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Thread: Sick discus

  1. #1
    Just an Egg
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Adelaide, South Australia
    Posts
    34

    Sick discus

    Hi all,
    Really need some help please. New discus, young adult that i got 2 days ago. He was a little quiet yesterday but this evening when i came home, he was head standing at the bottom of the tank, virtually not breathing, thought he was dead.
    He is in a quarantine tank by himself. Dark colouring, skin appears to be dusty, unsure how to explain it. Not ich but a sort of dull pale film over him, no typical shine or sheen anymore.
    His gills appear a little inflamed and i notice a white bead on each gill, again not ich though. Eyes a little cloudy.
    He cost me a fair bit of money two days ago so i dont really want to loose him.
    Ammonia 0
    nitrites 0
    Nitrates 10ppm
    temp 32 (too high)
    pH 7.2 and has always been steady at that level without incident.
    KH 3

    Really unsure what to dose with here and would appreciate some help.
    Thanks
    When the power of love is greater than the love of power, the world will be at peace.

  2. #2
    Larvae
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Nowra NSW
    Posts
    163
    Rule 1, Don't panic.
    New discus will often have issues when changing environment.

    Do you know what the water conditions were where you bought it?
    Sudden changes in water quality will always be an issue.
    Maybe allow the temp to naturally come down to 30.

    You might try a small mirror outside the tank and see if his reflection makes him feel less alone.
    Do you have any tempting treats available?
    Mine love Mal's Freeze Dries Blackworms. Just search this forum or use your search engine.

    Maybe a little rock salt just to encourage the slime coat a little.

    hth,
    Dave

  3. #3
    Just an Egg
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Adelaide, South Australia
    Posts
    34

    Thanks

    Thanks Dave,
    He was in there with another fish i brought on the same day from another shop but i have since sepearted them and changed the water 50% again. He isnt eating at all, not even live brine shrimp or worms. He was eating live worms yesterday though.
    Temp now down to 30 after the water change.
    I just feel a bit helpless. Clearly he is very sick right now and the only medication i have here is Myxazin. Unsure whether to dose him with that?
    When the power of love is greater than the love of power, the world will be at peace.

  4. #4
    Eternal Moderator Merrilyn's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Melbourne Vic.
    Posts
    8,692
    This sounds like pH shock. You need to find out what pH he was kept at in the shop. In the meantime, you can add one heaped teaspoon of cooking salt (not table salt, it has something in it to make it run freely) to every 40 litres of water. No more water changes for a couple of days, and just wait and see what happens.

    You may need to drop the pH. Do you have anything to do that with? It's available from your LFS as a powder.

    Keep an eye on him. It's also the early signs of "discus plague" which will need treatment with metro. Let's hope it's something simple, and not plague.
    Thirty-five years keeping and breeding discus, and I'm still learning :P

    Merrilyn has passed, but will not be forgotten - Goodbye dear friend

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