# Discus mixing/quarantine question



## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

I am not getting some new discus but I am just curious about what other discus keepers do when introducing new discus. Thank you.

1)How many of you just mix your discus together without quarantine? Did you experience any problem because of this practise?

2)If you quarantine could you please share how you do it?

3)If after you mix an existing fish with the new fish in the quarantine tank you notice slim or whatever do you a) treat the whole tank, b) just treat the existing fish in yet another tank, or c) none of the above? If c) then could you please share with me what do you do?

Lastly, please feel free to share any real bad stories about getting discus from different sources or from the same source for that matter.

Thank you.


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## seanyuki (Apr 22, 2010)

I have using this method for introducing new fish with my existing stocks.......perhaps others can chime in.

How to quarantine is something that is debated often, and there are no hard fast rules but some general suggestions based on what is often recommended here at SimplyDiscus by experienced hobbyists:

Quarantine recommendations for Discus Purchased from Kenny's Discus


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## April (Apr 21, 2010)

Here's a linkhttp://www.discusforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4766. But they all it discus plague. A very broad term. Slime coat disease can be from bacterial, viral, protozoan a etc. to actually treat properly you would need to find out which problem it is. 
I always would start with salt. If it gets very bad I would burn off excess slime with potassium permanganate first. Do a wc, wipe down all surfaces as excess slime coat holds bacteria and causes ammonia. 
If it's a bad case I would use furan 2. 
If things are serious then you need to take a fish to the government laboratory in abbotsford. 
Discus can look very bad and end up with secondary problems and yet can recover and get back to good health within a few weeks. 
Some slime coat problems are milder like columnaris. Some can be very serious like costia or protozoans or viral like cholera vibrio . Cholera vibrio can e transferable to humans. A few breeders I know lost most fidh in their hatchery after importing fish from a well known arm in Thailand. They used ground water . 
Most people at some point deal with a slime coat disease . Once you have see it you realize why people suggest quarantine or not mixing from different sources.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Thanks Francis and April.

The thread written by Kenny suggested to put one fish in the qt to see if everything goes well. 

Since I have never done this or seen anyone doing this, I am just wondering if they dont get along and start to look sick, do you just treat the whole tank and put yet another fish into the tank to see what happens afterward and repeat if it still does not work out? 

Thanks for your help.


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## Scherb (Feb 10, 2011)

April said:


> Here's a linkhttp://www.discusforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4766. But they all it discus plague. A very broad term. Slime coat disease can be from bacterial, viral, protozoan a etc. to actually treat properly you would need to find out which problem it is.
> I always would start with salt. If it gets very bad I would burn off excess slime with potassium permanganate first. Do a wc, wipe down all surfaces as excess slime coat holds bacteria and causes ammonia.
> If it's a bad case I would use furan 2.
> If things are serious then you need to take a fish to the government laboratory in abbotsford.
> ...


Where is there a government laboratory in abby ?


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## seanyuki (Apr 22, 2010)

It's the Animal Health Centre in Abbotsford......we had some problems with our discus and had them examined them.

1767 Angus Campbell Road
Abbotsford BC V3G 2M3 Toll free (BC only):

Animal Health Centre Index Page


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## April (Apr 21, 2010)

There was a very bad disease that went around a few years ago . From the exporters of fish king from Taiwan. Alot were affected. From California, Washington, vancouver, eastern Canada,eastern USA etc. everyone who purchased discus at the time from their reseller.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Do you still quarantine when you buy fish from the same source? Do you still put one of your original fish into the qt in this case?


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## Smatt (May 27, 2011)

If I'm buying from a well known supplier / repeat supplier then I don't bother quarantining. If I'm buying from a new seller then I usually put them in their own tank for a little bit but don't medicate. If you can physically see the fish before purchasing you can pretty much tell straight away their condition and whether they are likely to have health problems.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Quarantine is also about mixing discus that otherwise appear to be fine on their own with their own kind; that is actually the area I am most interested in learning more about.

Even if they all apear perfect how do you know they will be okay after you put them in your main tank? I think that is when the situation becomes tricky? Do you put one of your own in the qt to test it and risk making this discus sick? Do you put them all in your tank to risk all of them sick? If they get sick do you just give up mixing them or still try to make them work by medication, which could risk killing a few? And after they appear to be fine with medication do you repeat the whole process again?


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## phyeung (Feb 10, 2012)

I bought 6 fishes from Rick last January (flamingo my favorite, alenquer, yellow pigeon, forest giant snakeskin, forest giant and high body colbalt). All were very healthy. Three weeks later I then bought another super flamingo from April and put it with 6 fishes. I found this flamingo not eating and looks sick, then one month later, the flamingo died, then 4 of Rick's discus fishes died within one months. Only high body cobalt and the forest giant the runt remain in my tank now. If I put another discus into their tank, I would consider quarantine first. But I have not try it yet, would like to know more information about how to quarantine.

I am told that I should buy bigger discus like 4 inches or over then no need to quarantine. Is it true?


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Sorry to hear your lost, this is precisely why I want to know more about quarantine. I have heard stories like this before, when perfectly fine discus from various were mixed together they became sick and even died.


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## Smatt (May 27, 2011)

Wowee Phyeung that is rotten luck mate. Tetra has a product called Parasite Guard that I have used multiple times on my discus when they arent looking too flash. Basically a broad spectrum med. Literally bought 3 of my fish back from the dead when they came down with a mystery illness.
Its very noticeable when discus become sick as they become listless and lose their color real quick. If this happens again to one of your fish isolate it ASAP and treat both tanks.
When you get fish next time put them in their own tank for a little while, just for peace of mind and study their behaviour.
However I wouldn't bother quarantining Ricks stock - his are always 110% healthy!


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## phyeung (Feb 10, 2012)

Smatt said:


> Wowee Phyeung that is rotten luck mate. Tetra has a product called Parasite Guard that I have used multiple times on my discus when they arent looking too flash. Basically a broad spectrum med. Literally bought 3 of my fish back from the dead when they came down with a mystery illness.
> Its very noticeable when discus become sick as they become listless and lose their color real quick. If this happens again to one of your fish isolate it ASAP and treat both tanks.
> When you get fish next time put them in their own tank for a little while, just for peace of mind and study their behaviour.
> However I wouldn't bother quarantining Ricks stock - his are always 110% healthy!


As that time, I was a discus beginner. I started discus last January. Almost a year now.

Thanks, I will write down the product and will buy Tetra Parasite Guard when I am on fish store. In case the mystery illness happens, I should use it right away. I also has Melafix, Pimafix, Rid-ich, ick-guard, furan-2 and aquarium salt on hand. Thank for valuable information.


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