Need some help

[ssajid]

Hi,

My name is sajid and i joined the forum recently.

I am new in this hobby. I choose discus because of its beauty. I lived in Karachi, Pakistan and unfortunately the suppliers or the vendor of the fresh water fishes in pakistan is selling the very common species like, carbs, gold fish and chiklids of various types. But a good quality discus is very rear in pakistan. Also they have no knowledge about discus.

First of all I tell you the setup that I have, you can see it in the picture also.

55 gal tank.
Astro 2206 water filter
Under Gravel Filter
one peice of drift wood
three types of live plants
25% Water Change alternate day
50% Water Change ater 15 Days


I purchased 4 pairs from a local shop 4 months ago, i have lost 2 fishes during this period. One of my discus expire today reason i dont know but one thing i observe that all of the fishes did not take the feed (Frozen Blood Worms) for the last 24 hours. They are hiding behind the drift wood.
One of them swims randomly and at a very fast pace and then float in the water with out struggle. The first one had gone in the same manner. I dont know the reason.

I am new in this hobby but the last 4 month are very sensational with discus.

Now I think i came to the right place where I can get help to make my discus happy and healthy.

Wish all of you a very happy day.

Sajid

[Eddie]

Sajid, BIG welcome to Simply and you have come to the right place. One thing that hits me straight off the bat, is the use of an undergravel filter. These types of filters do not mix with discus. They tend to collect too much debris and this build up can become a playground for parasite/bacteria.

One thing that can really help others pinpoint what might be affecting the fish, is knowing all the details. Can you copy and paste the questionnaire into a reply and answer all the questions, as detailed as possible.

I am sorry to hear of the losses you've had and hopefully we can help out the rest.

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=38545

All the best,
Eddie

[ssajid]

DISEASE QUESTIONNAIRE


Problem

1. Please explain the problems with your fish/when and how they started

Problem starts a day before yesterday, I put some Hikari orlando gold which has been given to me by the pet shop keeper mentioning that this is the best feed for discus. Earlier I use Frozen Blood Worms which works fine and my fishes take three times a day. But the stock was finished by the shopkeeper and he gave me that hikari feed. Earlier my single angel fish live peacefully with discus but from yesterday angel attacks and I put it in other small tank.



2. Symptoms (i.e. turning dark, excess slime, not eating, clamped fins, flashing, darting, clamped gills, white/yellow/green poop, hiding, headstanding or tailstanding, white on tips of fins, rotting or fungus, blisters/ white zits on fish, bloated, cloudy eyes, wounds)

* Turning Dark, not eating, Clamped fins, Flashing, hiding, bloated




3. What medications/ treatments that you have already tried and results. Include dosages and duration of treatment.

* just treated with salt



Tank/Water

4. Tank size and age, number and size of fish

55g, 4 months, now 6, medium size 2-2.5 "

5. Water change regime/ how long has tank been running/ bare bottom or gravel/ do you age your water?

alternate day, gravel, I dont know about water age.

6 Parameters and water source;

- temp _28 c____

- ph __dont't know___

- ammonia reading __dont't know__

- nitrite reading __dont't know__

- nitrate reading __dont't know__

- well water __no__

- municipal water __yes__

7. Any new fish/plants added recently


* No

[Spardas]

First off, I'd like you to set up an aging barrel and add water conditioners to them and let it aerate for a day with a heater to match that of the tank.

While you're doing that, run to a local LFS and purchase a reliable test kit or one of those 6 in 1 dips to measure the levels of NH4, NO2, NO3, and pH in your tank.

How big is your other tank that you put the angels? Is it barebottom without anything else in it? If it's barebottom, move the angels back into the planted tank and move all the discus into that tank for treatment.

I'd say this is bacterial infection due to bacterial build up in the water without frequent daily water changes and meticulous cleaning of the gravel and usage of undergravel filter. This combined with a pretty poor diet and possible fluctuation in pH if water is not aged can lead the discus to slowly become weaker.

So, can you give me more information on other tank and do the other things I asked.

Best

[Eddie]

Definitely get some test kits and find out the readings for your water. Water is always the first place to look and its the easiest to change WITHOUT subjecting the fish to un-needed chemicals.


Eddie

[exv152]

You have to be able to test the water to know what you're dealing with, at the very least you have to know the pH. The water quality is everything, and if your fish are diseased then it more than likely came from poor and/or inconsistent water conditions causing the fish stress. For the time being I'd at a bit of salt to the tank.

[Scribbles]

Welcome to Simply Discus!

I would get some test kits ASAP. I would also ditch the undergravel filter as it's a breeding ground for all kinds of trouble. 8 discus in a 55 gallon tank is pushing it. If your water has the same parameters from the tap as it does in the tank then I would change more water because of the heavy stocking level.

Chris

[ssajid]

Thanks for help, today at night I will remove all the gravels and under gravel filter. I have few things to know about this operation.

1. Do i put the fishes in a plastic container of 30gal.

2. Is there any water treatment required for the plastic container.

3. After how many hours do i shift my fishes to the fish tank.

4. Can I use both my canister filter and power filter.

5. Canister filter contains active carbon and ceramics is this ok.

6. Currently i have plants in my tank do I put them in a ceramic bowl with sand gravels at a corner of my tank.

7. One thing I have did today as an experiment, I cover the sides of the tank with a fine cloth, the thing i observe is quite amazimg. After few minutes all the fishes behave normally swim around the tank freely. But as I remove the cloth all of them hide under the drift wood. What this means.


Yesterday I contact all the fish suppliers about the testing kit, but they are unaware of this. From where I could get it.

Lets hope for the best. I am very happy that I came to the right place on right time. Your continous supports definitely give results to my fishes.


Sajid

[tcyiu]

Welcome to SD.

Some thoughts below.



1. Do i put the fishes in a plastic container of 30gal.

2. Is there any water treatment required for the plastic container.

Food safe containers are best. If you're not sure, smell the plastic. You should NOT be able to smell anything. This is not a foolproof test, but at least it will help you avoid the really toxic plastics.

Drain some of the clear water from your tank into the plastic holding container BEFORE you start moving the gravel. MOve the fish and plants and then start cleaning the gravel. When you start agitating the gravel, some really really bad toxins might be released.



3. After how many hours do i shift my fishes to the fish tank.
After the gravel is cleaned, you can move the fish back with some of the holding container water. Think of it as a water change.



Yesterday I contact all the fish suppliers about the testing kit, but they are unaware of this. From where I could get it.

Have you tried looking on the internet for vendors who will ship to Karachi?

By the way, can you find out from your municipal water supplier what is added to your water? Not sure if they will even tell you, but this is one place to start to understand exactly what comes out of your tap.

Best of luck.

Tim

[ssajid]

Thanks for the nice and useful tips.

I already get a digital Ph meter and ordered the testing kit to a local supplier.



Sajid