discus not eating and breathing fast

[m.ingram]

Hi all
I noticed 4 days ago that my green mosaic was dark hiding in the top back corner of the tank and had stopped eating .After 3 days i thought it might be worms as they are all due to be wormed on i treated with lemvisole .But today He is breathing really fast also has a fat belly .
I also seen a poo he did yesterday it was empty and was a little bit on the white side but not like jelly.

Water perameters Ph 6.8 ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrates under 5 temp 29 degrees .
Thanks Mark

[Eddie]

Move him to a QT and treat with Epsom salt (2tbsp/10 gallons). If the fish is bloated/constipated it is well stressed. A stressed fish breathes fast.

[m.ingram]

Thanks Eddie i will do that today .

[m.ingram]

The fish died 5 days after it stopped eating. This is the second time this has happened in the last 12 months .Has anyone got an idea on what it might be ,if anything other the maybe constipation .

[boxters]

If there is a bad blockage the intestines can rupture killing the fish very quickly. Sorry for your loss

[m.ingram]

Thanks that makes sence

[Eddie]

The fish died 5 days after it stopped eating. This is the second time this has happened in the last 12 months .Has anyone got an idea on what it might be ,if anything other the maybe constipation .


Wow, thats pretty quick. What types of food do you feed?

[m.ingram]

Hey Eddie
I feed them h/m beef heart mix ,h/m seafood mix similar to yours, Mals fd blackworms as well as live blackworms also frozen and live brine shrimp frozen mysis shrimp thats about it i think

[Eddie]

Hey Eddie
I feed them h/m beef heart mix ,h/m seafood mix similar to yours, Mals fd blackworms as well as live blackworms also frozen and live brine shrimp frozen mysis shrimp thats about it i think

Are you keeping the live blackworms properly cleaned and are they from a good source?

[m.ingram]

Yeh as far as i know if there are any that dont look to good i through them out. I keep them in the fridge and change the water daily.My lfs said they come from Mals farm as they sell his fbw as well.

[Eddie]

Whenever someones fish has digestive problems/constipation/bloat, I always ask about foods and sometimes it's narrowed down to live blackworms that may have gotten spoiled. You mentioned this is the second time in a year, have you been feeding the live blackworms throughout this time?

[m.ingram]

Yeh actually i have been Eddie .
So maybe thats what caused it then.
I think i will just stick to the fdbw then not as risky.

[Eddie]

Yeh actually i have been Eddie .
So maybe thats what caused it then.
I think i will just stick to the fdbw then not as risky.


I think thats a wise decision. ;)

[m.ingram]

Thanks again Eddie you have been lots of help :) always appreciated

[boxters]

if feeding home made beef heart you need to make very sure that you have removed all the fat and sinu, as this can clog the intestines. Also i would imo stay away from live black worm. I only ever used it once and all my fish got sick. Depending on the source they can carry many parasites.

[m.ingram]

Thanks boxter
Yeh i always make sure there is nothing but pure b/h meat in the b/h mix and i am definitely keeping away from the live bw .Thanks again