your thing

[Slackey]

oh, i didnt mean to offend anyone.

None taken my good man!

[DiscusDude85]

lol

[jimmyjoe]

IMO after all is said and done this happens to alot of discus keepers, being fooled by clean discus being offered on the web. I'd really like to find out what overseas breeders are the worst for selling discus with all the parasites being discussed. In my personal QT peroid I also use a guinea pig and the same procedures as so many of you all. My advice is always use reputable sellers of discus many you can find on this forum, BUT WOULDN'T IT BE NICE TO NOT HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE HASSEL. IMO ONLY Jim

[steve.ryall]

I'd really like to find out what overseas breeders are the worst for selling discus with all the parasites being discussed.

I would probably say that you are more likely to get badly diseased fish from your LFS than from an overseas breeder. A breeder can't afford disease, whereas a LFS will try to sell you any rubbish, infected and diseased.

[Discus-n00b]

What size tanks do yall use for QT?

[Harriett]

I like a 40g breeder for QT. I then use it as the grow out until I need to upgrade--then they go into a 75g.
Harriett

[jimmyjoe]

I use either a 50 gal./55 gal. depends on how many are in the shipment/size of fish.

[Bobears]

Quarantine for 6 weeks monitoe intensely, then introduce a sacrificial lamb for two weeks. If all is good then transfer to stock tanks!

I try to use my monitoe also, especially intensely. Sorry couldn't resist.

[Ed13]

Simply observing a fish in a QT tank tells most people very little about the possible pathogens it may carry. While using no chemicals is a noble gesture on the owner's part, but may not be helping the discus much.

Domestic discus carry flukes more commonly than wilds. Wilds carry tapeworms more commonly than domestics. Asian domestics carry tapeworms more commonly than European, Canadian, or USA bred and raised discus. All can carry various nematodes and protozoans. All are susceptable to any and all oppurtunistic bacteria and protozoans present in most waters. The stress alone from shipping is reason enough to treat newly arrived discus. How many have received discus that looked well the night they arrived only to be found dark and clamped the next evening when returning home from work?

I always use a formalin/maalchite green product on incoming fish. This will take care of any oppurtunistic protozoans, flukes and some bacteria. After a week, I treat for tapeworms. I have a microscope and check for intestinal parasite like nematodes and flagellate protozoa. If not seen, I treat no further, usually. Sometimes I will use levamisole anyway for nematodes.

I ask all those who do not check fresh fecal samples with a microscope for nematodes, how do you know your discus don't have capilllaria worms in the gut? Do you wait until the begin to get that razor edge forhead and emaciated body? Then, it is too late. Or, are you dropping your pH to 4.5 and mixing freshly mashed garlic at about a 1::1 ratio? I doubt the latter happens often.

Treating prophylactically upon arrival, assuring to a high degree of having clean fish, helps to keep a chemical free fishroom later on. It is not as taxing as many here are always claiming, and in the long run, most of the time, actually ends up being less chemicals used in the big picture. Just look at the Disease section here.

Mat

Thats's a really wel written Mat, good info too. Worthy of being a sticky and repeated to new comers.

One question though, do you mean a 1 garlic per gallon ratio?

[ShinShin]

Ed,

Thanks. The one to one ratio referred to garlic to Bh mix, or whatever you feed. Jack Wattley gave that ratio at a talk he gave that I attended.

Mat