big problems..

[shayesmommy]

the day before yesterday i noticed my dear discus fish getting darker. well thinking it was cause it was time for there water change. I change the water every other day or three days 20-40 gallons for it cause its 80g.

Well yesterday i woke up turned on the lights still dark. Hiding in the corners.. seemed stressed still. So again i did another water change. Then fed them where they seemed to perk right up. Temporarly that is.

I noticed my malbro red was somewhat constipated. could see it.
so i dosed the tank with epsoms salts. thinking that could be the problem and 99% of the time the perk up after there epsoms salts baths.
They did again temporarly.
So i fed them again. perked up then stopped again.
so i woke up this morning a little more concerned as nothing has changed. And now my malbro red is not consitpated but laying on her side.

So before anything i did a huge water change as much as i could at the time. 30 gallons.
They seemed to come out mroe and a little happier.
But then i figured maybe it was gill flukes as i seen them rub themselves a couple time. I removed the carbon and added prazi pro..

But when i did that i started to notice some of the darker ones are skin looks incredibly dry. and its white. it is not web like tho. and i dont notice excess skin..
Most fish still are eating....
so what should i do? im charging my camera for pictures..
Water is
ph-7.2 which is usually at 6.8
ammonia -0
nitrite-0
nitrates-5 these results were yesterday and am in the process of testing again just wanted some feedback and help before i loose them all..

other fish are a rapheal catfish, 2 yo yo loaches, 1 dojo loaches. all of which are fine.
i moved a breeding pair out about 2 weeks ago.
And added some smaller quarinteened discus about a week ago. they showed no signs of illness at all.
so a total of 8 sick discus.
Only very few show the dry skin stuff.
can i mix prazipro and metro?
should i stop the prazi pro and add metro?
im freaking out alot.

the breeding pair in the 20 show no signs of this either. if that helps they are happy and healthy.

[Bill T]

I'd be very careful about mixing medications. You can end up with discus soup very quickly.
I'm wonderring how long you have had your discus before it got unwell?

I had problems a while back with discus (by the way, what is the plural of discus? Discii?) that would eat and be happy one moment, only to find them floating on their sides a while later. Nothing was working and they were more prone to other disease and ailments.
Then I got some octozin which looked like it was going to kill them, until they stopped writhing and started pooing - all sorts of unsavory stuff including long slimy off white worms - chuck & vomit, it was real bad!

Thgey are now about 3 years old and going gang busters.

But do be careful with multiple medications!!!! (I've hurt & killed a few in this way in the past!)

[Merrilyn]

I'm afraid you new discus have brought a disease into the tank with them, even tho you quarantined them for three weeks. It may be something they are immune to, but they have infected your existing fish.

The two in the breeding tank have been lucky to escape contact with the new juveniles, that's why they are fine.

Without seeing a picture, my guess is discus plague. It comes on just the way you are describing. You need to stop using the prazipro and do a big water change, then begin treating with metro. There's no real cure, because it's a virus, and all you can do is support with antibiotic therapy and lots of water changes.

I may well be wrong, but if the fish have started to go slimy, and they are not eating, turning dark and hanging at the back of the tank, it certainly seems likely.

[shayesmommy]

thanks merrilyn i was convinced it was that too.
Some fish still seem very well. Well others look not soo good. but will get some color back. they are eating lots. and i moved them to a 30g bare bottom tank.
I did one dose of metro last night and then soaked there food in it and fed it last night and this morning..
They ate all the food last night..
Ill keep at it.
The reason I beleive it is now the plague is cause I contacted my father who now has discus too. And all the little new ones were quarinteened together..
Hes a newbie. he made me come over to check on his little ones.. and they were worse off then mine. maybe cause mine are older.
So his are in a 30g hospital tank too. treated and fed with metro.
I feel like its my fault. I should have seen something. They were all fine. before they were moved into the other tanks...

Am i going to have to kill the filters in their main tanks? or what?

thanks for all your help...
pics will be up today

[Merrilyn]

Don't be too hard on yourself. Those little fish were incubating the disease long before you bought them. A carrier will show no outward signs of ill health, but all the other fish around him will contract the disease.

It's good that they are still eating. Getting metro right into the stomach is the best treatment. Just be sure that all fish are eating. If any aren't eating, you may have to resort to putting metro in the water. It's not as effective, but it will help.

[shayesmommy]

we are doing metro in the water and in food..
I see that most are still eating. and starting to perk up a bit.
They dont look to bad off with the white stuff yet. So maybe i caught in time.
Heres one picture. I will try to get a better one.. Just wanted to give an idea.
thanks

[samir]

change as much water as you can , they will be fine, some may take much longer to recover .if you're not using meds in the water then use a uv steriliser if you have one.
you can also treat them with other antibiotics. tetracycline, amoxycillin , erythromycin. they all work the same. i think treatment has more to do with keeping other secondary infections at bay till the fish build an immunity to the black stuff. keep the water as clean as possible and you wont lose a single fish.

[shayesmommy]

today i lost one of the discus. the others seem a little better. eating more and more.
Swimming around a bit now...........