Sick Discus !

[stonedronin]

On my trip to some LFS's today, I came across this lil discus. Abt 1.5 to 2 inches long. A blue diamond. He looked so sick and lonely in a tank filled with some catfish. He didnt come up for food. He had "Dont buy me!" labelled all over him but I just had to buy him.

Now the loner is in a tank with a few rasbora's in a 5g tank. He keeps turning black now and then. He seems to be breathing fine. Though those 2 fins just behind his gills turn on and off now and then. Hes not intrested in Tetra bits either.

Advice pls... This guy has to live!

[Lichan]

Young ones seem to be more prone to the stress of moving home than older Discus. They also seem to be more comfortable in a group of 5 or 6 rather than living the life a loner, which can make them feel very insecure and stressed.
Aside from those two points...what are the water parameters of your tank.

Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
Temp
Ph

Is it a planted tank?.. are there places with the little fella can feel safe and sheltered?, rather than sitting ot in the open.
Did you ask at the petshop what they were feeding him?...he may never have seen Tetra Bits in his life...hence the reason he isnt interested in them.

[marg]

Lichan,

You definately need to Post the water parameters of your tank - that would help others on the Forum to assist you.

You could try a saltwater treatment first and keep an eye on him and see what happens. 1 tbspn of rocksalt to 40 litres of water.

Regards,


Marg.

[Lichan]

Hi Marg,

My post is in response to Stonedronin's post (way up the top)...its not actually my problem.. :lol:

Pete

[marg]

:banghead :banghead boy I'm a Dodo. Sorry.

Regards,

Marg.

[Bill T.]

It's good to have mercy for those that suffer, but under no circumstance should you put this little fella in with the rest of your fish.
Make sure you have a complete set of equipment dedicated for the quarantine system. Don't let even a drop of water from quarantine get into any other tanks. Wash your hands between working on the quarantine system & other tanks.
I predict that within a short timespan, the problem will be resolved. You will then need to strip the quarantine system and sterilise savagely - everything!
Sorry about this, but I have had bad experiences in the past!

[Merrilyn]

A very warm welcome to the forum stonedronin.

Gee I think we've all done something like that. Sometimes it turns out well, and sometimes not so well.

As Bill said, do be careful not to allow any water from that tank near your other fish. If the little fellow is a bit skinny, not eating, and turning dark, I'd be inclined to treat with metro now, to give him a fighting chance.

The dose rate is 250 mg per 40 litres of water (ten gallons) repeat every 12 hours and do a water change in between doses. Keep the tank lights out. Metro is affected by light.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

[stonedronin]

Yea! He's isolated now. In a hospital tank which contains about 40liters of water. Ive increased the temperature of the water and started Metro treatment... He seems better now. But hes always or most of the time looking downwards while swimming. Hes not interested in TetraBits and Pellet food. What can I feed him? Oh and yea, He does that rubbing of the gills on objects thing. Goes close to the Aerator pipe and rubs his gills along it. Why does he do that ?

[Merrilyn]

That's signs of a skin irritation. He may have gill flukes. If the rubbing persists, you'll need to treat for flukes after the metro treatment.

Wonder if he'd eat frozen bloodworms, or maybe live brine shrimp. Live brine shrimp usually tempts any fish to eat.

[stonedronin]

Where I live, its hard to get live brine shrimp. Live Tubifex and Blood worms are readily available though. How long should I continue the Metro treatment?

[Merrilyn]

Try live bloodworm, but wash them really well first.

Continue with the metro treatment for 5 days. You can even put some in the water with the bloodworms, and they will take some into their gut.

When the little guy eats them, he will be getting the medication right where he needs it.

Don't like live tubifex worms. We used to feed them many years ago, and always had health problems with our discus. I think the bloodworms are a safer option.

[stonedronin]

What about water temperature? How much should I set that at ?

[Merrilyn]

Thirty degrees celcius or 88 degrees Farneheit is best for sick fish. Don't go higher than that while treating with Metro.

[stonedronin]

He seems better now. Got back his color for a full day. But then when I did a water changed he went dark again. He's getting dark on and off. He was really happy, swimming around all over the place, but knocking his head when he reaches the ends of the tank.

[Merrilyn]

Keep up with the metro treatment. Maybe some paper on the ends of the tank might make him feel more secure, and prevent him from bumping into the glass.

[stonedronin]

He's eating TetraBits now! Its been over 2 weeks now. He seems ok. Eating and all. But he's still swimming funny. Hes hiding behind a piece of driftwood most of the time. Comes out when hes sees the tetrabits. He doesnt have any swelling either, so i dont think it is swim bladder disorder. Not sure though. Any suggestions...

[Merrilyn]

If he's eating well, and the colour of his droppings is normal, then I think it's safe to return him to the main tank with the others.

Just keep an eye on him, so that he doesn't go back once he's in the big tank.

[stonedronin]

His droppings still have a lil funny fiber with them. So im continuing the metro treatment. I was thinking ill do a little Tetracycline treatment to check for bladder disorder. He was swimming alright yesterday. His color is normal now. He's looking nice too.

Thanks to all for the help and tips. Im sure Blue will be grateful!(yea thats what I've named him)