How to Treat White Spots on Discus Fish

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-White spots on Discus Fish are a protozoan parasite combined with fungal infection, and should be treated as such. You need to take immediate action and treat with medicine to cure this disease. Signs will begin with the Discus fish rubbing against objects in the tank, and later with the visual appearance of white spot on the fish. Discus can also exhibit a loss of appetite, clamping of fins and darkening color. These are all symptoms of a protozoan disease with a secondary fungal infection. If left untreated Discus fish will die. The faster you begin treatment for these symptoms the quicker they will be cured, and the better chance of a full recovery without loss in your Discus tank.

You can successfully cure by treating as follows:

First be sure to take out any carbon in your filter, if you don’t, the carbon will negate any medicine added, and a cure will not be achieved. Use, “Quick-Cure”, which is a combination of formalin and malachite green. Dose at the rate of 1 drop per gallon every day. “Quick-cure”, will kill any protozoan parasite and fungus. Often a bacterial or fungal infection will also be present, so in addition to the, “Quick-Cure”, dose the tank every other day with oxytetracycline or tetracycline, either are easy to get at any tropical fish store or mail order. Use this antibiotic as directed. Normally the dose is one tablet per 10 gallons once every other day.

Continue the “Quick-cure”, treatment for 2 weeks, this is how long it will take to kill any cycling parasites. The antibiotic can be discontinued once the fish’s fins are erect and appetite returns, normally 1 weeks will cure all the fungus, and any bacterial infection. After treatment and the fish have recovered, you can put carbon back into your filter.

During treatment continue regular feeding and aquarium maintenance. If you do a water change then re-dose the entire aquarium with medicine afterward. If for some reason the fish relapse, you can repeat the treatment using the “Quick-cure”, only

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