Discus Help Asap!

[DiscusKeeper403]

I said to feed once in awhile because I was under the impression that the discus wasn't eating. Also, the fish is an adult so no need to powerfeed it like you would a juvi. Also I wouldnt give any medication. Hex is an infection of the intestinal tract. I dont know why you have diagnosed your fish with that. Who knows if the fish actually has hith or if he is just confusing all of the sensory pits for it. Discus have many pits on their faces that are supposed to be there.

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I am feeding him about 3 times per day, performing daily water changes of 30 percent or more. I belive he has hex because I observed white stringy poo that looked exactly as I have seen it in pics/explanations, etc. I am going to take some pics tonight and send them. He has a black spot on his forehead, along with pits that I am hoping are normal. There are no good LFS here. I need some food to supplement the frozen brine. Today, even though he ate, he spit the brine out, which is consistent with hex. I have already medicated the tank, with a mild med, once> I was set to do the second dose tonight, after the water change. I'll send the pics ASAP. I truly didn't think hex would impact my other fish, and I didn't think he had a fungus or ick. Thanks for your help...will send soon.

HITH can be cured without medication. Remove carbon and do what you are doing, the daily water changes and feeding lots. Make sure you are feeding different foods though, brine shrimp, blood worms, mysis shrimp, glass worms and pellets if he takes them. See what different foods he will take. HITH is normally caused by lack of nutrients or poor water quality. Some people even believe Carbon is linked to HITH. If you start to see improvement without medication then keep up until it is gone. If it gets worse, then medicate. Its surprising what you can cure with clean water and a healthy diet.

 

[Jim Curtis]

Its unlikely that your discus has hex. Discus eating food and spitting it out is a common occurance and does not mean they are ill. I have fish who are picky eaters that do that all of the time. Stringy poo is usually nothing to worry about either. If the poo is white it is probably some sort of internal parasite. Ive never heard of a discus with hex. The spot on his forehead is probably just some peppering.

 

[Rlon35]

Its unlikely that your discus has hex. Discus eating food and spitting it out is a common occurance and does not mean they are ill. I have fish who are picky eaters that do that all of the time. Stringy poo is usually nothing to worry about either. If the poo is white it is probably some sort of internal parasite. Ive never heard of a discus with hex. The spot on his forehead is probably just some peppering.

It's one large spot, so I hope you are right. The poo is white, and if it is some sort of internal parasite, I have treated it, so hopefully it will be gone. He is taking in food, so I am happy about that. The spitting yesterday was the first time I observed such behavior in him. Down the road, if he thrives, will a school of caridinals make him feel more secure? I can cycle a new tank with my danios, leaving the discuss with more appropriate tank mates. We're definitely not out of the woods yet.

By the way, a local pet store has some wild cardinals. I am not going to buy them, but if I keep discus in the future, are wild Cardinals much more of a concern in terms of bringing in baddies to the discus environment? Just curious...I would think a discus keeper would be hesitant to stock with wild tank mates.

 

[shaz-killie]

glad to hear things are moving in the right direction. are you planning on getting more discus? just discus like to be in a group so not sure in the long term if he'd get depressed

 

[Jim Curtis]

If you are planning on getting more discus get at least 4.

If you are planning on setting up another tank I think the best idea would be to just buy the filter now and run it on your current tank until it is cycled, then transfer it over to the new tank.

What did you use to treat for parasites? What type of parasites did you treat for?

 

[Rlon35]

glad to hear things are moving in the right direction. are you planning on getting more discus? just discus like to be in a group so not sure in the long term if he'd get depressed

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Well, I am thinking of cycling another tank with the giant danios, then moving them back to the current tank and swapping the discus, accompanied by 3-5 more into an 100 gallon corner tank. The danios move around too much for discus. I am short on funds, but there is a local guy selling this tank, with stand for about 350 dollars, which seems to be a good deal. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait about a month before contact him with real intent to buy, so hopefully he doesn't manage to sell it and the price would come down even more. I would like a discus/cardinal tank that is lushly planted. I think I'd like an assortment of discus, rather than one type, yet the bluer varieties look really sharp in a planted tank, with cardinals.

 

[Rlon35]

If you are planning on getting more discus get at least 4.

If you are planning on setting up another tank I think the best idea would be to just buy the filter now and run it on your current tank until it is cycled, then transfer it over to the new tank.

What did you use to treat for parasites? What type of parasites did you treat for?

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I don't think I would put discus in that tank. I'd transfer them to a larger tank, with a more ellaborate aquascape. For the parasites, I applied a general med, with various chemicals. It was jungle labs parasite clear (hope I got the name right). I used a mild dosage (for 40 gallons). Since he had white stringy poo, and I know it is some sort of parasite, I thought it best to apply a general, mild treatment. I just did another 30 percent water change. I did water changes each day since I have had the discus in the tank. His shade is lighter overall, but the red and blue colors have not become more pronounced. I think the spot on the head is just a big freckle. I see no holes outside of what I think to be normal pitts. The LFS said that he had ick. The only reason he had ick is because their tank was 78 degrees. Once you are above 82, ick can not survive long. I usually treat my tank with garlic, raise temp, and apply a mild anti-parasitic, so I figured I'd try this same approach with the less familiar discus fish. The one thing I have got going for my is good water quality, with soft acidic water. The peat and garlic are supposed to promote health and prevent illness to a degree. I haveused it to success, but, again, I am not experienced with discus at all.