White poo and hiding

[Jaybug]

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?

The problem happened 2 weeks after introducing a new discus to the show tank. The fish that is sick is not the new fish; about two weeks after I introduced the new fish, my older Pigeon blood started hiding and not eating. He also has long stringy white poo.

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).

Inflamed gills, long white poo, rubs against plants at times and hides in the corner.

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

2 Levimisole treatments at 8 days apart with kaniplex dosed at 3 doses 2 days apart each in between levimisole treatments.

After that I let tank rest for two days and started metro treatment for 10 days, day 6 I started 4 days of heat at 96. Brought temp back to 87 and Let tank rest for a week and still no improvement.

Currently running prazipro( been running for 4 days now.

Only improvement is the fish’s gills are less inflamed and breathing has slowed to normal. Fish is still pooping long stringy white poo.

Tank/Water

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

75 gallon, 10 stendeker discus majority are about 4 inch

5. Water change regime (What percentage and how often). Every day if I can, if not everyday then at least every other day. I always water change on weekends, sometimes during the week it’s 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? 2 years, sand bottom about 1-2 inch deep.


7. Do you age your water? If you do for how long and what is the ph swing. Yes, 24hours. Ph swing is minimal. Out of tap is 7.1 tank is 6.7.


8. What type/brand water conditioner do you use? Do you add it to the tank or aging barrel? How much do you use? I use prime, I add it to the barrel right before I water change. 10ml for the 75 gallon tank.


9. 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 ___87__

- ph ____6.7_

- 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 ____

- municipal water _x___

- RO water ____


10. Any new fish, plants or inverts added recently.
Yes, problem started two weeks after I added a fire red stendeker

11. 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.
Discus Hans beefheart and cobalt discus Hans flakes



12. 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.

[LizStreithorst]

How much metro did you dose every day. The dosage on the label is no longer enough for Discus. We recommend doubling it and going a few days longer. We suggest 500 mg metro daily for 10 to 12 days with large WC every day. It's a case of out with the bad and in with the good.

Since the PB is the only fish showing symptoms and you've already thrown a bunch of meds at all the fish, I'd suggest moving the sick fish to a BB tank, turning the heat up to over 90 and treating with metro again.

[Jaybug]

I bought the metro from jehmco. 2 tsp for the 75 gallon tank. I believe that would be a 500mg treatment?

[LizStreithorst]

That would have been more than enough, especially since you raised the heat for several days. I'm sorry, I am at a loss.

[Jaybug]

I am at a loss as well. I think I’m going to finish the prazipro treatment and then if he is still not eating I’ll do another heat treatment, but this time extend the heat for 7-10 days. Do you think that’s long enough and should I do another round of metro? Or just go straight heat?

[LizStreithorst]

Man, I donno. This fish has has a lot of meds. I think that if it were mine I'd do heat only for 12 days, but I'm not about to tell you it will work. Could you post a pic? It might help.

[Jaybug]

Liz thank you for reaching out and commenting with advice. The members on this site used to be so helpful. Wish I would have received more responses.

[jeep]

At this point, I would finish the PraziPro, or better yet get some pure prazi. But that's not all...

I would be more concerned about correcting the heavy breathing first off. Are you seeing a gill infection or are you suspecting flukes? I'd like to see a photo, possibly a close up of the gill.

In addition to the Prazi, I would add about 5-6 TBS salt per 10g during this treatment. Salt will help with breathing and sooth the gills. After the breathing is good, give it a weeks rest then I would return to high heat, but 96 is a little extreme and 4 days is not long enough. Turn it up to 93 and keep it there for 10-12 days. You can probably add the metro back in @ 1/4 tsp per 20g, but many times the heat alone will take care of hex. During the heat treatment, add salt @ 3-4 TBS per 10g.

Sorry, I hadn't seen your post yet...

[JamesW]

Have you seen the fish eating? If so then it isn't time to give up just yet.

I've never treated for worms but isn't that sort of a one and done type dose? I thought the dewormers (levimisole and prazi) were extremely effective?

Kaniplex and metro can be safely administered together, kaniplex I dose according to the instructions on the label redosing for the water removed during the WC and metro I dose at 500 mg/10 gallon for 10 days total.

[Sturiosoma]

Try changing your food and feed a good vegi flake such as omi super kelp flakes or some Nori seaweed.

Jeanne

[peewee1]

2 tsp would be 10,000mg, would it not? Did you mean .2 which would be 1,000mg?

[Mando]

In addition to the Prazi, I would add about 5-6 TBS salt per 10g during this treatment. Salt will help with breathing and sooth the gills.

^ salt +++. This is perfect remedy for inflamed gills.

One of my wilds was being bullied and I realized it was due to an overstocked tank. I separated him and treated metro (1.5g per 30g) for two weeks straight, salt 2TBS per 10gs, and temp at 89. I skipped on feeding. Do not even try feeding on this phase or you'll just foul the water. I did daily 50% water changes. I took 4 discus from maintank and took them to my local neighborhood fish farm and added the wild back in. Everything went back to normal.

if your fish was healthy to begin with, he can go a few weeks without eating. Finish the prazi and let the fish rest at least a week before continuing with meds, do continue with the salt/WC. IMO

For future stock: quarantine for 6 weeks. Add one fish from your main tank into the quarantine tank for another 2 weeks and if not adverse effect, then put them both back into main tank. Usually the new fish you introduce will not be the likely one to get sick. The new fish can come from a reputable breeder but keep in mind that there are many strains of bacteria and your fish may not have an immunity towards the new fish you introduced or vise/versa.