fish not eating.....with normal poop....i did a search on the topic already....

[flexo248]

DISEASE QUESTIONNAIRE


Problem

1. Please explain the problems with your fish/when and how they started
i got a group of fish all at once....all the fish is eating but this one.........at first i thougth is just shy and not used to the new environment but after 2 months it is still hanging by itself.....not eating much

trying to see if the fish have parasite or worm issue or just dont like the food
bloodworm, flakes, pallets are what i am feeding it now


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.....no fins rotting no big belly no white poop (well when he eat it poop normal black looking poop)
it will run after bloodworms but it will stop right in front of it and not eat it........sometime it will eat



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

just started heat treatment set heat at 88-90 yesterday



Tank/Water

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

45 gal - two year old- 8 discus all juv.

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

once a week tap water bare bottom - no age on water

6 Parameters and water source;

- temp _____87 ususally - heat treat at 88-90

- ph _____ 7.0

- ammonia reading ____0

- nitrite reading ____0

- nitrate reading ____ less than 10ppm

- well water ____no

- municipal water ____yes

7. Any new fish/plants added recently
n/a

[strawberryblonde]

What size were the juvies when you purchased them, and how much have they grown in the past two months? Is the non-eating growing at about the same pace as the rest?

Often with discus one of the group will fall behind because it's the low man on the totem pole (pecking order within the tank). If that's the case, you'll see that he still looks healthy but that he's just a bit smaller than the rest of the pack. And in that situation there's not much you can do to change things. It's just the way it is in the discus world.

I had one who didn't eat well right from the start. He was definitely low man on the totem pole and was bullied and chased by the more dominant fish. One day I realized that he was "stealth" eating. He'd hide at the back of the tank and snatch food back there where no one could see him.

He grew VERY slowly and I was convinced that he was going to be stunted. As it turns out, he just continued to grow long past the time that all his siblings did and he's now a nice 7" fish as an adult. He's still the smallest of them, but not stunted at all.

Soooo, all that to say that you might not be dealing with an illness. If your non-eater looks healthy, isn't getting thin, doesn't have white poop, etc, he's probably just going to be the little guy.

[shoveltrash]

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

once a week tap water bare bottom - no age on water

try increasing your water changes.
have you tested your water to see if there is a pH swing after aeration??? (check pH straight from tap, see if differs from established tank pH)



ditto what Toni said too, about the 'little guy' & stealth eating. I have one myself - low man on the totem pole. Toni your story is inspiring! :)

good luck flexo248, & welcome to SD!

[strawberryblonde]

Good catch on the wc routine Trish! I missed that completely.

Definitely up the water changes. If the discus are smaller than 4", you'll need to start doing a water change every day. If they are larger than 4" they'll need to go in a larger tank and still will need a water change at least every other day. Water changes should be large while the discus are growing out... I try to do at least 60% per day.

Heat treatment isn't necessary at this point in time since the only symptom you have is one fish who isn't eating well. We'll know more once we know about the sizes of the other discus compared to him and how much they've grown in 2 months.


Off Topic for Trish"
Funny thing with Number Five (named because there were five discus in the group and he was...well...number five, always the last in line for food), I fretted over him for a six months before I realized that he WAS growing, just slowly. I finally got brave and pulled him out of the tank to measure him this past April and was shocked to find that he was 7" long. He still looks small, but that's because the rest of his brothers are all 8" or more. LOL

[zimmjeff]

that is alot of fish for 1 change a week. I think that this is a good warning to up the water changes before there is something really wrong. I do not say this because I am a die hard change your water every day person. I think that changes can be done on individual needs for the tank. good luck.

[DiscusDrew]

I agree with staying away from meds unless other symptoms show their ugly faces, up water change schedule regardless of if it helps or not, overall it will create a healthier environment for your young-uns. There will always be that one discus.... less significant with more fish I find, but still always one thats a little slower growing than the rest.

[flexo248]

thanks for all the advice.......the juv. i got them all at 2.5 in.........the rest of the group is at 3" and the little guy is still at 2.5.......
pH - i tested and no pH swing.... stay at 7.0
i will try to do more observation on the little guy...... the rest of the group eat so fast that usually no food is left for the little guy to stealth eat...... i will try to feed more offen to help that issue.....
i will try the WC more often is hard to do daily WC when you have a one year old running around the house.

thanks again

[flexo248]

i have been monitoring.....the little guys is eating froze bloodworm.....notice he is a slow eater....take his/her time....... it will be one of the always small discus
thanks again everyone