10 YEAR OLD DISCUS in Urgent Need of Diagnosis and Treatment

Hi all, my name is Cassandra and I would really appreciate your advice concerning my ill discus. I have had her for 10 years, and this is the first time she has had any health problems. She lives by herself in a 20 gallon tank with gravel, driftwood, and a silk plant.

About a week ago, she laid a clutch of eggs and then ate them. This is normal behavior, but I have noticed she has been laying much more frequently than in the past. Currently, she lays once every few months, whereas before she would only lay eggs once a year or less. Since she ate the eggs, she has not had any interest in eating her normal diet (Tetra Pro Color Crisps). Over the course of last week, she developed small white spots only on her tail. Some are very small like grains of salt, and others are more raised/three-dimensional. Her other symptoms include intermittently gulping for air at the top of the tank and slight difficulty maintaining equilibrium. She leans a bit to the side while in a resting position and sometimes she points her head up at the surface of the water. However, she swims normally/upright and is still very responsive to me. Her right eye is a bit cloudy as well, but this developed gradually throughout the past year or so. This makes me wonder if any of her symptoms may also be attributed to old age? If anyone has kept a discus for many years, I would really like to hear about your experience caring for an older fish.

I have done a lot of research in an effort to diagnose her illness. I am currently treating her for nitrate poisoning and ick, as I cannot rule ick out as an incorrect diagnosis. The nitrate poisoning and high nitrate level in the tank came as a huge shock since this tank is so established and carefully maintained. I’ve taken care of my discus very diligently and successfully over the course of 10 years, and nothing in her routine aquarium maintenance schedule/practices has changed. I clean the tank every two weeks; this includes vacuuming the gravel, scrubbing the inside walls of the tank, changing the filter cartridge, and doing a 30% water change. I have always used my well water for water changes, and it does not contain nitrate. I fill up water in two utility buckets and let it 'age' for 24 hours before using it to perform the water change. I maintain the tank at a constant temperature of 80 degrees F.

I have started doing daily 25% water changes to lower the nitrate level & improve overall water quality. I have succeeded in gradually lowering the nitrate to 5 ppm and plan to continue doing this until I get a test result of 0 ppm. I am simultaneously treating for ick using Tetra Ick Guard tablets; 2 tablets every 24 hours with the 25% water changes in between. I am doing all that I can to help my fish get well, but I don’t know what other course of action to take because I can’t be sure of the correct diagnosis. I know this is a lot of information, but I am very hopeful that someone in the Discus Forums community can offer their insight, and ideally a proper diagnosis + effective treatment plan. My fish is a member of my family and I sincerely hope I can save her before it’s too late!

Wow you have allot on your plate but I am here to help. Ich should be obvious. Here is what I suspect one of 2 things. Water quality or bacterial infection. Without the ability to reread your post ( I'm new here) with well water an RO system is mandatory. Too many ways for poisons to leach into your well. a TDS meter is a must have to check water quality For 17 dollars at amazon its well worth the investment. Any reading 200 or above spells trouble. I find it odd that she would lay eggs without a male around. The next suspicious culprit is bacteria infection In that case only bactocide is your best option It will also kill beneficial bacteria but but in an established tank it should not be a problem. I do not understand the high Nitrate level. Sounds to me your bacteria is in overdrive. Nitrate is the product that has been converted over from nitrite. Which again points to poor water quality and too much nitrite is getting into your tank an your bacteria is churning out too much nitrate. Or....something in the tank is causing high nitrite. ( or well water) Again lots of ammonia will be the culprit. Did you add new fish recently??? Hope that helps.