Discus swimming on his side

Hi,

i have had my Discus for the past couple of years, without any problems, I do water changes every 2-3 weeks and us a Tetra EasyBalance to stabilise the water conditions. I use a Discus buffer and conditioner to lower the pH to the required pH and add the required nutrients discuss require.

Out of the four only one has developed these symptoms seemingly out of the blue:

- lying flat on the ground
- looks disorientated
- not eating,
- breathing normally.

I removed the discus and put it into a quarantine tank 4 days ago, for the past 4 days, there's been no change in the discus. I have given it KanaPlex which is a treatment for fungal and bacterial fish diseases.

I am need of some advice I think it is swim bladder disease, but I'm doubting my diagnosis as the condition is not improving. Any advice would be welcomed.

I did a water test again ammonia 0 pH is normal and they are minimal Nitrates and nitrites in the water, and no chlorine.

 

@Reedfish, @Marco and @pHish_man will be able to help you.

 

Thanks for thr info how do I contact them?

 

water changes ever 2-3 weeks is already a big worry to me - you lucky that this is the first time you have had a problem. What size are your fish now? Are they in a community tank or Discus only tank. Exactly what is your pH and what is your water temp ?What are you feeding them? You are treating them for fungal or bacterial problems - can you see a fungus on them? I would start treating them with Metronidazole but maybe @Marco will help. I think you might have internal parasites. Maybe fill in the questionaire about sick fish - it's a very comprehensive doc with all the questions so that an expert can assist you better.

 

Hi @WolfgangP

You do not provide enough info to make a good diagnoses of the problem.
BUT - from what you have provided, combined with the symptoms-I think you have caused a problem here because of a ph fall.
Do you add the Discus buffer straight to the tank or do you add it to the tank after you have done the water change?

Pls explain exactly how you do your water changes and the preperation of the water you use.
That way I can try make a more accurate judgement on what has gone wrong.

Rgds

Marco

 

Hi @WolfgangP

You should not have any nitrite present in the water, this indicates that your tank is producing too much waste for your filtration to convert into nitrate. More frequent water changes will help and you should ensure to vacuum any waste off the bottom and keep your filter/s clean of waste buildup.

Nitrates of lower than 10-20ppm is recommended, for Discus you want to aim for really low nitrate levels, difficult to accomplish considering the amounts of food they need.

Unfortunately I can't give you any advise on saving the distressed fish but I agree 100% with what's being said above, with a cleaner environment sensitive fish are less likely to pick up problems. Similarly a distressed fish needs to be provided with the best possible environment for recovery.

I think @Marco is correct in saying that there is not enough information about the setup and any recent changes for anybody to provide accurate diagnosis. @eros111- Any chance of digging up that questionnaire for sick fish?

 

@WolfgangP
here is the questionaire to answer:
General
Where do you stay?
How long have you been keeping tropical fishes?
How long has the tank been running before you added fish/this fish?
What fish do you have in your Tank (type, number and size)?
When did you last buy any new fish?
Which food are you feeding and how often do you feed?


Disease
Describe the problem that the fish is having (behaviour, breathing, excretion (droppings), food intake, colour)?
Is the fish eating?
Has the problem occurred before?:
Have you treated the problem and how?
Have you had any other problems in the past?
What were they?
Did you treat for these problems?
How?

Your aquarium & Maintenance
How big is the tank. (L x b x h)?
How many litres of water?
What type of filter do you run?
What is IN the filter?
How many litres per hour is the filter rated for?
How often do you clean your tank?
How do you clean your tank?
How much water do you take out for Water change?
Do you prepare your water for water changes? How and what do you add?
What water do you use. (Tap, bore hole, RO)?
What substrate do you have?
What else is in the tank (Rocks, plants, fake plants, shells, anything else)?

Water parameters in your aquarium
Describe the water (smell and colour)?
Temperature of the water?
General hardness (GH)?
Carbonate hardness (KH)?
Ammonia:
Nitrite (No2-)?
Nitrate (No3-)?
pH?
How did you test these? Have you checked the expiry date on the test kits?

Lights
What light do you have?
How long is the light on for?
Do you have lots of plants in the tank (real or fake)?
How do you fertilize the plants?

If possible, can you post some pictures of
(1) The sick fish
(2) A close up of the sick fish, and/or effected area
(3) the full tank.