# Discus dark, sitting on bottom, clamped fins



## snyderguy

Ok so I have 4 discus in a 72 gallon bowfront right now with 6 neon tetras, a pleco, a lace catfish, and some platy fry. 2 of the discus are about a week old now since I put them in the tank but one of them is acting very strange. Whenever I look in the tank, he is sitting on the bottom and breathing a little heavier than usual. He's also very dark and the dorsal, the anal fin, and caudal fin are all clamped. I don't see any spots on him or anything like that that would indicate an external parasite. He does come out to eat whenever food is available and he'll turn back to his normal colors when feeding but the fins mostly remain clamped. I'm thinking it's stress and still adjusting to the new tank but I'm not sure what could be the problem. There are no white feces that I have seen but just to be sure, I put him in a 10 gallon QT.

Water parameters are as followed:
temp is 88 degrees Fahrenheit
no nitrites
no nitrates
pH is about 7.5
no ammonia
KH is moderate
GH is moderate

any ideas what could be happening?


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## snyderguy

So I believe that it may just be stress but now what is it that is stressing him out? Here is a picture of my tank... Do you think there are enough hiding spots. Or maybe it's the pleco or something? Any ideas would be helpful. Thanks. :]

Also.. I just looked at him in the QT tank and his feces aren't white so it's not an internal parasite


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## Peeps

That is a nice tank. I think he is just stressed, if he is only a week old he is still adjusting. Discus are very delicate and shy, they will eventually become more social once they selle in. I think he is just stressed right now from the move. Keep a very close eye on him though. Try to intice him with different foods to eat.


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## snyderguy

So do you think I should put him back in the larger tank or keep in the QT tank?


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## Peeps

I think he is fine to go back into the main tank. He may adjust faster there with your other discus.


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## snyderguy

I'll give it a shot and see what happens. *crosses fingers*


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## snyderguy

So everything has taken a turn for the worse.
blue appears to be peeling on his head and his side fins may have fin rot
orange's anal fin is half white-ish and is breathing very quickly
yellow looks fine but doesn't eat
red's forehead is all scrunched up and looks grumpy like

can anybody help me? :[


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## emc7

No, I can't help you, sorry. Apparently discus have their own diseases (or at least weird symptoms for common diseases) and treatments (including dropping the pH down to 4). Time to find a specific forum/club or at the least the discus section of a cichlid club. All I know about discus is you need to keep them hot (84F is just fine) and in super clean water. Daily 50% water changes aren't uncommon. If you know the breeder, start there. Even "big names" like Discus Hans and Jack Whatley have been known to be really helpful to new discus keepers.


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## snyderguy

I found a discus forum so I'm getting some advice from them. Thanks though.


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