i think somethings wrong

[alan j t]

hi everyone
ive had my discus for about 6 months
out of six i have 5 left
so im doing something right
one of my fishees is not growing and is usually dark
he is eating though,he is the smallest and the grumpiest
so hes not really at the end of the pecking order(sometimes)
water is perfect foods a plent and variety is there
and the tank is planted
my thought is since the fish is not growing or coloring up much does he have a parasite or something :?:
and what can i do :?:
the other fish are good

[ILLUSN]

first thing I'd try it to worm them (I'd worm the whole tank).
I'd use levimenisole and prazi, though more and more people are having better luck with pp for external paracites.

If you wanted to cover everything(almost everything) try a 10min pp bath (10mg/L) on day 1 week 1. you'll have to net each fish individually and treat them in a bucket 1 by 1 then after the bath return them to the tank.
then day 1 week 2 use levimenisole followed by a water change 24hrs after. then use prazi followed by a water change and filter clean (after 48hrs) on day1 of weeks 3 and 4. day 1 week 5 use levimenisole again (dont forget the water change 24hrs after) and the little fish should be very hungry and free from most nasties

[alan j t]

whats a pp bath :oops:
and is levimenisole and prazi ok for the plants :?:
and all the smaller tetras n cat fish n one loach :?:
do you recommend a certain band for the meds :?:

[ILLUSN]

Levimenisole and prazi areare fine with plants i use them in tanks with loaches, tetras and catfish.

for levimenisole i use BIG L pig and poultry wormer prazi i use whatever the LFS has in stock.

Potasium permangenate you'll have to buy from a chemist, you'll also need a good set of scales to weigh it out. you'll need 0.1g for a 10L bucket.
I disolve 1 gram in 10ml of water and use 1ml of that solution when i do a bath. store it in a BROWN GLASS bottle wrapped in foil in the fridge. it will keep for a good few months.

[alan j t]

ok thankx a bunch

[ozarowana]

Personally I would remove the sick dicus to a hospital tank and go from there. De-fluke them and up the temp for a week or two usually does the trick. Metronidazole with the increased temp will help them recover faster.

[alan j t]

my lfs doesnt carry nothing to help my discus
they told me to get it online
but first try garlic minced in with fish food
they said it would be the same as to garlic extract
this is for de woming the discus
do you agree :?: :?: :?:

[tzwms]

First I have heard of using garlic to deworm fish. It will up their appetite though.

[alan j t]

so how do i know if its working or not
or should it work always

im all for home remedies instead of meds

[alan j t]

i bought some Praziquantel
it says to use 700mg for a 100 gallon tank
so ill guess i can use 350 mg of that for my 55 gallon tank
i just dont know how to measure it
and i dont know how long to leave it in the tank
i read on the forum that if your fish are still eating you can sprinkle some on there food
just not sure if its on every meal for that day or not
i kinda nervous on using this stuff
any assistance would be greatly appreciated :)

[ILLUSN]

theres a post stickyed on how to use prazi in food. 48 hours will be sufficient before a water a change.

[alan j t]

sorry
i couldnt find it

[ILLUSN]

to quote MAC


The dosage rates I have here are Metronidazol 1gm Metro per 100gms of food fed 3 times a day for 3 days. Prazi 400mg per 100gms of food fed for a week.
MAC

[alan j t]

thank you alots
so if they are digesting it
should i not dose the tank with meds :?:
or should i still just at a lower rate :?:

[ILLUSN]

if they eat it, dont dose the tank, just in the feed.

[alan j t]

im up for a next round of prazi
the direction says to retreat the fish in 3 weeks
the ill fish looks better a little more color
and he is out more often
i have a question :?:
should i dose with metro as a preventive :?:
and if so is it safe in a planted tank :?:

[ILLUSN]

MIXNG DRUGS IS ALWAYS A BAD IDEA!
finish your prazi treatment first, then follow up with metro if you need to after a water change, dose your metro in the food, you'll use less and it works much better, in the food it will be fine in a planted tank.

[alan j t]

ya i got the no mix druggies
my fish seem fine
do you guys dose the tank with metro any way or wait for some thing
or every 6 months dose any way like prazi

[ILLUSN]

I dont use metro if i can avoid it, it is a potential carcinogen, and a tetragen and it's overuse will lead to resistant organisums, which will be VERY bad for all of us.
I worm with prazi every 4-6 months.

[alan j t]

thanks for the info
is there anything else i should do for the fishees
besides prazi every 4 to 6 months
a wide variety of food
prestine water quality
water changes constantly
etc............................................
i have read on this forum that there are vitamins you give your fish
im assuming there is a benifit to this
but i cant find it anywhere
and if i do they dont sell it to the usa
any ideas :?:

[ILLUSN]

sera fishtamins is what i use, other just crush up normal multivitamins and add them to the food.

[alan j t]

can you point me in the right direction to aquire
some sera fishtamins
i would be very grateful