Pair Health Worries

[chrisc]

https://youtu.be/LACn5FHsLZE

Id love some input from more experienced discus keepers! Dont forget to set the video settings to 1080p for added visual quality!

Thanks guys, im just not sure if theres anything to worry about but my gut tells me there is. Then again, i half way expect to find all my fish dead everytime i go in to check on them in the mornings! I worry a lot!

Chris

[Filip]

Ill have to agree with your gut here Chris . There is def. something suspicious in their behaviour here and the red cover looks too pale .
I didn't catch, for how long do you have them ?
They are very nice looking fish , but I wouldn't hurry to mix them with the rest until I see some improvement in their behaviour .

[chrisc]

Ill have to agree with your gut here Chris . There is def. something suspicious in their behaviour here and the red cover looks too pale .
I didn't catch, for how long do you have them ?
They are very nice looking fish , but I wouldn't hurry to mix them with the rest until I see some improvement in their behaviour .

Filip! Youre always there when i need some help! Thanks I picked them up almost 4 days ago. Theyre getting the same food they got at their previous home. Theyve had 3 batches of fry. Yeah, if i knew they werent sick and it was just mood problems, i would just move them up with the happy fish...

None of the other parameters have changed really from the last home to my home. The only difference would be that they were getting chlorinated city water (then dechlorinated of course) and here they get non-chlorinated city water. Hardness and ph are roughly the same. Temps are the same. Ammonia, nitrates and nitrites all read 0... Any thoughts as to what might be wrong?

[chrisc]

Seems like they needed some substrate to feel at home. This will do for now at least until i pair the bottom of the tank.

https://youtu.be/vNyWGK9Ku9k

[Altum Nut]

They look more active now then the previous vid but have to question your reading 0 Nitrates? Was the tank cycled ?

...Ralph

[chrisc]

They look more active now then the previous vid but have to question your reading 0 Nitrates? Was the tank cycled ?

...Ralph

Hey Ralph,
It should have been cycled. I put a couple sponge filters in the tank that had been with the other discus. I know not great for cross contamination but that was two weeks before the pair arrived. Might not have been enough time i dont know. I do 80% water changes twice a day though. Even if it is cycled, that could cause a 0 nitrate reading right?

Chris

[Filip]

They look better at this new video Chris.
Maybe the BB mirror effect explains the head standing position of the red cover if he was kept with sand bottom previously.
Maybe they catch something minor from the other discus via the sponge and they need some time for their immune system to overcome the issue .
Whatever it is I would just wait and observe for now and try not to mix equipment or water drops with other discus tanks in your room .
I'm hoping for the best for this beautiful pair and I can imagine a very interesting offspring from them in future .

[Altum Nut]

Hey Ralph,
It should have been cycled. I put a couple sponge filters in the tank that had been with the other discus. I know not great for cross contamination but that was two weeks before the pair arrived. Might not have been enough time i dont know. I do 80% water changes twice a day though. Even if it is cycled, that could cause a 0 nitrate reading right?

Chris

At this point I would agree with Filip and observe them.
It could be that your seeded sponges could have lost all beneficial bacteria left in tank for 2 weeks.
I'm no water chemist but if you have beneficial bacteria doing their job, you'll have dissolved nitrates in the water. Even a very large water change performed regularly will leave some trace of nitrogen in the water.

...Ralph