baby discus(2.5in) is acting very strange. today it turned really dark, almost black. he has a white/clear substance constantly hanging out his pooper. looks like clear poop. interested in feeding but spits all food back out. his belly isnt shrinking up but he wont consume any foods. water is at 80-82 and ph is 6. other discus in tank is as healthy as a horse. PLS HELP i really like this little guy.
NEED HELP!
- Thread starter messiner
- Start date
ate a few brine and is changing from dark to light constantly. looking better, but still breathing hard
I don't do discus but clear, stringy feces in either discus or other cichlids is usually hexamita, a protozoal infection, many fish have it but never have problems from it until stressed, then it makes the fish ill and can kill it, if one fish has it odds are good all of them do, It is best to treat both the tank and the fish, The medicine for this is Metronidazole, powder or liquid for the tank, and treated food for the fish, follow the instructions on the package as concentrations vary depending on brand. Most call for daily feedings once per day for between 5 and 10 days. If it just goes away on it's own it hasn't really gone away, it has just gotten better for a while. The good news is that even heavily infected fish usually recover if treated. It also helps to thoroughly clean your gravel towards the end of treatment.
Metro, 500mg per 10 gallons....redose every 8 hours as metro becomes ineffective after that long in water. Along with the metro, bump heat up to 93. Increase your water changes to keep tank clean. Watch for signs of bacterial bloom as most metro that is used in water is sugar based and will only fuel a seconday bacterial infection. Wipe down tank walls everyday to prevent this. Keep this up for a week...keep temperature elevated for 1-2 weeks after treatment is done. The discus should become MUCH better after this treatment. If not, then we need to treat for another internal problem....like nematodes/roundworms...
-Ryan
-Ryan
