Discus plague (black disease)

[DiscusJerry]

Hi, I bought 3 new discus at the fish swap and does not know it was imported from Asia until later. Now all my fish got sick. I have two discus tanks and they all got infected. 1 dead so far and the symptoms started 4 days ago. I just treated the two tanks with API Furan-2 for two days. Temperature raise to 86 deg with power head and sponge filter. Second days after treatment the fish seem to be better and started eating slowly. They are still swimming slow and wobbly but i can see that they recovered nicely.

Questions:
1. How long should I continue treating them? I heard 5 days.
2. Will this virus stay in my house forever with these fish? Let said, after a couple of months will this infect new fish if I get them?
3. People saying this virus can airborne, so does it still infected my fish tank once I bring the fish in the house and have them in the qt?

[Akili]

Please fill out this questionnaire so that you can be helped, copy and paste with your answers ...........http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showth...lease-complete

[LizStreithorst]

Lower them temp to 82, turn out the lights, and fill out the form, please.

[DiscusJerry]

Problem

1. Please explain the problems with your fish. When did you notice the problems and did anything unusual happen that you think started them?

Introduce 3 new fish from Asia on 4/23 and 3 days later symptom started.

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).

On day 3, (4/27) some of the fish in the tank started to clamp fin, started to hide, fin turn dark and white mucus on slime coat floating around. Day 4, more fish show symptom and stop eating and also swim wobbly. Day 5, the fish show symptom first die. The second 55g started to show symptom too.

The 3 new fish from Asia were fine, no issue at this point. They were eating and swimming around.

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

On 4/29, I started API Furan-2, with 50% water change and increase temperature from 84 to 86 deg. 7 bags in a 75g tank and remove the filter. Add sponge filter and power head. 4/30 Do another 50% water change and added 3 bags of Furan-2. Fish show improvement and started to swim and eat a little. Feed two time a day with bloodworm only.

Tank/Water

4. Tank size and ages, numbers and sizes of fish.
75g and 55g a couple of years, but just switch over to Discus 1 year ago. 75g with 8, 3-4" Discus. I have two type of discus and it seem like it only affect the Strenker The other seem to be ok.

55g with 9, 1-2" Streaker and blue Cobalt discus

5. Water change regime (What percentage and how often).
50% every two days.

6. How long has tank been running? Is it bare bottom? If you have substrate, what type and how deep is it?
1 year with Discus. 2" sand substrate with a few big rock.

7. Do you age your water? If you do for how long and what is the ph swing.
80% RO mix 20% tap and prime. Age for at least 1 day heated and circulation. PH 7.2-7.5

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 _____84 deg

- ph _____ 7.2-7.5

- 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 ____

- RO water ____80% RO 20% tap


9. Any new fish, plants or inverts added recently.
3 New fish from Asia

10. Please tell us what you feed your fish and how often. This can be critical information for solving the problem so be as specific as you can.

Beefheart and bloodworm. 4 times a day.

11. 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.

[DiscusJerry]

Lower them temp to 82, turn out the lights, and fill out the form, please.

I am doing the opposite, increase to 86deg. Why decrease?

[LizStreithorst]

If it's bacterial the bacteria grow faster in warmer water.

It sounds like you are doing everything right. See if the Stendkers continue to do better after treatment. If so, it was a bacterial issue. you have treated it successfully and it is now gone. If more problems present themselves you may have a virus. I hope not.

[DiscusJerry]

If it's bacterial the bacteria grow faster in warmer water.

It sounds like you are doing everything right. See if the Stendkers continue to do better after treatment. If so, it was a bacterial issue. you have treated it successfully and it is now gone. If more problems present themselves you may have a virus. I hope not.

Thanks LizSteithorst, do you think it was bacterial? The fish die within 5 days tho. I thought it was the virus. The new fish from Asia show no symptoms whatsoever and I thought it because their body has antidote.

[LizStreithorst]

If the Stendkers get better and don't come down with hex or other health problems it was just bacterial. That's likely the case. Discus Plague is something we see rarely these days. Don't go looking for a Zebra when what you are most likely seeing is a horse.

Do you know how long the guy you bought from had these fish in his tanks or do you have no relationship with him other than your purchase at the swap? If he's importer, do you know what exporter he buy from?

[Akili]

Any reason why you can not use straight tap water for water changes instead of RO mix?

[DiscusJerry]

LizStreithorst- ok, it make sense. The seller is an importer and I don't know the guy. I know it was imported after I contacted him about the health of the fish and he said he has the fish for a few day. I don't think he treated the fish before sale because of the fish swap. It was very skinny and not healthy. I didn't know until it is in the tank. I should have quarantine the fish before introducing into the community tank. An expensive lesson.

Akili- my tab water ph is around 8 and very hard water. there is an built up like sand around the bucket if i let it sit for a day. I have water softener but still not able to keep Discus. Before using RO my discus keep dying even though I am aging the water and using prime. After doing RO mix zero fish die until now. I am new to discus but keeping and breeding cichlids for long time.