Please Help. Discus have inflamed Gills. Parasites?

[David Rose]

Most local pet stores will carry Quick Cure in smaller bottles. You could call in advance to be safe.

Is the stringly white stuff hanging from the anal area? Is it transparent/clear or opaque/solid?

[David Rose]

Online:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...fm?pcatid=4734

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...fm?pcatid=4827

[marcus319]

DISEASE QUESTIONNAIRE


Problem

1. Please explain the problems with your fish/when and how they started

The Discus have inflamed gills and whites "stuff" though I'm not an expert and would welcome anyone's expertise.



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)

Clamped Fins, Starting to secrete excess slime and most importantly, their gills look inflamed and have white stuff on them(see pictures in earlier posts)


3. What medications/ treatments that you have already tried and results. Include dosages and duration of treatment.

1. Metronidazole
2. Pimafix (Active Ingredient Pimenta racemosa) Fungus
3. PraziPro
4. Melafix (Active Ingredient Melaleuca) Bacteria

All as prescribed






Tank/Water

4. Tank size and age, number and size of fish
30 Gallon Tank. 3 Discuss & 7 Neon Tetra's. Discus 4-5 Inches.


5. Water change regime/ how long has tank been running/ bare bottom or gravel/ do you age your water?

Have light gravel. Change 25-30% every 3-4 days. Don't age water but all water is processed through Reverse Osmosis and then treated with Kents R/O Liquid Right and Kents Discus Essentials as prescribed.

6 Parameters and water source;

- temp 86

- ph 6.5 / TDS Reading of 109

- ammonia reading 0

- nitrite reading unknown

- nitrate reading unkown

- well water use R/O Water

- municipal water use R/O Water

7. Any new fish/plants added recently
One Discus from store,

[David Rose]

Hi Mark,

Do you have a complete test kit such as API (Aquarium Pharamceuticals, Inc) or Tetra kit?

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=3635399

If not, I would definitely recommend getting one.


Until you can get the Quick Cure or Rid-Ich, you should start to lower your temperature to 82F gradually and add Aquarium Salt or Kosher or Table Salt at 1 tablespoon/10G.

Take care,
David

[David Rose]

Have you observed your discus rubbing up against objects or darting about in the tank?

Have you noticed a change in breathing, rapid or as if they are gasping for air?

Do they point toward the back of the tank and isolate themselves?

Has there been a change in their eating habits?

[marcus319]

Thanks David,

Ordered express the Ich treatment and the test kit.

No, they don't rub themselves nor indicate that their gills are itches or bothering themselves. Though the gills are inflamed and they seem 50 % red and 50% white. I dont see worm like things on them so perplexed.

[marcus319]

If I add the salt at 1Tsp per gallon and my TDS is 190 should I be concerned about the water getting to hard or an adverse effect on the PH (6.5)?

[Eddie]

Do you have a hospital tank? I'd salt dip each fish and return them to the hospital tank. From the looks of it, you may actually be better off going with a 4 hour PP treatment but this will need to be done in a BareBottom hospital tank.

Eddie

[marcus319]

By salt dip you mean 2 tbs per gallon until they start to loose their equilibrium. I did that once and it killed my Discus so I'm not sure I'll ever do a salt dip again. Let me know what I'm missing...thx

[Eddie]

By salt dip you mean 2 tbs per gallon until they start to loose their equilibrium. I did that once and it killed my Discus so I'm not sure I'll ever do a salt dip again. Let me know what I'm missing...thx

Yup, thats what I mean. Basically, you have to return the fish to a hospital tank as they are very vulnerable to any and all issues in the main tank.

Eddie

[marcus319]

BTW, What does a 4 hour PP treatment mean? Not sure of the acronym. Thanks!

[Eddie]

BTW, What does a 4 hour PP treatment mean? Not sure of the acronym. Thanks!

Potassium Permanganate, very strong oxidizer and should only be used under strict instructions. It is however, extremely useful in treating gill issues as well as other external problems.

Eddie

[pcsb23]

Here are marcus's pictures ....

[pcsb23]

Having looked at the photos, this is what I would do.

Get a very clean container and with clean dechlorinated water in at the right temp. Temporarily put the fish in this container. Remove all decoration from the 30 gal and give it a good wipe down, rinse the filter media in clean dechlorinated water.

Refill the tank with heated dechlorinated water, the heater and an airstone. Wrap some floss around the airstone to catch crud.

If you have access to PP then do a PP treatment at 2ppm for a minimum of 4 hours, longer is better if not then do a salt dip on the discus as per http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=70580 and place them back in the 30 gal.

Use a broad spectrum antibiotic, furan 2 may be a good bet here, but maracyn 1&2 combined will also work well. Keep temps at 82f (28c). Daily water changes and redose. Feed lightly or preferably not at all.

As far as the bio filter goes, if you keep it damp but not submerged it will remain active enough to pick up once treatment is over. As your ph is 6.5 any ammonia will be ammonium (very low toxicity) and with F2 or M1&2 you will be doing daily w/c's.

Salt (NaCl) will not affect ph will affect tds, don't worry over tds.

Longer term a 30 gal is a tad cosy for adult discus but is still a useful tank (qt/hospital/fry etc). 55 or bigger is better

hth and good luck.

[marcus319]

Thanks for the advise. Do I do the PP treatment first and then Maracyn 1%2 or do I combine?

Also, during these treatments, I should do a daily water change?

Thank you