Saw the most MISERABLE fish

[Christmasfish]

It was a 9 year old discus that instead of in thier discus tank, they have it in a tank with knives and large angels. It got one fin injured and lists to one side now ..and some of the tankmates start taking nips if it hovers too long. It is nearly colorless except the cheek and the eyes and face looked sooo sad.. It had empty eyes and a dull demeanor. It looked hopeful whe my hand was over the tank. Does it want OUT? or just hungry?
thank god I didn't have my purse!

Is it old enough to die? Is that why they have it with predators and catfish? These are good size browns and clowns and some odd big chacarin shaped fish also keeps nipping at it. I know it has been there a week..a frequent customer saw it come in. These guys put on airs but their Petco roots are showing.....!
What will be the fate of that discus? Will it be all right until someone buys it? But they have all the gorgeous ones in the other tank for 2 bucks more.
What do they eat? What are their temperments? How long do they live?.er usually?
It isn't terribly damaged.... yet..
about three large nicks in the tail and one on the pec.

 

[Endgame319]

If I lived in your area I would definately save the poor guy. You should cut them a deal for him. Since hes in such bad shape and is almost near the end of his life. I think discus live to around 10-12 or maybe more. How much were they charging for him? I think they only work in a species only tank. Or maybe with some peaceful tetras.

 

[Allivymar]

Sounds like it came in not in great shape, and they are not willing to give it what it needs to blossom. Shame that

heh, and it sounds like you're looking to play fishie angel again. I would suggest, if you are going to go there, bring it back to health and then sell it. Unless of course you're willing to start a new tank; figure discus should be in groups of around 6 at least.

 

[Christmasfish]

Oh..to health then sell..now that didn't occur

Auugh! what did you stick that option in for?!! makes it even MORE likely that I'll get it. It came as part of a trade with 3 other discus and some kinda fancy cichlid. all sold already. It looks stressed more than anything but seems to be fading because of it... If I wait too long I am afraid that it'll get shredded and be too hard to "repair'. Damn....

WEll I can always put it in with the pugnax. They sit on the bottom and hide most the day..rarely swim midwater and come to the top for air only. and other than nesting site pecking order are pretty peaceful, which is why no other fish..aggressive will freak them out. Just not very attractive to many average retail consumers. And they are large.
The chocolate tank is the very "cleanest" soft water, but it is rather shallow and very warm. The others are all blackwater with good params excluding my 40 gal.
NitrAtes creep in on that one on and off.
My daughter was looking at dicus too. HEh!

 

[Allivymar]

LOL Sorry, figured you had gone there already

I imagine, once he's healthy (and definitely not infectious), the choc gourami tank would be a great tank for him to regain his strength if it were deep. If I'm correct, they're pretty peaceful and I believe the water parameters for them would be perfect for a discus. Maybe BrianNY will pop in with some suggestions.

 

[BrianNY]

That discus would be better off in any tank you could provide then where it now is. If you rescue that poor thing, take a ph reading from the tank it's now in, and put it in whichever tank you have that is a HIGHER ph. Discus don't adjust well to sudden downward movement in ph, but upwards doesn't seem to bother them as much.

Get as much information as you can about its' symptoms and we'll try and save it.

I hate fish shops like that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Christmasfish]

Well he is there..my daughter bought a 18 gallon tall for his QT and used one of her precious "project betta" filtrations and heat set ups. Poor sad ol fellah. They had put him in a downsatirs tank beacuse so many people were commenting upon the pecking he was getting. They can't sell him for some reason..age? Color? He is not the same as the reds in their Show tank.I am posting bag pic and him in his QT.
Has tetracycline for his woulds..he got a few more..and something stripped scales fromn his tail area(not tail fin but the flesh). his gills havea few ragged spots from nips..everything is fresh and angry looking.

How likely is it that he's gonna get ick?
I put the water from Wu's tank in the filter. My tap is lower than the old water in the bag. For some reason one tank raises in ph to 7.7 instead of dropping like the rest. Must be the fine natural white rocks and gravel. So HE is going to 7.5 for now.
His bag is a bit higher..under 8 but the test is not super accurate (out of the good stuff.. )
now what?
Most my tanks drop to 7 with no fiddling. The chocolates are in 6.8 now the peat has matured.

 

[Christmasfish]

Separate..btw they sold him for 10 bucks..most their discus near size are 50.

Rescue fish:
9 year old (least he spent that long with former owner)

5 inches from nose to butt and 4.5 fron back to belly.Fins add more.

Has one pec fin that is "yanked" and he is favoring it (the big cichlid did that..we saw it). Bruising and a few fresh bites from caudal and dorsal and one ventral is shortened by tank mates. Has two areas where scales are skinned off and those also are pretty fresh. Has two minor old scars.
Expression is dull and so is color. Eyes are not surface cloudy..just don't look alert.
Some turqouise spot on cheek..and wait..

Guess now that he is done bagging and was just freed he changed. He is turning color and now has a stripe showing down eye like a clown. And has other dull stripes starting to show, less depressed and looking around. She said he was very good boy (it) when she she scooped him by hand from bag to tank slow.
I have the tank at 82 for now..i don't want too high or low and haven't googled him proper yet... 82 is where it stablized..there it shall stay for now.

I thought it was a greeny dark gray, but it looks more bluish and light olive now with faint markings coming up. MUCH more attractive than the half dead thing at the store! keep ya posted..I have to buy dinner..or we shall starve!

 

[BrianNY]

I doubt he'll get ich. Keep the temp around 84 and do lots of water changes. 7.5 is no problem for ph. Have you tried feeding him yet?

 

[William]

I can't blame you for playing the Angel of mercy.

I've done it myself on a few occasions.

I just hope your experiance dosn't turn out like mine [ I.E. Regretting it and causing havoc throughout your entire life. ]


Congratz on him perking up, he can feel the love already and its making him happy

 

[Christmasfish]

Well I posted some before and after pics from when he had floated about 30 minuntes ( I have none when he was ashen gray and looked near dead). They also show some of the damages.
Fugly fish is now unofficially named "cookie"
He/it seems to like high voices lke my daughter's and was actually raising fin and displaying for her as she yakked at him.
He colors up his fins to a neon turquoise and his stripes look darker. And he faces her direction.
She finally hand fed him before bed..he was having trouble manuevering to the food because that bum fin. Then would mournfully try to up on end to pick the pieces from the floor surface. And keep failing.
We saw that happen. Some big characin shaped fish near yanked it off and dragged him across the tank. That was when all the browser customers present went "EeeeEEK! The angel took a peck at him when he came to its corner and a clown kept trying to take potshots at his anal fin.
When we returned he was retrieved from the downstairs fishroom (in their home adjoining the property), but I saw him go to the storage shed where they wash tanks. I think he was being round filed Maybe the new knives were a mistake (it used to be three discus, 3 bichir and and 5 BKG and a pleco) or maybe they just didn't eat poor cookie fast enough....

He is at 82 for tonight..I am afraid to monkey with the temp when I won't be awake. He sure seems less stress if not content. It seems to like people. poor ol fishy

 

[BrianNY]

Discus like to pick their food from the bottom. Mine will eat Tetra Color Bits or frozen blood worms. Don't panic if it takes him a few days to eat though.

If the fish has perked up already, it's a very good sign. Is it a bare bottom tank? I'd start a regimen of 25% daily water changes. Keeping the water and tank clean is the best thing for it .

BTW.....did you post pics?

 

[Christmasfish]

Fugly old fish:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/photo...50&password=&sort=1&size=medium&cat=534&page=
Big fellah:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/photo...51&password=&sort=1&size=medium&cat=534&page=
Improving over the hours...:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/photo...53&password=&sort=1&size=medium&cat=534&page=
...and way nicer than the one they couldn't sell...wait same fish!
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/photo...52&password=&sort=1&size=medium&cat=534&page=

Well pics are up starting with his poor wounded self. These are after his first hour with us. I didn't have the camera to snap the ashen gray looked like a floater fish that we bought. He turned blackish gray.
You can see some of the angry pink chomps even with the downsized picture and little of the fin rag out from chomps.
You can also see how big he is, I am not small woman by any means but he is more than a handful for me.

After an hour in his QT tank his color improved greatly. I have to figure how to direct the current on this crazy mini fluval. It does move him from certain areas of the tank. The tank is bare as long as I am treating him for injuries. My daughter got some hokey plastic (cleanable) plants that he can hide behind if he feels stressed and a big back drop wrapped around the back and sides. He stays up front mostly, just above the floor.
He definitely prefers her company or voice tone. Fo me he just shows some stripe, for her he shows more discus blues along the edge and face. heh. Guess he knows who buttered his bread... or is that saved his bacon? Now I am hungry!

Heh, the color bits is what we got him, and frozen bloodworms..
He did pick some more off the bottom, but he is reeeall akward adn kinda goes sideways first then tips. That fin is a prob. And he is soo slow (but that is kinda a discus thing anyway?)

 

[Christmasfish]

PS..My daughter said she has already added the first tankwater when I took the bag reading because she felt the water should cover his back at least. So that means that his ph was prolly higher than I thought. Hope the change wasn't a shock. He seemed to improve though... We added a 6 oz cup every 15 minutes instead of 1 real cup every 40-60 like I usually do. He looked so bad I wanted him in the tank toot-sweet.

She is thrilled to get A discus as she has been panting after..she doesn't want "cookie" going anywhere...ACK! Where on earth will I put a discus tank?!

 

[BrianNY]

100 kudos to you Christmasfish. Man does that warm my heart .

The higher ph is actually better for the fish. If the ph lowers gradually that'll be just fine. Just keep up with the water changes daily and get the temp up a bit.

Discus are usually well mannered diners. One of the reasons they are best kept in a species tank. As his fins repair, he should become less awkward. Just the fact that he's hungry and eating is awesome.

Oh, and the 18g should be fine for him (but hime alone).

 

[TankGirl]

I think considering what you do with the chocolates you are more than up to this challenge! Congrats and keep us posted - I am so happy to hear stories like this

 

[Christmasfish]

Slowly raising his temp since this morning. Should have him at a nice toasty 84 tonight.
His name is now for certain "Cookie" because he is sweet and round.
His background color is an bluish olive green. So I guess it is a green discus?
Now that it open its fins I notice the anal fin as some strings of (?) hair algae.
Definitely is algae and not a parasite. Weird!
He must have been hiding in that one corner of the tank all week! Or was in a planted tank and brushed the rays against an algaed plant.
How on earth do I get it off? Manually?

So QT can be his home alone , eh? That is good. I am not sure when he can have company since I have to get and place the tank. He has to heal anyway..but how long can he be alone before it becomes an issue for him?
Right now he is apprecciative of the betta tanks across the way and of personal people-attention.
He sure looks like a different fish. I bet had he been with discus to start with he'd have looked nice enough to be sold. though I vaguely remember when he appeared in that tank there were some stunning discus (bright blue, rust red with blue and yellow) in the discus tank. Possibly his former tankmates. They were traded for marine fish of some sort I guess. The informative young customer gave me a huge rundown about the day he and his fellow fish were traded in. And he caught us at Skipper's last night and filled more in. Chatterbox. And my daughter was happy to chatter too. I just wanted to eat dern it!

 

[got bait?]

This is why I bought my Albino Tilapia Mosambica. His pic is now my Avitar, better iec in gallery. He was about ten inches long and ugly. He was in the LFS for mos. Knowbody wanted him, they just laughed. He made me laugh too, that's why I bought him. So glad I did.

 

[fearlessfisch]

Awww..you are the best, Christmasfish. Maybe strawberry betta talked to him about you, and he made a point of making eye contact with you when you went down the aise. Word may be getting out.

I'm real proud of you and think you should consider changing your name to ChristmasGuardianAngelFish.

Good luck to the poor guy. I hope he recovers fast.
--<-<-@

 

[Christmasfish]

hey bait? Is that duck mouth on all that kinda fish? Heh ity does look comical. his color is beautiful though.

Hmm..word getting around..maybe needd to wear sunglasses from now on..heh!
I thought S.Herbert the betta looked pitiful...that expression was times 10 in the big goggly eyes of this discus! Not to mention the witnessing of his major harrassment. Poor fishy. My daughter thinks he is gorgeous..her the betta breeder with any color available..heh! It is an obviously sweet animal..and very people oriented.