Scratching and swimming weird

[Tormentor]

Hi all, I have a couple of discus that I already treated with metro, b c I saw them pooping white, but I, also notice they were scratching themselves agains things, temp is 87. I had dose metro for a week with not. That much success. What do you think this May be, and what can I use to fix them?

[trungnguyen]

Please provide more information through question form, so people can help you out.
If you randomly see your discus act weird, do more big WC and observe to see any change....I think that is most the thing people will do at first...

[Tormentor]

Please complete thus questionnaire if your fish are sick (copy and paste). The more details you can provide, the better we are able to diagnose and help you treat your sick fish.

DISEASE QUESTIONNAIRE


Problem

1. Please explain the problems with your fish. When did you notice the problems and did anything unusual happen that you think started them?
Some catching and swimming up and down, often scratch agains objects or plants, perhaps the feeding of live blackworms

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).
Some fins clamp, constant shaking of lower upper fins and tail, one swims up and down constantly or from place to place.


3. What medications/ treatments have you already tried and what were the results. Include dosage and duration of treatment.
Metro, for white poop I saw, for one week at 200mg for 10 gallons and not that good results.




Tank/Water

4. Tank size and ages, numbers and sizes of fish.
55 gallon
8 discus at about 4 inches
9 neons
5 rasboras




5. Water change regime (What percentage and how often).
Every other day at 60-70%

6. How long has tank been running? Is it bare bottom? If you have substrate, what type and how deep is it?
Running for about a year, planted with sand at about 2 inches

7. Do you age your water? If you do for how long and what is the ph swing.
No

8. 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 __87___

- ph __6.8___

- ammonia reading __0__

- nitrite reading _0___

- nitrate reading _10___

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.
Tap water
- well water ____

- municipal water ____

- RO water ____


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


10. Include any pictures or videos you have which shows the symptoms. If you can't add them to this post, please provide a link to them.

[Swancici]

I say your over stocked. 1 discus per 10gallon. Also up the water change 50% daily to see if that helps.
And remove the other fish. Lol

Though I don't think you have flukes.

Also you could try the tetra parasite guard. Hopefully someone more experienced will chime in.

[Tormentor]

I say your over stocked. 1 discus per 10gallon. Also up the water change 50% daily to see if that helps.
And remove the other fish. Lol

Though I don't think you have flukes.

Also you could try the tetra parasite guard. Hopefully someone more experienced will chime in.
But just in case if I do, what can I do?

[Swancici]

Well. Like I said try tetra parasite guard.

[Tormentor]

Well. Like I said try tetra parasite guard.
Now let me ask you something what's the difference between parasites and flukes? Thanks and sorry toa sky too much I just want to get as much info as possible.

[Swancici]

This is what the parasite gaurd does, u am reading from the box right now. This has helped me with flukes and other things.

Removes external and internal parasites from tropical fish, including flukes, internal worms, lice, anchor worms, and flagellates, such as hexamita or spironuclues associated with hole in the head disease. Also protects against secondary infections.

As to answer your question flukes is a parasite.

[Tormentor]

This is what the parasite gaurd does, u am reading from the box right now. This has helped me with flukes and other things.

Removes external and internal parasites from tropical fish, including flukes, internal worms, lice, anchor worms, and flagellates, such as hexamita or spironuclues associated with hole in the head disease. Also protects against secondary infections.

As to answer your question flukes is a parasite.
Thanks soo much

[Gorf]

A fluke is not a parasite, it has the cell structure of a tape worm. It attaches to the fish by means of hooks & uses the fish as a mobile home from which to feed from the water column. The fluke can injure the fish when it detaches because the hooks damage the skin & infect with bacteria.

You say that you dosed with Metro for one week without much success. What does that mean exactly? They still have white poops? What was the effect on the other tank fish? How many doses did you apply of Metro?

Do you have carbon in your filter?

"Some catching and swimming up and down" - Please describe this?

"often scratch agains objects or plants" - How often please? Every minute? Once an hour? Constantly?

Which fins are clamping please?

[Swancici]

Oh sorry. Didn't know thanks.

[Tormentor]

A fluke is not a parasite, it has the cell structure of a tape worm. It attaches to the fish by means of hooks & uses the fish as a mobile home from which to feed from the water column. The fluke can injure the fish when it detaches because the hooks damage the skin & infect with bacteria.

You say that you dosed with Metro for one week without much success. What does that mean exactly? They still have white poops? What was the effect on the other tank fish? How many doses did you apply of Metro?

Do you have carbon in your filter?

"Some catching and swimming up and down" - Please describe this?

"often scratch agains objects or plants" - How often please? Every minute? Once an hour? Constantly?

Which fins are clamping please?
What I meant by not that much of a success is that some are still pooping. White and they used to scratch like every 30 or so minutes sometimes more often. The other tank I had to move them back to main tank as I tested the water and I found out a little of ammonia and he ph was higher over there so I figure that was probably bothering them. Ever since they moved back to main tank they haven't swim crazy like they did on the other. I think that other tank is not fully cycled yet, as it only has been running for like about a month, but I had to transfer them over there as I needed more space for some of them.

[Tormentor]

Oh and I added 5 times of it. Metro.

[Gorf]

You could have continued the metro treatment for up to 14 days if necessary.

As you saw, Discus have zero tolerance for Ammonia or Nitrites.