about discus fish

Question
QUESTION: i have a discus fish. The problem it faces is that it developes black spots on its body. Can you tell me why does this happen? . Is there any way i can stop these black spots coming. I have a fish tank of Weidth: 3 feet, Height: 2 feet and Depth: 1.5 feet. There are around 28 small and medium sized fishes in it.

ANSWER: Amit,

It sounds like "peppering" or "Black Spot Disease". It will be easier to answer if I knew what type of Discus it is.  Is the area that the fish is in, getting darker than normal?  You can try doing a water change. Also, if its "peppering" and you have a dark background, i would suggest you use a lighter one during the day and a darker one at night. The darker the background, the darker the fish will be, hence, black dots. It can also be "black spot disease". I don't know much about that one so i have included a web site that goes into detail on what it is and how to treat it.

http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/compldiagnodisease/a/aa041701.htm

I hope this helps. Let me know how everything works out.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thnaks a ton for your response.
I saw that link
I have pigons orange color and blue dimond
i think its should be Black Spot Disease. Bcoz most of the time they rub their body on filter, oxigan pipe, stone.
so what should i do for this. any basic treatment for this. please help.

Answer
Amit,

I am glad you figured out the problem. What I would to is give the infected fish a fresh water bath. Its not too hard to do and it takes about 15 minutes.
1. fill a plastic container with fresh water. Make sure if you use tap water, to dechlorinate it.
2. try to match that water with the same ph and temp as the water the fish is in now. Also make sure to use an ammonia eliminating product. I have found that Amquel by Kordon is one of the best. it is also a dechlorinate so you have two products in one.
3. it is also a good idea to put in an antibiotic
4. The water needs to be aerated so put in an air stone. If your pump has an adjuster on it, make sure it's on high. It needs to produce very strong bubbles.
5.Put the infected fish in the new water. If there are a lot of fish, i would make more than one container of water. You don't want to over crowd the fish.
6. leave the fish in this water for no more than 5 minutes.


While your fish are in the  fresh water bath, i would make a QT (quarantine tank.)
In this tank:
1. vigorous aeration again i use a bubble stone
2. You will need to get some Formalin, and mix in the water as per the directions on the bottle.I would also add some Amquel to this water.
3. Prepare another container that you will use to give the fish a quick dip in after you remove them from the fresh water bath. This help to remove any weakened or dead parasites and any other unwanted organism from the fish before you place them in the QT tank.

When the fish are ready to be removed from the fresh water bath. Again, refer to the directions on the Formalin.

Depending on the stress level of the fish, you will place them in the second fresh water tank for 30 seconds, 1 minute or 2 minutes, then place the fish in the QT tank.

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT: ALL FISH SHOULD REMAIN IN THE QT TANK FOR 4 WEEKS. During this time:

1. Continue treatment with Formalin as instructed on the bottle.
2. treat with antibiotics to help keep away secondary bacterial infection.
3. Do not put any fish in the main tank. this allows the parasites to die off and to make sure there is no reinfestation.

While doing the bath and dip do not leave your fish unattended. This way if a problem arises, you can remove the fish right away.

I hope this helps, let me know how you do. Any more questions don't hesitate to ask. That is what i am here for.

Good Luck,