Does my discus need a pair of glassses?

[gary]

Hi,
Yesterday, I bought four discuses. After I put them into my tank, I found one SS(5") is very thin. Today I fed it some blood worm . But each time the SS bit the blood worm, it was always a little bit short away from the taget. I think may be that is the reason for its weight loss. What do you think and how to treat this? :-\ :-\

P.S I also found one of discus' body surface is not smooth like the others. It shrink like wrinkles.What's the reason( too old)? ??? ???

Thanks
Gary

hey,
I would attempt to take this fish back if you can. It has a problem with its eyes that results from too much inbreeding and the fish will never grow to be big and healthy. It's something about how the eyes are too far forward or something where it has no depth perception...i'm not sure. Sorry for ya.
brad

[darcy]

Hi Gary
I think the problem with your fish is that it has bad eyesight. Maybe a genetic thing(if I remember right??) I also have a couple of fish like this and there is not much you can do about it. I just try and watch them to see that they are eventually getting some food. I find that they can eat beefheart and frozen bloodworms the best when they are in chunks. When the blood worms thaw then they hit behind it and so on and miss it totally when the bloodworms are floating. Mine are still growing though and getting over the 5" mark and so.
Darcy

[fcdiscus]

I have seen this problem witha few imported fish. It seems to get better with age, but I do not think tose fish should be allowed to breed as it is geneticaly transferred. Frank

I have seen this to be very common with blue diamonds.... I don't know what the problem is... from a breeders perspective it is a little hard to catch all of them cause no breeder can spend time checking every single fish... usually the seller would replace it, if you don't care about them seeing that well feed them big chuncks, like beef heart mix they will grow, if they are good eaters, they will find the food....... I have had some blue diamonds with these problems reach upto 6.5"....
This fish also has the same problem I didn't notice it until 2 months after I purchased it.... I haven't culled it yet inspite of few other genetic issues with this fish cause, it greets me everytime I go down to the basement.. sometimes it is hard to get rid of somefish.... after all we are just hobbists right.....

[fcdiscus]

Yep anand, i know the feeling. Frank :)

I am becoming suspicious that my snowflakes have this as well, as they were created as the result of much inbreeding, so it seems like a plausible idea IMO.
Brad