White discharge blown out gills

[John in NYC]

My discus every now and then blow out a white discharge from thier gills as if they were "blowing their noses", but it's their gills. What is this?

[Merrilyn]

Hi John, welcome to the forum.

Not sure what that could be. I've never seen it before.

Can you give some more details, like is the mucus attached to the gills, or does it detach and float off into the water?

A bit of info on your water conditions, tank size and number of inhabitants, including water change routine, would be a help.

[Hollowman]

From what I understand of the description it sounds like a problem seen when the fish has been subject to bad water conditiions over a period of time. There is a thin membrane just inside the opperculum that acts as a pump when the gill is flared. This can become infected by bacteria and loose its ability to pump and becomes extended. You may have noticed that the fish looks like it breathes a little heavier than the rest of your fish.
There is nothing you can do for this condition, but it will 'look' like there is a discharge flapping in and out.

Pay more attention to water conditions, make sure you test all parameters and keep on top of maintenance and cleaning.

hth

Steve :)