Prolonged Discus Problem

[rabbut]

Ok, for those that diden't see my last post about this, heres the background.

Two of my discus have been flashing, one loosing colour, developing excess slime and also has pale gills. The third and final in the group has no symptoms, appart from stress bars on his/her body. Photos of all but the pale gills are below.

I have tryed Waterlife Protozin, which did not appear to clear the problem, but cirtainly diden't allow it to get any worse. Upon other members surgestion of this being skin or gill flukes, I they tryed discus wormer plus, by plymoth discus. This did not clear the problem, but did allow it to get worse. I have now switched back to Protozin, to try and preent this spreading.
Any further advise or surgestions? Things are starting to get a little desporate at my end now....

Photos;

The stress bar only discus, now seporated to prevent him/her developing symptoms

The Flashing only discus

The all symptoms presant discus, that I am most worried about

All help welcomed

P.S. one discus has already died due to this issue, hense my growing consern
Thanks all
Rabbut

 

[cheesy feet]

I can't help you I'm afraid but ask around at discus forums, your bound to get better answers.

 

[Colin_T]

Is the water ok and what is the temperature? Quite often discus will stress if there is only a tiny amount of ammonia or nitrite present in the water. Increase the aeration or surface turbulence in the tank and turn the temperature up to 28C.
Are there any other fish in the tank besides discus and if so how do they look?

 

[rabbut]

Ammonia and nitrite are 0 nitrate is less than 12.5. The temp is set to 30c. The other fish look OK. I have spotted a small amount of gold spots this evening, that wern't there earlier, so I think I am looking now at velvet. Protozin claims to be effectie against this, but the spots wern't there earlier, therefore I belive that the med is not helping

I think I will do a 30-50% waterchange tomorrow, and switch meds. I have some Interpet number 7, anti slime and velvet knocking about from an earlier problem, therefore I will probibly use this unless someone knows a better med

Thanks all
Rabbut

 

[Colin_T]

I use Ichonex. It is a marine oodinium treatment that contains copper and malachite green. It cures most things pretty quickly. I think Aquasonic make it. You have to be careful using it on catfish but it seems to work fine at half dose.

Hopefully the stuff you use will fix the problem and the discus get better. They are nice looking little fish, (besides the fact they are stressed)

 

[WILDER]

You have to retreat flukes.
Yes yellow golden spots can be velvet.
The wormer plus dosn't sound to good never used it so couldn't say how good it is.

 

[Saedcantas]

Have you had all of these fish for sometime, or are there new additions?

 

[rabbut]

Wilder, you recomended the product in your other thread. It is Kusuri wormer plus, sold in the uk by Plymoth discus. You made the recomendation for flukes. I have completed one round of treatment with it so far, and am now using Interpet number 7. This med says on the packaging

will eradicate valvet, flukes and protozoa parasites

So it will hopefuly cover the possible flukes problem too.

The worst effected fish is a new addition.

Thanks all
Rabbut

 

[TigerLotus]

So sorry you have to go through this, I went through something similar with my tiger barbs. They were flashing constantly, scales began to scrape off and they body began to waste away. I used the product ParziPro. If you have it available it may help, it did for me. My fish don't flash any more and their scales have grown back. They have all picked up weight, but I did lose a few through the process.

I feel your pain, hang in there. And try to get some ParziPro. I'm not sure if Doctor Fosters and Smith or BigAls ships to the UK, but I know they sell it online.

Good Luck,

Tiger Lotus

 

[Saedcantas]

I wont pretend to be particularly experienced, but have you considered Discus Plague?

Someone with more discus experience might blow this out of the water, but I've experienced in the past new additions that bring in an untreatable disease which leads to clamped fins, anorexia, shedding mucous and going black. Some discus survive it but seem to carry it and infect later new additions and others toil on getting no better for weeks before dying.

Merely a suggestion as a line of thought though

Good luck either way
Lotte***

 

[WILDER]

Flukes are hard to get rid of.
There is another med but it very powerful and you have to know what you are doing.
Get you some info.
The link not working.
Patassium permangate.

 

[Colin_T]

Flukes and tapeworms are easy to get rid of. Use 100mg or Praziquantel per 20 litres of tank water. Do a partial water change a couple of days later and repeat the dose after 1 week. Praziquantel is used to treat tapeworms in cats and dogs. Just disolve the tablets in the tank and away you go.

You haven't mentioned it here but I'm ggoing to assume the water is ok and you have removed any carbon from the filters. Carbon will absorb medications and prevent them from working.

 

[rabbut]

Flukes are hard to get rid of.
There is another med but it very powerful and you have to know what you are doing.
Get you some info.
The link not working.
Patassium permangate.

Hi wilder,
I thought Potassium Premanganate was damaging to biological filters If so, I can see what you mean by risky. If this is the only thing you recon to work here, would it be an idea to treat in qt, rater than risking mini-cycles in a tank containing more fish than just the discus?

Flukes and tapeworms are easy to get rid of. Use 100mg or Praziquantel per 20 litres of tank water. Do a partial water change a couple of days later and repeat the dose after 1 week. Praziquantel is used to treat tapeworms in cats and dogs. Just disolve the tablets in the tank and away you go.

You haven't mentioned it here but I'm ggoing to assume the water is ok and you have removed any carbon from the filters. Carbon will absorb medications and prevent them from working.

Again, I would be reluctant to use a med intended for cats and dogs here, colin t, as I doubt it is easy to predict just what damage the tablets will do. I would prefur to stick to fish only meds if possible.

Yes, the water is fine. Ammonia = 0, nitrite = 0 nitrate = <12.5, pH = 6.5 GH = 6 DO = 5 I don't rutinely run carbon, and I have also removed the poly wool, as I know this can effect some meds

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Colin_T]

Praziquantel has been used for years on fish and other animals and is very safe. I have used it a number of times and never had an issue with it. (Yes in the fish tank and in my stomach ) The directions I gave where from a packet of fluke and tapeworm treatment done by a company called AquaMaster, who make lots of fish medications.

 

[rabbut]

Praziquantel has been used for years on fish and other animals and is very safe. I have used it a number of times and never had an issue with it. (Yes in the fish tank and in my stomach ) The directions I gave where from a packet of fluke and tapeworm treatment done by a company called AquaMaster, who make lots of fish medications.

Thanks for that Colin, I will look into it, if this med fails. I have been treating with the Interpet med now for just 24(ish) hours, and there are already signs of inprovement. There is less flashing going on, compaired to this time yesturday, the stressed only fish has had its stress bars become less prominant, and the jet black fish is strating to get its colour back All looking good so far

I know gill flukes and velvet can lingure for quite a while, so if all the symptoms are gone at the end of the week, shal I continue with another weeks meds? Or shal I call it a day there?

Thanks to all
Rabbut