new discus

[Qbal18]

i have been asking a lot of questions about discus latly and have been trying to get them to look better. i got 3 2" discus 11 days ago(a blue one a orange one and a orange white one) i have been doing 50% daily water changes have treatted 3 times with general cure made by aquarium pharmaceuticals it includes 125mg metronidazole 13mg copper sulfate and 8mg trichlorfon. they all looked good for the first 3 days then the blue one started getting dark and acting weird this is when i started medicating after 4 days he looked better then the orange/white one started doing the same thing but is stil not better. try and feed them 3 times a day or so but they seem to not really go after the food at all. if the food floats past there face they may go after it. and i have not accually seen any of them **** yet. not shure if i have even seen any on the bottom of the tank. they scare VERY easy every time you go by the tank it is at eye hight. i have been told that the discus orrigonally came from tiyland and i got 3 days after the store got them in. i have went back to the store yesterdya to look at then dicsu they still have from the same batch anbd they look reall bad dont know what it is but wya wors then the ones i have. i got mine aboit 5 dyas befor they started to look bad.
here is a pic of them wjhat type are they and what should i do is it just stress and that is it or is there something rong with them.

http://www3.telus.net/public/a5a32469/Picture%20021.jpg
http://www3.telus.net/public/a5a32469/Picture%20022.jpg

[OEG]

Qbal,
Lot of these fish that are in pet shops are sick and most of the time have a bacterial infection or hex, i would start to treat with maracyn 2 and use some metronidazole, the metro contained in that cure all you are using is not strong enough, treat with hexamit and crank up your heater to about 90-92 and watch for their reaction. What can sometimes happen becouse of the high heat is a secondary infection but the maracyn should take care of that and that might end up being whats wrong with them now. treat and do your usual 50 percent water change and retreat for five days. hope this helps.
Oscar

[Qbal18]

would a bacterial infection make them go reall dark color and not eat or even really be all that exited for food. the larger one in the pic is acually getting worse looking all the time. i will thought look into getting soem of that medication. i will look to see if big als sels it or is there a better place?

also what is hex?

and can you use all those meds together?

[Carol_Roberts]

Typical symptoms for for hex are . . .dark in color, hide in back of tank, don't eat, white, stringy feces.

Stop the QuickCure and follow Oscar's advice.

Buy Hex-a-mit - which you should be able to find at a pet store. Do you have a 20 gallon bare bottom hospital tank? You will need an airstone or airdriven sponge for extra air and a heater that will heat the water to 92 degrees.

The water used for water changes needs to be 92 degrees too. For a 20 gallon tank you would use 3 capsules of Hex-a-mit every 8 hours for 3 to 5 days. 50% waterchange daily prior to a dose. Heat should stay up for a week after treatment, then slowly lower a couple of degrees per day.

Feed sparingly during treatment to see if they will eat - bloodworms are good. Vacume leftovers.

I've not used maroxy, but I've read of others using it. Someone else can answer your questions about it's use.

[Qbal18]

right now the only quorintine tank i have is a 10g that is what thery have been in i dint think it was to samll since they are only 2" including fins pretty well. i will set the temp to 92 soudl i get some of that metro stuff as well and use it at the same time. the one discus is starting to get very dark i dont know what there feces are liek since i have not really seen any they hardly eat at all. i have an aqua mini in there with sponges right now but i can easily add an air stone or something and will do so.

[Carol_Roberts]

Yes, turn up heat - watch closely so you don't boil your discus. Add airstone next to mini at one end of tank leave other end quiet. Buy metronidazole also sold as Hex-a-mit. Dose 400 - 500 mg per 10 gallons every 8 hrs. etc. as above post

[Paulio]

Excellent advice from all. I would also like to mention that I have never seen Discus look anything other than dark with Trichlorfon in the water. They really do not like the stuff.

Paul

[brewmaster15]

Hi Qbal18,

You might want to read this ...It may help..


http://forum.simplydiscus.com//index.php?board=10;action=display;threadid=1058

-al

also... whats your pH and water hardness... Copper can be a probelm at some pH's ... lower than pH 7 and it becomes more toxic.

My suggestion is take them off that general Cure and treat one step at a time. Hexamita would be the first I would tackle.

[Qbal18]

my ph is 6.8-7 and i have a kh20 / gh20 ,or so.
how long dose it take a sick fish or a fish getting over a sickness befor it really gose after food. none of these three frish really eat and havent really eaten since i got htem i am really wishing i had not got them but there is notheing i can do about that now other then learn to spend more money on better quality fish.

[Carol_Roberts]

After a metro treatment it may take a week or so for them to start eating good.