ifixoldhouses

I have 6 discus fry in, a 29 gallon BB tank, I changed 90% of the water with filtered tap, and 5 are at the top, and one is laying on the bottom, I added some salt and extra aeration, anything I can do?

make that 5 fry now

I've merged your two posts. Don't forget about the "edit" key for corrections and add on thoughts.
Thanks!
Ken

Regal

I wonder if salt is bad for discus. I know it's bad for angels and they are similar. Just a thought, I've never had discus. I would do another water change to start getting the salt out. Hopefully a discus expert will be along soon.

ifixoldhouses

I changed out about 1/2 the water in my 55 gallon angel tank with no problems, it had five 2 month old angel fry in it.

Regal

I didn't mean that the water change was a problem. I don't think the salt is good for them though. I was suggesting another water change to get rid of some of the salt.

ifixoldhouses

well I added the salt after they started to die, as a remedy I thought.

iloveengl

Is it just filtered, or did you add the water conditioner, too? Filtered water still has chlorine and chloramine. Perhaps a drastic temp. change between the new and old tank water could also have caused problems.

ifixoldhouses

charcoal filtered-I put some conditioner too, temp same, they lost some slime coat too, I'm thinking TDS shock

AlyeskaGirl

I don't know much about Discus except they are really really sensitive to water conditions. IMO changing 90% was too much and they are probly stressed. Like I said I am not a Discus expert just want to help. What are the readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? What is the pH?

Slug

Probably a pH problem, or difference between tank and tap. You should test both and see what they are at.

aquarist48

Hello ifix. I checked your aquarium information and it states that your water temperature is 90 degrees? I know Discus like warmer temperatures but that may be a bit high. Personally I would drop it "slowly" to 86.
Slug what do you think? (Slug is the Discus Man! )
Ken

ifixoldhouses

I'm dropping the temp, it was at 90 at an attempt to try and get them on a different food. They are alive this morning, my test kit is over 2 years old, so I don't trust it, I bought it 4 months ago though.

ATKINSON

Shame, I hope they get better soon.

Slug

A lot of times i've had problems with my fish being sluggish and acting not right after a WC. Turned out to be more chlorine/Chloramines in the water then i thought and the amount of water conditioner i was adding wasn't doing much. Adding extra water conditioner seemed to help. pH shock could be another cause but that would probably mean the tap is softer then the tank.

I'd suggest getting a new test kit. Even if you don't use it on a regular basis, its good to have a base reading on your water in the tank and tap.

Ken, 90 is about at the top of the spectrum. It can work, but i prefer 86-88 range myself.

Remember, the younger a discus is, the more sensitive they are.

aquarist48

Thank you Slug
Ken

Regal

I'm glad they made it through the night. Hope Slug can help you get it all figured out.

AlyeskaGirl

I am so happy that they made it through the night too!

joshua 74

salt is bad very bad makes discus sik you need 2 keep your ph as low as posable. i do a 20% water change every week and a 50% enery month. also may change there food i yours bloodworms beefheart and lots of other stuff u kneed to change it up. hope that helps

aquarist48

Hello. This thread is fairly old and I'm sure the problem has been resolved. Try to remember to check the dates of the original post before responding.
Thanks!
Ken

ifixoldhouses

I did to large of a water change, and the ph difference musta killed them, also I didn't have any Prime that day, Since then I just change 50% and use Prime with no problems, my water out of tap is a little different than it is after 24 hours, so 50% w/c is not such a huge difference. Ph doesnt matter as long as its stable, and salt is not bad for Discus when used as a medicine, just don't want them to live in it all the time. A 20% w/c every week is bad, you need at least 50% every other day if your growing out fry, also Bloodworms are of little nutritional value, and are just a treat, beefheart is high in fat, I use a homemade seafood mix with great results,got the idea from Eddie at Simplydiscus.com

heres a list of ingredients

1/2 lb raw tuna
1/4 salmon
4 shrimp
4 clams
1 tbsp ground New life spectrum brand discus pellets,
1/4 cup of Prime Reef brand flake
1 tbsp liquid vitamins
1/4 cup frozen spinach
1/2 extremely ripe banana
3 crushed garlic clove
1/4 tsp paprika

Regal

I know I know it's an old thread but since it's resurfaced I couldn't resist telling you that your fish are very lucky! I think my kids would be thrilled if I put that kind of time into preparing their meals. Your fishies even get

ifixoldhouses

heh well when you've got $100 fish swimming around only the best will do

Neji

Yes, salt is bad for discus. Especially if you put too much aquarium salt into a freshwater tank.

Neji

Okay, your information on your tank is a 55 gallon PLANTED tank. Adding extra air to the tank will get the plants to stop producing oxygen in the tank. That's what I heard, since it happened to me before too. You have to stop letting the extra oxygen coming in and let the plants keep the oxygen in the tank under control, along with the filter to keep the oxygen in the water under control too.

You'll have to do water changes every day, and I mean big water changes at least 30% -50% water change. Discus fish are extremely delicate fish and they need lots of good clean and fresh water added every day.

ifixoldhouses

This was 3 months ago