new here

[dfldcfire]

Ok well im new here to this forum. I recently set up a 60 gallon tank for discus, seeded it from another tank and let it establish with 3 peppered corys and 7 glowlite tetras I let it establish for over a month. Then I ordered 8 discus from maj_ _ _ _c Aq_ _ _ics. Got 4 different types of red turquise they all look pretty similar. Then 2 PB a blue jeweled snake skin and a cobalt. Ordered all 2 " but got 4 the other 4 are 3 to 4 ". I have had them for about a month now. They seem fine, all have coloring and eat well. There is one that sometimes clamps one gill for a short period of time. There is also one that will look at a plant then kinda graze of the side of a leaf. And sometimes twitches his fins. Then there is a small one that seems to have a depth perception problem, he can see in both eyes just misses the food while it hits him in the forhead. I have 2 potted plants in the aquarium with bare bottom tank. And 2 fake tree stumps to hide in. They recently over the last week spook easier than before. I do 15 to 20 gal. water changes every 2 to 3 days. my ammonia -0 nitrites-0 nitrates under 5 ph 6.8Any ideas? Would appreciate the help thanks

[Ryan]

Hi, welcome to SimplyDiscus.

The clamped gill and the flashing off of plants sounds like a fluke problem. This is pretty common in discus, especially smaller ones. It's easy to treat, but hard to get rid of. This is because medications will kill flukes, but not their eggs. You have to do a couple doses to try and kill the multiple generations of flukes. You can find more info in the Disease board:

http://forum.simplydiscus.com//showthread.php?t=34834


Gill Flukes or Bacterial Disease:

Symptoms: Your discus may breath rapidly. Gills may be flared. He may be dark in color and stay apart from the other discus. Head may be pointed down at a 45degree angle.

Treat with Formalin (formaldehyde) sold in pet stores as Formalin and in a combination with dyes as Quick Cure and Rid Ick or can be purchased online. One cc or ml per 10 gallons of water. 50% water change after 8 hours. Do not raise temperature. Add extra air as it depletes oxygen. If you see an improvement after first dose you can treat every other day for two weeks. Dose all fish in tank. May impact biofilter.

As for the shyness, sometimes shifting water parameters can cause the fish to become skittish. Other things may cause skittishness too, including shadows, stray electrical current, crashing pH, etc. If your water parameters are good and you're sure there is no nitrIte and ammonia, look into the tank placement and the lighting. Is the tank painted or covered on the sides, back, or bottom? Is it at a decent height or near the ground? Is it near a door or on a wood floor where traffic may cause a vibration in the tank? New discus can sometimes become easily spooked in new surroundings until they get settled completely.

Unfortunately, a lot of discus seem to have depth perception issues. A few of my fish had it as well. If you feed them plenty of food they can often find it eventually and eat. It hasn't seemed to hinder any of their growth. Sometimes it can correct itself as the fish grows but not always. There's nothing you can do for this problem that I'm aware of.

Until you have your fluke problem under control I would do daily water changes and keep the inside of your tank really clean -- wipe down the inside glass with each water change. Call me paranoid but I like to think this helps cut down on any potential problems that may arise if the fish are stressed from the flukes.

Do all of the fish eat well? Do they have nice bright eyes, erect fins, and dark poop?

Ryan

[dfldcfire]

yeah they all eat like pigs most of their eyes are bight there is two that have the dark band going through the eye, they seem brownish(the eye). The fins are usually erect unless being picked on it during eating. The poop is dark as well sometimes red due to the tetra color bits, I can get them to eat just about anything ive tried. What do you suggest for flukes anything that will not harm the filter?

[architect1]

welcome to simply.

[dfldcfire]

I noticed today that the alpha (largest) seems to flap his fins very fast and stays still