Unexplained hiding

[Oonallee]

Hi all I'm new to the forum :)
Have 2 discus in a 260l tank as well as 3 clown loaches 10 neon tetras and 3 rainbow fish. I used to have 4 discus but have recently lost 2.
I have 1 that is hiding for no good reason. They have been treated with parasite treatment, antibiotics and also Wormer but the 1 will not come out. He doesn't seem to eat or swim
Around much. My parameters are gh 80 kh 100 ph 6.8 nitrate and nitrite normal. The other larger discus is as healthy as can be. My discus supplier has thrown his hands in the air :)
Help!!

[Decapper]

What antibiotics and parasite treatment have you used?

[Oonallee]

Hi decapper. Thanks for the response. I've used bio tet and tri sulpha tablets. When I do a water change I treat the changed water with bactonex and amazon water conditioner plus chlorine remover.

Everyone is happy except this depressed fellow

[Decapper]

Its had to say what it is that this fellow is suffering from with out close visual.

Is he's feces stil black? Or you dont know cause he's not eating?

Anyway the most common thing that I know that stops a guy eating with out any visual signs and also hides is internal bacteria. Pain in the backside if it is now he has stopped eating.

With a 260L tank makes it very expensive to treat anything. Have a read of Metro meds on this sight. I'm going through that at the moment with 2 in QT.

I had to force feed one in the QT to get him eating again (heckel). Look it all depends on the fish and condition. Need photos or videos really. And I'm no expert either

[Oonallee]

Im not allowed to post file attachments here yet it seems :(

[ILLUSN]

Email them to me nigtech@yahoo.com and I'll post them for you.

Make sure ammonia no2 are at 0 before you even think about treatment. Try and keep no3 below 20ppm ( below 10 is better) set your temp to 30C increase aeration if possible. If you just lost 2 fish and now one is hiding I'm thinking hex but with out a photo it's going too be hard to tell.

[Oonallee]

Hi just emailed a picture through to you. Bugger had since died :(

[BigDaddyAdo]

As you only had 2 i would also suggest that bullying might have made whatever was ailing him even worse.

What were you treating them for? Random medication is never a good idea.

Water changes. How often and how much?

What do you consider "normal"? You need to post the actual parameters.

[Oonallee]

There were only two as the others had died they weren't bullying each other.

Nitrite was 0 nitrate 10

I treated them for parasites/ bacterial outbreak

I also wormed them

Water changes 10% weekly


_________________

[Oonallee]

Hi guys

Well I changed brands of the 5 ways testing strips and my water had gone crazy, really high levels of Alk, Hardness and PH. That explains a few things, the little fellows must have died from stress from the water. I have removed the gravel and the water is now stable. My discus dealer swears by his gravel supplier which is fine in his tank but apparently not in mine... parameters are stable yippee!

Hopefully this cures the problems (an expensive lesson however!)