# Need Help right away! My Discus are quite sick!



## Letigrama (Jul 6, 2008)

Ok, so on saturday I got 2 new blood pigeons. Quite small. I did my 75% WC on sunday. The same day they were fine, but one did not eat and later at night, we noticed he got to the corner on the tank, and kind of floated partially on the side, on top of the water. This was odd, so I observed him frequently. This morning, he was doing the same, but then getting out of it and swimming normally. When I left for work, my hubbie told me the other little guy went to do the same, and they were one of top of the other, floating on their side, but then he said they eat...
So i got home, my vampire african shrimp was dead and one other of my smaller discus doing the same thing, floating on top of the water, almost paralized. I ALSO OBSERVED SOME WITHISH ON HIS FINS. After 10 minutes, he went ahead and swim like nothing. Then the little new guy started again floating. The little guy does not have any whitish on his body.
So I saw then one other of my fish covered with quite a lot of white filming patches. 
It is not itch. I run all test. Ammonia, Nitrites, Ph is fine and normal.
So I did another 50% water change. 
I separated the 3 Discus doing that I observed are sick, in the QT tank.

Treatment: 25% on the QT tank, treated with Pimafix and API fungus cure at the same time, aquarium salt.( API is acriflavine and PVP, and Pimafix is pimentarosa).
Behavior so far: Medicine has not killed them, they are fine, nobody is floating on their side now.
Question? Should I increase the water temperature and is it ok to medicate with both at the same time?

Treatment for the big tank: 50% water change, removed carbon, treated the whole than with APi fungus cure. So far, I dont see anybody else sick.

Do you guys think this is a fungus? Has anybody experienced fish floating like that because of a fungus infection? Any recommended medicine?

Thanks in advance for the help....


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

Is there any way that some kind of toxin could have gotten into the tank? Used any insecticides or other chemicals in the vicinity? Paint fumes? New plumbing? Could anything have gotten into the tank from the containers or hoses you used to fill it? E.g. if you use a bucket, could someone have borrowed the bucket for some other use?

I'm wondering if the floating on the side or paralysis could be due to something that affects the nervous system, and the whitish slime due to something irritating the skin, causing extra slime production. Shrimp suddenly dying after a water change can be due to copper or other toxins in the water -- invertebrates are often more susceptible than fish.

At any rate, it sounds like what you're doing is helping. I hope your fish recover! Let us know what happens next.


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## Letigrama (Jul 6, 2008)

Hi guys, the Discus are all sick now, they are almost not eating either
I took a pic of the Fins so may be somebody can have an idea. Perhaps salt will help? I have the feeling this is not a fungus....
The other thing that did happen and I think may be related.....I put back a carbon filter after 3 weeks of so ( it was completely dried), as I was brand new when I took it out. We believe we contaminated the water somehow with that. We took the carbon out last night and i did the change of water, should I change water again today?
thanks!


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

Your picture is not very clear; I am not even sure what I am looking at. 

I doubt that you were able to contaminate your tank with a new carbon pad. Ideally, they should be rinsed before use, but I have used new carbon without rinsing. However, if it were your carbon, then not only would your discus be affected, but your other fish should be showing some symptoms as well.

What exactly were your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH values? How did you test this (i.e. test strips vs. liquid tests)?


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

Sounds like your new discus introduced ich or something else into your tank. Very hard to tell from your picture - could be bacterial, fungal or parasitic. Without a better picture, I doubt we can help pinpoint it.

I'd raise the temperature a bit, keep doing water changes every day (20% or so). Maybe check your filter, and if you are worried about the carbon you added, I'd remove it. If you are medicating, you probably want to remove any carbon anyway.

I'll leave the meds (what type, or how to use them) to someone else, I have little to no experience medicating fish.


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## moon (Mar 11, 2006)

If they have a white film on their body it is some form of parasite. I would take them out and put tem in a hospital tank and add 2 tbsp of non iodized salt per 10g of tank water. Do not increase the temp keep them at 82 to 84. Try this for a few days. If this does not work a PP treatment may be needed.


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## Tearran (Oct 4, 2009)

They where fine up until you did the water change? It might be personal opinion but a 75% water change in a discus tank seems rather large with such sensitive fish. If say the new water you where putting in had a large difference parameters like temperature you could have shocked your fish, and what is apearing now could be symptoms of that. If you are concerned about water or just like a very clean tank, bi-weekly changes of 10% may be a better option if you have the time.

Also, when your doing water changes like this for a sick, I would recomend doing smaller 10-20% water changes on a daily basis. This will alow you fish to adjust to the newer water, well still slowly filtering out any contaminants. Stress is your biggest enemy with a sick fish, and overduing waterchanges may actually be more detrimental to your fish at this time.

Do you notice any gasping at the top of the tank? any discoulouration in thier gills?

This is all just my personal experience though, so I may or may not be right in this case.


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## jessbullock (Apr 20, 2009)

*I second Moon*

If you don't know exactly what it is, don't bother stressing the fish more by medicating them blindly. Clean water and salt is the best you can do for now.

In the future, try to put new fish straight into quarantine, you'll save yourself a lot of heartache and $.


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## Letigrama (Jul 6, 2008)

*Found out what is it*

Hey everybody. After much research, hubby found out what it was.
The fish are somewhat better. Nobody has die yet.
My Discus have the Discus Plague. Was introduced by two new Discus I bought at <store name removed> in Mississauga.
Here's the link:

The pics are not my Discus, but I could swear they are. Floating on their side and covered in their own mucus. Is a virus, it runs for 3 weeks, there is no cure.

I am posting this in the Discus forum as this is not well know and perhaps can help other people.
I am doing 25% water change everyday. 
Treatment so far:
Raise temperature.
Aquarium salt
Epsom salt
Furian
Formalin 3
Fungus Cure
Stress cure

all together.

http://www.aquaworldaquarium.com/Articles/TonyGriffitts/discus_plague.htm


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

If it's a viral disease none of the drugs will have any effect on it, and may just further stress your fish and screw up the balance of your tank. It's encouraging that it's a self-limited disease, and just good care and clean water will get otherwise healthy fish through it!


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## Letigrama (Jul 6, 2008)

Thats is actually right, however they say that as any virus, fish will be susceptible to secondary diseases, therefore everybody recommend to treat the tank for at least bacterial infections.

I have stopped some of the meds, currently I am doing:

25% change daily.
Aquarium salt
raise temp
furan every 48 hs ( 1 more dose to go)

Fish are improving everyday. Some of the fish that were almost done have started to swim about a bit and actually eat some.
Hopefully this nightmare will be gone in 2 more weeks......
No casualties so far....


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

+1

Treating with multiple meds at once can be problematic - not only does it cause extra stress from heavy medicatoin, you can also get interactions with the drugs, just like in people.

If it's secondary infection you're worried about, why not just keep them well fed, use an appetite stimulant/immune booster (garlic guard...if it in fact does help..) and vitamins (selcon, etc) to keep it well fed and able to better fend off secondary infection?

Hopefully they all recover


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

I'm gonna have to +2 on that.

Clean water, good food. I can't imagine taking that many meds at once even as a human.


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## Letigrama (Jul 6, 2008)

well, all the meds I gave them were compatible with each other and I could give them at the same time. I did my research first. 
Like I said in my last post, I have reduced the Meds and I am finishing only with the antibacterial treatment.
Although I understand your advice, I think you guy should put yourselves in my shoes, when you wake up one day to see your 14 discus half alive, covered in white and floating half dead. I have to put all those meds as the symptoms were confusing and we did not know what it was for a couple of days...
Now that we know is a virus, we have reduced the meds and everyday we are taking them out bit by bit.
I though actually it will be educative as this disease is not common and it can very well be confused with other disease.....

I will update as how the fish are doing in a couple of days, they are all doing better little by little. some of them are still in intensive care though


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## Calmer (Mar 9, 2008)

Hi Letigrama
I have been watching this post from the start, as many others have, and I know what you are going through. Most of us have been through this with our fish being sick before and it is pure frustration mixed with many other gut wrenching emotions. And the big question of "what to do?"

I have never heard of this disease before so thank you for bringing it into the open. By doing so it will help others in the future diagnose this disease that does show symptoms of many other diseases. 

The good thing is that the fish seem to be on the mend, so stay the course and good luck to you and them.


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## Letigrama (Jul 6, 2008)

Thank you! and I have posted on the Discus Forum as this disease only affects Discus.
The Discus now are even better, they are almost all eating, some of them recovered their colour and only the 3 that got sick the first are still not good.
It looks like worst case scenario i might loose only one or 2. 
Hopefully none.
Thank you all for your support and advice~!


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## Supernova (Feb 17, 2009)

Good luck, hopefully they all recover fast.


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