fairy dust

[Big Daddy1]

My two new discus look like they had someone sprinkle white fairy dust on their heads. Every picture I take doesn't even capture it now matter how well focused.

One of them is 3" and is being chased by everyone all freak'n day (yesterday and today) but continues to go after food and eat regardless.

The other never really did eat very much and is 2". Its eyes are starting to darken along with body color. It doesn't even care to eat and every now and then it takes a piece and spits it right out. It does find corners and what not but swims around too. It gets chased but not as intensely.

I took them out of the q-tank yesterday. This pecking order thing is starting to really piss me off. :evil: Little 2" guys are chasing the big one and it just keeps running instead of turning around and pouncing on them.

So, little white fairy dust on discus heads. What now? :?

Water:
perfect perfect perfect 82 degrees, planted.

[Big Daddy1]

Looks like velvet and that it is too late, another one down the drain. The temp is at 84-85, I bumped it up a couple more. We'll see. The big one seems to be fine, this one actually thought to eat since I've gotten it. I hope it will be fine. The increased temp should kill off the parasites.

Perfect water, a bunch of sickling discus. I'm ready to just let the tank alone with what's in there.

I now remember why discus wasn't my first choice when starting with the tank after a few years.

Plants might go too, tired and fed up with dealing with all the freak'n issues. My luck is absolutely horrid.

[waitaki]

Hey sorry to hear of your dilema! We all go through those sorts of things and yes wonder why we bother.
I've had major issues, earlier on ph too high killed my favourite little discus. Heater went nuts, killed my first pair and another beautiful white butterfly discus. Lost a female of a pair to bloat, no rhyme or reason, lost 2 new discus to parasites and bullying, now I'm worried about the male of my other pair; but I'm not giving up! I am trying to learn as I go, sadly at a horrible cost, but hopefully the others in the tank are going to benefit from the loss.

Hang in there Big Daddy, they are worth the effort, you are going to learn to pick discus that aren't sick when you take them home :)

Get some good books, (I recommend Andrew Soh book - you can order it here http://www.discusforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14826) get your water parameters perfect, keep up the water changes, do some more water changes, test the ph - often, feed them beefheart with lashings of garlic, keep coming into the foruma dn read other peoples threads you'll learn from them as well and sit back and enjoy hours of watching these wonderful fish!!

sorry for dribbling - don't give up!!

[Big Daddy1]

Thanks W,

I've kept discus in the past and still have a couple books. I even watched the four I bought from my local lfs for about a month. I bring them home and wham. I have the most perfect water, 0 nitrates and lots of freshwater.

I think it's just horrible luck. One thing is for sure. If I decide to keep the tank at 7 discus, I'm spending the money on 4" fish from a discus breeder only.

The infamous grazers aren't much for trying to survive.

I think oscar and big cats in a bigger tank will be next, even a e-blue dempsey.