Sick discus need help

[artiniphone]

Hello everyone,

I'll get right to the point. One of my discus Is behaving oddly. He hides in the corner and floats with his head down. When I feed the group flakes, he starts to swim normal and eats lightly. Then he goes back to hiding while the other 4 go on with their day. I'm not sure if he's stressed from being picked on or has an internal parasite. I thought maybe it was bloat so I gave the entire tank an epsom bath for 3 days and started doing 25% daily water changes. My concern is that he constantly floats with his head down and sort of bends and leans toward one side. He also looks really skinny from the rest. If it is a parasite what medication should I use? I don't have a hospital tank so would it be okay to treat the entire tank? Please help I don't want to lose him. He was my first discus.

Also side note, I have a confirmed pair that have taken over half the tank and continue to lay eggs. The frys hatch and die after. This has been ongoing for 2 months now. Could this be a problem as well.
Ammonia-0
Ph - 7.0
Nitrite -0
Nitrate - 0
Tank - 45 gallon
Water changes every other day 20-25%
Temp - 86 degrees

[Ryan925]

How many fish do you have? 45 gallon is awful small especially with only every other day wc at 20%

You should really fill out the disease questionnaire it will really help to receive better information

[bluelagoon]

I would say get another water test kit cause the one your using is no good by the looks of your readings and up your WC's to 50-100% every day or at least every other day for starts.25% WC's are very small for a discus tank and will run into issues in time.

[artiniphone]

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

I bought my yellow discus first from the local fish store In 2016. I introduced the 5 from a different breeder 3 months ago. Everything seemed to be really well. In fact, 2 of the discus have paired and lated eggs and have had fry swimming around. However, just last week 1 of my blue diamond discus died. It did not show any signs of being sick. I woke up to find him dead. I quickly took him out and did a 80% water change. This was on 7/14/17. Not sure if the yellow one might have the same problem.

I'm aware that 45 gallon is too small for 5 discus. I am waiting for my other tank to cycle in order to move the breeding pair over. I think 3 discus in a 45 gallon will thrive. I'm hoping my little yellow will survive.


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).

He swims alone in the corner with his head down. He has gotten a lot more peppered then before. He is very skinny but continues to only eat small amounts of fish flakes. He sometimes swims on his side with his half body sort of bent. When he goes to get food, he swims normal but goes back to his corner. I did see a white feces in the water that looked like an empty shell of the bloodworm. Couldn't determine if it came from the yellow discus.


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

Epsom bath
Raised temperature to 92 degrees for 5 days

Tank/Water

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

45 gallon/ tall tank
Established since 2016
5 discus/ average size 4in
5. Water change regime (What percentage and how often).
25%30% water change 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?

For 1 year/ bare bottom

7. Do you age your water? If you do for how long and what is the ph swing.

I use filtered water and I let the water sit for 48 hours before introducing to the tank. PH level is around 7-7.5

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 86_____

- ph 7.2-7.5_____

- ammonia reading __0__

- nitrite reading __0__

- nitrate reading __0__

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 _0___

- municipal water __0__

- RO water __0__


9. Any new fish, plants or inverts added recently.

Nope

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.

I feed fish flakes and frozen bloodworms in small amounts 3 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.


Why do u think my api test kit is bad? Which test kit do u recommend?

[Ryan925]

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

I bought my yellow discus first from the local fish store In 2016. I introduced the 5 from a different breeder 3 months ago. Everything seemed to be really well. In fact, 2 of the discus have paired and lated eggs and have had fry swimming around. However, just last week 1 of my blue diamond discus died. It did not show any signs of being sick. I woke up to find him dead. I quickly took him out and did a 80% water change. This was on 7/14/17. Not sure if the yellow one might have the same problem.

I'm aware that 45 gallon is too small for 5 discus. I am waiting for my other tank to cycle in order to move the breeding pair over. I think 3 discus in a 45 gallon will thrive. I'm hoping my little yellow will survive.


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).

He swims alone in the corner with his head down. He has gotten a lot more peppered then before. He is very skinny but continues to only eat small amounts of fish flakes. He sometimes swims on his side with his half body sort of bent. When he goes to get food, he swims normal but goes back to his corner. I did see a white feces in the water that looked like an empty shell of the bloodworm. Couldn't determine if it came from the yellow discus.


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

Epsom bath
Raised temperature to 92 degrees for 5 days

Tank/Water

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

45 gallon/ tall tank
Established since 2016
5 discus/ average size 4in
5. Water change regime (What percentage and how often).
25%30% water change 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?

For 1 year/ bare bottom

7. Do you age your water? If you do for how long and what is the ph swing.

I use filtered water and I let the water sit for 48 hours before introducing to the tank. PH level is around 7-7.5

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 86_____

- ph 7.2-7.5_____

- ammonia reading __0__

- nitrite reading __0__

- nitrate reading __0__

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 _0___

- municipal water __0__

- RO water __0__


9. Any new fish, plants or inverts added recently.

Nope

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.

I feed fish flakes and frozen bloodworms in small amounts 3 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.


Why do u think my api test kit is bad? Which test kit do u recommend?

I think the suggestion about the test kit is due to your 0 nitrate reading. A cycled tank should never show 0 nitrate especially one that is potentially overstocked with few small water changes. I would expect nitrates to be high rather than 0. Get a seachem nitrate test. Much easier to use and less room for error or take a water sample to a trusted lfs.

[artiniphone]

I went and bought another api test kit since it was the only thing they had and my nitrate is still between 0 and .25. I have a fluval 406 and I keep my tank very clean. I don't get what this has to do with my discus"s illness but thank you for responding to the thread.

[Ryan925]

I went and bought another api test kit since it was the only thing they had and my nitrate is still between 0 and .25. I have a fluval 406 and I keep my tank very clean. I don't get what this has to do with my discus"s illness but thank you for responding to the thread.

It's just the more information you provide the better. The more info people have the easier it is to help with suggestions

You said 0-.25? That is the nitrite test not nitrate. The should have 0 nitrite. What is nitrate ?

[bluelagoon]

High nitrates can tell you that you need greater WC's.Along with nitrates the other things in the tank will increase as well.Most of these other things I'm talking about would be pathogens like harmful bacteria,viruses and even urea.No amount of filtration will eliminate these things.The nitrates in your tank are higher than what the test kit says.

[bluelagoon]

Simply high nitrates and dirty water will stress discus and often wind up with bacterial infections like hex.Even tho water looks clear it is not clean.

[artiniphone]

I tested it again this morning and it
Reads Nitrite 0. Nitrate 5.0

[Ryan925]

I would suggest large daily changes for a week or two and see if the fish changes behavior. Often times that's all it takes. In the meantime monitor the fish for white poop or anything of that nature

[artiniphone]

Ok just wanted to give a quick update. First of all, thank you everyone for replying to my post I appreciate you taking the time to help me. So My yellow discus is still not doing well . I don't know what to do at this point. He has stopped eating and continues to hide in a corner. He continues to swim with his head down. He has become really skinny and I don't think I have much more time to figure this out. I checked my water parameters and they're perfect. I took your advice and did daily 30% water changes. Now my other discus is pooping wierd. His poop is long and stringy. I feed them frozen bloodworms and flakes in small amounts 3x a day.I can't understand where this is coming from. He's not showing any signs of being distressed but I've read that long stringy poop is a sign of baterial infection. I uploaded a picture I hope someone can help me figure this out. What baterial medication can I buy or do to completely medicate my entire tank.
Last water test
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5.0
Ph 6.8
Temp 85 degrees

yellow sick.jpgstringy poop.jpgstringy poop2.jpg

[Ryan925]

Ok just wanted to give a quick update. First of all, thank you everyone for replying to my post I appreciate you taking the time to help me. So My yellow discus is still not doing well . I don't know what to do at this point. He has stopped eating and continues to hide in a corner. He continues to swim with his head down. He has become really skinny and I don't think I have much more time to figure this out. I checked my water parameters and they're perfect. I took your advice and did daily 30% water changes. Now my other discus is pooping wierd. His poop is long and stringy. I feed them frozen bloodworms and flakes in small amounts 3x a day.I can't understand where this is coming from. He's not showing any signs of being distressed but I've read that long stringy poop is a sign of baterial infection. I uploaded a picture I hope someone can help me figure this out. What baterial medication can I buy or do to completely medicate my entire tank.
Last water test
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5.0
Ph 6.8
Temp 85 degrees

yellow sick.jpgstringy poop.jpgstringy poop2.jpg

Long white stringy poop can indicate something such as hex. You may want to treat entire tank with metro or just isolate the single fish and treat it.

If you are trying to rule out water quality 30% really isn't enough. When we say large daily changes its 50% minimum but usually up to 80%

On a different note I would suggest feeding your fish more of a varied and nutritious diet. Bloodworms are going to be mostly water. Consider varying there diet with fdbw and high quality pellets

[artiniphone]

I did a 50% water change today, took out the carbon from the filter and added 500mg of Metronidazole. Im planning on dosing every over day for the next 4 days along with 50% water changes. Anything else needed?

[bluelagoon]

Make sure you treat for a least 10 days of metro;two weeks would be better.4 days of antibiotics would not be long enough to kill off the bacteria that's causing an infection.If that's what it is.