discus help!

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Hobgob

Aquarium Advice Addict
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Mar 27, 2011
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I have a 75 gallon set up currently housing 4 discus.
2 gbr
10rummynose
5 sterbai cories
1 bristlenose pleco.

Everything was fine until I got my smallest cobalt blue. A few days after I got him he started acting lethargic and sort of had a loss of appetite. Then my orange one started doing the same thing. Now all of them are doing it except for my leopard turquoise. Today I watch my orange one have a bowel movement and it was almost like a slime coming oit and eventually a soft looking clump came out. They have been floating at the top. Almost as if they were gasping for air and they will lay on their sides near the bottom of the tank. They also all seem to not use one of their pectoral fins. But they shake it virgoursely once in awhile. Almost like they are twitching. They will also scratch on the same side.

All my other fish are fine including my leopard turquoise discus. I raises the temp up and put salt in the just incase it is ich.
 
I also have my powerheads blowing as many bbubbles as possible my outlet on the canister point up a lot and an air pump.
I would provide water parameters but I need to leave. I will when I get back...but I did a water change and added prime... I don't know if it will have everything naturalized or not. I did have .6mg/l amonia two days ago so I did a water change and today I have no ammonia and .1 mg/l of nitrites... So I a water change and added prime. Can this all be from the mini cycle or is it an external parasite?

All advice is greatly appreciated!
 

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If my tank is going through a mini cycle, would my fish be scratching as if they had ich?
 
So my blue discus is getting a foggy eye now..
 
I would go ahead and start treatment for spironucleus vortens. Are the fish eating at all at this time? If they are then soak their pellets into a distilled water to 3% Epsom salt solution. If they're not eating then treating the water is the only other option, I prefer Clout but its a little harsh and stains the silicone blue. The next best option is API's General Cure which contains Praziquental and metrozoidale. Follow this schedule please using 3 full doses. Don't feed during treatment to allow the digestive track to clear and lastly leave off the overhead lights as metro is affected by light, plus it helps the fish relax.

Day 1. Perform water change then treat at full dosage.
Day 2. Don't do anything besides observe fish.
Day 3. 25% water change then re-dose at full strength.
Day 4. Don't do anything again.
Day 5. 25% water change then re-dose at full strength.
Day 6. Don't do anything again.
Day 7. Massive water change in excess of 60-70% along with addition of carbon if you have any.

The last thing I would add is Epsom salt dosed slowly at 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons, then replace the only the salt you've removed from the water changes.

The foggy eye is a secondary infection from their immune system being lowered, this will go away through the water changes.
 
Thank you so much. My fish are eating fine right now... And I will do the API general cure, do you know what the active ingredient is in it?
 
Besides the soaking the food in Epsom salts, Angels medicated flakes are the next best thing. I keep these on hand and use them in my QT process for all incoming fish into the fish room. There is no finer product in terms of medicated food, plus I've never had a fish refuse any of them.

Medicated Flake Food for Fish

General Cure contains Praziquntel and Metrozoidale.
 
Thank you so much? If I can't find API general cure I will get something with the metro for sure! And all these signs are of this parasite? Or is the cycle affecting my fish also?
 
Also should my other fish be showing signs also?
 
Tetras Parasite Guars works pretty well too, it contains the other ingredients plus acriflavine which works well also.

The stringy white feces is enough to start treatment in my opinion.
 
Its been worse then just stringy white... I've seen like a slime coming out and then what I would call and undeveloped clump..
 
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