Discus troubles

[Mixyroo]

1. Please explain the problems with your fish. When did you notice the problems and did anything unusual happen that you think started them?
1st issue: My spotted leopard suddenly passed away today. We found him face down in the corner of the tank.
2nd issue: Our golden sunrise has been in a hospital tank for a while now. He eats perfectly fine, but gradually overtime he has lost some weight. He is very bony.
3rd issue: My forrest giant blue has a cloudy eye, slime coat is not uniform
4th issue: mosaic turq top fin looks like it has erosion

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).
1st: no visible lesions,
2nd: normal appetite, severe weight loss, small poops, labored breathing.
3rd: normal appetite, cloudy eye & funny looking slime coat. Almost looks like elevated botches. Has small white spot on tail. Occasional clamped fins
4th: normal appetite, top fin looks burnt

3. What medications/ treatments have you already tried and what were the results. Include dosage and duration of treatment.
Fin & cure, Metroplex with focus & garlic guard.


Tank/Water

4. Tank size and ages, numbers and sizes of fish.
75 gal, 3 years old, 6-7 inches each


5. Water change regime (What percentage and how often).
WC every 8-10 days, 50%

6. How long has tank been running? Is it bare bottom? If you have substrate, what type and how deep is it?
Thank has been running for a little over 3 years now. Substrate is Eco-complete. Had plants at one point, down to 1.

7. Do you age your water? If you do for how long and what is the ph swing.
1 hour. When its not cold, its at least a day or two. Right now, weather is cold.


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. Added to the barrel & use the appropriate measure for the 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: 84F

- ph 6.5

- ammonia reading: 0 ppm

- nitrite reading: 0ppm

- nitrate reading: 5.0 ppm

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: 100%

- RO water ____


10. Any new fish, plants or inverts added recently.
No.


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.
twice a day with a combination of tetracolor granules, Freeze dried california Blackworms with Color Enhancing Astaxanthin & discus flakes.
My golden sunrise has the metroplex, focus & garlic guard added to its granules.


Any advice, I will truly appreciate. Thank you.

[bluelagoon]

I see a few things here that look off. First the grey slime coat indicates something in the water to case their defense/immune system to produce slime. I'm betting DOC and built up bacteria from lack of fresh water. You also might want to get a new nitrate test kit; the 5ppm don't add up with the feeding and WC's. Also, you didn't mention when you added Prime to your barrel; was that just before a WC or was it setting in the barrel for more than 24 hours, if so the bond is broken. Did you clean your substrate at least every other WC? Are they pooping normal color? I'd try 50% WC or more every day until things look like they 're improving. Make sure you keep substrate clean for discus.

[Iminit]

Water changes! 50% every 7-8 days only works on Facebook not in reality! Now you need to up it to daily. Also your substrate is probably part of the problem. Eco isn’t working. You said your down to one plant. I’d remove it and and either add something else or put the plant in a planter. Did you deworm the discus in qt? Sounds like a tape worm. Water changes 50% dailyfor main tank! Till they start looking better.

[LizStreithorst]

It sounds more like round worms than tapes to me but for sure the most important thing is to up your WC to daily and remove the substrate. After a week of that I would worm with levamisole according to label directions.

[Mixyroo]

What is DOC? Also, will API kit go bad after two years? I'll get a new one. I add prime to the barrel when I am about to do water changes. Poops are completely normal. It's been a while since I gravel vacuumed it. I have always hated this substrate. I think I am just going to remove. I think it's the substrate.

[Mixyroo]

I have not dewormed, what should I use to deworm?

[Mixyroo]

I see a few things here that look off. First the grey slime coat indicates something in the water to case their defense/immune system to produce slime. I'm betting DOC and built up bacteria from lack of fresh water. You also might want to get a new nitrate test kit; the 5ppm don't add up with the feeding and WC's. Also, you didn't mention when you added Prime to your barrel; was that just before a WC or was it setting in the barrel for more than 24 hours, if so the bond is broken. Did you clean your substrate at least every other WC? Are they pooping normal color? I'd try 50% WC or more every day until things look like they 're improving. Make sure you keep substrate clean for discus.

What is DOC? Also, will API kit go bad after two years? I'll get a new one. I add prime to the barrel when I am about to do water changes. Poops are completely normal. It's been a while since I gravel vacuumed it. I have always hated this substrate. I think I am just going to remove. I think it's the substrate.

[Mixyroo]

Water changes! 50% every 7-8 days only works on Facebook not in reality! Now you need to up it to daily. Also your substrate is probably part of the problem. Eco isn’t working. You said your down to one plant. I’d remove it and and either add something else or put the plant in a planter. Did you deworm the discus in qt? Sounds like a tape worm. Water changes 50% dailyfor main tank! Till they start looking better.

I have always disliked Eco-complete! I am now fed up with it, I am going to remove it today. Sick of it.

[Mixyroo]

It sounds more like round worms than tapes to me but for sure the most important thing is to up your WC to daily and remove the substrate. After a week of that I would worm with levamisole according to label directions.

Thank you!

[LizStreithorst]

You're welcome. You can suck out the substrate a little at a time by siphoning it out with every water change. Removing it manually caused all the nasties it contains being released into the water. Do this and up your WC's before putting in any meds. Clean water and a bare bottom alone will give the fish a well deserved break from bacteria laden water.

[Mixyroo]

You're welcome. You can suck out the substrate a little at a time by siphoning it out with every water change. Removing it manually caused all the nasties it contains being released into the water. Do this and up your WC's before putting in any meds. Clean water and a bare bottom alone will give the fish a well deserved break from bacteria laden water.

I gutted the tank. Substrate is gone.

[danotaylor]

DOC = dissolved organic compounds

[captainandy]

I gutted the tank. Substrate is gone.

That was a smart move. Lots of nasty chemicals can build up in 3 years of substrate

[Mixyroo]

DOC = dissolved organic compounds

Makes sense. Thank you, wasn't familiar with the terminology. Substrate is gone now.

[Mixyroo]

That was a smart move. Lots of nasty chemicals can build up in 3 years of substrate

It was a pain removing too. Glad thats over with.