1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the best of your ability (i.e. cotton like growth, bloated, etc.).
Various Discus becoming very dark, reclusive, and lethargic. One recently treated for Hexamita, and another for Fin Rot in a Quarantine Tank. 7 in total. 3 Seem to be mostly healthy (colorful and eating some) But still very skittish. When filling a jar to thaw their food I used to have to fight them away from going into the jar, they would be that excited. Now they are terrified most of the time I approach the tank. The remaining discus are usually very dark in color, and rarely expose themselves in the open. However every now and then they will emerge, though slowly, and show signs of their normal color returning.
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrates: 0-5
Nitrites: 0
Temp: 84F
pH: 6.6
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?
125 Gallon, has been set up for 7 months - cycled from a 45 gallon
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known.
Fluval FX4 700GPH
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes?
7 various Discus Strains - 3 at 3.5 inches, 3 at 4 inches, 1 at 4.5 inches
6 Rummy Nose Tetras
6 Cardinal Tetras
2 Burmese Border Loaches
3 Clown Loaches (for a previous snail outbreak)
Various shrimp
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time?
In the last week I have increased water changes to ~30% every other day, I was doing 40% once a week before. I was siphoning the gravel, but recently learned not very well. Yesterday I thoroughly vacuumed all of the gravel.
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?
I have had the fish starting from 7 months ago, but the most recent are 2 which I have had 2 months.
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?
I add Seachem Prime with each water change. No new fish, plants, substrate, or decor for 2.5 months
9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?
Dried food and flakes morning and night, frozen (thawed) blood worms and brine shrimp late afternoon.
I have upgraded to much higher quality dry food, but that was after I began having the change in behavior and health.
A side note - for about a month I had a lot of other life things going on and neglected thorough cleaning of the tank, and believe I was over feeding. I have since tightened things up and it is now pristine and has been for a few weeks. Just last week I had a 5 inch beautiful Golden Pigeon Blood which was paired up and mating, go from being 100% healthy, colorful, eating, to dead within 18 hours. Absolutely no sign of illness or any warning symptoms. I reached out and was told that the only possibility for an instant death like that would be that he swam into the tank/lid and killed himself. But I am wondering what could be causing the discus to be so stressed, and is it related to the loss I had. Or could it be that they are still just recovering from less than ideal water quality due to negligence on my part?
Various Discus becoming very dark, reclusive, and lethargic. One recently treated for Hexamita, and another for Fin Rot in a Quarantine Tank. 7 in total. 3 Seem to be mostly healthy (colorful and eating some) But still very skittish. When filling a jar to thaw their food I used to have to fight them away from going into the jar, they would be that excited. Now they are terrified most of the time I approach the tank. The remaining discus are usually very dark in color, and rarely expose themselves in the open. However every now and then they will emerge, though slowly, and show signs of their normal color returning.
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrates: 0-5
Nitrites: 0
Temp: 84F
pH: 6.6
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?
125 Gallon, has been set up for 7 months - cycled from a 45 gallon
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known.
Fluval FX4 700GPH
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes?
7 various Discus Strains - 3 at 3.5 inches, 3 at 4 inches, 1 at 4.5 inches
6 Rummy Nose Tetras
6 Cardinal Tetras
2 Burmese Border Loaches
3 Clown Loaches (for a previous snail outbreak)
Various shrimp
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time?
In the last week I have increased water changes to ~30% every other day, I was doing 40% once a week before. I was siphoning the gravel, but recently learned not very well. Yesterday I thoroughly vacuumed all of the gravel.
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?
I have had the fish starting from 7 months ago, but the most recent are 2 which I have had 2 months.
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?
I add Seachem Prime with each water change. No new fish, plants, substrate, or decor for 2.5 months
9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?
Dried food and flakes morning and night, frozen (thawed) blood worms and brine shrimp late afternoon.
I have upgraded to much higher quality dry food, but that was after I began having the change in behavior and health.
A side note - for about a month I had a lot of other life things going on and neglected thorough cleaning of the tank, and believe I was over feeding. I have since tightened things up and it is now pristine and has been for a few weeks. Just last week I had a 5 inch beautiful Golden Pigeon Blood which was paired up and mating, go from being 100% healthy, colorful, eating, to dead within 18 hours. Absolutely no sign of illness or any warning symptoms. I reached out and was told that the only possibility for an instant death like that would be that he swam into the tank/lid and killed himself. But I am wondering what could be causing the discus to be so stressed, and is it related to the loss I had. Or could it be that they are still just recovering from less than ideal water quality due to negligence on my part?
