Edgy discus?

[Brian]

I just purchased 10 discus from a local breeder about a week ago. I have them in a 40gal long grow out tank and will be splitting them up when they get big enough. The tank is being cleaned by an AC 300 and an AC 500, with a 200w heater and a powerhead on medium power.

My question is how long does it take for them to get used to me, for the first couple of days they only swim around the tank when the lights are off but recently they have started to roam around and such, normal discus behaviour but whenever I walk in or out of the room they get frightened and crowd into one corner, the tank is bare bottom. After a couple minutes they begin to roam again. Just feels weird having my fish scared of me and sometimes they freak out and jump when I turn on or off the lights. Just wanted to know how long it would take for them to get used to me.

Also, I'm looking into making beefheart mix, done my research and everything, and have been lurking this forum for about 2 weeks. My question is if I can use a blender or a processor to mix the beefheart or do I really have to get a grinder/mincer.

Furthermore, 3 days ago I spotted on of the larger discus with white stringy poop and I came to a conclusion that it has capillaria, so I added in 4 spoons of epsom salt and have been doing a 25% water change everyday. I havn't seen any white poop after that but I'm not sure if it is still there or not. All the discus are eating and behaving normally and they take turns being territorial, the epsom salt has turned them into monsters. I was wondering if I shoudl further treat my tank with any other meds, prazi or anything? Or just keep doing the salt/wc thing?

Lastly, do discus juvies/fry and such change colours as they grow? I was told by the breeder that I have some snakeskin crosses, and other stuff but I have seen a picture on someone's site and it had a picture of the discus I have and it said that the strain was of pigeon blood. But the pigeon bloods I see on other sites look different. I don't have a camera handy right now but the fish has an orangey body, black outling on the fins, and some cool looking patterns on the fins. I'll try and get pics soon but that's the best I can describe them right now.

I know this has been a long first post and all but thanks for reading and such.

Thanks in advance to any answers or replys.

[flukes]

Ok first one,

When you walk into the room, give them a little food. After a while they willl remember that you bring food and will wait egarly.

The reason people use mincers on their b/h mix is so that it isnt as chunky, its hard to get it small enough in a blender..

I wouldnt try any meds yet if the epsom salts are working keep it up, iam a big fan of using epsom salts too, seems too give them a new life.. :wink:

Juvi's will change slightly in color as the get older, but not dramaticly. What you described, to me sounds like a pigeon blood but without a pic its hard too say...

HTH

Flukes..

[Merrilyn]

Hi Brian, and welcome to the forum. Hey, never apologize for having questions, that's why we're here.

First up, that's a fair amount of water flow in the tank, with two filters and a powerhead. Discus like calm water, with very little current, so either drop the powerhead, or turn it down real low.

Do you have anything in there for the discus to hide behind. If they are crowding into a corner, it's because they are feeling a bit exposed and vulnerable. A few plastic plants, or a couple of pieces of driftwood will give them a sense of security.

Beefheart Mix - lots of good recipes on here. The reason we suggest a mincer is that it produces a fine, even product. Blenders on the other hand, either leave you with chunks or if you process a little too far, a paste which quickly fouls your water.

White poop is a warning sign that something is not right, and bears watching. Stop the epsom salts treatment for now. It is usually only used to treat constipation. Observe your fish for a few days and see if there is any return of the white poop. Normal discus droppings should be brown and well formed. Any change from that, let us know.

Juvies do change colour as they grow, especially if they have snakeskin breeding behind them. My snakeskins don't show finished colour till they are nearly 10 months old. You will know if you have snakeskins because of the larger number of dark vertical bars on the body, 14 as opposed to 9 on a normal.

Love to see some pics of your juvies. We love our photos here.

Would you kindly put your country or state in your profile. It just helps to recommend meds or treatments specific to your area.

[Brian]

Okay, I'll do change my profile in a bit after this post.

For some reason I am unable to logon to the forum when I am at home. The comp is running an older version of netscape but I don't know if that would conflict with the login problems.

I am pretty sure that another discus has caught whatever the first one has. Last night when I was watching them, I seen one of the medium ones with white poop. The difference was that it wasn't stringy, it was just like normal composition except white with a couple black dots. I havn't seen any other white poop coming from the first discus but then again I see a couple white stringy things along the corner of the tank where the discus gather sometimes when they are startled. I've been doing daily water changes and adding epsom salt, but I don't really know if that is working or not. Their behaviour is normal, besides them not eating the new food I've been trying to feed them. They are swimming normally when noone is disturbing them or when they get used to my presence after a couple of minutes of hiding in the corner. My tank is empty, I will get some artificial plants soon if that would help with their sense of security.

I was wondering if anyone would know where I could purchase some of the de-worming meds near where I live. I know this is an Australian based forum so I am not sure if anyone would know where I could purchase some of the meds because I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I've tried PJ's Pet Centre which is the chain of pet shops in Toronto, I havn't tried Pet Smart yet or any other ones but I doubt they would have anything either.

Another question I have is that my discus are not eating the new foods I am feeding them. I know that they are probably not used to it but I don't know how to get them to eat the food. I just made my first batch of beefheart yesterday, consisting of 2 lbs beefheart, 200g spinach, fish flakes, tetra colour bits, and carrots. I dropped one chunk in last night and they didn't do anything to it when I checked this morning. I know they are hungry right now because of the epsom salt and them not eating and all, so I dropped in a smaller, fresh piece of the frozen b/h and a couple of them started pecking at it after a few minutes but not really killing it as they would with bloodworms. The breeder I got them from only fed them b/h and b/w but they arn't taking b/w from me. It is probably because for the past week, b/w were the only things I was feeding them with. Should I starve them for a day or something and then try feeding them the b/h again?

Any help will be greatly appreciated. Also, does anyone know what I could put into the filter to breakup the current? I'll remove the powerhead when I get home today. I'm going to drop by PJ's again and speak to the manager to see if he has any meds.

How long will it take for them not to be startled and such? I will try and get pics of everything ASAP.

Thanks in advance to everyone.

[Merrilyn]

The fact that another fish is showing white poos is a bit of a concern. Stop treating with Epsom salts, do a big water change and observe them for a couple of days. If the white jelly like poos is still evident, we may be dealing with a case of hexemita.

The treatment for hexemita is a drug called Metronidazole at 250mg per 10 gallons of aquarium water. I'm not sure of your drug laws, but here we have to get it from a vet or medical doctor. You may find, however, that it is available thru your local aquarium shop. There are also some very good on-line shops which deal in aquarium products. You should also be able to get your worming and fluke treatment from them too. Look for a product containing Praziquantal to treat flukes and tape worms..

Refusing new food is pretty normal for discus. Just keep offering a small amount along with the food they normally eat. Eventually one of them will try it, and the others will follow. Usually takes a week or more before everyone is eating the new food.

It's also common for fish to be skittish in a new tank. Discus have excellent eyesight and can see right into the room. They know things are different, and they feel vulnerable in unfamiliar surroundings. That's why they are piling up in a corner. Offering food to them each time you approach the tank will soon see them rushing to the front of the tank every time you enter the room.

It can take up to a month for them to feel comfortable in their new surroundings.