Jump to content

New Discus Journal


jwcarlson

Recommended Posts

On 2/14/2023 at 8:30 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

@jwcarlson can’t they have substrate?

They can, mine do not.  I change 90% of their water every night and am still feeding beefheart daily.  I cannot imagine trying to keep it clean with substrate.  Some sand would be OK, but even that just complicates water changes (in my opinion).  

 

There's deeper reasoning behind why I don't have any.  It may or may not be worth getting too deep into.  The short version is that natural discus water doesn't harbor a lot of bacterial life, to the point where their babies have evolved to eat their parent's slime coat.  My water is about as opposite of what they come from as you can get.  And, yes, they can live and grow in it... but keeping it clean is important.  With the temperature, minerals, high pH, and very large/messy feedings that means I've got to do something to combat the growth.  If I got more than about a week the whole tank has a slimy coating so I wipe sides and bottom about every week.  I rinse filters out about once a week or 10 days.  I could probably get away with less maintenance, but that's not a terribly large concern of mine at the moment.  Just want to make sure they're big and strong haha.  I am still not sure what the future holds for these fish or for me and discus.  I think I'm past the critical stage and they're at an age that they can take less ideal water conditions.  But I'm set up to keep grinding it out for now, so I'm going to.  So that's the main reason... cleanliness.

I don't substrate vacuum in any of my other tanks with gravel or sand.  QT is bare bottom, but I leave a layer of mulm in there, typically.

Edited by jwcarlson
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/21/2023 at 3:22 AM, Odd Duck said:

Wow!  That looks incredibly uncomfortable.  Maybe a little more fiber in the diet.

Indeed.  As soon as he finished pooping... he was right back to being fine.  I am a bit concerned because one of my discus has whirling, which as far as I know... nothing is really known about and not real treatment exists.  I did what apparently is a controversial treatment *redacted*... at least on a discus centric forum.  I love the place, but I don't quite understand the backlash... this fish will kill herself darting or I will have to kill her... OR maybe this random treatment will help her as it did for the person who suggested it.  And it's not just a random guy, it's someone pretty well respected.  In any event, this treated fish was in QT so it's not like I did the whole tank.

*but that's a whole different fish and different 'story' all together*

I am going to add some spinach to my beefheart.  Some strains of discus are apparently known for this type of pooping, though I have never heard of them making a scene like this one was.  Weirdly, I haven't had this problem for a year, but that might be due to growth tapering off now.  I do feed freeze dried black worms and some of those are mixed with spinach, but perhaps they need a bit more mixed into some of the other foods.  I think I can make that happen with the beefheart easily enough.  Maybe I'll dehydrate some and make a powder to mix in.

Edited by jwcarlson
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/21/2023 at 11:29 AM, jwcarlson said:

Indeed.  As soon as he finished pooping... he was right back to being fine.  I am a bit concerned because one of my discus has whirling, which as far as I know... nothing is really known about and not real treatment exists.  I did what apparently is a controversial treatment *redacted*... at least on a discus centric forum.  I love the place, but I don't quite understand the backlash... this fish will kill herself darting or I will have to kill her... OR maybe this random treatment will help her as it did for the person who suggested it.  And it's not just a random guy, it's someone pretty well respected.  In any event, this treated fish was in QT so it's not like I did the whole tank.

I am going to add some spinach to my beefheart.  Some strains of discus are apparently known for this type of pooping, though I have never heard of them making a scene like this one was.  Weirdly, I haven't had this problem for a year, but that might be due to growth tapering off now.  I do feed freeze dried black worms and some of those are mixed with spinach, but perhaps they need a bit more mixed into some of the other foods.  I think I can make that happen with the beefheart easily enough.  Maybe I'll dehydrate some and make a powder.

Sounds like a good plan on the spinach.  You could use lots of different greens and you can get them as premade powders to make it easier.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

Not great pictures, but I cleaned the front this afternoon so figured I should take a picture.  And cleaned up the pothos roots/put new cuttings in.  Measured a couple and they seem to have grown about another half inch, they're just about all 6" with a couple of them perhaps a bit bigger.

20230902_201116.jpg.e42f3266f5c3f7e2221e28ffa2f5aa57.jpg

 

20230902_201121.jpg.9b4be3add50c97c3251ea7c70c7e25f0.jpg

  • Like 1
  • Love 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Sometime between my last update and a few weeks ago, my discus got some sort of infection.  The first that I noticed was on the blue diamond.  A little dark spot on his forehead.  I thought it was an injury during water change as he's always getting scuffed up from sliding around and into driftwood and/or pleco cave.  After a week it got this discharge/pus coming out and that's when I got really concerned.  Trusted discus folks on another forum thought it looked like an internal infection and that eventually it would probably rupture.  

image.png.c25426b4aefbfd347f6ef3433223d15d.png

image.png.08aef44a6c8cb0b4240177149854236d.png

 

Within a day or so I found another discus with an issue, but this one with a ruptured cyst.  As best I can guess, this one's mark started on the pattern on his face and really camouflaged it so I didn't see it until it ruptured.

image.png.4daca8faf548b0481c24d7eac017ad43.png

 

The braintrust suggested kanamycin, so I ordered that.  This all occurred around Thanksgiving.  Last night was the last of 10 kanamycin doses with 90% water changes nightly for about the last two weeks.  I have/had cut down on water changes a bit, but have been doing at least two and usually three 90% changes per week.  

The good news is that the guy with the big hole is experiencing pretty good healing and the spot on the blue diamond is decreased. 

Here are a couple of pictures from three days ago.

20231209_171146.jpg.c2ee51b3a91652fd09ec5abb66af5a03.jpg 

You can see the healing around the edge of the hole as it seems to be closing up.  I'm told that this should heal without any meaningful scaring.

20231209_065401.jpg.64c162691d199b95d993471c90162856.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's a picture of one of the other discus, so it's not all negative.

  This fish was whirling multiple times per day, I did the treatment I talked about in this post in February and she has been totally fine since then.  If anyone has a whirling discus and wants to know what it is, I'm more than willing to share it.  I don't want to just put it out there without context.  It was a short three-day HEAVY metronidazole dose with low temps (for discus), I took this one down to 76 for those three days.

On 2/21/2023 at 11:29 AM, jwcarlson said:

Indeed.  As soon as he finished pooping... he was right back to being fine.  I am a bit concerned because one of my discus has whirling, which as far as I know... nothing is really known about and not real treatment exists.  I did what apparently is a controversial treatment *redacted*... at least on a discus centric forum.  I love the place, but I don't quite understand the backlash... this fish will kill herself darting or I will have to kill her... OR maybe this random treatment will help her as it did for the person who suggested it.  And it's not just a random guy, it's someone pretty well respected.  In any event, this treated fish was in QT so it's not like I did the whole tank.

*but that's a whole different fish and different 'story' all together*

 

20231209_171130.jpg.9fad1b276a5963d2ba516d719d679ac0.jpg

Edited by jwcarlson
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had the same issue some months back. I diagnosed it as hole in the head. And treated the tank out of paranoia. I did a treatment as it calls for it, as far as dosing goes.  But I did the Cory and treated the tanks once and see where I was in 3-5 day did a 30-4o% water change and dosed again. It cleared it up. Only thing I wish I would have done was put him in another tank to medicate. But I guess it was a bath for the others just in case. It will turn your tank cloudy for a day or two then goes away. I tested the whole time and the levels stayed safe. 
gabe pasada from wattley suggests to add metro or praclense to the food every three months or so for a precaution to keep parasites down in the fish. Especially if you feed blood worms idk. Seems like a good idea. I guess he does know what he’s talking about lol. Good luck. 

Edited by Juancho
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Today "he" has been chasing everyone else away except for this other fish (checkerboard) near him.  The checkerboard doesn't seem to really care about what's going on.  But it seems to enjoy getting to eat without the other fish nearby.  

I'm resealing a 125 after I hit send on this post.  Been prepping it for a few days.  That's my excuse for dirty glass on their 75. 😄

image.png.cf994f005656253df13f872d863e57ac.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

It's been a battle and it is ongoing with whatever this infection-like thing that's going on.  

This one just continues to do "whack-a-mole" with spots.  The original is healed and clean.  Every time I get one closed, another pops up a few days later.

20240126_155250.jpg.432b9bcb1dee9f679af3f55c3faec0c6.jpg

20240126_155445.jpg.9caca24181375ddeaa558bfb515f12c7.jpg

This one has actually healed up quite well, the once gaping hole is now completely closed, though still a little concave.  Which I understand could easily be a life long scar.  It's unfortunate, but hopefully it continues to not be actively rotting.

20240126_155400.jpg.cb77f92486dfadbfca554a3ea3313a8d.jpg

 

These pics are from tonight.  I've been doing 1 TBS/gallon of salt and finished 12 days of erythromycin.  No meds or salt as of tonight's water change.

Edited by jwcarlson
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Tons of water changes.  Antibiotics... and eventually a couple of hydrogen peroxide applications directly to the wounds and that seemed to be what really helped push them over the top.  Fish was not cooperating for pics, but I think it's good enough to see how much better the wounds are now.

The solid turquoise is also improved, a little bit of his pattern is re-growing.  It may take months and he will probably always carry a scar there.  But it's remained closed.

I don't see myself ever doing discus again.  I do not feel I have made as many errors with the fish requisite with the amount of problems I have had with the fish.  For example, I now have another fish that's fading... not eating.  Very skinny, losing its uprightness.  It's really frustrating and I would say not anywhere near worth it.  For every issue I resolve there's another one or two that pop up.  

I'm going to move them to a 125 sooner or later.  Perhaps that will make things better... or it will be the little stressor that pushes the whole ball of wax over the edge.

image.jpeg.5d7e76910b5b7835359d04a8ae442ee2.jpeg

image.jpeg.d8e287438717ecf7aa6bcfd249907350.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/12/2023 at 8:20 PM, Juancho said:

I had the same issue some months back. I diagnosed it as hole in the head. And treated the tank out of paranoia. I did a treatment as it calls for it, as far as dosing goes.  But I did the Cory and treated the tanks once and see where I was in 3-5 day did a 30-4o% water change and dosed again. It cleared it up. Only thing I wish I would have done was put him in another tank to medicate. But I guess it was a bath for the others just in case. It will turn your tank cloudy for a day or two then goes away. I tested the whole time and the levels stayed safe. 
gabe pasada from wattley suggests to add metro or praclense to the food every three months or so for a precaution to keep parasites down in the fish. Especially if you feed blood worms idk. Seems like a good idea. I guess he does know what he’s talking about lol. Good luck. 

Hey @Juancho what did you treat your fish with?

I have a geophagus with what looks like hith and that refuses to get better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
On 3/14/2024 at 9:23 AM, jwcarlson said:

Looks great, @spokanejared, do they ever raise any fry in the community tank?  How long have you had them?  

No they are in a community tank so they usually eat them before they hatch. They have tried 4 times now. Maybe someday I'll put them in their own tank but I'm not wanting fry right now. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/14/2024 at 11:28 AM, spokanejared said:

No they are in a community tank so they usually eat them before they hatch. They have tried 4 times now. Maybe someday I'll put them in their own tank but I'm not wanting fry right now. 

I've had mine over two years (started with 2.5"ers, so they were young).  And they have never spawned.  But they did show some interest a couple of months ago.  Maybe when I finally get them to the bigger tank they'll try.  But the eggs won't ever hatch in my water.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/14/2024 at 9:31 AM, jwcarlson said:

I've had mine over two years (started with 2.5"ers, so they were young).  And they have never spawned.  But they did show some interest a couple of months ago.  Maybe when I finally get them to the bigger tank they'll try.  But the eggs won't ever hatch in my water.

So I've had mine a little over 4 months and they have grown about 1½ inches. They were spawing in the second week I had them so I think it was already an established pair from the store display tank. I've read they need pristine water to even want to think about breeding so im happy that they are since that says good things about my water condition. All that being said I tried to get all males but my pigeon blood ended up being a female. What I'm finding is a female stirs the pot and makes all the males fight for her since discus don't pair for life. On that note don't be discouraged that yours don't breed because it's a problem that I could certainly live without. It sucks watching your expensive fish beat on eachother. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/14/2024 at 11:28 AM, spokanejared said:

No they are in a community tank so they usually eat them before they hatch. They have tried 4 times now. Maybe someday I'll put them in their own tank but I'm not wanting fry right now. 

I'm confused - they look about the size of angelfishes - maybe 3 inch? Mine are nearly twice that size - or am i missing something ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/14/2024 at 12:54 PM, anewbie said:

I'm confused - they look about the size of angelfishes - maybe 3 inch? Mine are nearly twice that size - or am i missing something ?

They are 4 inches today. they are very young still. Those angelfish are almost full grown. Tank is 150 gallons so it makes them look smaller in the photo. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...