Discus Major Problem

[rocknurworld2006]

One of my discus today

it has slow breathing, gills not opening much
redish gills
lethargic, not moving much at all.

tail shredded a bit, i think due to other fish.

the discus is in a net at the moment its just sitting there sometimes on its side, not moving, not reacting to human contact etc.

an ideas what could be wrong, i thnk it will be dead soon

stats are:

ph=6.0
amm=0
no2=0

 

[Ludwig Venter]

I had basically the same problem with Angels AND Discus, and I think it was Wilder and subsequently Tolak who recommended bacterial treatment medicines, which I did and it seemed to help the Discus, but my Angels are still not themselves (or improved).... Maybe PM one of them......

 

[WILDER]

Red gills can be bad water quality, flukes, bacterial gillrot.
Any excess mucas on the gills or body of the fish.
Any signs of flicking and rubbing.
Are the fish gasping at the surface of the tank or laboured breathing.
Do fish dart around the tank or erratic swimming.
Do fish spit there food out.
Do the fish swim in any jerky movement.
Any fish lost weight.
Any sore marks or red peirce marks on the fish.

 

[rocknurworld2006]

Red gills can be bad water quality, flukes, bacterial gillrot.
Any excess mucas on the gills or body of the fish.
Any signs of flicking and rubbing.
Are the fish gasping at the surface of the tank or laboured breathing.
Do fish dart around the tank or erratic swimming.
Do fish spit there food out.
Do the fish swim in any jerky movement.
Any fish lost weight.
Any sore marks or red peirce marks on the fish.

no mucas excess
no flicking
yes laboured breathing
no gasping
no darting
no spitting

yes fishhave lost a wee bit of weight, but that due to not been feed for 1 and a half weeks, due to mini cycle

but are eating ok now

no marks

this is the only fish like this

 

[WILDER]

I would start feeding them now.
If you can issolate try a bacterial med.
Must increase aeration as he already breathing hard bless him.
Do you have a nitrate testing kit.

 

[rocknurworld2006]

I would start feeding them now.
If you can issolate try a bacterial med.
Must increase aeration as he already breathing hard bless him.
Do you have a nitrate testing kit.

i started feeding a couple of days ago and fish are eating, ive got this disucs in a lrge net at the moment as other fish are just shredding it

just ran out of nitrate test kit, but is never no more than 5

 

[WILDER]

Fish will attack a sick fish.
Is there any where as you can put him.
Don't you have a hospital tank.

 

[rocknurworld2006]

Fish will attack a sick fish.
Is there any where as you can put him.
Don't you have a hospital tank.

well did have till i had 2 tanks crack ill see if i can find somewhere otherwise ill have to leave it in the net.

 

[WILDER]

He will be stressed and that dosn't help them get better.
Good Luck.
I forgot yes you did have two tanks crack on you.

 

[Colin_T]

It could be caused by stress. If the fish was being bullied by the others it will sulk in a corner and stop eating. If it is a young fish or one of the smaller fish discus, then going without food for a week won't have helped the problem. If the tank is having problems with ammonia and nitrite build up then do more water changes to dilute it. When discus stop feeding they don't always start again.
It can also be caused by an internal problem like hexamita or coccidiosis.

 

[rocknurworld2006]

It could be caused by stress. If the fish was being bullied by the others it will sulk in a corner and stop eating. If it is a young fish or one of the smaller fish discus, then going without food for a week won't have helped the problem. If the tank is having problems with ammonia and nitrite build up then do more water changes to dilute it. When discus stop feeding they don't always start again.
It can also be caused by an internal problem like hexamita or coccidiosis.

could be possible stres now which has made it worse

they do go through a mini cycle and more water changes were done, and now tank is fine with no ammonia and no nitrite

do you think it should be treated, if so what med??

He will be stressed and that dosn't help them get better.
Good Luck.
I forgot yes you did have two tanks crack on you.

yes i know its gonna be worse, all my tanks are full most overstocked at the moment

 

[rabbut]

If you have had a mini-cycle, it could be latent toxic shock...

If you have to remove a Discus from an established tank with a large-ish group of Discus, you don't ever want to put it back in on it's own, as the others will nack it when it goes back in. He will either have to be added again with another new Discus, or he will need re-homing

Please could you confirm the highest readings of ammonia and nitrite during the mini-cycle?

If the ammonia and/or nitrite got above 0.25, ignore the rest of this, but at this point, I'd increase airation, and set the heater to 34 centigrade, assuming all other tank ocupants can take the heat A week of that will kill off most Protozoan parasites, most internal parasites and some Caretesian parasites, leaving only bacterial infections and harder-to-treat parasites. Couple this heat treatment with a mild bacterial med (Watch those water stats, another mini-cycle is possible. A good med would be Waterlife Myxazin (my med of choise) or Interpet Mumber 9) Any other parasites that will withstand that, will be slower-moving and can be delt with later on with a Flubendazole based medication... Heat treatment with a bacterial med will cover 99% of all Dicsus problems.

By the sounds of things, the Discus could be too far gone already

All the best
Rabbut

 

[rocknurworld2006]

If you have had a mini-cycle, it could be latent toxic shock...

If you have to remove a Discus from an established tank with a large-ish group of Discus, you don't ever want to put it back in on it's own, as the others will nack it when it goes back in. He will either have to be added again with another new Discus, or he will need re-homing

Please could you confirm the highest readings of ammonia and nitrite during the mini-cycle?

If the ammonia and/or nitrite got above 0.25, ignore the rest of this, but at this point, I'd increase airation, and set the heater to 34 centigrade, assuming all other tank ocupants can take the heat A week of that will kill off most Protozoan parasites, most internal parasites and some Caretesian parasites, leaving only bacterial infections and harder-to-treat parasites. Couple this heat treatment with a mild bacterial med (Watch those water stats, another mini-cycle is possible. A good med would be Waterlife Myxazin (my med of choise) or Interpet Mumber 9) Any other parasites that will withstand that, will be slower-moving and can be delt with later on with a Flubendazole based medication... Heat treatment with a bacterial med will cover 99% of all Dicsus problems.

By the sounds of things, the Discus could be too far gone already

All the best
Rabbut

the ammonia got to 1.0

 

[WILDER]

How does the fish look to you as he does sound bad.
If you don't think he stands a chance of getting well I would maybe think of putting him out of his misery.
Bad water quality takes it's toll on a fish as it weakens there immune system, thins there slime coat, and blood supply dosn't flow through the gills so well.

 

[rocknurworld2006]

doesnt look well elaine, he is in a net at the moment in the tank and doesnt even react to human contact, i look at it and think its dead, but then it is breathing slowly very slowly and fins moving slightly, not maintaing swimming though