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View Full Version : Discus staying head down



Trongpai
Sat Nov 15, 2008, 04:18 PM
I have this blue diamond that is about 2 years old. I noticed he/or she began swimming strangely and drifted in a head down position more often than upright. He was eating ok and only seemed to swim upright if he was eating. He remained like this for several weeks. Then one eye developed pop eye. He appeared to be going down hill gradually, eating less and less.

I removed him to a hospital tank and first treated with something in a bottle that said for pop eye. I don't have a clue what it was it was from China and all in Chinese other then a listing for pop eye. I did not really trust whatever I was treating him with so after a few days went with pharmaceutical Doxycycline. I did daily 50% water changes.

In the hospital tank he kept getting worse and stopped eating all together. Both eye got glassy, almost white, and his fins began getting frayed. The Doxycycline was making the water cloudy and foam collected at the surface. I treated for 4 days. He stayed at the bottom hardly moving, one fin clamped to his body.

It appeared he was at deaths door step and I was ready to dispose of him. The treatment seemed to do more harm then good.

At the last moment, I just put him back in the discus community tank and was letting him die. Then gradually he started to come back and after a week the eyes are normal and he is swimming normally and eating like a pig.

I now wonder if I cured him or he survived in spite of my efforts and what could have been wrong?