Sick Discus - Lost 2 in 3 days

[chris_1973]

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?
Some of my discus started to poop white. All 7 are now hiding in a corner. They wont eat unless its bloodworm. I;m now actually down to 5 as I lost 2 in the last 3 days. It started about 1 week ago.

I lost my first 2 inch Blue Diamond 3 days ago. It turned black and died. It had been pooping white
Yesterday i went and bought a 10g hospital tank and moved the remaining 6 discus to it. ( 82 temp, 0 NH3, 0 NO2, 0 NO3).
Today when I got up my 3 inch blue diamond had died. I’m not sure if it had white poop, but it had stopped eating.


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).
-White poop from some (white segmented poop)
-not eating
-hiding
-blue diamond one turn black before death


3. What medications/ treatments have you already tried and what were the results. Include dosage and duration of treatment.
- No meds yet. I did get some medicated food from the LFS (very expensive) and it has Metro in it to fight parasites/HEX. I’m at work so I can’t remember the name.
- I do have API General cure on the way. Its now dammed in Canada so I’m getting a family member to ship it up
-I've been adding Epsom salt to the water



Tank/Water

4. Tank size and ages, numbers and sizes of fish.
-75gallon tank up and running for a few months
-was 7 now 5 discus all 2-3 inchs. I’ve had them a month now
-9 cardinal tetras
-1 male 1 female Appisto Aggazizi
-1 yoyo loach
-1 L190 Royal Pleco 2.5 inchs



5. Water change regime (What percentage and how often). At least 25% change 3-4 times a week


6. How long has tank been running? Is it bare bottom? If you have substrate, what type and how deep is it?
75 gallon (Main tank)
Planted tank, with sand substrate and wood (Main Tank)

The remaining 5 are now in a 10 G hospital tank (bare)

7. Do you age your water? If you do for how long and what is the ph swing. NO


8. What type/brand water conditioner do you use? Do you add it to the tank or aging barrel? How much do you use?
Prime


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 _____ 82

- ph _____ 8

- 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 ____no

- municipal water ____yes

- RO water ____no


10. Any new fish, plants or inverts added recently.
L190 Royal was added 2 weeks ago


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.
Started with Blood Worm and Brine shrimp (frozen). . I tried beef heart mix but they didn’t seem to like it and it made a mess of the tank.
I now feed Omega pellets or bug bites, but I’m now trying to get them on the medicated food (fights HEX. Contains metro)



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.

Upload won't work from my office.

[Mando]

You have 0 nitrates? or you have not tested it? You may need 100% metro as the other meds are not pure.

To upload photos, send them to your self in an email so you can resize them. Take a full tank shot so we can see the substrate levels and a few of the discus. If you get your hands on pure metro, run the course 7-10 days 500mg per 10 gals. I dose 1.5grams in my 30g. Do this without skipping a day. Since they are not eating and they are in a 10g, I'd avoid feeding to keep the water as clean as possible.

What is surprising to me is that they died so quickly. Usually a discus with hex will last at least a month. I'm not sure I'd keep all 5 in a 10g either as it is hard to keep the water stable in a 10 gallon.

Did you get the other fish from the same discus source? did you QT the fish?

[chris_1973]

My 75 had 0 Nitrates. Unless there's something wrong with my test kit, thats what it showed. It is heavy planted though.
I can't get Metro in Canada anymore from the pet store. Health Canada was kind enough to ban all the good meds for some unknown reason. I'm lucky enough to get a family member to ship up general cure. They are looking for Metro as well.

My thought on keeping all 5 in the 10 gallon was to treat them all as they are all acting strange (hiding and not eating). I will do 50-75% water changes daily.

[LizStreithorst]

They can get pure metro from Jehmco.

[Mando]

Try to get the pure med from Jehmco asap and do 500mg/10 gallon. What I'm worried about is the current fish in your display tank potentially reinfecting them once they are back in and also, what got them sick to begin with. Did you buy all your fish from the same source? did you qt? was it your water quality? is your substrate really thick? when did you add the other fish? I know the pleco was added two weeks ago and then your problems started. Not sure if it correlates at all but it's worth the thought. Lets try to figure that out so you do not go through this again.

[LizStreithorst]

Do you have any alternitive to treating in the display tank? Even an unused bathtub would do. I used a 50 gallon watering trough once in a pinch.

[Mando]

Do you have any alternitive to treating in the display tank? Even an unused bathtub would do. I used a 50 gallon watering trough once in a pinch.

Good idea, or one of those 30g totes from lowes or homedepot.

[Sturiosoma]

I would throughly check my water parameters that being tank ph compared to my water change source whether I age my water or not, and your kh ,long before I dump a bunch of meds in your tank ,in your post you say your do at least 25% water change 3 to 4 times a week, what is at least.

Jeanne

[LizStreithorst]

You're right Jeanne. Too many fish with too little WC and he didn't answer some important water questions. But let's let him get over this first hurtle before we tackle the other stuff.

[chris_1973]

Try to get the pure med from Jehmco asap and do 500mg/10 gallon. What I'm worried about is the current fish in your display tank potentially reinfecting them once they are back in and also, what got them sick to begin with. Did you buy all your fish from the same source? did you qt? was it your water quality? is your substrate really thick? when did you add the other fish? I know the pleco was added two weeks ago and then your problems started. Not sure if it correlates at all but it's worth the thought. Lets try to figure that out so you do not go through this again.

I will try and order the meds. Hopefully they'll ship to Canada.
My Pleco, Appisto's and Discus all came from the same source ( FIN Gallery in Calgary) raised in Calgary water. The tetra's and yoyo from Petsmart. They were the first fish in. Nothing went into QT because up until yesterday i only had the one tank. New fish will get QT now after all this.
My water quality seems OK based on the test results. PH is 8. My substrate isn't thick, i know that sand can trap gas pockets so it's only about an inch to inch and a half.

[chris_1973]

Do you have any alternitive to treating in the display tank? Even an unused bathtub would do. I used a 50 gallon watering trough once in a pinch.

No but i'll figure something out. What should i treat it for? they all seem to be doing fine

[chris_1973]

I would throughly check my water parameters that being tank ph compared to my water change source whether I age my water or not, and your kh ,long before I dump a bunch of meds in your tank ,in your post you say your do at least 25% water change 3 to 4 times a week, what is at least.

Jeanne

at least means, that if i'm not in a rush i like to do 50%. Usually thats a Saturday afternoon thing. I'll check my KH when i get home

Cheers,

[LizStreithorst]

If one is showing symptoms I'm sure the rest have been exposed and have just not started showing symptoms yet. With your stocking levels you should be changing that much daily and vacuuming the gravel every other day. My planted Discus tank isn't over stocked and I change 75% daily. I missed one day cause I was sick and the following day one of my Discus had a white pimple. It cleared up with water changes only but still...The Discus told me not to miss again.