Need help,Sick Discus

[Rosskeegan24]

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?

2(possibly 3)out of 6 of my 2 inch discus are turning very dark, not looking very well.


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).

Very dark, agressive behavoir, poop looks normal dark and solid. I dont this stress is causing this.
Not sure which category to put this in but i feel it needs to be mentioned,
I had these fish imported directly from thailand to me so they have recieved no quarantine/medication from a LFS or me.

3. What medications/ treatments have you already tried and what were the results. Include dosage and duration of treatment.

None yet.


Tank/Water

4. Tank size and ages, numbers and sizes of fish.
65gallons (240 litres) 2 weeks old, 6 2inch blue scorpion discus.

5. Water change regime (What percentage and how often).
60-75% Daily


6. How long has tank been running? Is it bare bottom? If you have substrate, what type and how deep is it?
2 weeks, bare bottom.

7. Do you age your water? If you do for how long and what is the ph swing.
Yes,aged for 24 hours, aerated and dechlorinated.


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.

Im not currently at home but when i get home later i will test the water.

- temp _____

- ph _____

- ammonia reading ____

- nitrite reading ____

- nitrate reading ____

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.

- well water ____

- municipal water _yes__

- RO water ____


9. Any new fish, plants or inverts added recently.
No, only 6 discus, no other fish, plants or tankmates.

10. Please tell us what you feed your fish and how often. This can be critical information for solving the problem so be as specific as you can.

1 cube frozen brine shrimp daily, siphoning out leftovers.



11. 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.
113238 113239

If anyone has any advice at all it would be hugely appreciated .

[Second Hand Pat]

Hi Ross, I would not medicate unless absolutely necessary. Medicating fish this young can really set them back growth wise. First test your water parameters and post them here. Next, observe your fish. When are they turning dark? always dark, after a water change etc.
Pat

[Phillydubs]

+1 on water params...

Also, are you feeding and letting the food sit and changing the water later at night? Maybe they are being over fed?

[Rosskeegan24]

Got home and tested the water, nitrate and nitrite are unmeasurable, temp is 29c
When i got home 2 of the discus are very dark and lethargic, not eating, at least 4 out of the 6 are showing signs of being dark, i ordered flubendazole online it should be here in 2-3 days. I only ordered it as a precaution incase i need it.
I siphon out the leftover food 15 minutes after i feed them.

[Phillydubs]

Did you ever determine if anything for in the water from the pump ? This all halened after that ?

[Rosskeegan24]

Did you ever determine if anything for in the water from the pump ? This all halened after that ?
I have stopped using that pump and i am doing maunal water changes for the next week to see if that helps.

[Second Hand Pat]

Holler back Ross if the fish improve. I forget you have issues when first using that pump.
Pat

[Rosskeegan24]

UPDATE
I was watching the discus a few minutes ago and 2 of them had seizures 30 seconds apart, thrashing around in the tank and the floating lifelessly in the tank for 10-15 seconds before slowly coming around.
Im thinking faulty heater/electrical current in the water ?
It was a superfish 300 watt heater
Luckily i have a spare jewel 200 watt heater i can throw in.
Could this be the cause of the discus turning black ?
-Ross

[Phillydubs]

Change it...

Also just so you get the best help possible, you may want to stick to and focus on one thread, double posting is going to have people all over

[Ryan925]

Change it...

Also just so you get the best help possible, you may want to stick to and focus on one thread, double posting is going to have people all over

Solid advice babygirl

[Second Hand Pat]

Ross, can you describe the thrashing? Were they doing mad circles around the tank? Ditto to what Phil said.
Pat

[Rosskeegan24]

Ross, can you describe the thrashing? Were they doing mad circles around the tank? Ditto to what Phil said.
Pat
Thanks ill stick to this thread.
Replacing the heater didnt help, another discus just had another seizure, might have been the same one i cant tell because all except 2 are very dark.
The thrashing around is very eratic, it could be spinning in circles or thrashing at the bottom then flying up to the top, etc.
It is very random darting, spinning, flipping, sometimes even banging into the glass.
I have the lights off in the tank and i lowered the water level incase one managed to jump out.
I have no other electrical current in the water, all i have is 2 sponge filters and a heater.
Any advice, diagnosis or treatments ?
I have to admit i dont this these guys are going to last much longer if they keep this up.
-Ross

[Second Hand Pat]

Are they doing this when you lower the water for a water change? If so do no more then 50% water changes.
Pat

[Rosskeegan24]

Are they doing this when you lower the water for a water change? If so do no more then 50% water changes.
Pat
No it happens a random times, all of the seizures (it has now happend 4 times) have been in the space of a few hours and it has been 22 hours since my last wc, im about to do one.

I read on another thread where something similar was happening people reccomended levamisole or pancur which is found in dog dewormers.

I dont want to dump loads of meds into the tank but i feel i dont try treating with something soon that they are going to die.
Thanks
-Ross

[jmf3460]

OP can you measure TDS in your tank? I once had a whirling issue and was able to resolve it by lowering the TDS. I later found out that after hard rains/snows (I have well water) my water is much harder than normal, making my discus seem weird.

[Rosskeegan24]

Unfortunatly i dont have tds meter.
Another seizure just happend, one discus started having one and it triggered another to have one, it went from very dark almost black, to bright pink lying on the bottom of the tank lifeless not breathing for 10 seconds, it then came around and turned black again after 10 seconds.

[jmf3460]

can you get a video?

[Rosskeegan24]

Woke up this morning to a dead discus on the floor of the tank, presumably from the seizures.
Another discus is lying against the side of the tank, nearly black in colour.
Can anyone offer any medication advice before the rest of them die ?

[jmf3460]

i would go the parasite route. like this could be a brain or neurological parasite....quick cure??

[Phillydubs]

Have you reached out to the LFS where you got them, do they have any info of the source of them or what the breeder does?

Damn ross, I feel for you, you were off to a great start... Im still tossed up between a water issue, parasite or something with that pump or a combo of it all... What meds do you even have access to?

The heater was changed out?

[Rosskeegan24]

So far the discus havnt changed much, on day 3 of flubendazole treatment, the seizures have stopped (i havent seen any anyway) some of the discus may be a bit lighter in colour but hard to tell, 2 are still also not eating. Any advice ?