Worms in Discus - just curious

[k9outfit]

Just wondering about worms in Discus. Seems to be an ongoing concern, with many infected Discus, therefore having to resort to regular worming routines. I also keep African Cichlids, but in general worms are not prevalent. So, I'm just wondering, why are Discus so notorious for worms? Are they just more succeptible, or are the breeding/raising practices in Asia so worm ridden that worm-free fish are practically non-existant? Or are they more delicate and the symptoms are easier to detect therefore fish keepers are more aware of the problem? Or they just succumb quicker to worm infestations? Discus food more likely to carry parasites than food fed to other species? Or..... :?:

[samir]

i doubt if they are more likely to get worms than other fish. i think good quarantine practices and avoiding live food should be enough to keep them worm free. they are much hardier fish than many are led to believe. the only fish i've had die on me have been platys. i think its more the worm of eccentricity that the discus keeper catches from the fish that is responsible for the reputation.

[shayesmommy]

i have only been a discus keeper for about a month. lol but havent managed to lose any all though my guppies keep dying. and whatever else i got before them.
any thing in my discus tank is happy and healthy.
im relieved lol. let just hope it stays that way.

[dcarmau]

To be perfectly honest, I don't think I've ever kept a goldfish successfully, but Angels and Discus seem to hold no problems, I've lost one which was obviously due to bullying, (2 larger discus ganged up on my smaller Blue Ghost, and he was so petrified, they always kept him hiding in the corner, he only got tiny amounts of food, poor thing.) but my other fish always seem fine!

I have a theory that people know they have to do things for tropicals, so they do them, Goldfish on the other hand are supposed to be impossible to kill, so people just feed them occasionally, and/or don't bother with filtration/water changes/cycling.

My understanding is that Discus are more fragile than other fish, and it certainly appears that they show symptoms much more easily. for example, Discus change their markings when stressed, (the 9 bars). Also, the "knowledge" that Discus are more fragile mean people keep a closer eye on them.

[G-1000]

I can give you a 100% accurate answer here.

Discus are fed a meat based diet in asia (i.e beefheart) which a number of hobbiests end up emulating. Inside of meat are scattered very small eggs with an indigestible shell around them. So when contaminated food is eaten (i.e almost any beefheart mix), the eggs remain in very minute numbers and an even smaller number of these eggs end up hatching worms.

Worming is performed to either solve a bad case of worms, or to address this problem before it gets severe.

Personally, I worm every 3 months for my fish.

G