Help discus with fungus help!

[joeyd412]

Hi my discus recently has gotten fungus on them so I went to go treat them with this fungus medication and I droped it in the water and it made it green they look worst now or maybe it's them healing ? Idk could use feedback oh and I also added salt to the tank
Ph is 5.2
Temp is like 86-88

[BigDaddyAdo]

Post a picture of the fish.

Post your water parameters, details of the set up, maintenance, etc.

What meds have you used?

[Exotic Aquatic]

if its multicure, im told you can dose full tank rate every 3 days with massive water changes in between. PH 5.2??? biological filtration will cease at 5, it probably barely alive now. how did the PH get so low? whats your normal maintenance routine?

[joeyd412]

whats the water parameters agian? and details of set up is a 30 gallon with 2 discus and maintenance i either change 30% of the water or 50% of the water every week and im sending the pic now

[joeyd412]

and the ph is so low i guess because of the bogwood in there should i take it out? and i was told if i maintain a steady ph they should be fine which they where for like 4 months

[joeyd412]

http://oi53.tinypic.com/akaoaw.jpg

http://oi52.tinypic.com/fy3cr7.jpg

http://oi54.tinypic.com/2py2fpf.jpg



and the name of the funcus med is Fungus Cure anti fungal fish medication i bought it in petland and it says to add the packets in every 2 days than change the water and add the bio filther after u added it two times

[Nev]

Just fungus with those fish?

[joeyd412]

What do u mean just fungus?

[Nev]

This pic looks like more than just fungus.

http://oi53.tinypic.com/akaoaw.jpg

[BigDaddyAdo]

Those 2 fish are in very poor condition mate.

Have you tested for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

What filter are you using?

I'm going with extremely poor water conditions here as I don't have much else to go on.

What else is in the tank?

[joeyd412]

I got a aqua clear 50 gallon and its just 4 rams and a betta so idk how he got that wound , they looked the same since I added the stuff for the fungus it has been 4 days and no I havent tested for nitrite and ammonia Im going to buy test kit

[boxters]

this always makes me sad to see. If it were me i would put those fish down so they don't have to live a miserable existence. They are in such poor condition in my opinion that they are past medicating. The rugged fins are the tell all in my opinion. You have a bacterial problem. The best cure would be promethasyl and raise the ph to 6.5 with some kh buffer. Get a book and learn how to keep discus

[joeyd412]

So there is relly nothing for me to do? They where fine for 4 months and I just woke up to this. Should I buff the ph to 6.5?but isn't that harmful to them?

[boxters]

TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR FISH AND TELL ME WHAT IS MORE HARMFULL TO THEM. YOU ARE GIVING THEM AN EXTENDED DEATH SENTANCE

[joeyd412]

All right

[boxters]

have a look at my website there is information on there for good water for your fish. Im happy to help but you need to listen

[joeyd412]

Btw I have bogwood in the tank should I just take it out because I think that's why the ph is so slow?

[boxters]

no leave the wood. Get kh buffer and add 2 tea spoons

[joeyd412]

I have a thing called ph up .. But it makes the ph go up it that the same thing ?

[boxters]

i would rather you use some kh buffer. You can use ph up in the mean time. Also do a big water change. I mean like 70%

[joeyd412]

Ok so it's not fungus at all and it's a bacteria problem?

[Nev]

Lots of uz have wood in our tanks, but it takes effort to get the ph so low, so your test kit is wrong or you've got something else happening.
Fish will live in almost any conditions if they adjust to it slowly, low or high ph, high ammonia, anything!
But eventually they give up!
Yours look like they've stopped fighting for life.

[joeyd412]

I use two test to test the Ph and they both say it's the lowest which is 5.-5.2

[Nev]

If you do regular water changes, with town water, and town waters ph is usually 7.2 - 7.8 then your doing lots wrong elsewhere. Discus (unless wilds) thrive anywhere between 6.5 and 7.5. They don't need extreme ph values and probally aren't used to it.

[joeyd412]

Every time I do the water changes I add ph down to which gets it to 5.2 and I test that water than add it in my tank

[Nev]

Is that like saying every time l hit my head against the wall it hurts till l stop?
Guess what? Time to stop!
Let them have normal water conditions, ph 7 iz good for most fish, discus included, stop with the ph down.

[joeyd412]

My ph is like 7.8 in my city

[Nev]

Turning it to acid doesn't seem to be impressing your fish.
7.8 will go to 7ish just by being in your tank

[joeyd412]

Ok ill change water and I'll let u know the results

[joeyd412]

Ok I changed the wateR should I add the fungus medication again or no?

[joeyd412]

Ok the nitrate/amo is .50 after the water change I just did and the ph is 6.4-6.6 now and it's a bacteria infection so I added stress coat and the lady at the pet store said they should live from this but might not get there scales back

[joeyd412]

Ok well my ph is like 7.6 isn't that way to high? Should I put some ph down?

[BigDaddyAdo]

Stop screwing with the Ph.

You raised the ph way quicker than you should have. I would have done it over a week or two personally.

What do you mean by Nitrate/Amo?

Stress Coat will do nothing to cure a bacterial infection. I would treat with Triple Sulphur.

What filter are you using?

I don't understand how you failed to see why the Ph was so low. You were purposely lower it yourself. Are you for real or are you having a lend of us?

[Nev]

I don't understand how you failed to see why the Ph was so low. You were purposely lower it yourself. Are you for real or are you having a lend of us?

That's when l gave up on him!

[joeyd412]

Ph is 6.2 now -_- amo is 0 and u guys told me to raise ph and I'm using aquaclear 50 gallon

[Discus Planetarium]

hi, a stable ph is better what ever comes out of your tap leave it there dont play with ph...if its 6 thats fine if its 8 thats fine just leave it, how is your fish going now.....

[joeyd412]

There doing ok I guess they ate this morning a lil

[Discus Planetarium]

have you tried metro tabs

[joeyd412]

No what do they do?

[Discus Planetarium]

sorry it took me some time to find it i hope this will help..
you will need to get them from your vet My Discus is Sick! by Carol Roberts

These treatments are ones that I have used successfully. They are effective and fairly safe. The medications are readily available and simple to use.

Intestinal Flagellates




Symptoms: Your discus may quit eating or spit out its food. White, stringy, mucus-like feces will hang like a thread from the anus.



Your discus may be dark in color and stay in the back of the tank away from the other discus.


Treat with Metronidazole sold in pet stores as Hex-A-Mit or Metrozol. Can be purchased online from several sources. The most effective dose is 400 - 500 mg per 10 gallons of water. A water temperature of 92+ degrees should be maintained throughout treatment. Dose metronidazole each day after a 50% water change for 3 to 5 days. Water used for water changes should be close to 92 degrees. During treatment feed the discus sparingly of favorite foods like frozen bloodworms. Keep water temperature elevated for a week after treatment ends. It may take a week or so for the discus to regain it's appetite. In severe cases of long standing disease you may need to dose metronidazole every 8 hours for three days. It is safe to dose all fish in tank or you can remove the affected fish and treat them in a smaller hospital tank. Metronidazole will not hurt your bio-filter.


Bloat or Constipation

Symptoms: Your discus will look bloated - like he swallowed a marble. There may be an indentation behind the bloated area as if he had been pinched by your thumb and forefinger. Your discus may shimmy and shake. He may not be able to maintain his balance and will generally look uncomfortable and be dark in color.

Treat with Epsom Salt (Magnesium Sulfate - sold in grocery stores or drug stores as a foot soak for people). Use one or two teaspoons of Epsom Salt per 10 gallons of water. Your Discus should be better in 4 hours or you can add another dose. Epsom salt will not hurt the filter or the other fish. You may dose in higher amounts of even one or two tablespoons per 10 gallons. If your fish is not better in 24 hours suspect a bacterial infection.



Epsom Salt is Magnesium Sulfate. Table salt is Sodium Chloride. Both can be found at your local grocery store. Metrozol is sold through online fish catalogs.



This bloated discus is suffering from an internal bacterial infection.
The highlighted area shows thick pus exuding from the vent.

Gill Flukes or Bacterial Disease

Symptoms: Your discus may breath rapidly. Gills may be flared. He may be dark in color and stay apart from the other discus. Head may be pointed down at a 45 degree angle.

Treat with Formalin (formaldehyde) sold in pet stores as Formalin and in a combination with dyes as Quick Cure and Rid Ick or can be purchased online. I dose One cc or ml per 10 gallons of water. Do a 50% water change 8 hours after adding the Formalin. Do not raise temperature. Add extra air as Formalin depletes oxygen. If you see an improvement (less scratching/easier breathing) after the first dose you can continue treating every other day for two weeks. Dose all fish in the tank. Formalin may impact the bio-filter.



Medications I use for external parasites include Formalin, Quick Cure, Fluke Tabs, and Parasite Clear. Praziquantel is a white powder that kills flukes and tapeworms.

Copepods

Symptoms: Little, skittery bugs you can barely see skitter and hop on the bottom of the tank and inside the filter. They are a symptom of overfeeding.

Treat with Fluke Tabs sold in pet stores or online. Make sure inside of tank and filters are clean. On day one do a 50% water change and dose one tablet per 10 gallons of water. Day two and three do regular water changes. Day four dose one tablet per 10 gallons. Parasite Clear will also work and is sold at Wal-Mart. Follow package directions.

Planaria

Symptoms: White dots on the glass walls of the tank and inside the filter. Planaria love smooth surfaces.

Treat by cleaning your tank, rinsing the filter, wiping down the inside of your tank and increasing water changes. Decrease amount fed and use a prefilter if food and feces are being sucked into the filter. You can also dose with Formalin at 1 cc per 10 gallons, but you would need to watch for ammonia spike if heavy die off.

For more information on discus diseases and online help visit one of the discus forums listed below.

[Discus Planetarium]

1 X 400mg tab/40l for 10 days at 30-31deg works a charm!!! lights off

[joeyd412]

Thanks for the info I'll keep u posted the results

[Discus Planetarium]

metronidazole they are antibiotics, you can get them from your vet but some vets will not sell them ask around till you can get them.if they were my fish i would get them on antibiotics the same as us your sick you go to the doc he will give you antibiotics to take.i am no pro on meds but i am trying to learn as much as i can.hope this will help you.

[joeyd412]

btw does air pumps raise the ph?

[Nev]

btw does air pumps raise the ph?

You really are having us on aren't you?

BTW - No

[joeyd412]

What?

[joeyd412]

Well to keep you guys posted the discus look relly much better from 5 days ago they are both eating now and are swimming normal so hopefully it keeps up

[joeyd412]

So my discus are back to 100% the only thing the ph is at 7.6 should I lower it a lil or just leave it be ?

[BigDaddyAdo]

Just leave it be.

[BigDaddyAdo]

Do you have some new pics of them?

[joeyd412]

http://imageshack.us/g/20/photo1fzh.jpg/

[Old Dave]

Good to see some improvement in your fish.
Watch them closely and try not to make sudden changes.
Most of us pre-treat our w/c water in a seperate container so we know it's parameters before it gets used.

Time is your friend once the water is right.
Watch for pH and ammonia spikes.

I'm interested in the comment that your pH kit can test below 6.0.

Can you tell us what brand it is.

thanks,

Dave

[joeyd412]

Im at work right now but I'll let u know when I get home and is there a way to keep ammonia 0 without doing big water changes?

[Ghoti]

I'm interested in the comment that your pH kit can test below 6.0.

Can you tell us what brand it is.

Dunno about joey but I have a JBL kit which tests down to ph 4.0

Cheers,
Scott

[joeyd412]

It's called liveph mardel and I bought it in petland and u just leave it in the tank lowest reading Is 5.2 highest is 8.6

[Old Dave]

Hmmm,
Instore or online... :?: :?:
So many choices,

Thanks
All.

Dave

[joeyd412]

In store