Need help! Sick discus!

[mousley]

I have three sick discus right now. I believe that two sources could be creating the problem. One is a possible PH spike brought on trying a python for a water change with tapwater. The other is a recently added blue diamond juvie which I bought at a later time but from the same tank.
I just noticed one discus developing some white mucous or coating, mostly in patches on the body. The fins are clamping some are also red at the base of the fins...near the gills. I have also noticed a small bit of fin fraying on the discus. If you look at them from a frontal view the white patches are more raised and visible. One fish is growing darker but all are swimming out and even taking food. the darker one has been hanging out at the filter output a lot.
I have added rock salt and raised the temp., the only meds. I have is some metronodizol and paraguard which has been laying around for a while. Hope someone can help.

[Pauluk]

What are the water stats etc?

[mousley]

The water stats are... Temp.( up to about 32c right now ), PH 7.3, nitrite 0, Ammonia 0, Nitrate 10 or less as it's planted. I also have some tiny white worms crawling around on the glass since I've been using some frozen foods. The ttank is well cycled though.

[samir]

maybe you need to feed less and up the water changes, if you have planaria you probably need to up the water changes and do a clean up.
you fancy plant people are not allowed to overfeed, leave that to us, the bare bottomers :P :lol: LOL

[mousley]

I can do that, a clean up is definitely on the way. I am also starting to see some improvement with today's salt application. The worst discus has become a dark grey/blue, especially when he resides back into the plants. He is also trying to scratch off against plants, wood, etc. He is clamping the fins less though.

[Merrilyn]

I don't like the sound of the red at the base of the fins. That sounds bacterial.

If you are having success with the water changes and salt treatment, then continue with that. Very often an otherwise healthy discus can overcome disease with just a little help from water changes.

Keep us posted.

[mousley]

I just tried a salt dip at about 2-2.5%. The fish were pulled out as soon as they rolled but now they are really being shy and hiding out near the surface at the intake. I have the temp. up to about 33C and I am going to start treating with Maracide and Maracyn for the week.

[Merrilyn]

With high temps, you need to make sure there is sufficient oxygen in the tank.

Add a couple of airstones and see if that helps.

[samir]

why exactly is your temperature at 33 ?

[mousley]

Basically I just turned up the heater about 2 degrees and that's where it ended up settling over a 2-3 day period. I raised the temp at the first sign of illness to slow parasitic spread, I supected that as the fish were scratching a bit.

[samir]

i think it would do quite the opposite ?

[mistakes r crucial]

So do I.
MAC

[fishgeek]

your both right and wrong
i'm sure you guys know things like ich have trouble living above a certain temperature , and upto 25 celsius there is an increae in there replication rate

in certain bacterial conditions increasing teperature can be advantages , i think it helps host metabolism/immunity issue's
in other case's it can actually increase bacterial numbers in the water column and lead to serious low oxygen issue's with the water

[mistakes r crucial]

I reckon we do Andrew :wink:
MAC

[mousley]

I will lower it gradually, it's been up a few day's. I felt like heat treatment and salt might be a good place to start because of the scratching and the splotchy gray patches. I suspected flukes because of overfeeding but I know this can also create larger numbers of bacteria like columnaris.
I used a salt bath too, 2 out of the 3 discus are looking better and have normal skin and fin movement. The other is still clamping w/ one fin sometimes and dark in color...also it still has some patchiness to the skin. It looks like peeling almost/not cottony, and it's patchy and white-grey in color. All 3 discus are eating well and not being shy at all really..sometimes the more symtomatic fish will hang out near the heater for a few and rest a bit. I am currently teating with Mardel Maracide(malachite green) and Marycyn(erythromycin).

[mousley]

My three Discus have fully recovered and are eating well and coloring up nicely. I'm not sure if it was flukes or a bacterial infection...could have been a combination also. My treatment was Maracide/Maracyn w/ salt dips+increased aeration. I treated meds for one week and did three short salt dips in 2.5 solution, using rock salt. Thanks for the help.

[Merrilyn]

It's good to hear that they've recovered mousley.

I'm not sure what worked either. Perhaps the combination of all the treatments. :P