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Latro
05-09-2011, 02:57 PM
1. Please explain the problems with your fish/when and how they started
My fish is very thin; he was never really full-sized and is probably quite stunted, but has gotten thinner in the two months or so that I have had him. It's become a particular problem in the last 3-4 days as he has pretty much completely lost interest in food.




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)
Not eating, some hiding, some strange swimming sometimes, as if he's confused. Notices when food is added but can't seem to find his way to it. That is he moves in the food's general direction when it is added, even if he wasn't moving much before, but he doesn't seem to actually find food when it is around. Some headstanding, although I really only just noticed this (except when sleeping) so it may be new.






3. What medications/ treatments that you have already tried and results. Include dosages and duration of treatment.
None.




4. Tank size and age, number and size of fish
36 gallons, tank has been up for about 10 weeks, discus have been in it for about 6 weeks. 3 small discus, this one is probably about 2'', there's a turq that's a little bigger but still probably under 3'', and the pigeon is probably over 3'' now. At present there is 1 cory in there as well.


5. Water change regime/ how long has tank been running/ bare bottom or gravel/ do you age your water?
40-50% changes every 2-3 days, gravel, no aging, lightly planted.

Temp: 80 (not giving thermometer enough time to calibrate made me think it was warmer, am planning to turn up heater a little bit)
pH: 7.4 (between 7.2 and 7.6)
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: between 5 and 10 (this is on the day of a WC but before the WC by the way)
Municipal water.

No new fish or plants.

Other comments: food is flake, beefheart, and shrimp pellets (though the discus don't eat much of the shrimp pellets); the larger pigeon does pick on this fish some. Tap water is pH 7.6 or so, so I don't think aging is especially necessary (otherwise the tank pH would be quite a bit lower, yes?)

hedut
05-09-2011, 07:52 PM
is this new discus or.....
have you ever deworm them?

Latro
05-09-2011, 08:44 PM
is this new discus or.....
have you ever deworm them?
I mentioned the ages; I got these discus about 2 months ago. But no, I haven't dewormed them. I should probably give that some thought I guess? Although wait, doesn't a fish with worms eat and just not gain weight? (I guess it could've been this until it lost so much weight that it struggles too much to eat?)

strawberryblonde
05-09-2011, 09:13 PM
They will lose their appetite if they are completely infested with worms. I have no idea if that is your problem with this little guy, just wanted to let you know that appetite drops off as the worm infestation progresses.

Latro
05-09-2011, 09:21 PM
Any suggestions on dewormers? Also, is this a full tank thing or a one-fish thing?

Also, I doubt this will help any, but just in case:
http://s141.photobucket.com/albums/r57/blindbravado/?action=view&current=100_0106.mp4

judy
05-10-2011, 08:36 AM
Flubendazole is recommended by many experienced discus keepers, but depending where you are, can be hard to find. Praziquantel (in the form of the liquid Prazi-Pro is what I have used successfully in the past. There is a powder form called Praz-tastic on the market now, that you mix with a little vodka to dissolve.
Either way, I would do a de-worming on these guys ASAP.

Latro
05-10-2011, 06:18 PM
The marlboro was not dead, but he had essentially completely lost equilibrium, unfortunately; he's less troubled now, to put it lightly. I'm an idiot for not realizing that his parasite burden was probably too much quite a while back; he had been flashing a while back, for example, as you can see in a previous thread of mine. Oh well; I guess I live and learn.

Do you recommend deworming the remaining two anyway?

Eddie
05-10-2011, 08:50 PM
From the sound of it, he seems too far gone already. Unless you are die-hard about saving it, I'd skip this one.