Goldie Posted October 17, 2002 Report Share Posted October 17, 2002 My friend has one of her discus (in hospital tank now,50 gallons of water) that developed a white cottony spot on it's tail. For the past six days she has been treating it with pencillian, 1 tablet per 10 gallons of water every other day. No difference, well maybe it has shrunk just a little. First she tried the saline treatment. Discus is swimming and eating well. The spot is just sitting there. Advice would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Posted October 17, 2002 Report Share Posted October 17, 2002 ermm Goldie, just wondering where she got the penicillin from.. penicillins are virtually useless in fish. Most bacterial infections in fish r gram negative n thus resistant to penicillins. u also have to give it via injections to b of any real use.. cotton wool lesions maybe fungal. they may also b due to columnaris( the bacteria responsible for most cases of finrot), or a group of protozoans known as sessile ciliates. cotton wool lesions may also b confused with slime, plagues, u name it.... salt baths r probably the best bet. check with her about the saline tx. she might have used too low a dose, or insufficient time.... perhaps more important is ammonia n nitrites. penicillins r really potent against the good bugs in the filter...she might have to do water changes etc n monitor these levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted October 18, 2002 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2002 ty Wayne allloow me to intoduce Momad who will speak for herself. ty again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted October 18, 2002 Report Share Posted October 18, 2002 Hi Momad, glad to see you here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momad Posted October 18, 2002 Report Share Posted October 18, 2002 Can anyone tell me how much salt per gallon I should add to my 50 gallon (US Gallon) tank to treat my discus with a white cottony spot on his tail? :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted October 18, 2002 Report Share Posted October 18, 2002 The standard dose is, I think, 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons. I don't think discus are unusually sensitive to salt so I think you could dose it with 10 tablespoons the first day then if it's not making a noticable difference in 3-4 days dose it with the same amount so you've got 1 tablespoon per 2.5 gallons. In my experience 1 per 5 has been enough whenever I've needed it, so if it's enough in your case there's no point in stressing the fish with 1 per 2.5. Though, I don't think it'd be a significant amount of stress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted October 23, 2002 Report Share Posted October 23, 2002 ok heres my two cents worth.salt will not do the trick in the tank,you should try a salt bath in a small tank.i do not belive this will help.i would start with a 50% water change in your thank, clean out any rubbish and muck,take the temp up to 32,change 30% of the water for the next 5-7 days,every day that is.i have not used any thing apart from salt for many years. your problems may be from not keeping things clean and probably not enough water changes or an over stocked tank. if the worst comes to the worst try formalin carfuly to the recomened dose and remember that the ph of your thank can change the needed dose.JMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted October 27, 2002 Report Share Posted October 27, 2002 I should add to the last post that the filter should be kept clean and an air stone should be used to get plenty of air in the water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momad Posted October 30, 2002 Report Share Posted October 30, 2002 Robert...I do a water change on my tank once a week...i keep check on all of the nitrates, nitrites, ammonia and ph...they are all just fine...my tank is so crystal clear and clean so i do not think my fish got sick because of a dirty tank. I have a Fluval 404 filter and it is cleaned on a regular basis. I put him in a 55 gal tank and added salt to it and he is just fine now and I have moved him back to the 100 gal tank with the other fish. Thanks for your opinion though. :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted October 30, 2002 Report Share Posted October 30, 2002 Good to hear it has recovered momad, I was wondering how y'all were doin'. (Your accent is catching!) I can vouch for the cleanliness of momad's tank as I have seen a video of it. It is certainly no-where near overstocked either. Another winner for the simple salt treatment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted November 2, 2002 Report Share Posted November 2, 2002 i would sugest that one water change a week is no where near enough for discus,i would allso sugest a look at this site dhp.nl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogmatix Posted November 2, 2002 Report Share Posted November 2, 2002 I agree all the way i had discus i still have one and i am gonna get more. During my last batch i had nothing but disasters this has led me to now doing 20% once i week because i am lazy, my blue diamond still does fine but i feel he will never reach his true potential :oops: When i started keeping discus 3 years ago i bought 4 baby RT discus in a 30g tank ( i know this is small but all i had ) however i used to change 50-60 % a week and they trived, As they grew i slowly sold them off to the LFS untill i had one left and he did fine by himself for a long time untill he had to go as well. In the new year i will be buying 30 babies to grow on (in more, larger tanks) but i will be changing 50% of the water a day. Hatcheries in singapore and U.S.A change 100% a day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Posted November 2, 2002 Report Share Posted November 2, 2002 but i will be changing 50% of the water a day. Hatcheries in singapore and U.S.A change 100% a day hi dogmatix! sheeeezzzzzzz that's quite a bit sounds like hard work well, it does come down to how much water your tank can hold...n stocking densities right? perhaps u can set a base-line by measuring nitrates n pH over time....that'll give u a rough idea of the minimum frequency/vol of water changes needed to keep these values low n constant( bearing in mind that the things do grow n excrete more waste over time) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted November 2, 2002 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2002 wow you are so busy. I originally bought two medium sized discus and put them into my 3.5 foot tank I changed the water once weekly and they thrived. I grew complacent :-? and the water changes went by the board and the nitrates rose. One discus stopped growing, to get rid of the nitrites I had to change the water often - several times during the week. Once the nitrates/ nitrites were nil and now aware of what my tardiness could do, I once again became a diligent fish keeper and went back to changing the water regularly. Once weekly. The discus are doing fine. I have since added three small babies and they are growing well. However because of the size of the tank I will need to find other homes for the smaller ones as they grow, or repile the house and set up a decent sized tank . Also in the tank are four clown loaches (also growing well) and four bristlenosed cat fish. From my limited experience I would say that the discus are affected by sudden change. If you are consistent and keep the water clean they will thrive. Mine feed from my fingers and definitely recognise me when I enter the room - even if not being fed. A most rewarding fish to keep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted November 3, 2002 Report Share Posted November 3, 2002 Hehe, Speaking of being slack with water changes...I've got 3 tanks that need changing. Better get to work on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogmatix Posted November 3, 2002 Report Share Posted November 3, 2002 water quality isnt the probelm with the growth of discus. See discus secrete an X-growth hormone which seems to inhibit the growth of one an other. This will be my main reason for the water changes. Hard work yes :-? , but woth it definately Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted November 3, 2002 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2002 I did not know that thanx dog I will try the more frequent changes and see if the growth rate is different. Can you tell me more re the hormone and growth rate? Does one discus grow and the others have their growth rate inhibited? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogmatix Posted November 3, 2002 Report Share Posted November 3, 2002 I cant remeber that much on it cause im studying for an exam tomorrow try simplydiscus.com so many ppl there are real helpful and know lots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momad Posted November 4, 2002 Report Share Posted November 4, 2002 I do a weekly water change of about 30% and i keep a check on the nitrates, nitrites, ammonia and PH....they are all fine and my discus are doing quite well...i have had them for a year now and the one that came up with the cottony spot is the only trouble I have had with any of them....I love my fish and hope to get a cobalt blue one soon...however, am having trouble finding one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted November 5, 2002 Report Share Posted November 5, 2002 i think you will find that x hormone theroy has been disproved.water changes do work.i brought 3 discus from shaw in chch,they where the size of a fifty cent peice .i have had them for 4 months. 50-75% water changes and wiping down the sides of the tank every day,reducting down to 10-155 a day now. the discus are now 125mm from nose to tailand nice and thick bodys,aprox 20-25 mm.this is a lot of hard work yes but when pepole see my fish they are floored. the discus in my show thank are 250-300mm long and round and 30-35mm thick in the body. tow of my fish that just died here 9 years old and died of old age i have not used any chemical at all for over 6 years.clean water wiil do just fine i would suggest that www.dph.nl as the best discus site there is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted November 6, 2002 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2002 ty robert for sharing that. I will watch carefully and see what difference the more frequent changine and wiping will make. I have found that clean conditions, water goes a long way for healthy discus and to date (touch wood) I have not found them difficult to keep at all. Like you I find the discus a most rewarding fish to keep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momad Posted December 1, 2002 Report Share Posted December 1, 2002 Just wanted to let everyone know that my discus is now doing just fine. His white spot cleared up and he is now back in the big 100 gallon tank with the other six discus. Thanks for all your help in helping me decide how to treat him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondo Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 Could someone tell me what to do next. Ive just done a water change and realised my filter/pump wasnt working "JUWEL 280 and couldnt get it too work, so have purchased a EHIME job and then found my discus in the bottom corner lookin very sad, he has lost most of his colour to a pale/peach colour, i have used some melafix, I guess this has hapened due to the filter not working, Is there anything that i can do in the mean time or just sit and wait to see if he comes back to life? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 How bigs your tank and how much water did you change? Did you siphon out the gunk as well or did you just remove water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondo Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 its about 50l, i did 25% as usual. yes used a syphon in the gravel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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