Discus plague

[Maine8282]

Hi new to site so hoping I am doing this right I have a pair of discus that have got discus plague I have spoke to a breeder and they have told me to do two 50% water changes a day which I am now doing my nitrites 0 nitrates 0 gh is 80ppm kh is 40ppm and ph is 7.6 temp 32 just looking for some information on my water conditions and if any one else has had this and what they did to help them recover any advice will be much appreciated

[jimg]

Best to fill this out http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?38545-Disease-Questionnaire-please-complete
If it is viral I would do at least 70%+- wc's a day
If it is bacterial I would go for a furan based med (furanase, furan 2 etc)
It could also be parasites or water quality
filling out questionnaire and pics helps more

[Maine8282]

Please complete the questionnaire if your fish are sick (copy and paste)

DISEASE QUESTIONNAIRE


Problem

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

I added new fish a week ago old ones started fighting with new ones after 3 days old ones started looking ill put in a tank divider to separate them



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)


They are almost black in colour white showing on there bodies,clamped fins,breathing fast,staying at top of tank very little movement,fins have started to rot.was advised to stop feeding but they were eating before I stopped but not like they normally did



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


No medications have been used


Tank/Water
20 percent treated tap 80percent ro

4. Tank size and age, number and size of fish
4 foot year old.
4 discus 6"


5. Water change regime/ how long has tank been running/ bare bottom or gravel/ do you age your water?
10% every day now changed to 50%.it has a under gravel filter also sponge filter and now a extra filter with peat added to try and lower ph
Ro is heated and used tap is aged


6 Parameters and water source;

- temp _____32

- ph _____7.6

- ammonia reading 0____

- nitrite reading ____0

- nitrate reading 0____

- well water ____?

- municipal water ____?

7. Any new fish/plants added recently


2 new discus added

[jimg]

I would think bacterial happens very often when adding new fish with other fish.
Lower temp to 82 - 84 put them in qt tank with furan 2 little to no food
If you didn't check ammonia or nitrite do that first

[Maine8282]

The ammonia and nitrite are all fine do I keep them in quarantine tank after medicated?and do I treat the new fish they are showing no signs of infection

[Maine8282]

Wont be able to get meeds until tomorrow just checked on them the male is really bad the white is pealing off him is there anything I can do for him until tomorrow

[jimg]

you can try this http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?70580-How-To-Do-a-Salt-Dip
If you feel uncomfortable with it then you can add 2 tbls salt (I use kosher salt) per 10 gallons as a prolonged bath until you can get med

[Vee]

Methylene Blue bath. Just follow directions on bottle. Put in an air bubbler and heater, no carbon and change water out 75%/day and remedicate with the blue until you get your antibiotics. Change water 75% before adding the new antibiotics.

[jimg]

The ammonia and nitrite are all fine do I keep them in quarantine tank after medicated?and do I treat the new fish they are showing no signs of infection

If some are showing no signs then i would leave them alone. All new fish should be qt so they can get accustomed to their environment for at least 4-6 weeks. They all carry different pathogens that some are just not used to. The stress of new to them can weaken their immune systems.

[Maine8282]

I have methylene blue do I take the fish out and do the bath or leave them in the tank and do the treatment

[jimg]

ime methylene blue is fine for dips on lightly infected fish. it will harm bio if you use it it the main tank. salt will not harm bio and can be used in the main tank all fish together.
If the fish was just starting to get a haze I would have suggested pp bath. since you say they have fin damage and slime coat sheeting off I think it's too late for lite treatments

[Maine8282]

I have API aquarium salt that's all I have here is that ok so do you recommend I do the methylene blue bath or just do the salt

[jimg]

I have API aquarium salt that's all I have here is that ok so do you recommend I do the methylene blue bath or just do the salt

Any salt will do. I just mentioned kosher because it is much cheaper than aquarium salt and easy to get. you can also use regular table salt.
It's up to you whether you want to do salt or meth b I just suggest what has worked for me in the past. I tried meth b before and it did nothing but that does not mean it will not work for you, it all depends on what they have. I am just guessing in a way from past experience at what they may have and what to use.

[Maine8282]

Thank You to everyone who has taken the time to help me I am no goin to add the salt and hope and pray they survive the night to get them medicated tomorrow

[Vee]

Methelene blue in QT tank only. Forgot to mention.

[TURQ64]

As mentioned, a few protozoan outbreaks and such usually follows fish intros to each other. If you have truely a case of 'the plague', you will become friends to large volumes of PP..(Potassium Permanganate).....Been there, done that a few decades ago......I haven't heard much on it as of late....Gary

[animicrazy]

New to forum but not discus. Saw a talk at CCA by a discus dude from out west and when I had an issue my usual remedies didn't fix I tried his. (1) dark (cover tank) (2) raise or lower temp depending on what was typical for your tanks: if normal is 82 - 84 then drop into 70's, if normal is 70's then raise to 84+ (increase 02), (let water get dirty - competition for resources for pathogen, (3) don't feed, (4) wait and pray. After a couple of weeks my discus tank that was in trouble was showing improvement and all fish survived. Ramped up food slowly, kept water dirty, invested in a new water treatment plant for new water: particulate, carbon, UV. Saved 26 wild discus. Good luck.

[TURQ64]

The thing about the Discus Plague, is that it is just that, a plague..It hits tons of folks simultaneously, not just someone's singular tank...Usually something resembling a few plague symtoms is the norm....