Help! I'm losing my favorite!

[cleenw]

Please help me. This is my first issue and it's a doozy.
My favorite discus, Bubba, male, approx 6 in. is in dire straits.

Last night was fine...eating etc. This morning found him hanging near the top of the tank. noticed he did not eat this morning.. Did my normal water change.

ammonia 0
nitrites 0
nitrates .1
temp 85.7

this afternoon i added epsom salts (1 tbs per 10 gal) when i found him tilting on the bottom.

As of now he can barely stay up. One minute he is on his side, the next he's upside down. when he seems to gather some strength, he will swim briefly and come to rest on a plant (fake)

He genuinely seems to be fighting for his life...slow deep breaths, Gills seem somewhat flared but pink. Nothing noticable on his skin. only other strange outward appearance is the dark vertical bars.

Is there any hope for him?

I don't have a hospital tank, but I will set one up if anyone thinks he may have a chance.

Four others do not seem be to affected.

thanks for any help, i would hate to lose him, he has a mate!

[pinkjello]

hi,
im definitely no expert, but a few months ago i lost all but one discus..and in that loss was my favorite, had him for 2 years or so..cried for hours after he died..but I did everything I could to treat all of them in a hospital tank. First I treated the whole tank with a broad spectrum antibiotic (turned the tank water blue)..and I did that for more then a week..then I moved the ones that were really looking back to another small tank and did water changes 2x a day. The tank was probably not even a 10 gallon, but i medicated the water every day and because he wasnt eating I actually took him out of the tank and fed him some antibiotics by mouth..he lasted for a few weeks like that, but then his fins started to rot..I guess he had had enough..:o(..hopefully I didnt do anything to help him die..but I would say to you to do what you can if you love the little fellow..or gal..they do struggle to live so dont give up on him!

[pinkjello]

Oh, when I moved the bad ones to the small tank - they all perked up and actually one is still with me today..I am not sure what that was all about but I did take out all my gravel and ornaments out of the tank as well..did a thorough cleaning on the inside too.

HOpefully someone out there can give you more of a description of actually what to do. When I went to the pet store the guy there actually pointed out what medications to buy..i just bought a whole bunch and read up on things while driving home. All of my discus had nothing wrong with them..no worms, no outside problems except for stress lines and a few of them went dark - i figured they were stressed about something..so I just kept at medicating and like I said, I still have one left..added 5 more to him and they are all happy campers. Anyways good luck!

[tedsdiscus]

Hi Cleen,

I'm definitely not going to proclaim to be an expert, but this is what I would do in an emergency.

get a 10 gallon tank and fill it up with brand new water to 90 degrees.
add a sponge filter and prime or other water conditioner and move your fav into there.
Add a large airstone to the tank for more oxygen.
Light up the tank and take some pictures to get experts on here to identify the problem you might be having.
do daily 75% WCS.

good luck, i hope someone can help your fish,

Ted

[doc3toes]

IMHO. i think you should wait it out. make sure he doesn't get burned on a heater or get picked at. turn the light down (use a room light) and maintain water quality. post any changes in his condition and wait for the masters to chime in. I have seen fish lose control over their swim bladder or bloat but recover in a day or so. abdomen swollen? there are certainly more experienced keepers here, so wait for them if you can.

[pcsb23]

The usual cause of abnormal swimming is some form of internal blockage putting pressure on the swim bladder. If it is bloat then the epsom salts should effect a cure in 24 hours. If not then we have to consider other options. Sometimes a fish will spook and literally knock itself senseless for a while, I have seen it last for a few days.

However you say the gills are pink, they should be a deep meat red or very deep pink, if they are pale it indicates a possible bacterial or parasite issue. Check the colour carefully and the condition of them, the gills themselves should be clear of slime and should have neat edges, anything else indicates a problem. Given the slow breathing my guess, and that is all it can be, is on a bacterial infection. A broad spectrum andti-biotic is the best option if I'm correct.

If it is a swim bladder infection then ime the prognosis is very poor, sorry.

[cleenw]

I' m sorry to say that Bubba passed away sometime last night. It all happened so fast! He showed no signs of Bloat, no damage to any fins, gills, eyes. I thought if something were ever to happen I would have more time. Maybe I just missed subtle symptoms and only caught on too late.

My question now is do I treat the whole tank as a preventative? (Assuming none of the others are sick, at least that I can tell). and if so, what should I use?

I have a 46 gal with now, 4 discus 4-5 in.

The tank looks SO empty now, Bubba was quite a presence! Always friendly, following me around. None of the others had his personality. He had just started spawning with another Red Turq. Sorry to sound so mushy but he will be sadly missed by me and my children. This has all been a great experience for us

[MostlyDiscus]

cleenw,

Very sorry to hear your loss. I had my favorite fish(little guy) jump out of the tank and it just about broke my heart. Buba will be missed but not forgotten:angel:

[cleenw]

thanks for the kind words. Now I worry about the others....should I be treating them?

[pcsb23]

I would not be treating for anything unless there are symptoms. Lots of clean water and good food may be the best medicine.

[cleenw]

that's what i have been doing...so far so good. thanks for your response.

[pinkjello]

Im so sorry to hear that you lost him :o( Im so sad for you. I lost my fav a few months back and it hurts just as if he were a cat or dog..nonfish people think we are a crazy bunch..but we fall in love with our fish dont we! Take care of those other guys and i hope all is well.