Need help on my newly bought discus!!!

[nguytrun]

Hi all,

I am running out of idea to try so decided to post a question in this forum to see if anyone can help. I am not new to discus, have discus for many years now. I bought a group of 8 discus from Kenny's January shipment. Out of the group there are 2 discus that didn't eat since day 1. The other six are eating like crazy. No other fish is the tank except for this group. Here is the tank info:

- 65 gallon
- No issue with ammo, nitrite or nitrate
- PH is 7.8 from aged water
- Temp 86
- Water change 50% daily

I moved the two discus that haven't eat to a QT tank. Treated them with metro for 3 days - not helping. I then let them rest for 3 days then treated them with epsom salt (1 tsp per 10 gallon), didn't help at all. I tried different type of food: frozen blood worm, beef heart and even live black worm from LFS but didn't help either. The fish show no sign of parasites, no white poop, no change in color, no tail rot. They don't swim around as much probably because no food in their belly. WC is 50% daily in QT tank using water from the main tank and the temp to 90.

I had this group for 3 weeks so these two guys haven't eaten for 3 weeks now. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

[peewee1]

In the past I have used orange peels. Yesterday I dropped one in. Today we have all kinds of appetite. The 5 already had good appetites to begin with so I have no measure of what the peel has accomplished yet one of the fish is trying to eat the peel. If nothing else you will get the benefit of the nutrition that the orange itself gave you by you eating it. Try a small bump up in temp, a tiny water change, a pinch of peat moss in the filter, and the peel. Most discus seem to relish freeze dry black worms.

[jeep]

3 days really isn't long enough for a treatment with metro. Depending upon your source, metro should be treated for 10-14 days and nearly double dosed the recommended dosage.

Try raising the heat to 93 and add some non-iodized salt at 3-5 tbs per 10 gallons for 10-14 days. Hopefully you should see improvement within a week after.

Have you contacted Kenny about this?

[nguytrun]

3 days really isn't long enough for a treatment with metro. Depending upon your source, metro should be treated for 10-14 days and nearly double dosed the recommended dosage.

Try raising the heat to 93 and add some non-iodized salt at 3-5 tbs per 10 gallons for 10-14 days. Hopefully you should see improvement within a week after.

Have you contacted Kenny about this?
No I haven’t contacted Kenny yet. Figured the fish were healthy at the time that I received them. I will increase the salt to see if it will help them. Thanks

[Pices]

I would call Kenny first thing and find out what they’ve already been treated for. Knowing that will help you move in the right direction.
In the meantime can you get a hold of some live brine shrimp? I think Al suggested that to me once and it got mine eating. Good luck and keep us posted.
Patty

[nguytrun]

I would call Kenny first thing and find out what they’ve already been treated for. Knowing that will help you move in the right direction.
In the meantime can you get a hold of some live brine shrimp? I think Al suggested that to me once and it got mine eating. Good luck and keep us posted.
Patty

Reached out to Kenny already. Will see what his recommendation is. Will call LFS in the morning to see if they have any live brine shrimp. Thanks again!

[bluelagoon]

You will get better results when treating fish in a QT,if you use clean water and not dirty water from another tank.

[Disgirl]

Clean new water, treated with Safe or Prime, even 80-90% a day, temp 90, Metro for 12 days. Discus can go weeks without food and still come back well.
Barb

[Pices]

Any updates Nguytrun?
Patty

[nguytrun]

Any updates Nguytrun?
Patty

Talked to Kenny. He gave me the new Metro med with new doses to try. After 7 days of treatment the two discus still refused to eat. Per Kenny, I stopped the Metro but still left them in the QT. It has been 5 days now and one of them started to eat yesterday. I will leave them in the QT tank for another two days then will put them back in the main tank. Kenny mentioned that sometime in a big group will help them get their appetite again. I use clean in the QT as suggested.

[houstonreef]

@nguytrun, how many days have your fishes not eaten? Mine is 2 weeks already. one eats a little bit, one is to pick/nip something on the ground or driftwood, and one is completely with zero eating.

[k7prz]

I have no suggestions as to treatment. Live brine shrimp should excite them. However, I use white worms that grow in potting soil every couple days. My teenage discus
go crazy for them. I've had several cultures in Tupperware containers for years now and feed the worms bread. You will find starter cultures on eBay. The worms
are about 1/2 to 3/4 inch long. I've read they are too rich for daily feeding but it's easy to keep some on hand. The discus go nuts for them!
Some info from a google machine search: http://www.w9xt.com/page_live_foods_white_worms.html (Sorry I don't know how to make this a clickable link)
Oh! I guess it's automatic

[peewee1]

Did you try the orange peel? I have a picky eater who is the only one who tries to eat the orange peel. He is always picking at it. There are several You Tube vids that subscribe to the peel and why.

[FishFanMan]

I think some discus have a sickness that we just don't have a cure for. I have one that hasn't responded to multiple treatments. It doesn't eat, that's the only problem. He's been given everything. All my other discus are fine. He doesn't even get picked on. I bought him from a sponsor about 8 months ago. It was 6 Inches, now about 5 inches and getting pretty skinny. I probably will put him down soon. It's interesting that whatever he has has not transmitted it to others in the same tank.