Discus Swimming Sideways

[Kimberline]

I'm new to the site so I hope I'm doing this correctly.

(DISEASE QUESTIONNAIRE)

2 weeks ago 1 of my discus looked like one of his gills was popped out. I put him in a quarantine tank. I thought it could be Gill Flukes.

He has clamped fins, swims sideways & hides. He has just started to eat 2-3 pieces of brine shrimp 1 time a day at night. He has a dark spot on both of his sides the size of a dime.

I've used QuickCure with the recommended dosage for 3 days. Didn't see any improvement.

He's in a 5 gallon quarantine tank. He is approximately 2" and only he is in the tank.

50% daily water changes with salt and Instant Amazon & Stress Coat. It's bare bottom with one live plant. I do not age my water.

- temp 88
- ph 7.2
- ammonia reading 0
- nitrite reading 0
- nitrate reading 0
- well water...It's an underground spring (exceptional water)

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. So far he's holding his own, but would love to be able to put him back in the 90 gallon with his buddys and live happily ever after :)

Kim

[Skip]

how much salt?! what kind?!

[Kimberline]

1 Tablespoon per 5 gallons of Fresh Water Aquarium Salt.

[Skip]

has the salt treatment help open up the other gill..

almost 99% of time when someone suspect gill flukes.. it never flukes.. go figure..

[Kimberline]

Well his gill looks pretty good now but he is still swimming sideway and he doesn't move around in the tank at all. He stays at the bottom of the tank and does nothing but floats sideways.The only time he moves around is when I feed him...I take a spoon with 4-5 brine shrimp and drop it down right where he is and he finally moves to get it.

[Skip]

i dont know..

it sound like an internal thing.. maybe metro or furan.. BUT i have not used them.. so you may need to do more research on the difference of two..

[Lenin]

Yeah, sounds like a bacterial infection.

[nabilbb]

I had a similar Situation,
I had PB who had Hex. I tried Metro and everything possible finally I went to the LFS so the Guy told me to put him in 3 G bucket and put Salt he showed me how much to put half of the bag. (later on I discovered it was the wrong amount) I did like what he said for about 15 Min. after that the Fish was swimming only upwards. I concluded that some of his Gils or wings was Dammaged or paralized and he was staying in the corner untill he died

[Kimberline]

Would this bacterial infection be contagious? I would hate for my other fish to come down with it. He's been out of the main tank for almost 2 weeks now.

[Kimberline]

I have another fish that is beginning to show signs. He's never grown and I bought them all at the same time. He didn't eat last night or this morning and his fins are clamped. Should I put him into the quarantine tank?

[Kimberline]

I believe I'll get some meds for Hexamitiasis and see what happens....can't hurt!

[Kimberline]

Here's an update on the Sideways Swimming Fish! I gave him a dose of QuickCure on the Wednesday the 13th, along with salt in the water. On Thursday night I started him on Primafix & Melafix for a 7 day treatment. I've been changing his water every other day and low and behold since I started him on the 2 new meds he's been eating like a horse, swimming straight up and down and is happy to see me! Yeahhhhhh! My stress level has decreased totally! Thank you for the help! :)

[DiscusDrew]

Water changes probably did more for this fish than anything else, melafix and pimafix are more or less worthless. It concerns me that in a 5 gallon tank with a fish in trouble you only picked up your water changes to every other day. My worry is that your not doing the proper water changes or maintenance of water quality to begin with, and as such subsequent infections are only a matter of time. Just voicing a concern, remember that the core of all the best cures for diseases or pathogens is the fishes own immune system, which is influenced heavily by things such as stocking levels, water change regimen, and feeding schedule/food choices.

[Orange Crush]

......My worry is that your not doing the proper water changes or maintenance of water quality to begin with, and as such subsequent infections are only a matter of time. Just voicing a concern, remember that the core of all the best cures for diseases or pathogens is the fishes own immune system, which is influenced heavily by things such as stocking levels, water change regimen, and feeding schedule/food choices.
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