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Sun Jul 06, 2008, 01:03 PM
#1
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
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Sun Jul 06, 2008, 01:10 PM
#2
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
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Sun Jul 06, 2008, 01:24 PM
#3
Moderator
have you ever treated for external parasites ?
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Sun Jul 06, 2008, 02:10 PM
#4
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
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Sun Jul 06, 2008, 05:56 PM
#5
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
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Sun Jul 06, 2008, 06:48 PM
#6
Any history will help. The tingling thing was just to rule out stray electrical discharge into the water from a heater.
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Sun Jul 06, 2008, 11:59 PM
#7
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
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Mon Jul 07, 2008, 02:37 AM
#8
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Mon Jul 07, 2008, 08:15 AM
#9
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.
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Mon Jul 07, 2008, 08:57 AM
#10
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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