reef13 Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 I have just had a look at my parents discus tank and noticed that the 2 discus don't really look that healthy I think it may be fin rot? kinda hard to tell from the picture but all the white bits are like furry fungus looking. the tank is 4ft and they are running an aquaone 1200 cannister filter, they have been having a problem with black beard algae and have been treating it with flourish xl which seems to be working would that harm fish in anyway? any ideas on what this is and how to get rid of it would be great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 Yeah, that's a chem burn from too much flourish. Do a massive water change immediately. Do not dose with flourish and add a load of stress coat to the water. if its possible to transfer the fish into 100% new water, do that. This is the first stage. If it progresses, the burns will appear on the fish's sides and the eyes, and then its really advanced, and is a pain to treat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef13 Posted January 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 thanks phoenix the other discus i couldn't get a picture of has tiny little fungus looking spots on its side not very many but looks exactly the same stuff as the other fish. all the other fish in the tank seem fine. I'll do a massive water change for them tonight any ideas on how to treat a bad black beard algae problem without using the flourish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 the mucus layer on discus maybe slightly different as they are able to feed their fry from it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquila Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 I can't help you with the discus but I had blackbeard algae show up a few months ago. I did a bit of dosing with flourish excel, but i squirted it directly on large patches to burn them off instead of trying to dose the whole water. That way, the concentration of it in the water was very low and i didn't waste the excel... (you may need to let the discus heal though before adding any to the water after the waterchange). I also got a Siamese Algae Eater (ofter sold as blackline flying fox at the lfs) and keeps all the little bits in check. They are really the BEST algae eaters...he constantly and meticulously cleans the tank of all types of algae! Just make sure you don't by the 'false siamese algae eater'...google the differences to be sure. Goodluck! thanks phoenix the other discus i couldn't get a picture of has tiny little fungus looking spots on its side not very many but looks exactly the same stuff as the other fish. all the other fish in the tank seem fine. I'll do a massive water change for them tonight any ideas on how to treat a bad black beard algae problem without using the flourish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 Flourish can be added to the discus tank however a single dose only and it should be mixed with water prior to adding to the tank to stop it touching the discus at its full strength. Possibly adding some stress coat to the tank may help the discus but I am not certain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef13 Posted January 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 thanks am just doing a major water change now will give it a good dose of stress coat was thinking the majority of water today and another change tomorrow would that be good, and phoenix will these marks hang around for a while or do they clear up quickly just interested to know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 That depends on how bad the burns are tomorrow. Be sure to keep the temp the same. you don't want them to stress or they will go black and have a typical discus hissy fit. It is possible for the fish to make a complete recovery. use stress coat and some salt as well. not too much salt at this time, just a little to agitate the glands under/in epithelial tissue so it produces more slime. discus milk is the stuff they use to feed their kids, and is secreted when they breed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillnzcookie Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 I had no idea that Flourish Excel could harm fish - so many people use it, I just assumed it was safe. But reading this, I have figured out what is wrong with the mouth of one of my rainbowfish - the greedy one who always assumes that if the lid opens it means food! So what is the safest way to add Flourish? How much water would you need to dilute it with to make it safe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Discusguru Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 That depends on how bad the burns are tomorrow. Be sure to keep the temp the same. you don't want them to stress or they will go black and have a typical discus hissy fit. It is possible for the fish to make a complete recovery. use stress coat and some salt as well. not too much salt at this time, just a little to agitate the glands under/in epithelial tissue so it produces more slime. discus milk is the stuff they use to feed their kids, and is secreted when they breed. +1 on that. Do a few daily waterchange with some salt added to it and the fish will come right. ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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