A new Discus adventure 2023

[Sabrina]

Hi all,

I haven't used this site since 2018/2019 when I last had Discus fish in my life. So a big hello to all of you :)

3 weeks ago I brought a brand new large tank, around 200 liters volume. Which has been doing a fish in cycle with Seachem Stability. The stock in this tank is 1 Angle fish, 2 Julii Corydora's, 7 Rummy Nose & 7 Serpae Tetras.
Also 3 weeks ago I brought a second hand tank, around 150 liters volume from a Discus owner with a cycled canister filter. The Tetras kept this tank cycled while I looked around for Discus fish in my local areas. 2 days ago I brought 3 new discus from a chain pet store 30 minutes from where I live, I had 5 on hold but 2 of them were not looking great when I arrived to buy them, so I left them there & asked the store to order in more. 2 days later (today) I went back to the store to view the new shipment of discus, I brought 2 more as my target at this stage is 5.
The original 3 & the 2 new ones are now in the 150L QT tank together, for the next 4-6 weeks or longer depending on how we go. Along with 1 Julii Cory at present.
With my history (I struggled with Discus fish in the past) I decided to try pet store Discus first, this time around. I didn't want to spend hundreds on shipped quality Discus fish from breeders in case again I found myself struggling to keep them.
Once I feel they are ready & have grown some down the track, I plan to transfer them to the larger tank. I will remove the Angel & Tetras to the QT tank when this time comes. So there will only be the discus, rummies & Julii Cory's in the large tank..
I am waiting on more Julii Cory's to come into my local store, then I will have a few in the QT tank & a few more in the lager tank..
So, I am feeling very nervous today with the now 5 discus in my life, I hope I have better luck this time. I am also excited to see them grow & thrive, they are only small, so lots of water changes for us!
Any advice or comments are very welcome!
First photo is the 3 Turquoise this morning, second photo is all 5 settling into the tank today, the lights are off at this stage, so the photo is dark sorry. I believe the new 2 are PB variety..

Sabrina :)

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[Sabrina]

Oh, I forgot to mention what's in the QT tank..

1 canister filter, 1 200L sponge filter, 1 small air pump filter (back up for hospital tank, but I hope I'll never need it!), 1 driftwood and 3 live plants potted in glass tubs with gravel.

[mleibowi]

Best of luck and welcome back. KISS and water changes. Al, Pat, Brian and Jeff will help you with any new issues. Definitely follow Al’s QT procedure. Best of luck!

[Sabrina]

Hi Mleibowi :)

Thank you, its good to be back! Yes, water change first thing tomorrow morning.. Wonderful, can't wait to meet everyone here!

I forgot to mention the temperature in the tank, and to be honest I think the brand new heater in there is struggling in this cold weather. We had a low of 1c here last night, the temp in this tank went from 29c down to 28c.. It has taken the best part of the day to rise back up to 28.8c, it is a digital thermometer reading. I may need to order a Ehiem (same as in the bigger tank) heater for this QT tank, the Aqua One heater doesn't seem strong enough in the cold weather.

The tank pictured below is my bigger tank :)

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[Iminit]

Good to see you here. You’ll find solid answers if you have problems. Hopping for no problems :).

[Sabrina]

Hey Tom, thank you for suggesting I come back here again :)

Yes, fingers crossed this time around!

The biggest Turq is showing a lot of aggression since adding the new 2 this morning, I hope this passes quickly!!

[brewmaster15]

Welcome Back Sabrina! Good to see you back again. Hopefully this time you have a better experience.Don't be afraid to ask questions though if something is off. Dealing with issues early on is easier.


The biggest Turq is showing a lot of aggression since adding the new 2 this morning, I hope this passes quickly!! If it doesn't screening them off temporarily may help.


al

[Sabrina]

Hi Al,
Thank you :)
Yep will do, not sure what's happening in the tank at the moment, its 2am in the morning and I've woke up with hip pain, to early to wake the fish up, but I got a glimpse when I grabbed a drink, all 5 are still alive at least..
I'll see how the aggression goes today, I am hoping better, I don't want them stressed.

[Sabrina]

Good morning all,

The discus are quite active this morning, and there is no aggression today. Though none of them were really interested in breakfast, so I cleaned that out. I'll try again at lunch time..
I just removed the large potted plant, leaving the 2 smaller potted plants & laid the driftwood down because they were hiding under it & I was afraid it would fall on them. This gives them much more swimming area.

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[brewmaster15]

Sabrina , glad they settled in for you. Can I ask what you are feeding them?
Al

[Sabrina]

Hi Al,

Yes, tropical flakes & granules at this stage. I went to order freeze dried black worm cubes online but the site was all sold out of the regular kind.. None of my local pet stores sell it here, or anything else worth buying for them. I know a pet store
30 minutes drive from here sell them loose in tubs, or at least they use to years ago, might call them now and check.. I'll have to go out of town to buy some other variety foods for them too, but it will have to wait until Monday. Until then they will have to eat what I have unfortunately.

This is the temp & water test done just now on their tank..

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[Iminit]

All good. But double check that thermometer. They can be all over the place.

[Sabrina]

Thanks Tom, I'll get a back up thermometer. I didn't know these ones were not accurate.

[brewmaster15]

Hi Al,

Yes, tropical flakes & granules at this stage. I went to order freeze dried black worm cubes online but the site was all sold out of the regular kind.. None of my local pet stores sell it here, or anything else worth buying for them. I know a pet store
30 minutes drive from here sell them loose in tubs, or at least they use to years ago, might call them now and check.. I'll have to go out of town to buy some other variety foods for them too, but it will have to wait until Monday. Until then they will have to eat what I have unfortunately.



Thats too bad on the blackworms..I know the Farm is currently dealing with some supply issues..hopefully to be resolved soon.. In the short term any of the varieties..original, spinach combo, or biopigment will be okay if you need to get them eating. Hikari frozen blood worms should work too.. though Im not a fan of them.

It can take Discus days to a week or more to feel comfortable enough to start eating ..be patient and feel sparingly and they should come around for you.

[Iminit]

Yes all the other flavors are eaten!
Oh and Al is there any loose bio-pigment available? :)

[Sabrina]

Hi Al,
Yes you are right, I did not see 1 of them eat yesterday. I fed 4 times, and each time 15 minutes later I had to clean out the food from the bottom of the tank. I am going to travel to bendigo city this morning & source some better food for them, there is heaps of pet stores there.
Due to winter here and cold nights, the temperature in the QT tank drops by 1c over night, in that regard, what should I do? Anything? :)

[brewmaster15]

Hi Al,
Yes you are right, I did not see 1 of them eat yesterday. I fed 4 times, and each time 15 minutes later I had to clean out the food from the bottom of the tank. I am going to travel to bendigo city this morning & source some better food for them, there is heaps of pet stores there.
Due to winter here and cold nights, the temperature in the QT tank drops by 1c over night, in that regard, what should I do? Anything? :)

1 C should not be a problem for them, but if you are concerned, Building supply stores sell foam boards, I use these on my tanks to conserve electricity and provide backgrounds.. This is the big pack , you obviously don't need such a large one...

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it is unmarked on one side to face the tanks as background and comes in Blues and Greens and various thicknesses..

al

[Sabrina]

Thanks Al, I will look into these :)

[Sabrina]

So, I found a bag of freeze dried black worm cubes, 10 gram bag = $24!! But I am happy they had them..
There was just a discus feeding frenzy in my QT tank, I am pretty sure all of them got a few bites!
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[brewmaster15]

So, I found a bag of freeze dried black worm cubes, 10 gram bag = $24!! But I am happy they had them..
There was just a discus feeding frenzy in my QT tank, I am pretty sure all of them got a few bites!
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Awesome! Once you build up their Appetite, you can try those other foods again. I'm glad to see them eating for you!


al

[Sabrina]

Thanks Al, will do! Since they have full bellies now they seem to be fighting a bit, pushing each other around, guess that's normal during feeding times..
1 of the Turq's is not colouring up, he is like a dirty brown colour, today is day 5 for him in the QT tank. The middle sized Turq is almost full colour but has dark stress bars. The smallest Turq (I call it Mini) is still colouring up. None of the 3 look the same as they did in the pet shop.. The 2 orange PB's (I think they are) seem a very nice colour, more bright than when I brought them, today is day 3 in the QT for them. How long will it take for all of them to be their normal colours? And what about the stress bars?
Sab :)

[Sabrina]

A profile picture of each fish :heart2:

The largest Turq - The brown one.
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The middle sized Turq - The most colourful one.
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The smallest Turq - Mini.
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PB - The quite one.
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PB - The bossy one.
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[Sabrina]

I am testing if the photos on this post go sideways.. This is a test only!
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[Sabrina]

Well,

Thought I would share my humble beginnings as a fish keeper 8 years ago. My first 2 fish were Guppies, little did I know a male and female..
This was my first fish tank, the Guppies bred in it too lol.. It was hell trying to get the fry out of that vase! I then went onto Betta's in bowls, no heater or filter either.. Yea, I had no clue right.
Thankfully not long after I found a fish keeping site, and got the shock of my life when I found out that fish keeping was a whole another level of stuff! :D
To think I started with this vase & the betta bowls, and eventually went onto 4 foot discus tanks is still mind blowing even now...

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[Sabrina]

Well the water tested well in the QT tank this morning, so my discus are having FDBW breakfast. The middle sized Turq has been so placid since I got it, almost like it was in a daze floating around the tank, but this morning it had had enough of one of the PBs pushing it around, and next minute they are body whacking and face ramming, the Turq was most dominant in this fight which I was surprised due to its quite nature for the past 5 days. Food brings out the fighting gloves it seems lol
Water change later this morning before their lunch :)

[Sabrina]

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[seanyuki]

Rotated

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[Sabrina]

Hey thanks Francis!! :D

[LizStreithorst]

Looking good :)

[Sabrina]

Hi Liz, thank you :D

They are kinda cute considering they are pet shop discus, they only cost me $68 each, which I thought was reasonable. They seem in good health so far & are much happier and active with full bellies today..

[Sabrina]

Seems this little fellow has a bee in their bonnet today, chasing 3 others all over & head butting them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGvHdY2DHWM

[brewmaster15]

A profile picture of each fish :heart2:

The largest Turq - The brown one.
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The middle sized Turq - The most colourful one.
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The smallest Turq - Mini.
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PB - The quite one.
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PB - The bossy one.
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Sabrina,
Have a read here on how to fix this issue.

.http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?126112-Camera-Phone-Users-read-this&p=1374157#post1374157


:)
Al

[brewmaster15]

Have to say.. for pet shop discus they look pretty good and I bet with your great care they will thrive and be the best they can be. I'm always reminded that its no guarantee that any discus will turn out well if the care is not there.

Al

[Sabrina]

Hi Al,

Thanks, they are cuties indeed. And yes, the time & effort makes a big difference with these fish. :)

Update: All Discus are alive & kicking, I may need to fence off half of the QT tank though, I have 2 bullies, but I am not going to rush that.

Yesterday, after a lot of stress, travel & chaos, I now have a 6 foot 125G tank in my fish room! I am so impressed with my young discus, they did not freak out with 4 people trying to organise the 6 foot in the fish room.
The tank was quite dirty, I got stuck into it with vinegar, it came up alright but after a rinse then dry the scum marks came back. I have a feeling it had sea water in it before.. I will look for a magic scrubber today and try that.. This tank will eventually be for my discus, a large school of rummy nose & julii corys. But it wont be ready for at least 2 months or so. The way the cupboards are set up under the tank I can not get a sump system for it as each cupboard is separate. I am not a fan of canister filters, so I may have to go with HOB filters x2, one at each end of the tank, as they hold more media than internal filters do. And I would have x2 jumbo sponge filters running too.
Here are before clean and after clean pics of the new tank :)

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[Sabrina]

Oh, I just had a thought.. I could sit a sump beside the tank perhaps.. That might work :)

[Iminit]

What is the space behind the doors? There are different size sumps.

[Sabrina]

This is one side of the stand, each cupboard is individual...

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[Iminit]

Wow even a canister won’t fit in there. Wonder f you could remove the center piece and the shelf. Is it a particle board with a Veneer finish.

[LizStreithorst]

I think that center piece is structural support.

[Sabrina]

Hi Tom, Liz :)

The Shelves come out, so a canister would fit.. But, that centre piece does not come out and is structure of the stand... I was looking at HOB filters, I found one called a HOB canister filter, it has a large part with layered media trays, would 2 of them work perhaps? It's in the link below :)

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/164802550124?hash=item265eff596c:g:ahkAAOSwjgFexl-h&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA0NXKzv9uWRuuwlr%2FIrz9WDQ%2FL nwrkPCcs%2BwWzScYVpAjzbuuatT8etHCatsChKJH69nuOgiGz ivwV%2BImcFvEAq%2BnJiKt61EcSBvP%2BDR0sjyrFV%2B6%2F RMqj%2B6J%2BR54%2FN%2BfngrFlLiSrEw42LH2mF9806UhUrH LdvIvYotK37FlxNLwNf%2FBlX40LmoTU3wplGncVC0%2F%2Bhz Tt8Hv7Hqjr12HbeOvMXSNPaGLz8iEpBep1SshwCvB2W9yVs%2F N1fkbbXDeT75kfchMbt2rG0AyXcc74ZA%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR7 TGrOejYg

[Iminit]

I’ve never seen it before. I’d go with either 2 tidal 110s or aquaclear 110s. They’re hob filters and move around 450gph so that about 8x the tank volume.

[bluelagoon]

That filter is too small; it doesn't turn over enough water, you would need seven of those to turn over as much as a FX6 filter would. The AC 110's mentioned would be better and turn over more water and are easier to clean.

[Sabrina]

Hi Tom, Mervin :)

Thank you for the comments.. Wow, I just looked at the price of those two HOB filers, no thanks lol... I can get a 2400 L/H canister filter for almost half that price! I might need to rethink this.. I did have two 4 foot tanks with canister filters years ago and they were fine, fish were ok & water crystal clear. Might go that way instead, with 2 jumbo sponge filters as well..

[Iminit]

Ok before you buy sunsun or equivalent canisters look into the marineland 350 or 250 filters. These are a lot cheaper and by adding the black sponge you used in the 60 they become very good filters with lots of media room.

[Sabrina]

Thanks Tom, I will look into it :)

QT discus tank water test was spot on this morning. All fish are looking well, just having breakfast at the moment. I am blessed they are still alive after 1 week in my care :)

[LizStreithorst]

Of course they're still alive, silly. You're taking good care of them.

[Sabrina]

Hi Liz,

Yea haha, I am :)
I just remember past attempts keeping them & all the trouble I had, it haunts me still.
But, hopefully I'll have much better luck this time.

[LizStreithorst]

There are many things that haunt me since I started keeping Discus. But since I don't seem to be able to do without them, I try to put them all behind me and keep on keeping on.

[Sabrina]

Yea, same :)

Update:
I did some eBay shopping yesterday for the 6 foot, a pack of four 380 jumbo sponge filters, a 4 outlet air pump, a pack of 8 check valves, a 500 watt heater, 3 air curtains and 2 thermometers.. I am excited, but real nervous about the size of this tank, I have never had a tank this big before.

[Sabrina]

Hi all,

My 5 discus had a tank change yesterday, I think the QT tank I had them in was to small & was causing them to display a lot of aggression towards each other, and the temperature in this tank was not stable for some reason.
So they were moved into my bigger tank with the rummy nose tetras. They seem ok at the moment, just had breakfast, as pictured in the video below.. The snakeskin is growing more each day, the others not so much yet.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZaRj_OP1y88

[brewmaster15]

HI Sabrina, they look like they are doing really well. Good appetites.. nice color. Tank looks great too.

Al

[Sabrina]

Hi Al,

Yes indeed, they are doing well, however they do not like the lid of the new tank, they hit the deck each time I open it :(
I did a large water change this morning, they went weird and spooky afterwards, but have just had lunch, I brought the FDBW pellets to try, and they devoured them lol
Thank you for your comment :)

[Sabrina]

Here they are on day 3 in the new bigger tank. There has been zero aggression since moving to this tank! I think I made the right choice :)

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RT7Nw8LxQ5A

[Iminit]

Yes they look great! Even bigger :)! Hey for video before you add it from utube delete the s in the https. It show here than :).

[Sabrina]

Thank you Tom! They look happy & are eating lots..
I will try doing that with the next video, thanks! :)

[Sabrina]

Good morning all,

So yesterday I did a bad thing! My QT tank was empty besides a few Corys right? So I visited a new pet shop... 2 new discus fish later I came home! They are very spooked & shy, but I think I have a Snakeskin & PB.. And they are very small..
They seem to be pecking at the FDBWs now this morning, and are coming out from behind the sponge filter a little bit to look around.. I can't get a nice photo of them yet, so that will come in the next day or so.
This will be my last fish purchase for awhile now, besides a few Julii Corys I need for the bigger tank to clean up after my other 5 discus..
All things considered, I have now been back in the hobby just over 4 weeks, and I am excited to wake up each morning and see my fish :D

I will be updating about both discus tanks in this thread if this is ok? @Al...

[Sabrina]

Hi all,

Well, these are the two new discus I brought on Tuesday. They are still a bit shy, but slowly getting better as the days go on.. The Snakeskin needs anger management classes, he chases the PB around a bit. I hope this stops as they will be sharing this tank
for a good time yet. They are both eating 3 times a day, which suits the Corys who are getting bigger from all the left over food.

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[Sabrina]

Good morning all,

Just an update:
A couple of days ago I made the decision to move the 2 newer discus into the 60G with the original 5 discus, there were a few reasons, 1. I want to treat them all for Flukes & Worms, so having them all together is ideal for treatments in the coming days, 2. I start a new job in 1 week & having 1 tank to do frequent water changes on is also ideal for me now, 3. I removed the corys & rummy nose into the 40G, as I would prefer not to have them in with the discus while I do treatments. All is well & the discus are getting on just fine together, the newer ones are much more active now they are with the others.

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Here is a video from the other day :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXcnKd-7Bag

[Second Hand Pat]

They look great Sabrina :) You might find using a brute trashcan easier to do then all the five gallons buckets. You can get a pump https://www.chewy.com/danner-supreme-magnetic-drive-pump/dp/156804 to help move water from the trashcan to the tank. You will need a connector which screws onto the output side and a length of clear vinyl hose which will slide over the connector and deliver water to the tank. You will also need a clamp to hold the end of the vinyl hose in the tank during the water change.
Pat

[Sabrina]

Hi Pat, thank you :)

Yes, I need to look into a pump like this, doing it by buckets sure is a work out haha
I am in the city on Wednesday, I will go to the big hardware store called Bunnings here & check out what's available!

Since I wrote the last reply here I have had to remove one of the original PB's to the 40G, it was flying through the tank at the other discus like a torpedo! I wont tolerate that type of behaviour, so its under house arrest.
I will be starting fluke & worm treatment in 2 days, so I hope it has learned its lesson by then.

The original Snakeskin is growing like crazy, I am shocked how big it is getting! The 2 Turq's don't seem to be growing much at the moment. The 2 PB's have grown some. The newer SS has had a little growth & the other newer one not so much yet.
They are eating 3-4 times a day, a mixture of foods. I stay away from any colour enhancing foods, I want their colour to be natural.

[CliffsDiscus]

I use the Mag pump that Pat mention. The model I use is #7, it can pump 100 feet away, the reason why I didn't buy the larger is because it was a much larger and heavier pump. I do aquarium maintenance for local business so the less weight to carry makes a difference on my back at the end of the day.

[Sabrina]

Hi Cliff :)

Thank you for this information, I am actually going to head to the city today instead as I want to buy the fluke & worm medication and start treatment today. While there, I will go to the hardware store and check if we have this pump here
in Australia, or at least one similar. They should have the hose and attachments too I would think..

[Sabrina]

Good morning all,

I haven't updated for awhile as I have started a new job and things have been hectic.

All discus are doing well, the 5 in the 60g are getting on ok, and the 2 PBs in the 40g have been separated by a fence as 1 had the other pinned in the corner & wouldn't allow it out to eat :mad:
I am unsure what I will do with those 2 PBs, I am leaning towards rehoming them both at this stage. The aggression is so disappointing.

The 60g is having a water change this morning & some cleaning. Only the original SS is growing in this tank, the other 4 don't seem to be growing at all.

I have to go away from home for training in my new job in 2 weeks time, I am preparing already and feeling anxious leaving my fish in the hands of my 2 friends who will be caring for all my pets while I am away. I know they will do their best, but they are not fish keepers and don't have the eye for detail if anything was to go wrong :(

I brought a TDS meter this week, I am yet to try it out, maybe later today.

[Sabrina]

Hey everyone :)

All is well with my Discus Fish, they made it through the 2 weeks I was away with work with ease, and my friends did a wonderful job!
I have been busy working and not had enough time to post on here, I hope your all well..
A short video I took just now of my discus before morning feed, and I hope to do a water change later today for them.


https://www.youtube.com/shorts/C0jMpxOtYyM

[brewmaster15]

Hi Sabrina,
Thanks for the update..I was wondering how you and your fish were doing!

They look great!

Al

[Iminit]

Discus look great and are growing! Congrats!

[Sandip]

Hey everyone :)

All is well with my Discus Fish, they made it through the 2 weeks I was away with work with ease, and my friends did a wonderful job!
I have been busy working and not had enough time to post on here, I hope your all well..
A short video I took just now of my discus before morning feed, and I hope to do a water change later today for them.


https://www.youtube.com/shorts/C0jMpxOtYyM

Beautiful fish. Kudos for keeping things so clean and beautiful. Would love to see more updates moving forward.

[Sabrina]

Hey Sandip, Tom and Al :)

Thank you all for your comments!

Wow, this morning I reckon I was hours away from loosing my Big Snake Skin :(

I found him looking real bad leaning on the sponge filter. When I turned the light on he floated to the top of the water, was swirling around in circles on his side and then just floating at the surface. One of the Turq's was looking bad too, nose down wiggling.
I dosed the tank with Epsom Salts and quickly emptied 50% of the water out of the tank & vacuumed the bottom. While the water was down I took the Eheim heater out as it seemed to be over heating the tank at over 30c and would not recalibrate, I placed an AquaOne heater in there and turned the temperature down to 26c. I also took out all the filter media and gently scrubbed it in a bucket of tank water. Filled the tank back up with fresh water, I did not feed them. The SS was just floating on the surface, and the Turq was still face down wiggling. I had to leave for 2 very important appointments out of town. I was sure the SS would be dead when I returned home. 7 hours later I just returned home, the SS is upright and swimming around the tank!!!! And the Turq is fine too!! I just fed them and all 5 are eating, what a miracle!!
The SS was so bad this morning I almost euthanized it, but something told me not to.
I have no idea what caused this. And I just realised I haven't tested the water in over 2 weeks, I will test it tomorrow morning and water change as per results.
Here they are right now, as you can see the bigger SS is still a bit off with head slightly down...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A8nZ_oJ1gY

[brewmaster15]

Sorry Sabrina that this happened.. glad they are recovering. Its a good sign seeing the activity in the vid. I don't think the heater was the problem.. 30 c is perfectly fine for discus but I wonder if maybe some food was fed that they didnt eat and then ate.. sounds like bloated fish. The epsom salt probably saved them.

Hope everyone makes a full recovery.

Al