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Thread: Discus lying on tank bottom

  1. #1
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    Unhappy Discus lying on tank bottom

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

    I have one fish that has been lying on its side for about two months and seems to be losing colour and condition. It has been occasionally observed to get up and swim and maybe eat.Now another fish has joined it. Both are about 5inches in size



    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)

    Lying on side. Losing colour and condition.




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

    Epsom salts, metrogyl- no improvement



    Tank/Water

    4. Tank size and age, number and size of fish
    260 ltrs, 12 months, 9 discus - 6" size, 2 discus - 4", 2 discus - 5" both sick, one black ghost 6", one algae eater - 5 "


    5. Water change regime/ how long has tank been running/ bare bottom or gravel/ do you age your water?
    Weekly, 25%/12 months old tank/ bare bottom, one large driftwood with two anubias/ RO water used for change, aged by two days


    6 Parameters and water source;

    - temp __30 centigrade___

    - ph __6.5__

    - ammonia reading __nil__

    - nitrite reading ___nil_

    - nitrate reading ___not taken

    - well water ____RO water only

    - municipal water ____

    7. Any new fish/plants added recently


    No new fish or plants added in the last 6 months

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  2. #2
    Registered Member Eddie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Discus lying on tank bottom

    The fish has been lying on its side for 2 months. Thats quite a while. Can you move that fish to a QT tank?


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    Default Re: Discus lying on tank bottom

    I can quarantine this and the other discus that has started lying on the side today. Is there any hope or treatment for these two?

  4. #4
    Registered Member Eddie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Discus lying on tank bottom

    I see you use RO water only. What do you use to reconstitute it?


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    Angry Re: Discus lying on tank bottom

    Nothing. Should I be thinking of adding some borewell water ( pretty hard in my area)?. I do dose occasionally with salt( once in 3 to 4 months).
    I forgot to add, the fish are mostly fed Tetra Bits (95% of the time). Occasionally feed them flakes and freeze dried tubifex.
    Recent dosing of epsom salts did not help.
    Anyone out there with some advice?
    I am getting worried.

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Discus lying on tank bottom

    I think what Eddie is getting to is when you use ro water you need to remineralise the water.Fish can only get the minerals they need to survive through the water and through food and the food you are feeding wouldnt have or would be very low in minerals.
    But i would wait until Eddie gets back to you as he really knows his stuff.
    Regards Mark

  7. #7
    Registered Member Eddie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Discus lying on tank bottom

    Quote Originally Posted by m.ingram View Post
    I think what Eddie is getting to is when you use ro water you need to remineralise the water.Fish can only get the minerals they need to survive through the water and through food and the food you are feeding wouldnt have or would be very low in minerals.
    But i would wait until Eddie gets back to you as he really knows his stuff.
    Regards Mark
    This is correct, re-mineralization is important. Although I have not experienced it myself, some people run into trouble when using pure RO with no additives to make the water worthy. Some people use half tap half RO. This may not be the problem but its always best to eliminate the easy possibilities. I find medicating to be a last resort unless its an emergency.


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  8. #8
    Registered Member TankWatcher's Avatar
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    Default Re: Discus lying on tank bottom

    I don't use RO myself, but I'm sure you need to reminalise it with something like this http://www.marinedepot.com/Kent_Mari...KM5315-vi.html

    From what I have read, straight RO is not healthy for the fish
    Cheers
    Robyn

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Discus lying on tank bottom

    I am using R/ O with no additives 10 years now with no problems what so ever, but i do feed them a variety of foods frozen or bits of deferent brands including beef heart made by Stendker, fish can get what they need in minerals from food if it's well balanced and not necessarily from the water.
    Last edited by Yiannisk; 03-12-2010 at 08:33 AM.
    If it's one thing I know, It's that I know nothing.

  10. #10
    Registered Member Eddie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Discus lying on tank bottom

    Quote Originally Posted by Eddie View Post
    This is correct, re-mineralization is important. Although I have not experienced it myself, some people run into trouble when using pure RO with no additives to make the water worthy. Some people use half tap half RO. This may not be the problem but its always best to eliminate the easy possibilities. I find medicating to be a last resort unless its an emergency.


    Eddie
    Quote Originally Posted by Yiannisk View Post
    I am using R/ O with no additives 10 years now with no problems what so ever, but i do feed them a variety of foods frozen or bits of deferent brands including beef heart made by Stendker, fish can get what they need in minerals from food if it's well balanced and not necessarily from the water.
    Thats good to know, as I mentioned, may not be the problem. I have heard of issues with others using pure RO but have never used it. It could be parasite related but as of now, nobody knows.


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  11. #11
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    Angry Re: Discus lying on tank bottom

    One more fish, this time a 6" red chequerboard has taken to lying down as of this afternoon and i am getting pretty worried. The rest seem fine and with no distress. On careful observation, I can see 14 mm threadlike wormy creatures. I have counted about 5 of them.
    Advice please!!

  12. #12
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    Default Re: Discus lying on tank bottom

    Quote Originally Posted by Yiannisk View Post
    I am using R/ O with no additives 10 years now with no problems what so ever, but i do feed them a variety of foods frozen or bits of deferent brands including beef heart made by Stendker, fish can get what they need in minerals from food if it's well balanced and not necessarily from the water.
    Glad the straight RO works for you - it's always good not to have to add chemicals. Though I have never used RO water myself, I have definitely read of others who did have problems with straight RO & discus health issues until they added back minerals. Not sure why, or if it was just a co-incidence that adding back minerals seemed to help.

    csatish56, 2 months lying on it's side & still alive. That must be very hard for you to watch. I'm sorry, I don't have any other advice to offer and I hope someone can help you solve this problem. Good luck
    Cheers
    Robyn

  13. #13
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    Default Re: Discus lying on tank bottom

    Quote Originally Posted by csatish56 View Post
    One more fish, this time a 6" red chequerboard has taken to lying down as of this afternoon and i am getting pretty worried. The rest seem fine and with no distress. On careful observation, I can see 14 mm threadlike wormy creatures. I have counted about 5 of them.
    Advice please!!
    Really tough call here. If a fish is infected with parasites/bacteria to the point of laying down, it generally won't live for 2 months. Really hard to diagnose. Are there any other symptoms at all besides just laying down? Are they breathing heavily/fast? Are both gills functioning? What color are the gills?


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  14. #14
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    Unhappy Re: Discus lying on tank bottom

    The gill colour seems normal. The fish that went down today is breathing a little harder than the others, but i notice a white discolouration of half thye tail from the outer edge in towards the body. The rest are breathing ok. Another thing I noticed is that before going down, this fish was darting violently around the tank as if spooked.

  15. #15
    Registered Member Eddie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Discus lying on tank bottom

    Have you tried increasing the water changes, making them every day or every other day? Sometimes darting wildly around the tank can be toxin in the water or parasite. The fish that were laying down previously, are they still laying down? Or is it just the Red Checkerboard now?


    Eddie


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