Newly arrived discus in ER

[Demichild]

Hello, I am a veteran fishkeeper who has decided to try his hand at discus... I ordered them and they arrived earlier today. 5/6 are laying on their side, breathing slowly. What do I do?!

Tank specs:
0 ammonia
0 nitrite
pH 6.8
Temp 83F
100 gallon tank
I acclimated them for an hour via drip method... one is swimming fine all others are on their side.
Purchased from Jack Wattley Discus.

 

[plebian]

Hello, I am a veteran fishkeeper who has decided to try his hand at discus... I ordered them and they arrived earlier today. 5/6 are laying on their side, breathing slowly. What do I do?!

Tank specs:
0 ammonia
0 nitrite
pH 6.8
Temp 83F
100 gallon tank
I acclimated them for an hour via drip method... one is swimming fine all others are on their side.
Purchased from Jack Wattley Discus. View attachment 324990

I would send this information, including photo, to the Jack Wattley folks. There was likely a problem in transport. I suspect ammonia/nitrite poisoning. Do you have any idea how long they were in transit? Was the water volume sufficient for 6 fish?

Discus are much hardier than most people realize. Unless water parameters are drastically different there is no reason to acclimate. This goes for any species I am familiar with.

 

[Colin_T]

Make sure there is no ammonia, nitrite or nitrate in the aquarium water, and make sure the pH is similar to whatever the water is where they came from.

Increase aeration/ surface turbulence to maximise oxygen levels.

Photograph the fish and send an email with pictures to the supplier.

Turn the tank lights off for today and see how the fish look tomorrow.

-------------------

TURNING LIGHTS ON AND OFF
Stress from tank lights coming on when the room is dark can be an issue. Fish don't have eyelids and don't tolerate going from complete dark to bright light (or vice versa) instantly.

In the morning open the curtains or turn the room light on at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the tank light on. This will reduce the stress on the fish and they won't go from a dark tank to a bright tank instantly.

At night turn the room light on and then turn the tank light off. Wait at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the room light out. This allows the fish to settle down for the night instead of going from a brightly lit tank to complete darkness instantly.

Try to have the lights on at the same time each day. Use a timer if possible.

If the light unit is programmable, have it on a low setting for the first 30-60 minutes and increase the brightness over time. Do the opposite in the evening and gradually reduce the light for the last 30-60 minutes before lights out.

If you don't have live plants in the tank, you only need the light on for a few hours in the evening. You might turn them on at 4 or 5pm and off at 9pm.

If you do have live plants in the tank, you can have the lights on for 8-16 hours a day but the fish and plants need 8 hours of darkness to rest. Most people with live plants in their aquarium will have the lights on for 8-12 hours a day.

-------------------

The following link has information on wild discus and is worth a read if you want long term success with the fish.

the discus fish Symphysodon - SciELO - M.MOAM.INFO

Dec 22, 2008 - of the lake hosting more than a thousand discus. Only 16 of the 41 ..... ing free-swimming B. cichlae wit...

m.moam.info

 

[plebian]

Make sure there is no ammonia, nitrite or nitrate in the aquarium water, and make sure the pH is similar to whatever the water is where they came from.

Increase aeration/ surface turbulence to maximise oxygen levels.

Photograph the fish and send an email with pictures to the supplier.

Turn the tank lights off for today and see how the fish look tomorrow.

-------------------

TURNING LIGHTS ON AND OFF
Stress from tank lights coming on when the room is dark can be an issue. Fish don't have eyelids and don't tolerate going from complete dark to bright light (or vice versa) instantly.

In the morning open the curtains or turn the room light on at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the tank light on. This will reduce the stress on the fish and they won't go from a dark tank to a bright tank instantly.

At night turn the room light on and then turn the tank light off. Wait at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the room light out. This allows the fish to settle down for the night instead of going from a brightly lit tank to complete darkness instantly.

Try to have the lights on at the same time each day. Use a timer if possible.

If the light unit is programmable, have it on a low setting for the first 30-60 minutes and increase the brightness over time. Do the opposite in the evening and gradually reduce the light for the last 30-60 minutes before lights out.

If you don't have live plants in the tank, you only need the light on for a few hours in the evening. You might turn them on at 4 or 5pm and off at 9pm.

If you do have live plants in the tank, you can have the lights on for 8-16 hours a day but the fish and plants need 8 hours of darkness to rest. Most people with live plants in their aquarium will have the lights on for 8-12 hours a day.

-------------------

The following link has information on wild discus and is worth a read if you want long term success with the fish.

the discus fish Symphysodon - SciELO - M.MOAM.INFO

Dec 22, 2008 - of the lake hosting more than a thousand discus. Only 16 of the 41 ..... ing free-swimming B. cichlae wit...

m.moam.info

I think this may be the most misdirection I've ever seen in a post. You ignored the OPs stated water quality parameters and then went on and on about lighting, which absolutely irrelevant given the problem description. It makes one wonder whether the actual purpose of your post was to help the OP or simply inflate your own sense of self esteem.

 

[Colin_T]

I didn't register the ammonia nitrite but there is no nitrate reading.

I mentioned lighting because a lot of fish, especially cichlids sulk when first moved and turning the tank lights off can often let fish recover in a darker environment, which is where discus originated from, black water habitats.

 

[Demichild]

I would send this information, including photo, to the Jack Wattley folks. There was likely a problem in transport. I suspect ammonia/nitrite poisoning. Do you have any idea how long they were in transit? Was the water volume sufficient for 6 fish?

Discus are much hardier than most people realize. Unless water parameters are drastically different there is no reason to acclimate. This goes for any species I am familiar with.

Will do. I'll contact JW and leave lights on low while I'm gone.

Update: they have all made it through the night, although 4/6 are still on their side. The remaining 2 seem very weak. I have to go to work, and I tried feeding, but they weren't hungry. I'll cross my fingers and hope and pray they're OK when I get back.

Thank you for your help all!

 

[Colin_T]

Keep the lights off or on low for a few days and see if you can get some live brineshrimp to feed them. Live foods can sometimes get fish moving about.

 

[Demichild]

Keep the lights off or on low for a few days and see if you can get some live brineshrimp to feed them. Live foods can sometimes get fish moving about.

Lights are on low, and I'll have to try that when I get home. Never tried live brineshrimp before.

 

[plebian]

Will do. I'll contact JW and leave lights on low while I'm gone.

Update: they have all made it through the night, although 4/6 are still on their side. The remaining 2 seem very weak. I have to go to work, and I tried feeding, but they weren't hungry. I'll cross my fingers and hope and pray they're OK when I get back.

Thank you for your help all!

If your fish are lying on their side, they're hardly in a condition to eat. Don't worry about feeding them.It's not unusual even for healthy fish to refuse food for several days after being transported. The real concern should be whether or not they were subject to ammonia/nitrite poisoning. Even if they recover, there would almost certainly be permanent organ damage that will eventually lead to other health issues. It would be interesting to hear what the Jack Wattley folks have to say about this.