Losing one discus per week

[BrianNY]

What would cause a seemingly healthy, active and eating fish to slowly stop eating, waste away and die? Some of these deaths have been more sudden than others. A matter of days.

I currently have 42 discus in 9 tanks. 8 weeks ago it was 50. Treating for hex with metro has not helped. I feed a lot of live CBW and am wondering if this is the problem. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I'm posting a pic of my current "sick" fish. A blue panda (runt), that I got at the SDW in early March.

[Barb Newell]

Hi Brian. He doesn't look good. Have you dewormed? either with Piperazine (which will treat capillaria and round worms) as well? and prazi for tapes?

CBW... I don't feed them because I'm in Canada and can't get clean ones. Is your source clean? Why don't you stop feeding the worms for a few weeks and see if the deaths stop.

What is their poop like? Is it dark, yellow, green? threads in it?

Barb

[BrianNY]

Hi Barb, and thank you for the response. The poop is dark, quite normal looking. I'm giving the prazi a try right now but the fish looks much worse.

As far as I know the worms are clean and come from Dan. The same place alot of people get them. I'm going to take your advice and stop feeding.

Wondering if any others are having similar probs?

[Robin764]

I am having same problem with one fish after last shipment of cbw's. I cannot get this fish to eat a thing...My initial thought was I stopped the cbw feedings when they all started "itching" That he just refuses to eat anything else. The water change and salt helped the fish, but this one I have not seen eat for weeks. The feces of all the fish are normal. (A slight reddish tint since I started feeding them tetra color bits) He does come to the side I am feeding on, just like the rest, awaiting the food, then turns his nose up and swims away. He doesn't even eat any beefheart or frozen bloodworms, he always did before. I'm stumped. ???

Robin

[Anonapersona]

Have either of you tried a dose of epsom salts? That would clean out the gut. If bad food was the problem that might be a good start.

[fishfarm]

A lot of folks think it's internal when it could just be a very bad infestation of flukes. I do believe all discus have a few flukes all the time. When the flukes population get very heavy the fish stop eating and eventually die, Treat with Prazi in the water or formalin. I do this a couple times a year and you'd be amazed how everyone's eating picks up. Ken

[goldengatediscus]

Brian:
My honest opinion is that all the fish in the pic look a little too thin around the head. They need to be fattened up. If they were my fish, I would stop feeding the blackworms, change them over to tetrabits or better sinking bits from Jehmco, ONF1 flakes and frozen bloodworms, and even the occasional frozen brine shrimp. I personally don't feed beefheart. I made my tanks really smelly, but everyone to their own.

I would dose the whole tank with formalin and malachite green every other day for a few doses, or use fluke tabs to get rid of suspected flukes. Then I would remove sick or non-eating fish to a smaller hospital tank. Raise temp, add metro for a week. see if there is any improvement. Continue high temp for another week if necessary. If fish doesn't get better, then it's fertilizer.

I've had a few fish that seem fine for months, then suddenly stop eating. No white poop. Moved them to a hospital tank, and within a day, it's died. In my case, it's always been imported leopards.
Brigitte

[jeep]

Brian, are you seeing any signs of HITH???

[BrianNY]

Thanks again everyone :).

No sign of HITH. I agree that all of these fish are looking rather thin. Right now this appears to be confined to the one 50g containing 8 juvies.

I started the prazi last night and added salt this morning. I do like the idea of adding epsom salts to give them all a good cleaning out.

[jeep]

HITH can be an indications of caparillia, but just because there's no HITH doesn't mean it's not there.

If you don't see results from the prazi, you may want to give them a rest and then try meds like Barb suggested or try some panacur. Panacur must be fed to them, which is a problem if they quit eating. The food can be forced through a syringe if you have the patience.

I'm not familiar with Piperazine. Can it be used in the water? if so then that sounds liek a good approach. I've had excellent results with Panacur!!!

[BrianNY]

Thanks Jeep. Where would I buy panacur?

I was just reading the thread by adapted about him taking up knitting. I'm starting to see the similarities between discus keeping and rocket science. We'd all like quick fixes and easy solutions. Unfortunately, I think there are so many variables to keep track of that anyone succesful in this undertaking has either the patience of a saint, or the mind of an Einstein. LOL

[Dkarc@Aol.com]

Panacur can only be bought from your local vet. 1 gram per 4 oz. of food fed 2 times a day 8 hours a part for 3-4 days. Make sure you starve the fish for 12 hours and add empsom salts to ensure the gut is clear for most effective treatment.

-Ryan

[jeep]

Panacur can also be purchased from jehmco...

Panacur can only be bought from your local vet. 1 gram per 4 oz. of food fed 2 times a day 8 hours a part for 3-4 days. Make sure you starve the fish for 12 hours and add empsom salts to ensure the gut is clear for most effective treatment.

-Ryan


This is what I ve done to two fish that I thought was problematic. I didn't see signs of HTH. But I did not see signs of Flukes/Anchor Worms.

I used what Ryan has stated here in this paragraph above. This is what saved my Curipera. I gave up on the Heckel, so I removed it from the tank but didn'thave the heart to cull it. :-[

I made a similar topic in here regarding how long do discus go without foods. And what if the foods given to discus are what's causing the ailments of discus (like freeze dried shrimps/krill, BWs, flakes, etc.).

Hold tight, BrianNY!! Don't just give in to only knitting (although that's a lot of fun too) but these fish are very very strong. You'd be amazed on how they come around and naturally fix themselves. Keep up with w/c's and adding Epsom Salts. This is my last resolution with the Curipera that WAS sick. Now he's eating like a glutten pig. Out-eating everyone else in the tank. LOL

Hang in there!

Best wishes,
*Angie*

[Anonapersona]

And what if the foods given to discus are what's causing the ailments of discus (like freeze dried shrimps/krill, BWs, flakes, etc.).



I think you have a point here, but I don't suspect krill or flakes, but all dried foods can go bad. Especially if exposed to moisture, but even simple aging will cause the Vitamin C to decay and the natural oils to go rancid.

I had one fish that suffered from hex badly after the heater low temp problem, it has been slow to eat ever since. Reminds me of myself as a kid after eating a sandwich with mayonaise on it when I was sick, I threw up and couldn't eat anything with mayonaise on it for about 20 years. I think that whatever that fish was fed while he was sick is now suspicious to him. He'll only eat after everyone else has been eating happily for quite a while, but of course, by then there isn't anything left.