If you build it, they will come - Jims Discus Journal

[fishy_jim]

Dang, that sucks Jim. Sorry mate

It does. All part of the hobby I suppose but still bums me out

[brewmaster15]

An update I never wanted to make on my tank but here it is. Today I lost my Red Rafflesia to my what I believe is a parasite issue of some sort. The panda that I had originally seen the issue (long stringy clear/tanish poop) is still kicking. I noticed the other only just yesterday also starting to poop issue. This morning it stayed away from the others and then later started swimming weird and then it was gone. I am devastated by this as I have put so much work into this and doing everything by the book. Today is 3 weeks since getting them so I am pretty bummed now. This is the fish that has layed eggs 2x since getting it too !! I started metro on Tuesday soaking the FFDBW in it and they have been eating it but not really sure how much stays in the food by soaking. I have been also doing 60% daily WC prior to re-dosing the recommended dose. What do I need to do at this point, stay the coarse with the metro and daily WC? All the other at the moment seem fine, I hope I don't loose more. Here are some pics I just took of the panda showing the poop best I can. If the metro is working, will I know by it starting to have normal black poop? It looks the same as it did last week prior to staring the metro. Any advice/help much appreciated.

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Jim Im sorry you lost one. its always a bummer especially when it haapens out of the blue.

On your question .. yes if the metro is working the feces will go back to normal. Definitely have a look over your Disease thread though..

https://forum.simplydiscus.com/showt...da-Help-please

As I said there it could also be worms ..in which case theres a different treatment to try. With disease issues like this and no lab analysis or pathologist involved we rule out whats most likely first.. then move on to the next most possible thing based on symptoms. Its not a perfect way of doing it but its what we have to use. .

[fishy_jim]

Its been a bit since my last update to my journal so here goes it. Had a few threads going as my Tiger Panda since getting it had issues. First noticed it was only breathing from one side and also was breathing very fast. It wasn't long after that I noticed the dreaded white stringy poop and it pretty much stopped eating. It did however remain social with the others but definitely in decline. I picked up some metro and treated the entire tank, but it seemed to do nothing for it. I tried a salt dip till it rolled over and although it did seem to slightly improve its breathing it still refused to eat and now was really starting to look ragged and sickly. It was then suggested on the forum to get a hospital tank setup and isolate it and treat it alone. I set up a 10 gallon and began to treat it using seachem polyguard. After 1 week treating it with polyguard it surprisingly began to eat again. I continued to dose the polyguard for an additional week and it has eaten every time I put in food (FDBW) and still is to this day. I still have it in the hospital tank and it has gained back it weight almost to what I would call normal. Im feeding it 3x/day and doing daily 50% WC and Im happy to say he is alive and swimming and seems happy !! My plan is to move it back to the DT in 2 more weeks as long as it stays the course and looks fatter. All the others are going well and definitely look bigger from when I got them mid January. After moving the sick Panda to the hospital tank I decided to go full bare bottom, and I sucked all the sand out. I only had a very very thin layer (maybe 1/16" deep) so it was very easy to suck it out. So much easier to clean the tank and its a good feeling to actually to be able to see and remove any waste. Im still exclusively feeding FDBW but have also tried some flake and pellet. Some of them eat the flake and pellet and some wont, but I really have not put much effort to get them to accept the other food. I still plan to in the near future just not a priority at the moment. Here are a few current pics I took today. Once I get the Panda back in the DT I will update how that goes and post some pics.

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[brewmaster15]

Jim glad all is going well! Appreciate the updates!

I decided to go full bare bottom, and I sucked all the sand out. I only had a very very thin layer (maybe 1/16" deep) so it was very easy to suck it out. So much easier to clean the tank and its a good feeling to actually to be able to see and remove any waste.

[fishy_jim]

Today was a good day. I put my Panda Discus back in the DT after 8 weeks of hospital tank treatment. He already ate back in the main tank and is settling back in. Here is a before and after pic.

Before ....
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... after .... Cheers to being back home !!
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[brewmaster15]

Jim, looking much better! Glad it worked out!

[fishy_jim]

Hello all !!! Wanted to update for those that have been following along on my first discus tank experience. Its been almost 4 months since adding my fish and 6 months since putting water in the glass box. What have I learned so far that I would pass on to people wanting a discus tank would be the following:

1 - GO BARE BOTTOM !!! I did start out with a 1/4" PFS bottom but even the thin layer I found hard to keep as clean as I wanted. It even started to get cyano growing on it pretty quickly after starting the tank. I soon sucked it all out and went bare bottom and haven't looked back. Super easy to clean, and I know without a doubt exactly what crud is in the tank.

2 - If you don't have the time to commit to water changes, do not get into the hobby of discus. I now fully understand what it means when they say "get to know your fish" as there definitely are marked differences in how they act if water isn't up to par as far as having lots of good clean aged water. Get yourself and your tank on a solid, stable routine, and stick to it !!

3 - Come up with a WC system/method that makes it as easy as possible to do all these water changes. Even if you have to make a little investment is some equipment to make it easier, DO IT !!! It will pay off huge for you and your tank.

4 - Invest in some good heaters, don't skimp here. Also invest in a temperature controller. I ended up getting http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...0?ie=UTF8&th=1 and LOVE them. I have 2 of these in my 80 gallon and are being controlled by my inkbird with Wi-Fi. When my first cheapo heater died, my inkbird was what actually told me. First one heater died and shortly after that the next. The Finnex Titanium heaters have been rock solid and with the inkbird the tank temp is maintained at a + or - of a half degree variation at all times.

5 - BE PATIENT - don't rush things but also be prepared to react quickly when needed.

6 - Listen to the pro's from SD. I have also learned that even my LFS that I thought knew everything really didnt. Im not saying they are not knowledgeable in fishkeeping, just not DISCUS fishkeeping. The wealth of knowledge on SD is priceless. Read, research and trust them. They know what they are saying, especially AL !!

I wanted to share the above from a newbie point of view. I by no means have 1/4 of the experience or knowledge about discus keeping but this form makes me more comfortable to help me when I have needed it and its interesting to read all the other experiences and troubles and successes. I started off with 8- 4" discus, I ended up losing 3 along the way. 2 were from worms as I even saw a few when I had them in the hospital tank, and 1 out of the blue for no apparent reason died suddenly literally while I was looking in the tank. I don't understand that one because I looked and acted perfectly normal and healthy as far as I could tell. I now have 5 discus and all are happy and fat. One of the 5 I brought back from the brink of death with the advice from AL. That fish is doing great now. He isn't as fat as the others but eats at every meal and is active. It may be a bit stunted but I believe it is starting to grow again. My Turq and the snakeskin seem to be a pair and the Turq has laid eggs now over 5 times. The snakeskin will defend the territory tooth and nail while the Turq hangs out around the eggs. After 3 or 4 days they become a snack and are all eaten. Maybe one day I will try to raise/hatch a batch but I honestly don't think I have the time commitment to undertake growing out discus.

Currently like I said I have 5 healthy discus but would like to add 2 or 3 more to the mix. I just plopped in a sponge filter in the main tank and plan to let it seed for the next month. I then will set up a quarantine tank for what will eventually be 2 or 3 new additions. I probably will also use the smallest of my discus as a test fish. My wife is having a hard time agreeing with me on that procedure .... One question I do have is when I'm ready to purchase the new additions to replace what I lost, can I get from another supplier or would it be best to stick with where I bought the original batch?

Here are some pics of my fish today. Thanks again for all the advice !!

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[brewmaster15]

Jim everything looks great! Thanks for the updates and sharing your insight on the journey so far. Glad the forum could help.

On your question. So much time has passed that it's unlikely the vendor you used hasn't brought in New stock. That means they really are no different than any other as far disease transmission.

Pick a good reputation vendor... I'm biased towards our sponsors but for good reason.

Who ever you get them from treat them like they are carrying bubonic plague.. Maintain QT and take your time. When they have been healthy with you 6 weeks then you need to decide if you will you use a hero fish from your tank to be sure they are compatible. I know you read about all the horror stories of cross contamination. It does happen. But a well done QT does minimize it. If it didnt, I'd be in big trouble here.