Very Wasted Discus at Local Fish Shop

[waterflash]

I went into the local supplier the other day to find they had two full grown discus that were borought in and had been neglected for some time. Both very wasted to the poing that the bone was prominent between the eyes and the fins had rotted to the point I would be surprised that they would ever repair, if they survived at all.

I would expect the store will very likely ditch them when it all gets to hard. As I am a bit of a soft touch is it worth trying to get hold of these discus and trying to restore their condition or would I be wasting my time and prolonging their suffering.

I would not place them in a display tank and they would be isolated in a hospital tank of 90 litres. Any coments would be appreciated. How people let them get to this point is beyond me.

Cheers Waterflash

[Merrilyn]

While they are alive, there is still some hope. I guess if you really wanted to get these fish and start treatment, it could be done, but it will be a long and costly exercise. It's taken these fish a long time to get like this, and recovery could take six months.

First thing to do, would be to treat for hex with a strong dose of Metro (Flagyl) of 400mg per 40 litres of water every 8 hours with a 30% waterchange in between. Treatment should continue for at least 7 days. This may start the fish eating again properly.

Next thing is to treat for worms, with Levamisole at the rate of 1 ml per 7 gallons of aquarium water. This will rid the fish of round worm and thread worm. A follow up dose will be needed about 2 weeks later.

Good quality high protein food should be offered 5 or 6 times a day, just as much as the fish will consume in about 15 minutes. Maintain the tank temperature at 30 degrees and do daily waterchanges.

Even with all this care, the fish may not survive. Sometimes the gut is so badly damaged from worms or disease, that the fish will just continue to waste away.

If you decide to take this task on, we will try to help you every step of the way. Good Luck.

[AdelaideAnt]

There is still a certain point that once they get to, even if you do nurse them back to some health, they will always be susceptable to worms and other illneses. Give it a shot anyway, make sure they are quarenteened, use a product called netsan to kill any nasties on nets and equipment etc. Ladies advice is very good, follow that info.

Anthony