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  1. #1
    Hi, I'm New Here!
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
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    1

    Parasit Infestation? Please, Help!

    I have 6 discus approximately 4-5 inches living in 90 gallons. I bought them a few months ago. One fish, yellow, arrived smaller than the rest of them and doesn't seem to keep growing like the rest of the fish. It got a problem with catching food. Usually the feeding goes this way: the fish will try to grab the food with its lips 5-6 times, but misses. When it gives up trying, a falling piece of food hits its lips and he just swallows it. And the cycle continues. I though that it was born with some defect and didn't worry much about it. But, not too long time ago, a crack behind it's head appeared. I was waiting for a time when I'm not too busy to put it in quarantine tank and treat it for the hole in the head. But one day, when I was relaxing and looking at the fish, the guy turned upside down and swam belly up to the top of the water. It only lasted a few seconds, he shook off and swam back like nothing ever happened. But that got my attention and I got the quarantine tank ready and started the treatment with the API general cure.

    A few hours after the first dose (followed the instructions for the dosage very carefully), the fish belly swell a little and it looked very sick, showed no interest in food. I got scared and changed 10% of the water. The next day he looked pretty normal, was hungry and ate as usual. The next day (48 hours later) I changed 80% of the water and repeated the dose. This was late in the evening, the fish looked normal and ate some bloodworms for dinner. In the morning, when I looked at the tank, my heart almost stopped. He was laying on top of the water, huge swollen belly, heavy breathing and didn't move much. My first thought was med poisoning, I immediately changed 80% of the water. A few hours later I checked on him, not expecting to see anything good. To my surprise, he was swimming, head facing down, very week and his belly looked a little smaller. On the bottom of the tank I noticed a crawling worm type of thing (I will try to attach a picture of it). It's dark brown or black, about half an inch long. The fish was getting better and better and by the end of the day it seemed pretty normal, was hungry and looking for food on the bottom of the tank. I fed it frozen bloodworms which he ate faster than usual.

    It's been a day since this all happened, he swims normal but keeps his head lower than his body. Does anyone knows what that is? What should I do now? Try another dose of API? Please, I will appreciate any help! I looked all over internet and couldn't find anything that would help me. Click image for larger version. 

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  2. #2
    Hi, I'm New Here!
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Geelong
    Posts
    27
    Have you tryed some internal wormer I would treat the the main tank to be sure

  3. #3
    Wrigglers
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    S.E Melbourne VIC
    Posts
    267
    i agree with Monarodan ,i would start treating the whole tank first with levamisole ( big L ) 1 ml per 7 liter of aquarium water ,second treatment 7 days later to kill any eggs you have missed .

  4. #4
    Hi, I'm New Here!
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Posts
    3
    I am not sure what API medicine is, but my experience with all available of medicine was very mixed and not reliable.
    However, the best treatment for internal worms is to raise slowly (in 2-3 days) the temperature to 36C for a couple of weeks. I have lost a lot of discus trying to save them with medication. I have presently a brown discus that had not eaten in 2-3 months. I thought I would try a heat treatment. It slowly ...very slowly started to behave better and defend herself against other bully discus....and now she eats....not crazy, but started to eat..Her belly size has returned to normal as well. before it was swollen despite not eating for months. I would have lost it for sure if I tried to medicate her.. I actually did but that did not work at all...Heat treatment does not completely removed worms, but reduces their number... A treatment with Metronidazole will be required to, but since fish would eat, it can now be added to food, which is a way more effective.

  5. #5
    Wrigglers
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    S.E Melbourne VIC
    Posts
    267
    i would be careful with 36 c ,1 have personally gone up to 34 c to get the metabolism up and get them to eat , i also would put 2 airstone to increase the oxygen level up ,once the fish starts to eat you are half way there,also the water change increase the appetite as well.
    cheers

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