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  1. #1
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    Discus got crazy, any suggestion how to save it?

    Hi all,

    I have a problem with my discus, it got crazy moving very fast through the aquarium and hitting the walls!
    This happened before, and I already lost several discuses this way. I don't want to loose this one as well.

    Roughly one month ago I had nine adult discusses in the aquarium (the tank is around 350 liters), and one had a slimmy white waste. I know that is a sign of intestinal parasites, and I used flagellol to treat it. Soon after the treatment one discuss got crazy and in matter of days died. Now, two-three weeks later one other discus got crazy.. I know what it leads to, I wanna stop it.

    Any suggestion what this might be caused from - the discus getting crazy, and how can I save this one? and how can I prevent this occurring again in future?

    Thank you very much,
    Zharko

  2. #2
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    Can you post your water parameters please, this might help. also a thought, can you feel any tingling when you put your hand in the water?

    H
    Why me ?

  3. #3
    Moderator samir's Avatar
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    have you ever treated for external parasites ?

  4. #4
    Wrigglers
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    Sounds like a water quality issue. Fix the water and you'll fix your Discus. If you don't get the water right you'll continue to kill them.

    Good water quality basically amounts to:

    6.0 < pH < 7.6
    0ppm NH3/NH4+
    0ppm NO2
    <40ppm NO3 (if non planted then < 20ppm NO3 would be better)
    Nil medications in the water

    Regards,

    Greggy

  5. #5
    Hi, I'm New Here!
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    Guys, thanks for the fast replies.


    I have never used anything for external parasites, not at least in the last year and 9 months (as long as I have the discuses).

    When I put my hand in the water I can not feel any difference with ordinary water, so no tingling.

    The water parameters:

    PH: ~7.4
    NO2: <0.3 mg/l (closest to zero on the scale of the test)
    NH3/NH4: ~1.0 mg/l
    My NO3 test is out, I will post that one asa I have the test.

    The NH3/NH4 is too high. Suggestions? (other than changing part of the water, which I am currently doing)

    If helpful, I can also post the past few months history what I did and how the fishes reacted.


    Regards, Zharko

  6. #6
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    Any history will help. The tingling thing was just to rule out stray electrical discharge into the water from a heater.
    Why me ?

  7. #7
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    YOUR WATER NEED ATTENTION!!!
    Do a massive water change, 90% then refill and test your water again your NO2 and NH3/NH4 will be below detectable limit. you NEED to keep it that way, this may meen daily 90% water changes, for the next few weeks till your tank cycles. and it can maintain your stocking level.

    other things you can do are a quick vac 30mins after EVERY feed to remove ALL uneaten food and waste. this will help keep your ammonia/ammonium down, lowering your ph to below 6 will force the NH3 to be converted to NH4 which is fas less toxic

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by zharko1978
    PH: ~7.4
    NO2: <0.3 mg/l (closest to zero on the scale of the test)
    NH3/NH4: ~1.0 mg/l


    Ammonia will change to less toxic ammonium below pH7.0, but above pH 7.0 is very dangerous, 1.0mg/l is toxic I'm surprised they are even still alive to be honest.. must be tough!

    As ILLUSN said:

    Do some massive waterchanges, add prime to help detoxify ammonia, lower ph to below 7.0 to convert ammonia to ammonium, combination of all of the above - do as much as you can as soon as you can!

    Something has killed the good nitrifying bacteria in your filter, and it is starting to cycle again (based on measurable NO2) so you will have to keep up massive waterchanges until it's fully cycled.

  9. #9
    Hi, I'm New Here!
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    Because I have the discuses almost two years, I think the water quality must have been reasonably well in the past, or they should have been gone by now. I lost several discuses under strange circumstances with the same symptoms, they get crazy, and at some point I find them upside down in a corner entirely shaking and moving the body uncontrollably. These sad cases, however, I can connect with water change. Once two discuses were lost due to overfeeding (a friend was feeding the fishes while I was on holiday, and later I discovered that the quantity she was feeding them way too much.. it was misunderstanding). Another time the same thing happened soon after I cleaned the external filter.

    What I'm suspecting has caused the problem this time, is that I turned off the biological filter, and also took out the active coal when I treated the fishes with flagellol - this is what I was recommended in the local store to treat a fish with white slimy waste (intestinal parasites). Two days later I put back the coal, and soon later I also restarted the biological filter. All this was by following the user's manual of the medication, but apparently something went wrong and killed the bacteria. Then I was doing water changes of 20-30% per day.

    You are right, I will start doing massive water changes.

    It was in my mind not to do a massive water changes, as discus do not like drastic changes in their water parameters.
    Isn't it dangerous to change 90% of the water per day?
    Shall I do it at once, or shall I do it three times 50% (which will amount to ~90%)?
    Or other suggestion for a safe massive water change?

    Zh.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by zharko1978
    What I'm suspecting has caused the problem this time, is that I turned off the biological filter, and also took out the active coal when I treated the fishes with flagellol - this is what I was recommended in the local store to treat a fish with white slimy waste (intestinal parasites). Two days later I put back the coal, and soon later I also restarted the biological filter.
    Yep, there's the reason for sure, turning off a filter will result in the death of your nitrifying bacteria, once the food and oxygen for the bacteria is used up (can be as quick as a few hours) they will not be able to survive.

    If it was me, I would do about a 90% waterchange straight away to get rid of the toxic ammonia. Yes the large change may stress your discus, but it's better a stressed discus than a dead one.

    I would them monitor the ammonia, nitrate and nitrate levels probably 2 times a day but at least once per day, and while the ammonia was measurable I would be doing at least 1 x 50% waterchange daily to try and keep the ammonia as low as possible. On top of that I would add some blackwater extract, ph down or whatever you have to lower the pH to < 7.0, in fact I would aim for about 6.5

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