MY DISCUS JUST SPAWNED!!!

[Kevin]

So how is your sick fish?

[Medicdude]

Congrats Goldfish Girl,

I have to agree with you about how some people generally respond to others on this and other forums. I know I have stopped posting replies to alot of topics because every time you try and give a suggestion or advice there's always someone there to tell you why your wrong. Sooner or later people realize that there is no such thing as black and white in this hobby, only grey....

Edited February 16, 2007 by Aquarium Enthusiasts

[FishBrain]

So how is your sick fish?

I am curious too...how does it look now?

As to earlier possts, I have to agree that there is more than one way to skin a cat/keep fish. whats good for the goose isn't always good for the gander. but when someone asks for help, people like to help. most of the way people people help is by telling others what they do or have done that worked. if you dont like the answer simply say thanks and move on to the next one. You mentioned that you had kept discus before and doing the same as in the past. Maybe things have changed, ie. water quality from the treatment plant along with many other things. These people offer you the suggestions that worked best for them, not meaning you are doing it all wrong but a "heres what I do, you should try it and see"

I think if you knew Kevin you wouldn't take what he says as an insult. I can see why you did but you just have to get to know the guy first.

I do have to say that if you dont like what people are suggesting for help then dont ask for it as you will always get the "this is what I do, or has worked for me answer"

If you are having problems you will never get the "dont change a thing answer", because if you dont change a thing you might be unlucky to lose everything.

People give suggestions not must do's

as long as everyone understands that they will be fine.

You mentioned that changing more water is overkill...is it? You didnt mention water quality untill it was mentioned about high nitrates/phosphates may be the cause. You need to understand that people dont know how experience you are and will usually try to help with the easy/first thing to do answer. I work on a help line for computer ID 10 T's and you always have to start with the simple answer just incase it was looked over

Anyhow Good luck.

Edited February 16, 2007 by FishBrain

[RD.]

While there are certainly many ways to keep fish, considering the fact that you had originally stated

if there's a natural way to cure this then that's the route i'd rather take.

....... increasing the water change frequency &/or amounts was one of the most natural ways to go about this. Water changes do far more than just reduce nitrates and phosphates, they also ensure that the minerals & trace elements in the water do not become depleted, which is something that most test kits will not offer results for. Different species, as well as individual fish, can all be affected differently by various stressors, and while several fish in the same tank may be unaffected by the overall water quality, another fishes immune system can become weakened over time, resulting in symptoms similar to what you initially described. It may have nothing to do with the water quality, but it was good sound advice. Quite often pristine water quality, along with a high quality diet, can resolve a lot of the health issues that are commonly seen in an aquarium, and both are by far more natural than using any form of medication.

Congrats on your spawn.

[dunl]

In addition, I agree with the idea that water changes are frequently MORE beneficial than medications.

[Albertan]

In addition, I agree with the idea that water changes are frequently MORE beneficial than medications.

I know TFG, the new world cichlid moderator at cichlidforum.com, is a big fan of increasing the tanks temperature and adding lots of aeration for sick fish. His reasoning is that in the wild fish will move into shallow water when sick, where there are higher temperatures and greater oxygenation of the water. You can easily go over there and see numerous posts of his "natural" way of dealing with sick fish. He and others report good success with this method. Good luck.

[RD.]

Increasing the temp of a tank can help ill fish as doing so increases the metabolism of the fish, giving the fishes immune response a boost.

Higher temps also decrease the solubility of 02 in the water, hence the reason for the additional aeration.

Another very good natural solution for many species of fish that become ill.

The OP's tank temp is already 86F, and although even higher temps would be fine with the Discus,

I'm not 100% certain that the other species in this tank would be able to handle temps into the 90's?

[2manytanks]

I can attest to clean water and good food to treat HLLE. About 8 months ago, I saw in a now defunct pet store here in Red Deer a HUGE blood parrot (I know - monstrosity ) who had a horrible case of HLLE, with enormous horrible looking holes in his head. The people at the store had absolutely no idea about the disease, they were just clueless giving him meds for something that didn't need it. Why research the disease and understand a bit about it when we have drugs - even if they don't work.

I felt sorry for him, I was sure he would die there, so I took him off their hands. He's in a 120g now, always with good water and has been fed on high quality food since I got him. A difference was noticeable within a couple of weeks and today all he has left of the huge holes is just a few little scars.

I'm glad I saved him, he's a great looking fish, with loads of personality. He just loves attention and is a great peacemaker in the tank as well - he's always right in there to break up a fight whenever one occurs, and even seems to have a good instinct towards knowing who the instigator of the fight was and if they need to be "escorted" out of the area and monitored for a while, kinda like putting them on probation.

Anyways, clean water (I do about 20% once a week), good filtration (I have 2 XP3's on the tank) and good food (NLS Spectrum Thera+A jumbo) was all it took. Oh, and some circles believe they have found a link between the occurrence of HLLE and the use of carbon in the filtration for some cichlids. What I read about the link with carbon was enough for me to err on the side of caution and quit using it in my cichlid tanks for a while. Now that the HLLE is gone I have gone back to using it in his tank but in smaller quantities and only in one of the two filters.

[Kevin]

So how is your sick discus doing?