# New Discus pair turning dark!!



## Argentumblade (Oct 13, 2013)

Hello everyone,

First I will describe my tank setup its a 90 cm x 40 cm x 40 cm tall aquarium It has been running for more than a month I seeded it at the start with a filter from my established tank. and a 1" Angle fish and a black skirt tetra has been living in it since. It has two hang-on filter with total 750L/H. Black/Dark brown gravel substrate with some blue yellow stones scattered. No background yet and 2 plastic plants and 2 live plants.

water conditions before adding the discus and making a 70% water change:
pH= 6
NO2=0
NO3= 10ppm
GH= 13
KH= 6

I bought the pair of Mature Discus today they were kept in a small tank with no filter!! but showed nice pattern and activity, slightly dark tint at the center of the males body. When I arrived home after an hour of driving I found that the male turned really dark. the female only slightly dark.

Now I read that this could be due to two reasons a parasite or a virus (black plague) or it could be due to stress

How can I tell which is it and how can I let them restore their color back?


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## Argentumblade (Oct 13, 2013)

Temp is 84F


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## Pseudeotropheus BB (Jan 24, 2013)

Stress is definitely a possibility as Discus are very fragile animals. Did you acclimate the fish before you dropped them in? Your water parameters are very good for Discus however if in fact they came from something closer to a neutral ph and you did not give them time to adjust to the lower ph this could have definitely had an impact.

In regards to a parasite/virus you need to make certain before you begin any sort of treatment.

Discus Plague is a nasty virus. Other symptoms include fin rot, excessive mucous production, huddling together in corners and suppressed appetite. There are two rules of thought when it comes to this virus:

First some folks/experts believe since it is a virus the Discus chance of survival rests solely with their immune system and medication will do nothing but further stress the fish leading to a less likely chance to recover. It is recommended that temp be kept at 85 with a ph of 6 and to perform daily 50% water changes.

Others believe that some medications are helpful but the recommended dosage must be followed to a tee. A treatment most commonly recommended is to treat the infected tank with a combination of Potassium permanganate and tetracycline. Potassium permanganate is an oxidizing agent which keeps the bacterial count down while tetracycline hopefully fights the virus. Again keeping water at 85 and maintaining a ph of 6.

Either way do some additional research and good luck.


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## Argentumblade (Oct 13, 2013)

Pseudeotropheus BB said:


> Stress is definitely a possibility as Discus are very fragile animals. Did you acclimate the fish before you dropped them in? Your water parameters are very good for Discus however if in fact they came from something closer to a neutral ph and you did not give them time to adjust to the lower ph this could have definitely had an impact.


I did acclimate them for 30 min . but they were already dark in the plastic bag. before I even introduce them to my tank 

Today morning I saw them swimming around the tank. so they are not hiding or sticking to the corner but the female shows signs of tear on the top of her pelvic fin. and the tip of her dorsal fin, but I don't think its rot as there are no signs of fungus


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## Pseudeotropheus BB (Jan 24, 2013)

Did you notice if the fin was damaged prior to putting them in the tank? Keep an eye on the Black Skirt Tetras as they are notorious fin nippers. One thing I always do when introducing fish to an aquarium whether its a quarantine/hospital or main tank is dose with Seachem StressGuard. StessGuard is a very effective agent which helps fish recover from transport. I have always had success with it and can be combined with any medication that is not copper based but remember Discus are very fragile so when treating with medication dosing is paramount meaning DO NOT overdose.


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## Argentumblade (Oct 13, 2013)

Pseudeotropheus BB said:


> Did you notice if the fin was damaged prior to putting them in the tank? Keep an eye on the Black Skirt Tetras as they are notorious fin nippers. One thing I always do when introducing fish to an aquarium whether its a quarantine/hospital or main tank is dose with Seachem StressGuard. StessGuard is a very effective agent which helps fish recover from transport. I have always had success with it and can be combined with any medication that is not copper based but remember Discus are very fragile so when treating with medication dosing is paramount meaning DO NOT overdose.


 I moved the tetra to another aquarium before adding the discus. I will add some stress guard with some metonidazole just in case this is because of any parasitic infection


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## Shahlvah (Dec 28, 2011)

How are your discus doing? I think the dark color was very possibly due to stress.
I have discus and if the water parameters are not right they turn dark, if I need to move them for what ever reason to another tank "hospital tank for example" they turn dark.
I will do a water change and review parameters, discus are picky eaters and finicky. they love clean water, they do not do well in other than clean water.
Are they eating? are you feeding the same that they were being feed before you took them home?
Another thing that they love is natural plants. they do really well in a natural plant aquarium. But you need to keep with your water changes.
They like warm water (82º to 84º) mine don't seem to be uncomfortable with other fish, I have tetras (small tetras, like cardinals, glowlight and diamonds), I also have cories julii. and bristle nose and rubber nose plecos. in that tank also I have clown loaches. since the plants came with the pond black snail and the were a nuisance . I don't have black skirt tetras like you do and I am not sure if they will bite the discus fins. But I know that the ones I have don't bite the discus fins.
I will separate them for about 3-4 weeks and just do a round of Seachem Stress Guard and if you see something I will also do a round of melafix in case they came with something. (quarantine). this is a must for discus every time you bring new ones. (and with any fish you bring home before you introduce it to the community tank)
I hope this helps.


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