Tropical Fish Discus Forum Questions Answered!

I mean how many grams of Potassium Permanganate per. liter water. Is there a chance of overdose? Or is it enough that the color of the water is just light purple?

Reply:
PP is in crystal form.
Make PP solution with distil water.

Dosage:
Over-night treatment: The color of water in light purple.
Change water and repeat the treatment next day.

PP bath: Dark purple for an hour: When the fish shows stress, change water
or transfer the fish to another tank.

Got 11 discus varies from 4 inches to 2.5 inches and had been feeding them 4 cubes of bloodworm 3 times a day plus some pellets
in between but they seem always very eager to eat again. So how much to feed them in order not to overfed them?

Reply:
Congratulation! You have healthy fish.
Feeding 3 times a day should be enough.
Every time they eat all and no left over.
Over feeding with left over, will pollute the water.
Over eating will stress the fish too.

What is a Potassium Permanganate solution and what is the trade name?

I have a breeding pair which I’ve had problems with from day one. The
female is a green wild caught, and has always had problems with the gills. I
have tried many medications but not successfully. She also have white tissue
on her gill-mebranes,fungus?Do you think the gills is damaged forever?
She also get dark once in a while but this only last for a day or two!
I know the pair has gill parasites (dactyl…), but what treatment do you
suggest?. I can see in the forum that you suggest Potassium Permanganate
bath every two weeks for external parasites but is there a medication which
will solve this problem for good, not only controlling?

Reply:

Potassium Permanganate is best to treat gill and skin fluke. It is a crystal form. Many solutions for treating gill and skin fluke are used PP as a base. It is purple in color. I think you can get PP in pharmacy.

White tissue on the gill is fungus. After PP bath, apply Methylene Blue solution over night. Repeat the medication for one week.

She also gets dark once in a while. It is happened during stress or not feeling well.

I know the pair has gill parasites. Then you have to treat your fish.

Is there a medication which will solve this problem for good, not only controlling?
Yes with your cooperation.

If you cannot get PP, then you can use Formalin.

Dosage: 100 liters of water in hospital tank
2 to 3 ml. Of Formalin
Plus Methylene Blue solution (Light Blue ink)
Change water and repeat the treatment for 5 days.

The fish will get well and no more parasites.
If for good, you don’t have parasites in the tank.

I have five different kinds of discus in my 50 gal. tank for almost a year. I have a blue diamond, blue snakeskin, a marlboro red, a golden sunrise and a snow white. They almost all the same sizes. All look happy, healthy, eat well and almost all same sizes about 4 inches in diameter. The marlboro red, golden sunrise and the snow white when I bought them looked really good, but after a few months in the tank they started developing darker dorsal, caudal and tail fins. The marlboro is worse because the black pigmentation extends to the head. The other two doesn’t seem to be affected and all seem to be healthy. Except for the color change I am very happy with them as a matter of fact the marlboro and snakeskin paired up and bred but eggs didn’t hatch. By the way I also have 7 cardinal tetras and 4 rummy nose in the tank. thank you for your answer

Reply:
It is caused by the strains and the pigmentation.
The strain has not been stabled with cleanness of the color.
And it has been cleaned temporary for certain purpose.
It will come back to original color in certain length of period or stressed will turn dark in color.

The Marlboro Red comes from Pigeon strain. Pigeon discus has dark pigment.
Many breeders have successfully cleaned the black pigment from the pigeons.
(View clcdiscus: Checkerboard Pigeon, Melon. . .)

The pair of Marlboro and Snakeskin you have is not advisable to breed. It will give you a lot of disappointment.

Look forward. Put yourself in the front line. Get a clean Marlboro to breed.
You gain in time, otherwise losing time.

I would like to set up a discus tank. I have been looking into this for some time now and decided to have a 75 gal tank. Would like to keep up to 8 discus but would also like it planted. I have a Ehiem 2327 thurmo filter and an ro. unit. I’m not sure what plants to add to water at that temp. Also should I use co.2 for plants, so many questions, you are the experts! Any help you could give would
be of great help.

Reply:

Many types of plants you can plant.
I suggest you can plant Sword plant which has broad leaves.
The discus fish can lay eggs on it.

Be natural. The plant can grow without adding Co2.
Always remember your discus fish is the master in the tank.
First thing you do make your fish happy.

All my blue discus turned dark in color, all my yellow siams look like they have lots of black spots on them, almost like pigeon
blood spots. My discus are sick but my angels in the same tank are not. What can I do?

Reply:
Your fish are stressed and sick.
Change water and treat them Acriflavine solution plus salt.
Do not keep angelfish together with the dicsus fish.
You will get endless problems.

When I have two discus pair and start to clean a site I separate them. They still cleaning the site for about two months and no eggs, and suddenly they start fighting each other. This is the second time that happen to me with different pairs and I think that the third pair that I have, walking on the same road (fighting each other).

Reply:

Do not separate them from the community tank.
Let them breed there.
They will fight others but not between the couple.
Then take the rest out.
They will bo all the rest of work.

I have five different kinds of discus in my 50 gal. tank for almost a year. I have a blue diamond, blue snakeskin, a marlboro red, a golden sunrise and a snow white. They almost all the same sizes. All look happy, healthy, eat well and almost all same sizes about 4 inches in diameter. The marlboro red, golden sunrise and the snow white when I bought them looked really good, but after a few months in the tank they started developing darker dorsal, caudal and tail fins. The marlboro is worse because the black pigmentation extends to the head. The other two doesn’t seem to be affected and all seem to be healthy. Except for the color change I am very happy with them as a matter of fact the marlboro and snakeskin paired up and bred but eggs didn’t hatch. By the way I also have 7 cardinal tetras and 4 rummy nose in the tank.

Reply:
It is caused by the strains and the pigmentation.
The strain has not been stabled with cleanness of the color.
And it has been cleaned temporary for certain purpose.
It will come back to original color in certain length of period or stressed will turn dark in color.

The Marlboro Red comes from Pigeon strain. Pigeon discus has dark pigment.
Many breeders have successfully cleaned the black pigment from the pigeons.
(View clcdiscus: Checkerboard Pigeon, Melon. . .)

The pair of Marlboro and Snakeskin you have is not advisable to breed. It will give you a lot of disappointment.

Look forward. Put yourself in the front line. Get a clean Marlboro to breed.

I have a discus tank and have 12 fish, some of them started to go dark in color and floating in corners of the tank. They eat but look stressed have checked the water it is OK. I do regular water changes and care for them like my children, please can you advise on a medication that may help or a solution. the fish are all different sizes and variety the tank has been set up for 12months.

Reply:
Fish turns dark indicates something wrong.
Eating shows she is still okay.
It could be bacteria infection.
Apply either Acriflavine or Methylene blue solution plus salt.
Do water change and continue the medication.

What is the minimum breeding size for blue turqouise discus or for discus in general? i have 5 blue turquoise discus and would like to know this because one of them is fighting all the time (he or she is the most well developed fish in the tank)and i’m not sure if it’s just the dominant one or if it’s “breeding time”. the thing is he’s fighting with everyone.

Reply:
The maturity does not count on size.
It takes normally 10 to 12 months to reach maturity.
The red base discus will mature earlier than blue base discus.

He is a bully so he fights everyone.