Help needed - rescued discus

[Andbowen]

I rescued a tank from craigslist today, and it was utterly disgustingly dirty when I got there. I cleaned the tank as best as I could. The water was nearly black from all the crap. The substrate looked dark brown... Turns out its white!!! The water is clear now, but I'm going to do another WC tomorrow. In the 8 hours that they have been in my house, I have already seen drastic improvements in color and temperament. I'm pleaseantly surprised. This is what I got:

65 gallon tank and stand, scratched up pretty good with hard water stains at the top of the glass
Aquasun 36" t5 HO
Aquaclear 70
Fluval 304
Heater
Air pump
Misc bag of crap
Food

Assorted rocks
3 massive pieces of driftwood
A few live plants
Substrate

6 discus (1x 2" , 5x 3-5")
1 golden nugget pleco 3"
1 royal pleco 3"
4 various shrimp (1 is about 3", others are smaller)
8 cardinal tetras

I need help identifying the discus names and figuring out if anyone special medication is in order. Most of them have torn fins and are missing at least a few scales. Also, this tank feels overstocked to me. What if anything needs to come out immediately? Thanks!!!

What's up with the bottom of this guy's eye? What is his color called? Red diamond? Marlboro? Mandarin?

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e367/audreyaronoff/8DAFF7BF-55C4-4DE6-9D15-7AA480677FF1-35377-00000635C35DFE29.jpg

Are these technically the same color?

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e367/audreyaronoff/B008D547-B7D4-4E95-B33E-9F3F51B11A6A-35377-000006308A418515.jpg

Little guy - any ideas on color or health?

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e367/audreyaronoff/3348261D-4E0A-41AC-AF06-D9DCD6465116-35377-0000063066A549B8.jpg

Colors?

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e367/audreyaronoff/94A25863-F1EF-4AAB-808E-1063D88A4577-35377-00000630480E08E0.jpg

Is this guy sick, or is the black speckling on his face just part of his coloring?

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e367/audreyaronoff/5B196175-3ACA-4C81-BCEB-6CCA2789BF6B-35377-0000063075C5495A.jpg

Please forgive the ignorance. These are my first discus, and it was an accident. The CL ad read "fish tank with 2 tropical fish" the lights were off in the pic, but I saw the can filter and light, so that's why I went out to buy it. Imagine my surprise when I saw all the livestock. The tank belonged to her son who had to move away suddenly and unexpectedly...

[Ryan]

These are total guesses on the strains:

All the red fish are a pigeon blood variety. I've seen them go by different names over the years -- white face red melons, marlboro reds, mandarin passions, flamingos, etc. At any rate, they are pigeons. The first fish has a chip in its eye. This is usually a birth defect and most breeders would cull for this because it's undesirable. It won't actually affect the health of the fish. It's mostly a cosmetic thing. Some people don't mind if their pet discus have it, others would rather have fish without physical deformities. The last red fish is showing peppering which is common on lower grade pigeons and doesn't necessarily mean the fish is sick or stressed. While it can be brought on by stress, bad water, or ill health, it will also show up on a dark background. Some fish never completely lose it even when they're placed in a light-colored tank. Again, this is a personal preference thing. Some people like the peppering, some don't mind either way, and some would rather have the cleanest fish possible.

The smallest blue fish you posted appears to be a blue diamond.

The fourth picture appears to be either blue turquoise or cobalts.

Right now, clean, warm water is your first priority. Get the heat up to around 84 - 86F or so to keep their metabolism up and get them eating. You'd be surprised how far clean water will go with discus. Your next step is to see that they're eating. Offer them a range of foods. Most people use live or freeze-dried blackworms, frozen bloodworms, beefheart mix, and flakes or pellets. Be careful not to overfeed; it's going to be a pain trying to keep that small gravel/sand clean.

The small blue fish has some jagged edges on his fins and dark eyes. I would suspect it has hexamita or something similar but it could just be that he's still showing signs of stress from the conditions he came from. At this point you play the waiting game. If the fish aren't eating for you within the next week with elevated temperatures, then we can decide what (if anything) you should treat them for. I wouldn't go dumping meds into the tank until you have a reason. Let's just see what clean, warm water will do.

I don't want to be a Debbie Downer but a few of them don't look so great. You may be able to turn them around and get some growth out of them, but the shape on the first two bothers me and the little blue fish looks pretty runted. I've been proven wrong before though.

[Andbowen]

Thank you so much! The good news is that everyone is eating great. They came with some frozen food - spirulina cubes and what I'm assuming are beef heart cubes (not labeled). I offered one cube of each, and every one of the discus ate both foods. At least that's a good sign. I'm sure there is some stunting here. They were in horrid conditions. At this point I just want to save them - kind of like my mutt cat and dog. Not looking to breed or show - but will give them the best home I can for the remainder of their lives, however long that may be. The original plan for this tank (not knowing what it actually came with) was South American puffers. At least I had the region kinda right. The puffers will just have to wait.

[BigWave]

That's an interesting find. I had a discus that was abused for a long time, but it turned around pretty well. All the missing parts of the fins came back and it was a happy healthy fish for many years.

Please post pictures after a while so we can see how the improve! I'll be watching for some.

[kenkht]

Hi all, new here. Thanks Ryan for the help in registration.
Anyway, very nice of you in taking over these fishes. In my experience and enjoyment, even "non perfect" discus can prove very endearing. They are not as spunky as other cichlids but being cichlids, they have character. I'm sure you will enjoy them in their imperfection.

[Tazalanche]

Welcome to Simply! :wave:

I'm no where near well versed on discus, but if you're concerned with them being overstocked, you could remove the large rocks for less water displacement in the tank. That would also make it much easier to clean. Daily water changes are the best thing you can do for your new fishey family.

The general rule of thumb is 10 gallons of water per discus.

Good luck & keep us posted. :thumbsup:

[Andbowen]

Thanks! The one I'm the most concerned about is the royal pleco. That thing is a poop machine!!! But my husband loves it, so it's staying for now.

[GrayLadyPat]

From a newbie:

First, I would get rid of the large rocks. They take up space, they are difficult to clean around, and they may hold over some harmful critters in the cracks.

Your tank doesn't seem over stocked to me, but frequent water changes and close monitoring of the parameters will negate an extra fish or two.

Also, inviest in a small siphon as well as the one you use to change the water. The smaller one can be used in conjunction with a 5 gallon bucket to vacuum up excess food (and pleco poop.)

It also looks like there are a LOT of snails. Keep an eye on them or they will take over.

Last thing: as soon as you are able, ditch the old substrate. If it was as bad as you say when you got it, there is no way to completely clean it without removing it, bleaching, rinsing, and maybe even boiling it. Much easier to either start over with filter sand or bare bottom.

Good luck to you!

[discusplantedtanklover]

Hat off for your job well done.

[Keith Perkins]

I find myself agreeing with Ryan a lot today, lol, pretty much on everything he said. I think he got the fish right too...fourth picture I'd say is a turq and a cobalt. That little one looks like it could be badly stunted. I'd probably give it some time, but if you suspect it's ill you could cull it as well.

[rdiscus]

Welcome to Simply Discus ... Cool to see more people into Discus in N.Dallas

[Andbowen]

The snails are out of control. It looks like the previous owner had a TERRIBLE MTS infestation and attempted to control it with assassin snails. Now both species are out of control. Any suggestions? I think I'm going to make a snail trap tonight.

[Keith Perkins]

A dose of copper in some form.