Discus fish are susceptible to several common diseases over their lifespan. Owners must learn to detect, treat, and prevent diseases like hole-in-the-head, gill flukes, and internal parasites. Hole-in-the-head can be treated by raising the temperature 4 degrees or using metronidazole, while gill flukes and internal parasites respond to formalin and metronidazole treatments. The best prevention is keeping tank water clean, maintaining proper temperature and pH levels, and feeding a balanced diet.

1. Discus Fish Diseases
As a discus fish owner you have to be aware that your fish will develop discus fish diseases over
their life span. It is typical for discus fish to have a disease and as an owner you have to learn
how to detect, treat, and prevent any diseases. The best way to prevent discus fish diseases is to
make sure that you keep your aquarium filled with clean water, make sure the temperature and
pH levels are correct and make sure that your discus fish have a balanced diet. This will help
you stop discus fish diseases before they start.
Common Discus Fish Diseases
A common discus fish diseases that they will get is what is known as "hole in the head". It is
better if you can catch this early on because the longer your fish has this disease the longer it will
be to treat it. If this disease is untreated your fish can die. Most discus fish owners will increase
the temperature of the water about 4 degrees as a cure before they turn to medication. If you do
raise the temperature make sure that the increase is not stressing out your fish. You also want to
be aware that raising the temperature lowers the oxygen levels in your tank. Metronidazole is a
medicine used to treat your discus fish with hole in the head. Once treated your fish will heal
from the disease but it can leave a scar.
Gill fluke is another type discus fish diseases that can plaque your fish. They are external
parasites that infect the fish gills. This can cause your fish to breath harder and it can make them
swim crazy. Formalin can cure the discus. This disease can be fatal to fry so it would be a good
idea to have them in their own tank until they are big and strong enough to join the tank with the
rest of the fish.
Internal parasites are also a discus fish diseases your fish can suffer from. Sometimes the
parasites and grow large and effect your discus. A sign of internal parasites is when the waste is
white. A healthy discus fish waste is black. Metronidazole can be used to kill the parasites. A
little sneaky trick to do is to soak the fish food in Metronidazole and feed it to the fish.
Preventing Discus Fish Diseases

2. A best way to prevent your discus fish from getting any disease is to make sure that you keep a
clean tank. Make sure that you don’t have food and waste floating around at the bottom of the
tank. These items should be removed. Remember you must change 25% of the water a couple
times a week. Temperature and pH levels are so important. You must make sure that the
temperature and pH levels stay at the optimized levels. Last but not least, make sure that your
discus have a nutritious and balance diet for optimal health.
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For a Complete Guide on Discus Fish Care be sure to visit http://discusfishescenter.com
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