my discus turns blackish in color..

[migs26]

hi!

my 2" blue turk just turn black after my wc...
when i tap my tank..it turn back to its natural color then after a while it turns blackish again...what wrong with discus?

[Carol_Roberts]

Is the fresh water similiar in pH and temperature to the water in the tank?

[migs26]

Is the fresh water similiar in pH and temperature to the water in the tank?

yes...only 2 of the 15 discus are blackish..the rest are fine...and its more than 24hrs since my WC and they are still blackish..

[bio new]

Hi,

Many factors may cause discus to turn black. Sometime after a hearty meal, your discus may also turn black but eventually it goes off after an hour or so. This is not a disease but maybe it could be due to the food you give to your discus. If it turns black consistently and there is no external abnormality, then suspect for some internal parasite. SIMPLYDISCUS has thread about internal parasite.

Since you specifically mentioned after a WC, like what Carol has mentioned, please check your water parameters before you do a water change. Ensure that the new aged water that you’re going to put in the tank, has similar parameters with the water in the tank. During WC, do not create unwanted stress to them for e.g, hitting your siphon tools against the wall of the aquarium thus produced a loud sudden noise. Avoid sudden dipping of siphon tool, it frighten your discus. Systematically, clean the tank and try to do same method during each WC. Your discus will get acclimatize to such routine and they know that you are not to kill them.

If during beginning stage of each WC, your discus suddenly start looking for cover, then it got something to do with your cleaning method. Don’t create a sudden big splash of the new water. Try to standardize your WC time and even the location where the new water falls to your tank.

I have been doing this daily for the past 2 months and my discus have been accustomed to the routine so much so, they crowd around at the place where the new water falls into the tank. It just like I shower them in a group.

BTW, how often you do WC? Hope it is done daily even if it just 10 – 15%. Doing it on a weekly basis with a big % of new water isn’t a good practice as you would suddenly change the parameters of the old water. Hope you have zero ammonia and nitrite in your tank at any time!

My 2 cents worth of opinion!