Discus won't eat

[glstine]

I have two discus that I recently purchased. A medium sized turquoise and a smaller reddish-brown one (not sure of the name). They are in a 30 gallon and the only other fish is a cory. PH is 7.2, Am and Nitrites are 0. I use peat to soften the water (we have very hard water here). KH is 6 dH.
The turquoise eats fine. The smaller one used to eat, but over the last 3 weeks or so I never see him eat, and he is starting to slim up. Otherwise he appears to be perfectly healthy and has no external signs of distress. I understand discus can pout and go on hunger strikes. I suppose this could be the case, I read that discus prefer to be kept in at least groups of 4. I was considering going to get another one today. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Toomanyfish]

I would not add any other fish to the tank until you know what your discus is suffering from.
You did not mention what temp you keep the tank at. Even though discus can and do refuse food from time to time, it isn't normal to not eat for 3 weeks. When you say the fish is starting to slim up, what does the area above his eyes look like? Is it very thin up there too? Take a good close look at the fish and check out his fins, are they open and erect or are they clamped? Any fraying? Is the fish displaying any dark bars on the side? How is his color? Any pits along the fishes head or lateral line? Does the fish dart away when you approach the tank? How about his gills, is he breathing normally or gasping? Is one of the gills clamped shut at all? Have you seen the fishes poo at all and what does it look like?
Sorry for all the questions but it's hard to help long distance!

 

[glstine]

No, he shows no signs of distress what so ever other than he is not eating. That is why I think he is just pouting, I have read it is not uncommon for discus to go as long as six weeks without eating - the so called hunger strike. His thinning up is toward the rear and middle, the frontal area is full. No I have not seen his poop.

 

[Toomanyfish]

What kinds of food have you been offering?
What is the temp of the tank?

I know it sounds gross, but try and watch for his poo and see what it looks like.

Oh, BTW, the reddish-brown discus is called a pigeon blood.

 

[glstine]

Oh yeah, the temp varies between 78-80, which is probably a little cool for the discus, I am also going to get a better heater, the one I have stays on continuously and can't maintain the temp. What temp is good by the way, I have seen 80 and as high as 84. Also, the discus doesn't dart away and hide most of the time, he does is there is a rapid movement near the tank. His fins also look fine and he keeps them open most of the time.

 

[glstine]

I have tried flake food, frozen blood worms, a frozen veggie type (can't think of the name), Jack Wattley discus food, and live brine shrimp. The turqoise eats them, except the flake.

 

[Murphy]

Re: Fish Not Eating!

Hi Greg!, Discus are well known to be finicky eaters at times. Based on your answers to the questions that have been asked. It sounds like your fish are healthy. The optimum temperature for your Discus should be between 84 to 86 degrees. At the cooler temperature, your Discus wont be as active as they should be as thier metabolism slowes down. The higher temperature increases thier metabolism and makes them more active, which should increase thier appetite. The higher temperature will also reduce the risk of them getting ich, as ich has a hard time surviving at the higher temperature. As for food, it's best to provide a good variety. Well know Discus food such as Jack wattley's provide such a variety. Most Discus breeders use a beef heart mix including shrimp, bananas, and flake food. Bloodworms are good as long as they are clean and disease free. Stay away from tubiflex worms as they are a known disease carrier. Keep us posted!

 

[Toomanyfish]

I'm a big Jack Wattley fan, and he advises temps of 82º and that's what I kept mine at years ago.
I would bet that the temp fluctuation is causing the problems. It shouldn't be the food you are offering, that's a good selection.

 

[Hara]

I got my discus as babies, they absolutely LOVE beef heart. They are now quite large and full of color.

I keep my tank at 82. I use a tetratec filter/heater system and the temp
NEVER varies one bit.

If you buy the beef heart at the grocery store and run it through a food processor, not only is it good for your fish because of the freshness, but it is also considerably cheaper. 1.50 feeds my fish for about 4 months.

 

[Toomanyfish]

This is a bit off subject so please excuse me.....

Hara, how do you like the Tetratec filter? Is it rather noisy?
I am considering getting one and would like some feedback. Thanks!!

Sorry for the off topic.....

 

[glstine]

Thanks for all the input. Ironically, the day I seek help he died. Oddly, even after he died he still looked healthy, other than being skinny. My wife and I were talking about it and decided he quit eating right after we introduced the bigger turquoise. I guess I will never know for sure what happened. Anyways, this is my first attemp at discus and I'm sure I've done some things wrong, particulary with the water chemistry since we have such hard, high PH water were I live. I did order an RO unit that should be here any day now.

 

[Hara]

It makes a "blooooop" noise about once every 30 seconds. Other than that, there is no noise. I think it does a wonderful job of filtration, maintenance is easy and if you are keeping something with stringent temp requirements, I think this is the way to go.

 

[Toomanyfish]

I am so sorry to hear that the fish died Glstine, ......I always hate to lose a fish.......


Thanks for the info Hara! I like the idea of the heater in the filter and that noise it makes sounds not too bad.....since this would be in the living room, it shouldn't be all that bothersome.