Discuss fish died

Question
QUESTION: Hi Karen - I have "130 cm X 60 cm X 50 cm" having 6 discus fishes and gold fishes, since i bought more discus so i moved all of gold fishes to another acquarium , next day two discus died where one was newly bought discus having size 5.5 inches and other was old one having size 1.1 inches size and one more discus is not looking it is lying down again and again (she already spend 3 months in that aquarium)
I am using botteled sealed pack drining water in my aquarium.
Rest are fishes are fine even new ones also.
Can you please tell me what i did wrong with them ?
Regards
Zaidi

ANSWER: Hi Zaidi,
The best thing you can do is test your water. Use a simple at home test kit  (bought from your petstore) or bring a sample to your petstore to be tested. Most petstores test for free.

Take note of the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels and the pH.

Its somewhat difficult to know exactly what may have been wrong without info about the tank's water parameters, maintenance routine, ect...

Please let me know. thanks.

Karen~

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

QUESTION: Dear Karen
    Thanks for your reply , unfortunately i dont have any thing to check those things but i already ordered "Easy Balance"  and "WATERPROOF DIGITAL PH METER TESTER AQUARIUM POOL WATER" , will these things help me out ?
Here in Dubai, UAE the tap water quality is not good i am using Nestle Drinking water in my aquarium, please suggest is it right or wrong ?
What does it means if the Discus eye color became completely black (Not Hazy) because the fish died was having eye color was completely black since the time when i bought it (4 days before)
Regards
Zaidi




ANSWER: Hi Zaidi,
Easy Balance isn't really that necessary. Its just a product to add to try not to do so many water changes. But Discus need large water changes on a daily to every other day basis to thrive.

The pH meter tester is good to have on hand.

Is there any way you could order test kits for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate? That would help tremendously.

*Don't forget that tap water usually has chlorine and chloramines in it so make sure to use water conditioner or water 'dechlorinator' whenever you add new water or do a water change.

I'd also try to test the nestle drinking water to try to find any possible problems. Not saying that it is bad, but just as a precaution. I'm not sure if the Nestle Drinking water would have chlorine in it but just in case I'd use water conditioner with that also.

Discus are VERY sensitive fish and can become sick at the slightest water quality problem. That's why testing is very important. Discus can be quite a challenge to keep sometimes if things are just not right.

Discus eyes turning black probably means that they are very stressed by environmental conditions.

I'm sorry about your trouble and I hope things will get better.
Karen~

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

QUESTION: Dear Karen
    Since my new Discus fishes started swimming and seems to be normal , can i put my Goldfishes back to that aquarium or what your suggesstion regarding keeping both types of fishes, What i observe goldfishes very much active than discus but they never harm only the problem is while feeding , most of times goldfishes eat all of the food.
Please suggest me.
Regards
Zaidi

Answer
Hi Zaidi,
Goldfish really are not the best tankmates for discus. They can bother the discus a lot and eat all the food from them. Also goldfish don't do well at the water conditions that discus prefer. So try to keep them in separate tanks. While discus do best with other discus as tankmates, Cardinal tetras, Rummy-nose, And other tiny little peaceful tetras make great tankmates for discus.

Goldfish should be kept in the very least a 30 gallon aquarium because they do grow fast and large. They should have a good powerful filter and very frequent water changes.

Discus should be kept in no less than a 20-gallon aquarium and with a good quality filter but one that doesn't produce too much current. Large frequent water changes are important with discus as well because they cannot tolerate poor water quality as much as other tropical fish can.

*The Discus may be getting really stressed from the goldfishes activity and eating all their food. Goldfish also pollute their tank faster than most fish.*

With both species, variety is very important in the diet. Lots of varying frozen and meaty-type foods. Please avoid beef heart and any kind of land animal meat when feeding your fish. It has too much fat and just isn't healthy. Shrimp, Worms, crustaceans, and other types of meaty aquatic food is much healthier. Also try to keep your Discus to accepting quality pellet food specifically for discus as well as supplementing with the other foods mentioned.

The same goes with goldfish. They do tend to be more herbivorous and can suffer if there isn't enough fiber in their diet. So try giving them green vegetables, peas and Zucchini as well as a few bits of Anacharis plant when you can. They can still enjoy the meaty-type foods just remember to give everything in moderation.

Remember the two most important keys to maintaining fish are-
1.) Good water quality through frequent water changes
2.) Good quality diet appropriate for the species with lots of variety.

Best wishes and I hope this helps!
Karen~