Goldie Posted June 16, 2003 Report Share Posted June 16, 2003 At the moment I am concerned about my discus and have raised the temperature in the hospital tank to 86 - 90 She is listless, not eating, darker around the fins and top of the head. The top fins are slightly ragged and at first I thought she was just being bullied by the other discus (I only have the two) thus the reason i put her in the hospital tank yesterday. This morning is is slightly curved and resting on the bottom at the back of the tank (does not look good). No obvious signs of parasites etc. Today at work I am going to confer with the 'fishy' vet and get some medication. If it was only bullying she should perk up however I now suspect (from reading) Hexamita. Thus a chat to the vet. I so appreciate the fishy forums where I receive so much help. This forum and Community Tank forum are my homes. Any advice would be appreciated. This is the smaller discus of the two I have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted June 17, 2003 Report Share Posted June 17, 2003 Discus should be kept in groups 3 to 4 at least,the site www.dph.nl has many articels on diseses and meds for them,they are well worth reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted June 17, 2003 Report Share Posted June 17, 2003 How is the discus now goldie? Robert she has more than one discus but only this one is sick. Elevating the temperature should help. Why do you suspect hexamita? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted June 17, 2003 Report Share Posted June 17, 2003 Pulled this off the net.. it might help. The external form of Hexamita is referred to as: Hole in the head disease. This disease affects susceptible fish such as discus, angelfish and oscars, which seem to be the most popular carriers of this problem (note that this disease may affect all fish). This disease usually starts out as a small "pimple" on the head, and as the condition proceeds in severity, ends up to be a very large sore causing lesions in the epithelium and... eventually ending up in death of the fish. Sometimes you are able to see small white nodules, sticking up out of the sore. The lateral line is also another area where this parasitic protozoan can be seen. This disease is best treated early on with Metronidazole. If the sore(s) are extremely severe, you may also want to use an anti-fungal treatment like Forma-Green in the water to prevent a secondary infection from occuring ( In this case you would mix the Metronidazole in the food at 1 teaspoon per pound of feed, and use the Forma-Green in the water at 1 drop per gallon). Treat the fish for a minimum of 10 days with the Metronidazole. The internal form of Hexamita are flagellated protozoans found in the gastrointestinal tract of a wide variety of fishes. They frequently infect discus. Spironucleus may be a distinct organism from Hexamita, as it is longer and possibly more sinuous, but for practical purposes, both organisms appear to cause similar clinical responses. These parasites are very motile. The flagella are usually not easily seen. Many times infections are not apparent. In angelfish, discus and gouramis, the disease is characterized by poor condition, weight loss and death. The fish may also show excessive nervousness, turn dark in color, and hide in the aquarium. Again, Metronidazole is the drug of choice for this disease. Use 1 teaspoon per pound of food (frozen food is preferred). Thaw the food and mix the Metronidazole into it. Return the food to the freezer, and once frozen you are ready to start the treatment. Feed it to the fish once a day for a minimum of ten days. Do not feed the fish any other foods during this treatment. The treatment may take longer according to the condition of the fish, and the severity of the disease. Take Care, Dr. Gary Aukes; Pharm. D and the staff of the Fishy Farmacy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted June 17, 2003 Report Share Posted June 17, 2003 Robert said... > Discus should be kept in groups 3 to 4 Caryl said... > Robert she has more than one discus but only this one is sick. Goldie said... > I thought she was just being bullied by the other discus > (I only have the two) I'd bet it is/was a case of the sub-dominant fish being 'bullied' by the dominant one and the stress associated with that. I'm very slow to treat fish unless I'm *very* sure of the problem. Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted June 18, 2003 Report Share Posted June 18, 2003 They have been together in that tank a long time. Would one suddenly start bullying the other? Would they start to do this as one reached breeding size perhaps? I know other fish start getting aggro as they mature. Are discus the same? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted June 18, 2003 Report Share Posted June 18, 2003 Caryl said... > They have been together in that tank a long time. > Would one suddenly start bullying the other? Would they > start to do this as one reached breeding size perhaps? I > know other fish start getting aggro as they mature. > Are discus the same? Bear in mind, they're cichlids. If we were talking about Oscars no one would be suprised that one was suddenly beating up the other one. Also, there doesn't have to be any actual 'beating up', sometimes just threat signals and continuing 'dominance' behaviour can cause a lot of stress, especially in a smaller tank with no where for the sub-dominant fish to go. I'm not saying this is the case with Goldies fish, but I wouldn't overlook it as a possibility. Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted June 18, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2003 sounds quite possible ajboome for the larger discus often had phases of harassing the smaller one. for long periods of time they would swim peacefully together then a short time of chasing would occur. The hexamita diagnosis could have been wrong, very wrong for she only showed signs of nervousness and hiding at back of tank and her fins and outer edges went dark. She had also stopped eating and did not come to me as she usually did to nudge my fingers. That was three days ago. However I came home tonight and believe she is dead. I am not quite believing that even as I type I keep looking hoping for a sign of life. she is vertical with head down. No movement from fins, gills or mouth. Thank you for your advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted June 18, 2003 Report Share Posted June 18, 2003 Awwww. Sorry. (Hey, excuse to buy more fish!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted June 18, 2003 Report Share Posted June 18, 2003 Sorry to hear that goldie. Keep a close eye on the remaining fishes in case they start to exhibit similar problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted June 19, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2003 ty ira caryl I will surely do and I am doing an extra water change in that tank to be sure the cleanliness factor is best it can be. Thanks again for your support. How can we become so attached to a fish. .............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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