Why is discus breathing heavy?

[metal]

Noticed my discus breathing heavy today, gills moving fast. Tank is 75 gallons, temp at 84F, pH 6.8, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate around 10ppm. They're about 6 months old, fed beef heart mix twice daily. No new tankmates, just a pair of Rams. Filter is a Fluval 407, weekly 50% water changes. Any ideas what's up?

[nicey]

That's sketchy, hope they're okay. My discus did that once when the heater malfunctioned and temp spiked. You checked the heater lately? Also, how's the surface agitation? Maybe they're not getting enough O2.

[knight]

Yo, could be gill flukes. Had a similar vibe last year. Try upping the water changes to 60% every 5 days for a bit. If no improvement, might need to hit 'em with PraziPro.

[Cleanse]

Noticed my discus breathing heavy today, gills moving fast. Tank is 75 gallons, temp at 84F, pH 6.8, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate around 10ppm. They're about 6 months old, fed beef heart mix twice daily. No new tankmates, just a pair of Rams. Filter is a Fluval 407, weekly 50% water changes. Any ideas what's up?

Your params look solid, but heavy breathing often points to oxygen deficiency or gill irritation. Check if the filter outflow is strong enough to break the surface tension. Also, inspect their gills for redness or excess mucus.

[Falcro]

Mine did that when I overfed. Maybe cut back on the beef heart for a day or two, see if it chills out.

[chippy]

Could be stress from the Rams. Even if they've been together a while, sometimes fish just get weird with each other.

[Coastal]

Agree with checking the heater. Also, what's your lighting schedule? Too much light can stress 'em out, make 'em breathe heavy.

[CalmEcho]

Might wanna test for dissolved oxygen levels. Had a similar issue once, turned out the canister filter wasn't agitating the surface enough.

[metal]

Thanks for the tips, everyone. Gonna check the heater and up the water changes. Appreciate the help.

[nicey]

Thanks for the tips, everyone. Gonna check the heater and up the water changes. Appreciate the help.

No prob! Keep us posted. Hope they bounce back quick.