Quarantin Procedures for Discus in new homes

[baby]

hi all,

i'm new in this forum but try to post this . i'm a hobbyist and a breeder for 5 years. i killed so many fishes when i'm a beginner. because nobody want to teach me to take care of my fishes. so i have to learn directly from the fishes. i have 200 tank, 2ft- 5ft tanks. i have arowana and koi fishes too.but keeping discus is my priority .andrew is right. if your fishes looked okey(i mean when they are not sick) no need to use salt or anything else. because let them to adapted to their habitat normally. once we don't put salt in their tank, they will become sick.
my experience said that in 25-28 water temp, they will lost their appetite. in 30 will be good appetite. i practiced it now in my new farm. i fed the with BW, BH and tetra bits. 1x BW, 3X BH and 1X tetra bit. blood worm is safe to be comsume , but i always wash them first from the tap (even it is a uv BW)until it defrost and the water is clear.(u can see how dirty is the water when u wash it). and my fishes never got any bacteria or disease from that. before i use this method, when i got the bad quality worm, my fish will sick.now no more.(ask stan who has ever come to see my fishes). too much BH is not so good too. because too much fat and can make the fishes infertility. one tank one equipment and one net, i've done it in my tank (stan mentioned about my equipment already at the discus gallery). it is true. less risk. only always wash your hand after you put intotank into the tank. this is my opinion. tell me if i was wrong.

thanks

[Whoopee]

Hello baby,

Welcome and thanks for your contributions on your part too!

Looks like we can read/learn something new here everyday.

Cheers!

[dswwong]

Just to add on to Baby's thread about appitite.

I concur with her that it is my finding that at lower ambient, the fishes are less active including having less appitite.

That is why I notice my morning feeds are generally not too welcome but come afternoon, they will turn out to be very agreesive for their food.

[btlee]

First of all, thanks Andrew for the point by point advise.
Actually, I have read most of it in DNT as well.
But feel very good to be reassured and reminded of important practice.
Contribution from Baby also appreciated.

Looks like I have to do a lot of undoing man!
Hahaha.......tonight is TT night.
Going to be the laughing stalk.............

Cheers!

BT Lee

[Whoopee]

Haha, BT, don't worry, otherwise we won't call ourselves "siao kaki" for nothing man! Hopefully we can one day upgrade ourselves to "siao smart kakis" when we know how to learn from mistakes...assuming there are more of such invaluable contributions from fellow discus veterans.

[standoyo]

Hi andrew,

thanks for the advice and finally be seen in this forum...haha...

i have noticed that maintaining water at overly clean level leaves the fish with a lot of immune defieciency problems esp when it is introduced to different aquariums.

my two sen.

gone off topic as this is quarantine subject!

[Andrew Soh]

Hi Guys,

First to baby...and some of the rest.......
Increasing the temerature is to increase the metabolism rate of the discus and of course, the appetite. This I have realised 32 years ago....but I realise later the temperature can do just that much and maintaining temperature at that level of 30C helps the discus to age faster and that discus in such condition for long term becomes inflexible to temperature change and can easily fall sick once there is a drop in temperature......and this generally happens in December (I may be wrong).

I am talking about keeping discus without temperature control...being in Singapore and Malaysia. Our temperature range from an average of 28C in the day and an average of 24C..raining days 22C without heater. Raising temperature above 30 helps in control of certain pathogen outbreak...but not solving the main problem.

Therefore, I prefer to maintain temerature between 25 to 28C as the basic range...and when I feel there is a need to increase temperature for a certain purpose.....as treatment or boost appetite or as part of holistic treatment, that adjustment will create an effect. But if all the while I have been maintaining at 32C, is there a way to make further adjustment upwards???

To increase appetite, temperature is not the only solution...

1) add B complex....B1, B2 and B6 (sugar-free)...120 to 150mg to 100 litre of water.

2) Make regular 5 times feeding and force feed to expand the stomach to make it more elastic when young. Continue to adulthood and all the discus will continue to eat like pig.

As to Stan question, it sounds logical not to give a disease-free environment to discus as if we do, they may not be immune to any disease exposed to them in the future. My answer is 40/60....why?

40% for hobbyists. In a hobby standard...constant exposure to some infections is acceptable. The discus will build resistance to the strain of pathogen...great idea!!! Your concept is quite acceptable.

60% to commercial. IN a commercial scale....this is a risk because everyday you are producing offspring and they have to fight the in-house disease, win over it, before they are immune. What happens if one fine day, some offsprings are not able to overcome the problem?....It will backfire and cause an epidemic.

Do you know that some problems are viral? Do you think it is advisable to live among the HIV postive population...eat and sleep together...contract some HIV from them and believing that the body immune will oneday builds a resistant to this virus??
What do you think? ...I don't think so.

Go to some Penang breeders...and you will see many serious split fin as explained in my book page 147 to 149. Do you think that it is good to innoculate and harbour some of these pathogens in your hatchery to hope of establishing resistance to the pathogens??? Not me....e.e.e

If I have one or two tanks...it is o.k... If I am lucky, they survive and build resistance. If unlucky,...some die...so...no problem...buy some more.

In commercial scale, this is a time-bomb...one day, due to whatever reason, may destroy your whole investment.

Therefore to be on the safe side...try your best to have the hatchery as disease-free as possible.

I may be wrong...but is my belief because I have failed before time and again.

Take care,
Andrew

[btlee]

Dear Andrew,

I am trying to get a little more mileage from you since you have come in.
In your book DNT, you have advise to use EV enhancer ( or something like that ) to boost immune system of fish after treatment.
Can you enlighten us a little bit more on where do we get this product and what is your recommended dosage.

Thanks & Cheers!

BT Lee

[Andrew Soh]

Sorry Lee,

What is EV?...which Page?

Let me know and see what I can recommend.

Andrew

[btlee]

Dear Andrew,

Thanks for the prompt response.
Will check the book for the proper term you use and write back.

Cheers!

BT Lee