I don't know what the problem is! Help please!

[cturner]

Okay some background...
90 gallon planted tank, temp. 85-86F, Ph 8.0, am. 0, Ni. 0, Na. under 5. I do 40% water change once a week and wipe down glass. I use prime when I do water changes and I use florish root tabs for ferts. I have 2 rena xp3's on the tank.

I have 5 cories and 9 discus. Average size is 3.5" except for one.

My alenquer has been the same size since I bought it around 2" round. It eats very rarely mostly gets chased away by the others. When it does poop it looks like an empty sausage casing but sometimes it's solid.

So I pulled him from the 90 gallon and put him in an empty 10 gallon that I had laying around with a aqua clear mini. I plan on doing water changes every other day till I figure out whats going on with him.

Can anyone help me?? I took alot of pics. He looks like a skeleton.

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g213/cturner324/sick%20discus/01012.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g213/cturner324/sick%20discus/01008.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g213/cturner324/sick%20discus/01007.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g213/cturner324/sick%20discus/01006.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g213/cturner324/sick%20discus/01004.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g213/cturner324/sick%20discus/01002.jpg

If more information or pics are needed please ask! I want to save this little guy!

[Don Trinko]

I have a Red Scribbled that has grown very little. He is a picky eater. He will eat blood worms but not much else.
I am not an expert but Your fish looks resonably healthy in the photo's, Maybee you can fatten it up while isolated. Don T.

[cturner]

Okay so since he's been in the q tank he's been eating sparingly even though I'm feeding him 5 times a day. He is now clamping his fins staying dark and looks like he's producing too much slime coat. It's hanging off of him at all his fins and gills and around his eyes.

[pcsb23]

Difficult call, the fish clearly isn't happy. First thing to do is to check water params for ammonia and nitrite.

If they are good, ie zero, then I would suspect some sort of external parasite, mayve a strong salt dip will help or failing that maybe a 4 hour PP bath @2ppm or a longer course of FMG.

[cturner]

There's no ammonia or nitrites they are zero and I'm using a new test kit from Aq.

PP?? FMG?? Sorry I suck with short cuts.

by the way I fed him bloodworms before bed and he didn't even touch them. that was his favorite meal.

[aquagal]

PP=Potassium Permanganate
FMG=Formalin + Malachite Green (can be found in several products found at the pet store. I use Quick Cure)

[RickMay1]

"When it does poop it looks like an empty sausage", is it white? If so my guess would be intestinal Flagellates. First thing you need to do is kick the temp to around 92F then read the treatment listed here for Intestinal Flagellates. http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=34834

[LizStreithorst]

I would do first what Paul suggested, then follow up a couple of days later with metronidazole. After that wait and see. He may have worms too, but you can address that if necessary if he after the first 2 treatments are completed.

[cturner]

Thanks for the help. No his poo isn't white just sometimes looks like a sausage casing but empty, sorry that's the best way I know how to explain it. I guess I'll try the salt dip. Which salt are you talking about, epsom or non iodized? How much salt per water?

[aquagal]

I copied this information from the bidka.org forum re: salt dips

The following are Paul's instructions for a salt dip. I thought these instructions would come in handy at some point for someone:

Salt dip:
2 [Paul revised to suggest 3] tablespoons per gallon water. ANY salt so long as ther are no anti-clog additives. Iodised salt is safe, cooking salt is cheaper.

Mix in a clean bucket with water of the same temp or from the tank. Net fish and place into bucket. After 30 mins remove back to clean water, if the fish rolls before the 30 minutes is up then remove it straight away to clean water.

I normally give the tank a good clean through when doing this or put them into a newly setup tank, but not everyone has the tankage.

The dip can be repeated daily (even twice daily) if needed fro as long as necessary (well easily 2 weeks).

It is typical to see the fish drop slime, I normally do a mini w/c an hour or so after to remove the slime if its visible.

Good luck.

Sherry