Cross Contamination Treatment

[Guilt]

Hi all, I own 7 discus currently and had tried to own 3 more from a local breeder. After a 2 weeks of QT I added them to the tank a few days later the discus I added turned black and started acting sickly (meanwhile the 7 existing discus and the clown loaches are still fine). Quickly added them back to the QT and treated them unfortunately all the discus passed . I was told that this is called cross contamination and this happens with discus. I was told to treat my main tank with potassium permanganate. Is this the best option to rid my tank of whatever killed those fish? How would I go about dosing my tank and will it kill off my biological filter? Any help would be appreciated, my tank parameters were all good when this happened.

0 ppm ammo
0 nitrite
10 ppm nitrate. 3-4 wc weekly.

[Iminit]

Re: Cross Contamination Treatment

Thing is potassium permanganate is the witch oil some aquarist like to use these days. It’s a cure all exlixir for all fish ills. Nope! But yes it’s was probably a cross contamination. 2 weeks in qt isn’t long enough. 4 weeks qt than add your least liked first discus and add to the new discus tank. Have some rid-ich plus available if there’s a problem. This usually works on cleaning up whatever the older discus gave the new ones. Once all is well add to the old discus tank.

[Guilt]

Re: Cross Contamination Treatment

Thing is potassium permanganate is the witch oil some aquarist like to use these days. It’s a cure all exlixir for all fish ills. Nope! But yes it’s was probably a cross contamination. 2 weeks in qt isn’t long enough. 4 weeks qt than add your least liked first discus and add to the new discus tank. Have some rid-ich plus available if there’s a problem. This usually works on cleaning up whatever the older discus gave the new ones. Once all is well add to the old discus tank.

Understood! Thank you for the tip. I'll qt longer next time and for at least a month. For my current tank, should I treat the whole tank with rid-ich(its only a 75 gallon so dosing is easier) before I move them to my 180?

[Second Hand Pat]

Re: Cross Contamination Treatment

Understood! Thank you for the tip. I'll qt longer next time and for at least a month. For my current tank, should I treat the whole tank with rid-ich(its only a 75 gallon so dosing is easier) before I move them to my 180?

Please do not treat with anything. The existing discus are not sick? Right? They look good and are eating? Next time you get new discus please follow this process https://forum.simplydiscus.com/showt...tine-Procedure on the new fish. This is your best way to prevent a further CC issue.
Pat

[brewmaster15]

Re: Cross Contamination Treatment

Im sorry you had issues but please do not follow the advice you were given and use PP on your healthy existing fish.

I was told to treat my main tank with potassium permanganate. Is this the best option to rid my tank of whatever killed those fish?

often issues like this are viral and the virus is inside the fish.Pp is an oxidizer of whats in the water...It has no effect on things inside the fish.

Fish are no different than humans. They a have an immune system that responds to things they are not familar with...viruses and bacterias . A lengthy quarantine often lets them slowly get used to things when newly aquired. 6 weeks is a good length of QT.

How long ago did this happen? Those fish that were in QT for 2 weeks may have been the source of their own death. If so, hopefully nothing was passed from them to your healthy existing Discus.

al

[Guilt]

Re: Cross Contamination Treatment

Please do not treat with anything. The existing discus are not sick? Right? They look good and are eating? Next time you get new discus please follow this process https://forum.simplydiscus.com/showt...tine-Procedure on the new fish. This is your best way to prevent a further CC issue.
Pat

Yes, current discus look good and are eating normally.

[mleibowi]

Re: Cross Contamination Treatment

Agree, no potassium permanganate. It’s a very strong oxidizer, will likely wipe out much of your beneficial bacteria and if not titrated appropriately, it will kill your remaining fish. I follows Al’s protocol, with some minor differences but the key is ensure the new discus are healthy, eating well, have been dewormed/de-fluked and then you need a hero fish.

I lost 8 of my discus several months back from CC, and it was heartbreaking. The only solace I took was that the experienced people on this forum said it happens to all of us at one point or another.