Discus - end of the road

Some of you may remember this thread:

Near Disaster

I came downstairs one morning back in January to find half the water from my tank on the floor.
I don't have the facilities to age water, so had to use (treated) tap water.

Fish were fine for about 2 weeks, and then a few ( 4 or 5) seemed to develop a flagellate problem.
I have treated twice with Metro. It keeps it at bay for a few weeks, but then the problem flairs up again - listless unhappy fish, hiding behind decor, venting stomach lining etc.
I have discovered that if I feed blood worm for a few days, the roughage helps, the fish seem to recover, and improve. But then a week or so later, they go backwards again.

I have tried changing the diet completely. No more beef heart. Plenty of freeze dried black worm, shredded cockle (shell fish), mysis, spirulina flake. And this seems to have helped a bit. And I have also upped the temp to 31*C.

But this issue is always lurking.
I suspect the drop in temp when I hastily had to refill the tank has compromised their immunity.

Anyway, I am finding it a bit frustrating, and annoying. And have more or less decided that the Discus have to go.
Time to move on to something else
So, @pHish_man, as I mentioned in the other thread, this is my thinking.....:cry:

 

@pHish_man

Yup, it is frustrating.

As far as I am aware, there are no para-free suppliers in the UK.
Yes, I could import from Europe, but that would cost me a fortune - not an option at the moment.

At this stage I am thinking along the lines of:

Lungfish
Tangs
Fahaka Puffer

In order of what I am keen on.

 

Another fish I have been really lus for, for a while.
Very very rare:



Uaru fernandezyepezi
These were very very expensive - £90 each (approx R1,600) for a7/8cm fish.
And they don't look in the best of health

 

I did copy and paste the name.
Can't remember it correctly myself :blushing:

TBH, I am pleased that they were so expensive because it meant I can't buy them.
I am looking for something easier/less demanding than Discus.
These Uaru are really tricky. Probably even more demanding than WC Discus or true Altums.

They are on my list of "Holy Grails"....maybe one day.

 

@Broder,
I have kept Mbuna. Never again. The constant fighting and aggro really annoyed me.

 

Some species are more aggro than others. But once they mature, and establish territories.....

 

Well I no longer have Discus.

Took them to the fish shop today. Tried to sell them privately, but there were no takers.
The fish shop gave me an acceptable price (credit) so I took it.

Am a bit sad, but excited to be picking up my lung tomorrow

 

@lep2soma,

i am very very tempted by Tangs.
but have been wanting a lungfish for a long time.
Have kept tangs in the past. So maybe some time in the future.

 

So far so good.
I will start a new thread on my new aquisition

Discus do take dedication and a lot of time.
They are well worth it.
But when you have a young family.....

 

@lep2soma,
Yup, that was one of the things that started annoying me.
After getting home from a day at work, first thing I had to do was start lugging buckets of water.