Woes of the Newbie

[Benny]

*frantically rips hair from head*

I was doing a lot of reading prior to joining your forums, especially on gill flukes.. I have been worried that 2 of my 3 discus were infected with these (were showing the symtoms of very fast breathing, around 120 times a minute)... I saw the second symptom a short while ago, my beautiful blue diamond is breathing out of only one gill

Does this mean the flukes are very advanced, or what?

My tank is 157L, could someone PLEASE advise me on what is the best med to use, and dosages that seem most effective?

Also i noticed on one of the discus it had a fairly long poo (2" long or so) and about the 1st cm was a whitish colour, then the rest was the usual reddish colour.. Do i need to start worrying that my fish have hex too? It was a once off, and havent noticed any white faeces on any of the other two discus..

Discus arent easy to keep,
Blimey!

[Merrilyn]

Okay Benny. Take a deep breath. Discus are tough little cookies. It takes a lot to kill them, and a few gill flukes arent going to do that.

Now the medication you need is Praziquantal which is found in your fish shop, under a lot of brand names. It treats gill flukes and tape worm, which are the two most common ailments our fish get. Follow the directions exactly, and you should be fine.

In answer to your second question, No you fish does not sound like it has hex.

Now relax, and enjoy your fish.

[Benny]

RELAX?

Hahahahahahahah easier said then done, my dear friend...

Thanky for your advice, do you ever do such things as double doses etc? just wanna know the best practise for applyin prazi? Is there a preffered brand? i want nothing but the best...

Contemplating establishing another tank as a quarantine / med tank... Thinking that a 2 footer may be a good start im not sure? whats the best way to get it started (cycling)? When i take water out of the main tank for a WC should i put it in the new tank to get some bacteria happening (i have a damn large bottle of stresszyme which should also get the ball rolling..

I tell you i am the most highly strung teenager you will ever meet...! neurotic and then some!!

I LOVE THIS WEBSITE!!!

oh and one other point of interest, is it unsafe to add new fish to a tank being treated with prazi (im sure new fish could use a de-worming too)

[Merrilyn]

I like Aqua Master Gill Fluke and Tape Worm Tablets. Always seem to do the trick for me.

Now if you hang around here long enough, you will hear me preach about quarantine for any new additions before they go in your discus tank.

It is an absolute must. No if's or maybe's. It is a must.

Nothing, not even a neon tetra should go in your tank without going through 4 weeks of quarantine.

Now 2 foot will be fine as a quarantine tank. As far as cycling goes, I would just hang a sponge filter in my existing tank, where it will cycle naturally, and then when you need it, it will be ready to pop into the quarantine tank. Simply fill your Q tank with clean, de-chlorinated water, and add your now cycled sponge and you are ready for fish.

While your fish are in the Q tank, observe them for signs of gill flukes or any other symptoms, and treat if required.

[mistakes r crucial]

Benny,

Pulling your hair out is fine, by the time you've had Discus 12 months you wont have anymore to pull out so the pain goes relatively quickly lol!!

[Benny]

Lol baldness @ 19... Somethin to look forward to hehehe

[chris]

Its all learning Benny, if you have this problem again youll be a master, then you can help people on this forum. Good luck
keep us posted

[Benny]

Looking @ the blue diamond this morning, hes breathing at a relatively normal pace out of both gills? what gives

Could it have been that perhaps last night when he was breathing out of only one of his gills, that he was scared?

[Benny]

Ok i have purchased the Prazi tablets, theyre pretty darn expensive!

It says after 48 hours to clean filter media.. Errr id normally wash it in tank water, but wont the tank water also have the medication in it? Whats the usual procedure of filter cleaning with prazi?

Thnx guys,
i love the forum

[Merrilyn]

Wash the filter as you normally do, in tank water.

I think the reason for washing the filter is to remove any of the white powder that is used as a filler in these tablets.