Discus

[Yvonne465]

Ok. Here I go again. I'm not having any luck using this forum. But, as I said, here I go. I have 2 discus that are emaciated. My tank is a 90 gallon and moderately planted; temperature is 86 degrees; I do 50% weekly water changes; PH 6.8-7.0; Nitrates and Nitrites 0; Hardness is around 30 ppm; Ammonia is 0; the tank has been up for 17 years; it has 2 Eheim filters together rated for 120 gallons; 13 watt sterlizer; plant food is the only chemical I use except for a dechlorinater at water changes; tank houses 7 discus, 23 rummynose tetras and 14 cardinal tetras; I feed, frozen bloodworms, live brine shrimp occasionally, high quality flake food, mysis shrimp, frozen beefheart. I have placed the 2 thin discus in a cycled 20 gallon hospital tank and tried 2 different times to treat with Praziquantel. Then I treated with Metronidazole for 10 days. To no avail. After a month, I treated with Kanamycin for 10 days. To no avail. I am totally stumped. They are still eating and fins are extended (no clamping) and look good. Their color is also good. I am praying that this message gets to someone and, if so, they can help me. If not, I guess I will just wait for them to die and hope none of the others get, whatever this is. PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!

 

[afremont]

Ok. Here I go again. I'm not having any luck using this forum. But, as I said, here I go. I have 2 discus that are emaciated. My tank is a 90 gallon and moderately planted; temperature is 86 degrees; I do 50% weekly water changes; PH 6.8-7.0; Nitrates and Nitrites 0; Hardness is around 30 ppm; Ammonia is 0; the tank has been up for 17 years; it has 2 Eheim filters together rated for 120 gallons; 13 watt sterlizer; plant food is the only chemical I use except for a dechlorinater at water changes; tank houses 7 discus, 23 rummynose tetras and 14 cardinal tetras; I feed, frozen bloodworms, live brine shrimp occasionally, high quality flake food, mysis shrimp, frozen beefheart. I have placed the 2 thin discus in a cycled 20 gallon hospital tank and tried 2 different times to treat with Praziquantel. Then I treated with Metronidazole for 10 days. To no avail. After a month, I treated with Kanamycin for 10 days. To no avail. I am totally stumped. They are still eating and fins are extended (no clamping) and look good. Their color is also good. I am praying that this message gets to someone and, if so, they can help me. If not, I guess I will just wait for them to die and hope none of the others get, whatever this is. PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!

I don't know anything about discus really, but skinny fish that eat sounds suspiciously like parasites. When you treated with praziquantel did you feed it to them or just use it in the water? Since they are eating, maybe try a medicated food for parasites if you only treated the water. Outside of parasites, fish TB comes to mind for the wasting away. How old are the fish?

 

[Yvonne465]

Thank you for replying. I love that you asked the age of my discus. If I had never seen them and saw them today for the first time, I would think that they were old. However, they are around 3 years old. I also thought strongly about TB but have been told and have read that it is very rare. The only thing I have read/found to treat TB is Kanamycin for 30 days and that is not a guarantee that it would cure it. I'm prepared to do the 30 day treatment but was hoping that maybe there was something I was unaware of. Can you think of anything else or should I approach this like it is TB?

 

[pern]

HI Yvonne, so sorry I don't have answers - clearly this is an emergency but if you wanted to, you could also try posting in the New World Ciclids forum....

 

[ultimatebob]

most people that raise dicuss make their own food, and for a very good reason. discus fatality is as common as feeder goldfish fatality. discus don't gorge themselves with food like other cichlids do. they take in food in intervals. but what i have noticed, they are also prone to having tapeworms, or intestinal parasites, in which they become skinny, turn dark, and whither away. try using a blender to make your own food with ingredients such as beef heart, fresh shrimp, gerber babyfood like mixed vegies, spinach, also add knox gelatin concocction to secure it as a substance. but the secret ingredient is garlic powder(not garlic salt). garlic kills internal parasites. i am undoudtly a true believer in this ingredient. it has saved a lot of fish investments in my years. you can also buy already made frozen fish foods with garlic powder in it, some specially made for discus. if you decide to make your own though, pour the results into 2 gallon zip lock bags, close and flatten them out, then put them in the freezer. break off a presentable size when feeding. wallah, you got something that is truly healthy for your fish, and know exactly what you are introducing into their diet. ps also try to stay away frozen or freezedried stuff like bloodworms, tubifex, shrimps. these things are good vehicles for parasites.these foods are made to sell, not to make your fish healthy.

 

[ultimatebob]

costs about 40 bucks at the most in groceries, but makes a lot of fishfood. great for other fish as well.
DISCUS DIET RECIPE:
2 pounds beef of turkey heart(washed)
.75 pounds FRESH shrimp(remove tail and deshell)
3 tbsp freeze dried Krill
1 raw egg yolk
1 stalk leaf spinach
1 small jar of gerber baby veggies
1/2 cup spirulina flakefood
1/4 cup premium fish flakes
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 leaf of romain lettuce
1/4oz package knox geletin
1/2 tbsp cheyenne pepper
optional freshwater vitamins, capsule or liquid form
put it all in a blender, pour small amounts into ziplocs, flatten, freeze, and start to notice the difference in your fish.

the first sign that this is working will be no more white, colorless stringy poop.