Discus need oxygen

[Terrybo]

I got home from work tonight, was worn out, but still had a million things to get done. Finally about 10:15 I fed the discus. One tank of discus didn't attack the food like they normally did. I thought - I'll bet that d!*m cat has been slapping the tank a lot today and they are freaked out. Went back in the kitchen, washed dishes, but kept looking at the tank - something seemed wrong. I realized that several were staying near the top of the tank, the others hiding near the bottom. Hmmm - why do fish go to the top of the tank? Sure enough, the impeller on the Aquaclear had jammed and they were running out of oxygen! I got the impeller cleared and lowered the water level to increase the aeration, so they are starting to look a little better.

I hate to think what would have happened if I hadn't noticed what was wrong before I went to bed!

Terry

[pcsb23]

Glad its nothing more serious and they are ok. Its why its so very important to observe your fish.

Paul.

[Ardan]

Glad you had a sharp eye, even after a long day Terry!:)
Ardan

[tpl*co]

Happened to me one time too. I quick ran some emergency air stones most of my fish were fine but I lost my plecos (this was pre-discus times).

Tina

[Moon]

This is why I have HOB and sponge filters in my tank in the office. The HOB often gets clogged with plant material and the reduces to a trickle. The sponge filter keeps the nitrification going.

[Jarrod]

I run a HOB filter and a sponge filter + an irstone or 2 in each of my tanks...just how I do it is all.
Jarod