Discus Fish Disease
Discus Fish Disease
Discus fish disease is one of the things you want to learn not only because you want to know how to deal with it but also prevent the disease from striking your fish. One of the most common problems among specific big cichlids including the Discus fish is having a hole in the head. Early detection and treatment is very important because the longer the disease exists, it can be the cause of death of your fish. Even if the fish heals after the treatment, the wound can leave a permanent scar. Treating the wound while it is still small is strongly recommended. You can treat the disease by increasing the water temperature from 30 degree Celsius to 36 degree Celsius for a couple of days, 8 to 10 days is ideal. Remember that an increased water temperature should be combined with increased aeration to keep the oxygen level up. You can combine heat treatment with Metronidazole, this should be administered orally. You can give this to your Discus fish once every three days. If your fish is not responding well to heat treatment, you can just use the Metronidazole treatment.
The most common discus fish diseases are the ones common to fresh water fish in general. For instance the ammonia poisoning is a discus fish disease that appears because of improper nitrogen cycle in your aquarium. Don’t add tropical fish in the water until the ammonia has been eliminated in the water, and maybe the filters don’t function properly. In order to avoid this discus fish disease, change the water regularly and avoid over-crowding the tank. The symptoms of this discus fish disease include red and swollen gills and the fish staying at the water surface gasping for air.
Another discus fish disease that results from poor water quality is the Ich or the white spot characterized by the appearance of white spots on the fish body and fins. The best way to fight this discus fish disease is by increasing the water temperature and administrating medication available in any pet store. Before adding the medication for this type of discus fish disease, take the carbon filter out as this may absorb all the useful substances. In case you want to bring other fish to the tank, make sure you use a quarantine aquarium in order to prevent any discus fish disease.
Ich is another common disease that is caused by poor water quality it is characterized by the appearance of white spots on the fish body and fins. The best way to fight this discus fish disease is by increasing the water temperature and administrating medication available in any pet store.
You can take the carbon filter out before adding the medication, as the filter might absorb useful substances. Make sure you have a quarantine aquarium in order to prevent any discus fish disease.
Oxygen starvation which is one of the discus fish diseases can be caused by inappropriate temperature of the water. A higher water temperature also requires an increased level of oxygen in the water. Therefore, you can easily avoid this discus fish disease by taking care of the aeration level, speeding up the flow rate of the filters. I recommend you turn off the tank light for a while, as this also causes temperature to rise and exposes the fish to the risk of the oxygen starvation discus fish disease. Always, keep in mind that the ideal temperature for the discus fish is 31 degrees Celsius at the maximum.
