Sick Marlboro Red

[DanMan]

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

I recently bought 4 discus from a LFS. They've been in QT for a week. They all colored up nicely after the first day and have been eating well. Yesterday the Marlboro Red wouldn’t eat – usually it’s a feeding frenzy. Later in the day I noticed it was very dark and leaning on the side of the tank. 3 feedings later, no change, so I moved him to a separate QT.
No other symptoms that I can see. I have no idea what to do except possibly treat for worms? Idk – need some suggestions.
Thanks!
Dan


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)

Very dark color. Leaning on side.




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

None



Tank/Water

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

Was in a 55g with 3 others. Now in a 29g alone. All fish are about 3.5inches

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

Set up the tanks for QT so its been about a week. Used seeded media from main tank (I keep big wads of floss in them so I can do quick setups). Bare Bottom. I don’t age water. 50% daily WC.

6 Parameters and water source;

- temp _____86F

- ph _____ 7.8

- ammonia reading ____0

- nitrite reading ____0

- nitrate reading ____0

- well water ____nope

- municipal water ____yep

7. Any new fish/plants added recently
No

[DanMan]

The other 3 are still doing fine.

No change with the red. I haven't treated yet since i'm not sure if I should..

[jimg]

I would make sure of ammonia and nitrites are 0. you can add 1tbs salt per 10 for a couple days and see how that goes with 90% daily wc's

[DanMan]

ammonia and nitrites are still at 0. I added salt and used tetra parasite guard.

He's eating now and has colored up a bit. I'm wondering if he was possibly getting bullied during feeding. I have noticed some aggression in the others during feeds

[DanMan]

This fish appears to be doing fine now. I may have been hasty seperating him from the others.

Should I keep him seperate until QT is over for all of them? Or add him with the others now? If bullying was the issue, i'm concerned that I will have made it worse by putting him in his own tank.

[DanMan]

So.... after what seemed to be a full recovery, this fish died very suddenly a few days ago.
It had been back in the main tank for 2 weeks, was eating and pooing normally and had colored up.

I noticed it was dark one night...the next morning it was very dark, had lost some of its slime coat and was laying on its side on the bottom of the tank. I immediately moved it back to QT. Treated with Tetra Parasite guard (prazi and Metro). The fish was gone by the next morning.

To be honest I was shocked. until a day or 2 before it died, it seemed to be doing fine.

Now i'm very concerned the rest of the fish may get whatever it is that killed the other fish.

Any suggestions on what to do? Should I treat the whole tank? And if so, with what?

[DiscusOnly]

I would just do WC in the tank as usual and keep an eye on the rest of the fish.

[DanMan]

Thanks Vlam,
I've been doing 70-80% every day since this happened. Was doing 50-60% every other day previously.

[DiscusOnly]

Just watch out for the high % WC with your planted tank. I've always had trouble with the plants in a high % daily WC. This is why I don't keep discus in my planted tank anymore.

[DanMan]

Just watch out for the high % WC with your planted tank. I've always had trouble with the plants in a high % daily WC. This is why I don't keep discus in my planted tank anymore.

I can't seem to kill the plants if I try-lol. They're still growing out of hand with the frequest WC's. The fish are the priority in any case.