discus just not right

[cjaxx]

Hi. I seem to have a problem with my discus. 6 discus in my 55 gallo planted tank. Water change Hi. I seem to have a problem with my discus. 6 discus in my 55 gallo planted tank. Water change (ro remineralised with ro right/bicarb of soda) of 50 litres 2 - 3 times per week. Discus go dark, show white pimples (not whitespot but more like raised pimples on body, just a couple on some of the fish, not all fish). Other symptom is that they just don't seem to put on weight. If anything, they seem to get smaller with time. I feed flake food, gamma erradiated frozen food and tetra prima. I treated recently with chris ingrams wormer plus (plymouth discus in england) which seemed to help some of the symptoms, when they were breathing with just one gill, the other clamped, and were flicking against the plants. They are now breathing evenly and steadily. Water parameters are ph 7.7, kh 3, unsure of gh as kent ro right does not register gh with liquid test kits, but I add water change water prepared with tds of 160, temp. at 30c. Tonight I noticed that the skin on one of the discus seems to be peeling off along lateral line. Eyes fairly dull in colour.
I've tonight treated with esha 2000 in the hope that it is a bacterial problem. I treated a while back with esha hexamita and have since noticed no white faeces. faeces seem normal now.
any ideas?
cj
Thu Sep 02, 2004 9:39 pm   
p.s. ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 12-15
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[Barb Newell]

Hi cjaxx. It's hard to treat discus in a planted tank. I'd begin by increasing the water changes to 50% daily and add salt 2 tbsp/ 10 gals.

Do the pimples seem to come and go, leaving a discoloured mark on the fish? Have you treated with formaldehyde for gill flukes?

Barb

[cjaxx]

Hi Barb. Yes, the pimples do seem to come and go. I have treated for flukes before using waterlife sterazin (formalin) and also esha hexamita which also claims to knock out flukes.

Trouble is I cannot add salt as I keep clown loaches in this tank too and the clowns would apparently react very badly to the salt. this is what I've been told. I'm curious to know why it is difficult to treat in planted tank.

thanks for your help so far.

cj