help 2nd Discus swimming at top of tank

[PorcelainChina59]

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?

4 days ago one of my 11 7 week old discus started swimming mostly at the top of the tank, rarely eating. I added salt and did an extra 50% water change and it perked up, or so I thought. The next morning it was dead laying on the bottom of the tank. Now 3 days later another one is doing the same thing. Whats going on and what can I do?


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).

Swimming at the top of tank and rarely eating.


3. What medications/ treatments have you already tried and what were the results. Include dosage and duration of treatment.
Salt 1/2 aquarium !/2 epsom
% water change and tank wipe down.


Tank/Water

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

10gal
2 months old tank
10 nickel, quarter and half dollar size (same hatchings/delivery just different types of discus and growth rate from dime sized)


5. Water change regime (What percentage and how often).
25-30% 5 times a day
every other day 75-90% with wipe down
clean sponge filters once a week and heater

6. How long has tank been running? Is it bare bottom? If you have substrate, what type and how deep is it?
running for 2 1/2 months
BB


7. Do you age your water? If you do for how long and what is the ph swing.
aged water for at least 4 hours
well water ph 6.8 at tap and 7.3 aged


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

- ph _____ 7.3

- ammonia reading ____0

- nitrite reading ____0

- nitrate reading ____5

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 ____ well water 100%

- municipal water ____

- RO water ____

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

NO
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.

Grand Champion Discus graduals ground between my fingers and soaked in water first.



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.

discus at top for simply.jpg

[PorcelainChina59]

that's 75% water change

[PorcelainChina59]

Ok...I didn't want to lose another fish so I started what I usually do when I quarantine new fish...treat with 200 mg Erythromycin for bacterial infections and 250 mg metronidazole and 75 mg praziquantel for parasite infestations. I see NO ick so not going to treat for that at this time. I have stopped feeding them for the night. (I usually wake and feed them once through the night) and turned on a deep blue light to destress them. I also tuned up the heat to 86 so I added another bubbler to help with oxygen. I hope ...crossing fingers ...that none are dead in the morning. ( I will probably still wake and check on them through the night)

[PorcelainChina59]

Checked in on them and the aiing one is swimming at top and mid level but I still haven't seen it eat. (I gave them a little food to see). I'm not going to change water until morning and than add/re-medicate them for the amount of replaced water. If anyone has different information, please post it.

[Second Hand Pat]

Hi Patti, I think the only thing I would have done is add salt and maybe a dechlorintor. Fry at this age are extremely fragile and anytime you medicate them it can kick them back big time growth wise. I hope this guy makes it.
Pat

[jeep]

I was thinking the same thing but you say you use 100% well water? Spending time at the surface of the tank can be a sign of ammonia. But you said ammonia is 0. Water qualities in the winter time can fluctuate drastically, even well water. I wonder if there could possibly another toxin in the water.

Try adding 3 TBS salt per 10g and see if there is any change...

[danotaylor]

Sorry about your situation Patti. I cannot help with the fry as I have no experience to do so, but when I was on well water I ran all my water change water through a carbon filter because we were in a farming area. I was concerned chemicals could leech into the water table. We drank soften RO water. I ran a spigot off the well pre softener so I didn't salt my fish, and through the carbon to remove any nasties.

[Tuterosso]

use non ionized salt 100g on 100Litre and make only 1 WC on day discus fish prefef clean old water

[PorcelainChina59]

Hi Patti, I think the only thing I would have done is add salt and maybe a dechlorintor. Fry at this age are extremely fragile and anytime you medicate them it can kick them back big time growth wise. I hope this guy makes it.
Pat

I added 1/2 tbsp epsom and 1/2 tbsp aquarium salt at the start before I asked for help. I believe I said that in the questionnaire--yep under meds given already. No chlorine but added prime just in case it is a false reading on ammonia

[PorcelainChina59]

I was thinking the same thing but you say you use 100% well water? Spending time at the surface of the tank can be a sign of ammonia. But you said ammonia is 0. Water qualities in the winter time can fluctuate drastically, even well water. I wonder if there could possibly another toxin in the water.

Try adding 3 TBS salt per 10g and see if there is any change...

No farm even close here in alaska but with the earthquake we have been double filtering our water already. Thanks for good advice though...that much salt with 7 week olds???

[PorcelainChina59]

Sorry about your situation Patti. I cannot help with the fry as I have no experience to do so, but when I was on well water I ran all my water change water through a carbon filter because we were in a farming area. I was concerned chemicals could leech into the water table. We drank soften RO water. I ran a spigot off the well pre softener so I didn't salt my fish, and through the carbon to remove any nasties.

we are double filtering our water since the earthquake here in alaska. great advice thought thanks.

[PorcelainChina59]

Fry at this age are extremely fragile and anytime you medicate them it can kick them back big time growth wise. I hope this guy makes it.
Pat

I know but something is going on and I've tried everything I know to do but medicate. It isn't worth size to lose them all. I just hope they don't look stunted. I am hoping they are young enough that I can help them recover. I'm dedicated if nothing. I've been known to get up every two hours with my fish and others not to sleep at all. They're my babies...well some of my babies...My Yorkies/Morkies are also.

[PorcelainChina59]

Little guy we'll call it is now swimming mid and bottom levels but did not eat. I also noticed one other fish is now not eating. I did add another 1/2 tbsp of salt. 1/2 epsom and 1/2 aquarium salt. If I do add any more salt without removing and adding water it will be just aquarium salt but I'm leery of 3 tbsp for 10 gallons with such young fish. Please weigh in.
Also the thing that stumps me the most is that the earthquake happened 2 days after getting these guys and the water was way worse than for sediments...not toxins. (we had it tested) We started double filtering the water then and haven't stopped. They have been fine, not growing evenly but not quite 8 weeks and some are the size of a half dollar easy. So what has changed? I've thought and thought...cleaned tank bucket that ages the water etc. Is there such thing as parasites that develops as the fry do or reach a certain age. I know at 4 weeks they need to be treated and these were 4 days before they were shipped to me. I asked. I am missing something but not sure what. I am beginning to think it could be the filtration we started after the earthquake. I'm having the water retested at well at the kitchen sink after filtration and in the bucket after aged. Can anyone think of anything else please. I'm willing to try all things at this point. I don't like losing fish but especially when I don't know why.

[PorcelainChina59]

use non ionized salt 100g on 100Litre and make only 1 WC on day discus fish prefef clean old water

Ok so about 3 tbsps to 10 gallons....and this isn't a bath but actually in the tank?

[fljones3]

Ok so about 3 tbsps to 10 gallons....and this isn't a bath but actually in the tank?

For medicinal purposes, I use 1 tbsp per gallon. Now, I don't know about babies. Al might help here.