Trouble in MY TANK

[Steve0199us]

Hi all- I've got 10 discus in my 85gal. all pairs of 5 different strains. water temp is 87 ph is yellowish-green, no amonia and nitrite.

I've got 4 discus with different issues:

One CB has his fin disappearing little by little. It looks like ripple edge, his front portion of his top fin is way higher than the back half. My other CB is FINE..

One turk hasn't eatin in weeks almost. He is getting very very thin. His head is wider then his body. When I feed the fish he lets the food drift right by. My other turk is nice and healthy.

A Red dragon just started to act weird a week ago. He hasn't eatin anything and just hangs out in the back of the tank. The other one is fine.

A Red rainbow has a cotton looking spot on his back fin. But he's eating a lot. The other one is fine..

Please advise what I need to do. I feed frozen worms and brine shrimp. I switch the water once a week. I try to do 2 but with the office hours it tough.

Let me know..

Thanks,
Steve

[Carol_Roberts]

All are symptoms of bad water. Change at least 30% water everyday and add a couple of tablespoons salt per 10 gallons and I believe you'll see some improvement.

If you can only change water once a week I suggest you get two 55 gallon tanks. Then you can have one pair in each 55 and two pair in the 85. Age enough water to do an 80% WC in each tank weekly.

[Steve0199us]

So I don't need to add any sort of medication??
It's weird just because of water changes?

Why are my other 6 discus not sick?

[Carol_Roberts]

If it was a parasite or virus probably all your discus would be sick at once.

Water quality affects discus in different ways - some have fin or skin problems, some get cloudy eyes, some quit eating. Discus are like people - some exhibit illness quicker than others.

You may well need to treat for fin rot and hex, but first line of defense is always water changes and salt. You would be amazed how well this simple treatment works.

[Steve0199us]

Cool stuff Carol. As soon as I got home I changed 50% with 16 tablespoons of salt. I'll try this for the next few weeks..

Thanks for the quick response!!

[Steve0199us]

Carol- Things are getting better in my tank except for one discus, the turk. He still has not eaten anything for weeks. You can almost see his bones (that's how skinny he is). What should I do?
Is there a way to force feed it? if so how?
Or is he on his way out?
Please let me know!!!

Thanks,
Steve

[Carol_Roberts]

Steve, I don't bother with force feeding sickly juvenile discus. Personally, I would cull it. There are lots of healthy discus looking for homes . . . .