You want your discus fish to stay healthy for a long time. This is why it’s so worrying when you notice that the fish are infected.
There are many types of infections and diseases that these fish are prone to. Discus gill flukes is a type of parasitic infection that you need to look out for.
Below, you’ll learn more about this condition. Understanding the symptoms and signs of gill flukes will help you to determine what’s going on with your fish.
You’ll also learn about how you’re supposed to approach treating discus fish with gill flukes. After learning everything, it’ll be much easier to remain calm and treat your fish to the best of your ability.
Understanding Gill Flukes
First, it’s important to learn a bit about gill flukes. You want to know what exactly it is that you’re dealing with.
As mentioned above, gill flukes are a type of parasitic infection. Many types of fish can get gill flukes so it isn’t a problem that is unique to discus fish.
Gill flukes are known to infect both freshwater and marine fish. The gill flukes are small parasitic worms that attach to the gills of fish.
When the disease starts to get worse it’ll make it difficult for your discus fish to breathe. It’s an uncomfortable situation for a fish to be in.
Thankfully, this isn’t a serious problem due to treatment being an easy process. Later, you’ll learn how to treat your fish as well as how to prevent gill flukes from being an issue in the future.
What Are the Symptoms?
Fish that are infected with gill flukes will show various signs and symptoms. One of the first things you’ll notice is that the gills will appear to be red.
There might be red spots on the gills or the entirety of the gills might appear to be red. The redness is caused by the parasites feeding on the blood.
It’s also notable that fish with gill flukes produce more mucus than normal. You’ll likely notice the excessive mucus production easily.
Sometimes the mucus will even cause the fish to swim a little differently. For instance, it’s not abnormal for fish to swim with their heads facing down due to the extra weight that is added by the mucus.
When fish are dealing with this parasitic infection they will become rather lethargic. They usually won’t swim around a lot and the discus fish might even hide more than usual.
You’ll notice that the fish will not eat as much as normal. The lack of appetite and general lethargy will continue until you solve the problem.
What Causes Gill Flukes?
Several different things can cause gill flukes in the fish tank. The most common reason why discus fish get gill flukes has to do with poor water quality.
If you haven’t been cleaning the tank well enough, the water quality might be poor. The water will get dirty over time and it’ll create an environment where gill flukes can thrive.
Since discus fish are delicate fish you need to focus on keeping the water pristine. Your fish could easily die due to water quality issues.
Feeding the fish messy food could make it harder to keep the tank clean as well. So you need to be very careful.
Tank mates can sometimes bring gill flukes into a community tank. For example, snails might carry gill flukes and introduce them to a community tank.
This is why quarantining newcomers is always recommended. If you have gill flukes in the tank it’s imperative to take action fast to help your discus fish.
How to Treat Gill Flukes
Treating gill flukes isn’t that tough overall. Generally, people treat this condition by fixing water quality issues and giving the fish medication.
There are many medications that can treat parasitic infections in fish. Formalin is among the most common treatments used on discus fish.
Other options include Flubendazole and potassium permanganate. You want to treat the fish as soon as you notice the infection.
Gill flukes can potentially kill discus fish if you don’t act fast. Since discus fish aren’t very hardy, they won’t be able to survive for a long time under this type of stress.
So do your best to diagnose the problem and treat the fish right away. If you’re proactive and move quickly, your discus fish should make a full recovery.
How to Prevent Gill Flukes
In the future, it’d be best to focus on maintaining high water quality. Discus fish are fragile enough that water quality issues alone can kill them.
Problems with parasitic infections such as gill flukes will only make things worse. You can avoid gill flukes getting into the tank by maintaining pristine water quality.
Clean the tank often and do multiple water changes each week. Test the water often using pH balance testing kits.
This will allow you to keep an eye on things and make adjustments as necessary. So long as you maintain a clean fish tank it’s unlikely gill flukes will become a problem.
Also, be sure to quarantine new fish for a few weeks in a separate tank before adding them to the main tank with your discus fish. It’s also best to quarantine new aquatic plants just to keep things as safe as possible.
Discus Fish Need Clean Water
Remember that discus fish need clean water to live. These fish might die even if they don’t get gill flukes when the water quality is poor.
Poor water quality makes it tough for discus fish to thrive. So you need to make sure that you’re on top of things.
If you’re not someone who has a lot of time for tank maintenance, it might not be practical to own these fish. Discus fish are hard for beginners to keep because they require more effort than usual.
Be honest with yourself and what type of fish you’re ready for. You can always go with hardy fish such as angelfish or rasboras instead.
This doesn’t mean that discus fish can’t be taken care of properly. You can easily have a great time caring for these fish so long as you’re committed to keeping the tank in good shape.
Final Thoughts
Now you know everything you need to know about gill flukes. This is something that can kill your discus fish, but it’s easy to treat if you catch the problem early.
Pay attention to your fish and look out for the signs of gill flukes. If your fish have red gills, there’s a good chance that they’re dealing with this problem.
Gill flukes normally only become a problem in a tank that has poor water quality. Since you’re supposed to focus on maintaining excellent water quality in discus fish tanks it’s not a good sign if the fish are getting gill flukes.
You need to make sure that you’re focusing on maintaining the fish tank well. This means regularly testing the water, cleaning the tank often, and doing multiple water changes each week.
Yes, taking care of discus fish can be a lot of work. It’s necessary if you want to keep the fish in good health, though.
Make sure that you treat the fish fast if they have gill flukes. With proper treatment, discus fish can survive this problem and make a full recovery.
Moving forward, you can protect your fish by giving them a better living environment. Make sure that it’s very unlikely that gill flukes will thrive in your tank again by keeping the water quality high.
Jeff has always enjoyed having pets, but as a child, he was drawn to his family’s fish tank. Being able to maintain a small ecosystem and observe the behaviors and interactions in the underwater world peaked his interest early on and has kept him hooked until this day. On Avid Aquarist, Jeff shares everything he’s learned about helping aquatic life survive and thrive in a home aquarium.