Need help - sick discus almost dying

[Newdiscuslover]

Last year on december 1st, I got 11 discus and I already lost two of them.
Now I guess I’ll loose the third one and this fish is not eating for several weeks.
I already treated my tank water with Seachem Paraguard but the fish is still sick, not eating and with several black spots all over the body.
Can anyone tell me what kind of disease is that and how to treat ?
Please, all advices are welcome.
My tank details:
Main tank 40 gal + 30 gal sump
pH: from 6.9 to 7.3
I use RO/DI water mineralized with Seachem Equilibrum since last week.
Before I was using RO + RO waste mix.
Water temperature: 85.8 to 86.1
Water change: 90% 2x day

[Newdiscuslover]

Bump
Please, help.
Any advice is welcome.

[Second Hand Pat]

Hi newdiscuslover, the black spotting on your fish is called peppering and is not uncommon on pigeon blood discus which is what you have. However I also understand that peppering on PB can be caused by stress. Can you please give us some more details on your tank, fish, water, water changes and feeding? The fish pictured does look thin. Is it being picked on? What's your temp?
Pat

[Newdiscuslover]

Thank tou very much for your reply.
The fish died yesterday but it was the third I lost with black spots.
My tank is a 40 gal with another 40 gal sump.
I started with 11 fishes on last year december 1st and now I have 8.
Water changes twice a day but now ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are almost zero, so I make water changes once a day.
Temp is between 85.8 to 86.1.
I feed 3 times a day with home made food (beef heart and other things, the food I made from King of DIY video).
The fish from the picture wasn’t eat for several weeks but the others are doing well.

[Second Hand Pat]

Do you age your water before using it to do water changes? Sorry about losing the fish.
Pat

[Newdiscuslover]

Yes, I have a 250 gal tank and I keep aeration 24/7. When I make water changes, I add 2 and half tea spoons of Seachem Equilibrium. I don’t if this product is good to mineralize RODI water. Do you have any sugestion ?

[Second Hand Pat]

So you had measurable ammonia and nitrite. When did the ammonia and nitrite go to zero? I am guessing your started with a uncycled tank? and then used water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrite down? Please note that ammonia and nitrite are stress factors for young fish.

ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are almost zero

How do you test your water (strips or liquid)? Do you have ammonia and nitrite in your source water? When you add the Seachem Equilibrium what TDS are you targeting? Also do you treat the water with prime or safe? How old is your carbon block and RO membrane in your RO unit?
Pat

[Newdiscuslover]

Tank was cycled 45 days before add the fishes. Water tests with API test kit. I know how dangerous are ammonia and nitrate. I have saltwater tanks for 15 years and my wife asked me to start a tank with discus. My water is RODI and everything is zero, I take care of the water because I use the same freshwater to prepare saltwater for my reef tanks. After add Seachem Equilibrium, TDS is around 180. I don’t treat my water with Prime, Safe or Cloram-x but I test the RODI water every time I fill my 250 gal tank. Carbon blocks, DI and membranes are changed every 2 months and my RO unit has one year of usage. But I saw many and many times another discus bullying the died one. Maybe was the bullying the stress factor ?

[14Discus]

Sorry for loss.

Just a couple of thoughts. What is your KH. Seachem Equilibrium just adds GH. If your PH is moving much, the KH may be too low. I agree, the black spots r not a concern in these fish as they do pepper up some. After testing parameters of Tap and RO, I use four parts RO to one part Tap making my ph, KH, and GH constant. I then make my water mixture into a thirty g tub, heat it to the 86 and aerate it for the next wc. Is your tank a 40 or 250....I kinda got confused as you have mentioned both sizes. What r the rest of your fish like? Any signs of trouble? Paraguard is for external parasites....if your fish is not eating, then perhaps you have to approach it w something like metro and prazipro....like API General Cure. Are your fish feces white and stringy? I am merely asking and tossing out ideas as an investigation of sorts. I'm not an expert or anything, but 90% changes two times a day may be just a bit too much.....imo. Let us know how things come out w the rest of the fish. Lastly, the three things I most closely monitor are ph, KH, and GH assuming the NH3 (bad Ammonia) is at or near zero. Remember that the API Test is for total Ammonia....NH3 and Ammonium(which is not a big concern). Get the NH3 kit from Seachem and you'll know the exact levels of the toxic bad Ammonia.

[Second Hand Pat]

Yes, I have a 250 gal tank and I keep aeration 24/7. When I make water changes, I add 2 and half tea spoons of Seachem Equilibrium. I don’t if this product is good to mineralize RODI water. Do you have any sugestion ?

What is your TDS after adding the Seachem Equilibrium to the 250 gal tank? and your KH/GH?

Sorry for loss.

Just a couple of thoughts. What is your KH. Seachem Equilibrium just adds GH. If your PH is moving much, the KH may be too low. I agree, the black spots r not a concern in these fish as they do pepper up some. After testing parameters of Tap and RO, I use four parts RO to one part Tap making my ph, KH, and GH constant. I then make my water mixture into a thirty g tub, heat it to the 86 and aerate it for the next wc. Is your tank a 40 or 250....I kinda got confused as you have mentioned both sizes. What r the rest of your fish like? Any signs of trouble? Paraguard is for external parasites....if your fish is not eating, then perhaps you have to approach it w something like metro and prazipro....like API General Cure. Are your fish feces white and stringy? I am merely asking and tossing out ideas as an investigation of sorts. I'm not an expert or anything, but 90% changes two times a day may be just a bit too much.....imo. Let us know how things come out w the rest of the fish. Lastly, the three things I most closely monitor are ph, KH, and GH assuming the NH3 (bad Ammonia) is at or near zero. Remember that the API Test is for total Ammonia....NH3 and Ammonium(which is not a big concern). Get the NH3 kit from Seachem and you'll know the exact levels of the toxic bad Ammonia.

This is a good point? but you did say you are still doing one WC per day? What percentage?

Also currently all the fish are eating and look good?