discus eating problem

[bear]

My discus, a 5 in. marlboro red has stopped eating?
Actualy it is eating , but not swallowing its food ,it happely pecks at all the food along with its other tank mates but promptley spits out every morsel without swallowing it.
Any helpfull hints as to what to do ,or look for will be greatley appreciated

water stats. are ph 7.0 gh.6.72 kh.4.48 temp at 82-83f
T.I.A. Bear

[G-1000]

Hey Bear,

How often are you feeding them?

Also, are they fed a varied diet?

And, what is the w/c regime like?

Lastly, have you seen any poos?

G

[bear]

greetings SnakeSkin
I feed my com. tank 2 x daily I also try and feed a variety of foods
like Frozen bloodworms & brine shrimp freeze dried tubifex, dried shrimp bits and tetramin flakes during the summer months I try and feed live mosqito larva just to keep them interested
My w/c regimen is not wat it should be ,but that's because I have to truck in water from the city 40% x 3 wks manualy heated in a barrel, but it seams to keep the other fish including discus ( blues & reds ) happy
Ive thus far been unable to observe any "poo poo" activity because the tank is densely planted witch keeps my nitrates to an manageble level between w/c's. At this point I'am at a total loss as to what might be bothering that fish, I've had it for about 1 year now and have grown somewhat attached to it I appreciate any help you can give me al-tho correspondence may be sporadic with a 14 hrs time difference between Aust. & Canada Also add that we're talking about an 90 gal. tank :) :D :o

[marg]

Bear,

Is it spitting everything out?

What is its' overall body condition like, and how is it behaving - does it look "pinched" around the head - is it hiding, turning dark, ?

If you can fully describe how it is acting maybe Ladyred or someone similar may be able to help.,

Regards,

Marg.

[bear]

Hey Marg
It is indeed spitting out everything as far as I can tell...
Now that you mention, it's head looks slightly larger and lighter than usual.
At feeding time it rushes right out of its favourite spot/area to partake in feeding but spits out anything it sucks into its mouth
It's very strange to see it rush out, only to spit it out. Its obviously hungry but won't swallow its food. Usualy its favourite is bloodworms but the same routine is repeated..... :?: :roll:

[G-1000]

Ok,

If it were me I would increase the tank temp to 31-32 degrees celsius which is about 88-89 fahrenheit. This will increase metabolism and hopefully appetite with it.

I would also starve the tank of food for 24 hours just incase the digestive tract is clogged up with poop.

After the tank temperature has been up for 24 hours, then try feeding again. Leave the temp up for around a week and I am pretty sure you will get results.

Thats just my 2 cents

G

[Merrilyn]

Gill flukes can be a cause of food spitting. Are any of the fish doing any flicking or rubbing against objects or plants in the tank.

The other thing that comes to mind is pin worms. I recall reading somewhere that if the fish has a heavy infestation of worms, that will cause the fish to spit food as well.

I think it might be worthwhile treating for both. You need a product containing Levamisole for the threadworms and pinworms. Dose rate is 1ml per 7 litres of water. Not sure on your laws over there, you may need to get the drug from a vet.

The treatment for gill flukes is praziquantal. Again, a lot of products contain prazi, so ask at your fish store, or maybe your local vet.

Use the treatment one week apart. Don't use the drugs together, it's safer to spread the treatments out.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

[bear]

Hi All and thanks so far
Ive placed the fish in isolation this morn since it is not eating at all now
I will be raising the temp to 88f, something I cant do in my community tank
and I'm of to the vets.for the afore mentioned meds
At close examination of the tank-mates, non appear in any sort of distress this morn. so I'm hoping whatever is wrong with my discus, did'nt spread to its tank mates. Meanwhile can someone tell me what "Metro" is and if it may be effective in this case :? :cry:
Thanks ART (bear)

[G-1000]

Bear,

Metro = metronidazole (sold as "flagyl")

G

[bear]

greetings all. After finding myself unable to acuire Levamisole or Praziquantal I tried some epsom salts on the advice of a lfs in town.
The epsom salts and the raised temperature appear to have done the trick. After close examination of the bare bottem iso tank I think I spotted some poo in the otherwise spotless bottem. This morn the fish appeared hungry so I fed a small dose of bloodworms, witch had disappeared after an hour or so I'll try some brine shrimp for the evening feed, If it gets eaten as well I wil return the fish to the community tank in a couple more days. So thanks everyone for the help & replies and I will go back to lurking this forum untill the next problem occurs