I Did A Thing... Pigeon Blood Discus

I couldn’t help it. They finally had Pigeon Blood discus!! and I think I may have lucked out on a pair! What do you think?!

 

Beautiful fish

 

As far as things go, this thing is a good thing. I find myself doing things like this all too often (never discus unfortunately). They're really beautiful btw! Discus are such fantastic fish. As far as the whole pair thing goes, I can't help you. I'll just say that I agree and hope we're (you're) right.

 

Thanks! They have been doing well since I’ve placed them into their new home. Did well with acclimation. Now taking turns playing follow the leader. Behavior seems to be good. Not noticing any stress atm. Time will tell. Hoping for the best!

nikm128

 

Awesome! Congrats! I think they're too small to sex yet, but it's definitely a possibility to be a pair!

 

They stick with each other for the most part. However I’ve noticed after getting them home that the tail fin of my smaller discus looks to be clamped? Any thoughts on this?

jmaldo

coralbandit I know you don’t work with discus but just inviting you to the thread!

 

They stick with each other for the most part. However I’ve noticed after getting them home that the tail fin of my smaller discus looks to be clamped? Any thoughts on this?

Likely just the stress of handling right now, I wouldn't worry about it yet. What do you have the temp@?

 

Likely just the stress of handling right now, I wouldn't worry about it yet. What do you have the temp@?

I’m currently working atm. But the temp before I left this morning was 84.3. No ammonia PH 6.4 Nitrates 10ppm, Nitrites 0 as usual.
Also is there any food you would recommend? I have seen a few times not to feed frozen food such as tubifex or blood worms. Since they are still juveniles I want to make sure they are getting the proper nutrition. I have HikarI semi-sinking micro pellets I use for some of my other fish. Will they work also?

 

Congrats on your purchase, they are beautiful! Time will tell if they are a pair, I hope so

I haven't heard why not to use bloodworms? They are high in protein, good for growing fish, just don't overfeed them and variety is best.

I'm not a fan of HikarI foods anymore. They changed the formula and now there's too much filler and binder. You don't want to see more than one of these in the ingredients
Soy
Potato starch
Wheat
Just check the list

Peas and corn are bad for the digestive system longterm

I feed my fish pellet food as a staple (these prepared foods have all the nutrition fish need) and frozen foods as a treat like once a week. I use Omega One, NorthFin and NLS.

 

It was something about parasites that could possibly be transmitted through frozen blood worms somehow? I’m not quite sure how being that they are frozen.
But thank you very much! I am beyond excited! I waited so long for them to arrive at my lfs! And just by luck of stopping by for algae wafers! BOOM! There they were! For $60 each I really hope they are a pair and they make it to adulthood!
Also good information to know! I will be sure to check those ingredients when I get home from work! Thanks! Any tips or info are much appreciated! I welcome the help! I’m new to owning discus and have done extensive amounts of research on them before even considering this purchase. But I just pray things go as planned! Fingers crossed!

 

Nice !
Not sure on sex but it looks like the one with clamped tail fin has strange body shape or lump ?
I would look into to standard new discus treatment protocols that use metro ,prazI and possibly other meds to flush new discus ..
Most are not so clean or kept so well before getting to their new homes.
Look into feeding Freeze dreid Australian Black worms . They are not cheap at all. I feed frozen blood worms whenever I want .I have never had a problem and they are my go to for breeding rams .

 

I have looked into a few of the meds also have done research on heat treatment for parasites by slowly adjusting the heat up to around 96 degrees for 7 days. That was my main concern with the fish you’re mentioning. The clamped tail fin and sunken stomach. Also looked into the amoxicillin treatment but that is also a bit pricey! I was planning to go to a lfs to see if they had any treatment for parasites but being that I’m still at work I’m not sure I will make it in time. I have also seen by adding epsom salt to the filter and decreasing water levels it will excrete the parasite.

I will have the prazipro Thursday and begin treating them then. I’m not too comfortable trying the temperature or epsom salt method. But the epsom salt would be my first choice being that it’s a more natural way other than extensive heat which seems more risky imo.

 

I preemptively treat with Praziquantel and a dewormer (Levamisole or Fenbendazole in feed). Some ppl use Metronidazole against possible Hexamita, but I dose Epsom Salts in food instead. I think I'm covering everything internal. External issues, I watch and wait.

FYI, General Cure is PrazI and Metro.

Also fyi, Epsom Salts in the food acts like a fish laxative. It will help the fish to flush out worms, but a dewormer would be needed to paralyze them first in most cases. It is effective against Hexamita though, as an alternative treatment to Metro.

To lace the food: 3/4 tsp of Epsom Salt dissolved in 1/2 cup water. Squirt enough solution into a shot glass of pellet food to cover and let soak in. Feed!

Just curious, what does the high temp do?

 

I preemptively treat with Praziquantel and a dewormer (Levamisole or Fenbendazole in feed). Some ppl use Metronidazole against possible Hexamita, but I dose Epsom Salts in food instead. I think I'm covering everything internal. External issues, I watch and wait.

FYI, General Cure is PrazI and Metro.

Also fyi, Epsom Salts in the food acts like a fish laxative. It will help the fish to flush out worms, but a dewormer would be needed to paralyze them first in most cases. It is effective against Hexamita though, as an alternative treatment to Metro.

To lace the food: 3/4 tsp of Epsom Salt dissolved in 1/2 cup water. Squirt enough solution into a shot glass of pellet food to cover and let soak in. Feed!

Just curious, what does the high temp do?

I actually read somewhere that if you slowly adjust your temperature of your tank to around 94f for around 7 days with the addition of extra air stones for added o2 because higher temperature water has less oxygen it is said to “boost their immune system” and assist in riding them of parasites. However something will also be needed to kill the parasite such as the metronidazole for it to remain parasite free.

Update: both fish are visible today. What looks like the male (fish showing symptoms of illness) has finally decided to come from behind my driftwood ornament. Did a small water change before leaving for work. Temperature at 86.2. Everything seems to be going well for the most part. Prazipro will arrive tomorrow. I hope this all goes well! Still can’t believe I have them!

Discusluv

@Discuspaul

 

They stick with each other for the most part. However I’ve noticed after getting them home that the tail fin of my smaller discus looks to be clamped? Any thoughts on this?

jmaldo

coralbandit I know you don’t work with discus but just inviting you to the thread!

Just keep up with the water changes those clamped fins will go away on its own.

 

Just keep up with the water changes those clamped fins will go away on it's own.

I sure hope so. I will have prazipro today and begin treating him this evening. I got home from work yesterday and tried to feed them, one at very well, the other with clamped fins didn’t. I also did another water change of around 30% hoping he decides to eat soon. Compared to the other discus he is thinner and smaller which worries me. However, his behavior seems to be warming up more and he’s beginning to swim around the tank following the other discus more. Seems like he is getting a little better. Going to keep a close eye on him still though.

 

I sure hope so. I will have prazipro today and begin treating him this evening. I got home from work yesterday and tried to feed them, one at very well, the other with clamped fins didn’t. I also did another water change of around 30% hoping he decides to eat soon. Compared to the other discus he is thinner and smaller which worries me. However, his behavior seems to be warming up more and he’s beginning to swim around the tank following the other discus more. Seems like he is getting a little better. Going to keep a close eye on him still though.

From my experience I have seen discus which took nearly as three weeks before they start feeding.Just drop the food in front of it and by looking at his fellow mate pecking it'll start to peck too out of intimidation.

 

Things I learned to entice them to eat

Garlic juice. Squeeze some garlic juice on the pellets

Orange peel. In the tank. But idk if this works. Old discus tale.

Also I got my fish vitamins lol. It's liquid and called Vitachem. Adds a boost of nutrition for their immune if he decides to eat. The vitamins can also be dosed in the water for uptake thru gills.

 

Things I learned to entice them to eat

Garlic juice. Squeeze some garlic juice on the pellets

Orange peel. In the tank. But idk if this works. Old discus tale.

Also I got my fish vitamins lol. It's liquid and called Vitachem. Adds a boost of nutrition for their immune if he decides to eat. The vitamins can also be dosed in the water for uptake thru gills.

I am not a garlic guy . I don't know why but even with my experience with picky marine fish if they don't want to eat garlic is no good.

The orange peel is supposedly the real deal with discus that I hope this link works for ;


I use vitamins with my fish and fry . Boyds vita chem .I soak my pellet /powder foods in some every so often ...

 

I am not a garlic guy . I don't know why but even with my experience with picky marine fish if they don't want to eat garlic is no good.

The orange peel is supposedly the real deal with discus that I hope this link works for ;


I use vitamins with my fish and fry . Boyds vita chem .I soak my pellet /powder foods in some every so often ...

Oh really? My angels go nutso for it every time. And I also like garlic haha. I think it keeps me healthy

 

What you should have done was to put them directly into a QT tank. The smaller one is very deformed probably because it hasn't been eating for a long time. I would move them into a QT and continue your prazi. See if it starts eating after treatment. Do 100% WCs everyday. If after a week of still not eating, dose metro at double dose. If that doesn't work he's probably not going to make it. LFS is never the place to buy discus IMO.

 

I’ve noticed him pecking small pieces of food from the bottom of the tank also pecking at some of the plants. Not 100% sure he’s eating though. Did another water change this morning before work, adding back in the removed dose of prazipro. Hopefully things start to get better. However if something happens I have found a local breeder who is more than willing to send me pictures of the the fish I will be purchasing as well as their water parameters and also what foods their diets consist of and so on. Definitely bummed out about these fish but keeping positive and hoping for the best possible results in the end.

 

Thedudeiam94 -
Just a "Newbie" Discus keeper. Kinda of late but watching with Interest - handling an issue myself (Tank leak). You have gotten some "Good" advise. During my "Research" it was always suggested if in doubt. Water Changes, Water Changes and more Water Changes.
Just my .02.
I did bookmark this vid from a well known breeder "Jack Wattley", maybe it will help or confuse you even more. Good Luck!

 

What you should have done was to put them directly into a QT tank. The smaller one is very deformed probably because it hasn't been eating for a long time. I would move them into a QT and continue your prazi. See if it starts eating after treatment. Do 100% WCs everyday. If after a week of still not eating, dose metro at double dose. If that doesn't work he's probably not going to make it. LFS is never the place to buy discus IMO.

It is pretty skinny, but not deformed. It should fill out very nicely after it starts eating again for a while. OP hasn't mentioned any tank mates so far, so a QT would make no difference if they're the only fish in the tank as they'd already technically be in QT. I would expect a full recovery after the full treatment of prazipro and metro, LFS doesn't automatically mean bad or low quality either, that's where I got all 5 of mine and they're all perfectly healthy and growing great.

 

Tank mates for the time being consist of a bala shark, a pictus catfish, whom rarely ever comes out from hiding, and a dwarf gourami. But I have been keeping a very close eye on them. I have been doing two 30% water changes (one in the morning before work and one after) along with feeding twice daily throughout the week also once before work and once after. I’m looking to re-home my three original fish due to the fact their temperatures are not quite compatible. I will post an update as to how the fish are doing when I get home from work! All the comments and advice are much appreciated! The only way to learn is to ask and I am thankful you all are willing to provide me with your thoughts, opinions, information and past experiences and such. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Diversity is good! Thanks for all of the support everyone!

Update: slowly becoming more active still not seeing him eat however I have seen him pecking at the moss ball and in the substrate. Planning on cleaning out the substrate and going bare bottom. By the way his gills look it seems like it could be flukes, also notices white spots on his body. Not sure what to do about that being that I am already dosing prazipro. Going to focus on the goal and keep doing wc’s daily. Just have to keep it pushing!

Here they are today first photo: sick fish (main concern)


Second photo: both together

 

Have the fins of the sick one gotten blacker? If you haven't already, I would try and get it to eat bloodworms, fish almost never turn them down.

 

I have tried and it looks like they may have but at this point it’s still too hard to tell even in person. I still haven’t seen him eat anything yet. I was considering trying garlic guard if nothing happens soon. If he doesn’t decide to eat I don’t think he’s going to make it but I could be wrong! Going to do another wc today and keep hoping for the best!

Here he is in one of the pots. Just took this.



I also have metroplex but have yet to see him eat. I’m just going to remain using prazipro and hopefully see some results. Today will be day 4 of medication so hopefully things start looking better within the next few days. I would really like to see him eat, I feel like that’s mainly what holding him back. Without eating he can’t excrete the parasites and begging to get better. So we’re at a stand still until he decides to eat.

 

That's exactly it, it should get better as soon as it starts eating

 

Did another water change yesterday of 50 percent. Still have yet to see him eat. Today will be the fifth day dosing prazipro. However no signs of getting better yet. I am considering returning the fish so my girlfriend isn’t heartbroken when he passes. Which to me seems inevitable since he refuses to eat.

This is where he stays for the most part.

 

I will be returning the two discus to the store this evening. Would rather not deal with a death in the tank and have decided to purchase new discus from HANS DISCUS! Already made my purchase for Friday and I will be getting some of his 2.5in (blue) pigeon blood discus!

 

Sounds like a good plan, if you're not already set on Hans, I would take a quick look at Dennis and Wattley Discus too. Just in case they have something different you'll like. Both also have breeding pairs for sale if you're up for the challenge.

 

I have looked and this is the best bang for my buck with Hans. And I’ve already contacted him and paid for my fish! He said he will stop feeding them tomorrow and qt them Thursday to be shipped and I will receive them on Friday! Very punctual with response to emails which I like! So it’s set in stone! Couldn’t be happier! Sad for the ones I will be returning however I would rather start off on the right foot and experience discus fish that are already healthy and be able to enjoy my fish and watch them grow without having to worry.

 

Good decision, on returning them. Give the tank a "Good" cleaning.
Best of Luck.

 

Awesome! I assume you're getting two pigeon blood again?

 

Actually mentioned that above “2.5in (blue) pigeon blood”and being that I am emptying my tank out completely and going bare bottom with only two potted plants. I am getting 5 and doing large daily water changes until the dollar gallon sale comes up and I will be getting a 70gal to place them into which won’t be very long at all. I will be asking petco when their next one is today when I take the two discus back.

 

going bare bottom with only two potted plant

Good plan!
Good Luck.

 

Actually going to empty the tank completely. Was told parasites can also live in substrate and attach to plants. Was also told to start over with new filter media and clean the tank with diluted bleach and water which will restart my cycle... not happy about that. Really don’t want to risk restarting my cycle but I was told parasites can also enter the media in the filter and reattach itself to my new fish. So I will be cleaning and replacing everything in the tank along with the filter and going to attempt to do a fish in cycle with the new discus to ensure ONLY their bacteria is in the tank and nothing else’s. Any thoughts? Scared to death to try a fish in cycle with such expensive fish but at this point I don’t have a choice. I’ve done plenty of fish in cycles and have always monitored my tanks very closely but this will be one for the books for sure!

 

With the amount of water changes you need to do for that size discus, cycling almost won't matter. The cycle will definitely take longer to finish too though, so just keep it monitored.

 

Not an issue honestly. I check my water every two to three days depending on feedings. However I will do one a day for a week after I place them into the cleaned tank to ensure no nitrites or ammonia go up. Ph usually stays consistent around 6.4 to 6.8 so I hoping that will stay he same through this whole ordeal. I’m quite nervous however I am ready and I know what needs to be done so it’s all a matter of time now!

 

I meant that there should be no risk of any levels spiking and harming the discus since they'll need 50%WC every or every other day