A Few Discus that are Not Healing

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SilverArowanaBoi

Redtail Catfish
MFK Member
Sep 21, 2023
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Have you tested your water?
Yes
If I did not test my water...
  1. ...I recognize that I will likely be asked to do a test, and that water tests are critical for solving freshwater health problems.
Do you do water changes?
Yes
If I do not change my water...
  1. ...I recognize that I will likely be recommended to do a water change, and water changes are critical for preventing future freshwater health problems.
Hey y'all! So, long story short, I got four discus for my tank, and two are sick right now. I believe they were sick when I got them and, at the time, didn't have anything to put them in to separate.

There are two discus in a ten-gallon quarantine tank (I can't afford a bigger tank, sadly) and two discus in the main tank. The discus in the main tank and in tip-top shape, eat like pigs, show off great color and personality, no fighting, etc, while the two discus in the ten-gallon are dark, lethargic, not eating/eating very small amounts, and one has white stringy stools. There is a more boisterous and aggressive one that is showing signs of improvement, but the other one is looking pretty crappy.

I've been treating this for a few weeks with little success. Here is what I've treated for and done to treat said illnesses:

1. Ick (white spots on fins): I used API Ick medicine and followed instructions. Yanked up the temp and did this for most of the time. I noticed that the ick spots that were spreading were gotten rid of, except for the two stubborn spots on the tail fin; otherwise, there was no improvement.

2. Fungus (white spots on fins and odd patches on body): I used Maracyn Oxy on the days that I didn't do ick meds (alternating between ick and fungal meds for about a week). No Improvement.

3. Internal Bacterial Infection (Lethargic behavior, lack of appetite, and odd white stringy and puffy stools): This is what I am doing right now. Following instructions on the package, do a packet of meds every day for 5 days with no water changes, while on the 6th day, do a water change. Today is the fifth day, and tomorrow, I plan on doing a water change. I haven't seen a whole lot of improvement, but they have eaten.

I've been keeping on top of water parameters: 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrates, 0 Nitrites, and 8.3 pH. These discus were bred and raised in pure hard water like mine. I've been doing 25% to 50% water changes in the sick tank either daily or every other day, depending on instructions (except for the past 5 days). I've also kept the water stable at 84 degrees in both my main and quarantine tanks, the same temp as the shop where we got them from.

Sorry for such a long post, but I wanted to give as much information as possible. I will post pictures ASAP. Thank you for any help!
 
Hey, sorry to hear about the Discus having troubles. I've kept Discus before and raised some big, beautiful ones from young, but also been through hell with them due to sickness mostly brought on by lack of proper care on my part. As I'm sure you know Discus require immaculate water conditions to thrive, and their health can take a sharp dive downward due to the slightest stress, illness, sub-par water conditions, etc.

To the point, IME it is essential to properly diagnose any illness before treating with medication since even one round of meds can severely weaken Discus. Then it is usually a downward spiral. I've actually had better luck just doing daily 80% water changes and keeping their environment immaculate when treating Discus -- without involving medications. But sometimes meds are necessary.

I wish you the best of luck with the two Discus.
 
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ken31cay said:
Hey, sorry to hear about the Discus having troubles. I've kept Discus before and raised some big, beautiful ones from young, but also been through hell with them due to sickness mostly brought on by lack of proper care on my part. As I'm sure you know Discus require immaculate water conditions to thrive, and their health can take a sharp dive downward due to the slightest stress, illness, sub-par water conditions, etc.

To the point, IME it is essential to properly diagnose any illness before treating with medication since even one round of meds can severely weaken Discus. Then it is usually a downward spiral. I've actually had better luck just doing daily 80% water changes and keeping their environment immaculate when treating Discus -- without involving medications. But sometimes meds are necessary.

I wish you the best of luck with the two Discus.
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Thank you, ken31cay@, for the response. I will try doing some water changes every day and see if it helps. How much do you feed them? I've been very sparse with feeding them because they don't eat much. Should I continue with that?
 
Sparse feeding is best, generally speaking. But It depends on their age; fully grown discus can be fed minimally on pellets but IME young discus need more protein to grow big & beautiful. I used to feed frozen beef heart cubes to my grow-outs (once per day), all they could eat in 20-25 seconds. 20 minutes after each meal I'd vacuum out all uneaten food + poop, then do a 80% water change.

For sick Discus I would feed very sparsely but usually not at all until I see some improvement in them. Good water quality & low stress is more important than food when they're sick.
 
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ken31cay said:
Sparse feeding is best, generally speaking. But It depends on their age; fully grown discus can be fed minimally on pellets but IME young discus need more protein to grow big & beautiful. I used to feed frozen beef heart cubes to my grow-outs (once per day), all they could eat in 20-25 seconds. 20 minutes after each meal I'd vacuum out all uneaten food + poop, then do a 80% water change.

For sick Discus I would feed very sparsely but usually not at all until I see some improvement in them. Good water quality & low stress is more important than food when they're sick.
Click to expand...

My discus are medium-sized juveniles, about 5 1/2-6 inches probably? They definitely aren't full grown yet.
 
6" is approaching almost fully grown. It is ultimately up to you how much you feed them but the simple rule is that the more you feed them, the more water you need to change.

As an example, if I fed my grow-outs 2 x feedings per day then they would have grown to adult size more quickly. But then I personally would have repeated the process of vacuuming & water changes, meaning that I would have done 2 x 80% water changes daily.

This is the level of care that I learned that worked, through multiple mistakes/Discus deaths, to grow out large beautiful Discus. And my starting tap water was/is basically already RO water (from a Desalination plant), so I am starting with pristine water. But there are too many variables involved here, so I'll just say that your mileage may vary when it comes to Discus care. Good luck.
 
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ken31cay said:
6" is approaching almost fully grown. It is ultimately up to you how much you feed them but the simple rule is that the more you feed them, the more water you need to change.

As an example, if I fed my grow-outs 2 x feedings per day then they would have grown to adult size more quickly. But then I personally would have repeated the process of vacuuming & water changes, meaning that I would have done 2 x 80% water changes daily.

This is the level of care that I learned that worked, through multiple mistakes/Discus deaths, to grow out large beautiful Discus. And my starting tap water was/is basically already RO water (from a Desalination plant), so I am starting with pristine water. But there are too many variables involved here, so I'll just say that your mileage may vary when it comes to Discus care. Good luck.
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Ok, thank you!
 
I’d chill on the meds, get the water pristine as stated, and add some salt. Once your fungal issues are better, I’d do a large water change, add a bubbler, and crank the temp to 92F for 3-5 days. Once they perk up and start eating, drop temps back down to 86F, give them some time and when they’re looking stronger, hit them with a dewormer.
 
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phreeflow said:
I’d chill on the meds, get the water pristine as stated, and add some salt. Once your fungal issues are better, I’d do a large water change, add a bubbler, and crank the temp to 92F for 3-5 days. Once they perk up and start eating, drop temps back down to 86F, give them some time and when they’re looking stronger, hit them with a dewormer.
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My heater doesn't go up to 92 degrees, its max is 86. I have a bubbler in there now. I do have also have salt.

Side note: today, they looked better after the final dose of meds. I may just do water changes and keep the water pristine rather than do anything further with meds.
 
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