- ammonia reading ____

- nitrite reading ____

- nitrate reading ____

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 100%

- RO water ____


9. Any new fish, plants or inverts added recently.
See initial post

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.
See initial post

[Second Hand Pat]

At this point I would suggest feeding them really well. I would also up your water changes to 50% vs 25%. Did you contact the seller on the condition of the fish since you mentioned they arrived this way shipped?
Pat

[Akili]

You may be too late in treating them, Do you have a small tank say about 20 gallon size that you can move those two fish into?.

[Heartbreaker]

You may be too late in treating them, Do you have a small tank say about 20 gallon size that you can move those two fish into?.

Yeah I have a 25 Gallon tank. I've been dosing the entire tank since they were put in before they were quarantined.

[Akili]

Yeah I have a 25 Gallon tank. I've been dosing the entire tank since they were put in before they were quarantined.

I suggest you house the two sick ones in the 25 gallon tank and it will be easier to medicate and also to do very large water changes daily.

[LizStreithorst]

First off I would do what Pat said and contact the seller.

I would put the two fish in the 25. I would give them a good worming. Flubenol is safer with compromised fish but needs to be over dosed by half. Levasol is wonderful because it decimates the worms at the label dose and gives a boost to the immune system after treatment is over. Unfortunately, it's harder on on them during treatment, and I don't don't know if I'd risk making anything hard on these fish.

The good news is that your other fish aren't sick so you are just dealing only with the "usual suspects".

[LizStreithorst]

I forgot...when you are treating sick or fish with parasites change as much water as you can. It's an "out with the bad, in with the good" thing.

Good luck.

[Heartbreaker]

First off I would do what Pat said and contact the seller.

I would put the two fish in the 25. I would give them a good worming. Flubenol is safer with compromised fish but needs to be over dosed by half. Levasol is wonderful because it decimates the worms at the label dose and gives a boost to the immune system after treatment is over. Unfortunately, it's harder on on them during treatment, and I don't don't know if I'd risk making anything hard on these fish.

The good news is that your other fish aren't sick so you are just dealing only with the "usual suspects".

Ok I'm going to put them in the other aquarium tomorrow. But should I still continue to treat my main aquarium with the Levamisole?
Also, any good sources or recommendations for the Flubenol you mentioned?

[DJW]

Flubenol = flubendazole. Make sure it starts with 'FLU', there is another med with a similar spelling.

http://www.inkmkr.com/Fish/ItemsForSale.html

Liz can tell you more about dosing and a good way to dissolve it.

[Heartbreaker]

Flubenol = flubendazole. Make sure it starts with 'FLU', there is another med with a similar spelling.

http://www.inkmkr.com/Fish/ItemsForSale.html

Liz can tell you more about dosing and a good way to dissolve it.

Gotcha! And I think i know the medication you are talking about that looks exactly like it.

@Liz -- could you recommend an amount and dosage? I am going to see if I can get some sent expedited

[LizStreithorst]

I would dose at 1 1/2 times the recommended amount. Parasites become resistant to them the "bendazole" class of wormers but they are extremely safe. Change a ton of water every day and replace the amount of wormer you remove with WC every day. Here's a link that should answer your other questions. http://www.inkmkr.com/Fish/FlubendazoleTreatment.pdf

If these were my fish I would continue the Levasol treatment on the others. You know that worm eggs were being expelled by the skinny ones and picked up by the healthy ones. I'd nip the problem before it became a problem.

Good luck.

[Heartbreaker]

Thanks so much. I will definitely keep the thread posted to hopefully help others with the same problem--

Ok to make sure that got those right, after I move the skinny discus to the quarantine tank, dose them with be Flubenol at 1.5 recommended dose with tons of water changes
Meanwhile continue with the 24 HR Levamisole baths in the main tank.. correct?

[LizStreithorst]

The only way I've treated with Levamisole is a one day treatment. I treat once then change a ton of water. 2 weeks later I do the same and 2 weeks after that I do the same. Since you are doing this as a precaution I think 2 treatments 3 weeks apart would work. I've never done daily baths with Levamisole, but I don't know everything.