Sphagnum peat and... ?

[JSeymour]

I have never kept discus but I have quite the experience with hexamita and the specific parasites causing it, and all type of ways of treating it...It needs a host such as fish. It can be transmitted via feces and accumulated detritus but it being in soil or being prevalent in soil tanks is just a speculation.....I think not....

....Regardless, you can easily beat it if you know how to, in a variety of ways involving food treatment, temperature raise, or at worst for non eating fish you can treat the water. You can even proactively treat it with the right size of pellet food soaked in solution of 3% water and magnesium sulphate which you can cheaply buy from the pharmacy....Scientifically proven Mg sulfphate digested internally at this concentration kills spironucleus vortens. The food needs to just absorb the solution, not be drowned in it......You feed the fish for 5 days twice a day....So throwing hexamita as an example has nothing to do with discus..It has to do with species of fish, susceptibility, general health, origin of purchase, fish keeping habits, etc.. I do agree though that discus and majority of cichlids are the most susceptible to it. Its nothing to do with soil though....I first encountered this while keeping guppies in a plantless tank with gravel...It was a nasty learning curve for me....When you don't know what the hell is going on...

I guess I should have said it is spread most commonly through contaminated soil, typically by birds. Soil is not required for its presence. Being easily treated really isn't the point, nor was the particular organism. There is a whole host of bacteria, fungi, and protozoa commonly found in soil that are infectious to both the animals we keep, as well as ourselves. Sometimes the treatments available are not safe for everyone exposed. The "fresher" the organics in the soil, the higher the risk. It can be a very rewarding risk, but I personally would risk a tank full of discus, a fish noted for disease sensitivity and for not eating medicated foods, when safer and more beneficial choices are available, such as mineralized soil. There are always exceptions of course, but when answering questions online, I tend go with the safer recommendation.

All my opinion.

 

[sciencefiction]

when safer and more beneficial choices are available, such as mineralized soil.

What does mineralized or non-mineralized soil has to do with it?

You reckon hexamita comes from birds? You're are suggesting a complex life cycle here. Hexamita is simple, transmitted from fish to fish majorly.....It does not need any intermediary. It does not stay alive without a host.

What you're not taking into account is that there is a whole lot of micro fauna in the fish themselves, and in us humans too, and in animals, essential to our well being.....All of of it is connected and part of a bigger picture. We humans are told to think "outside the box" but we all live in a box(call it a big universe if you like) with everything interconnected...A vitamin deficiency tablets today can cure you, tomorrow they can lead to health deterioration because one suppresses another. It works just the same in a small ecosystem such as a fish tank.

 

[JSeymour]

What does mineralized or non-mineralized soil has to do with it?

You reckon hexamita comes from birds? You're are suggesting a complex life cycle here. Hexamita is simple, transmitted from fish to fish majorly.....It does not need any intermediary. It does not stay alive without a host.

The post is about what should the OP mix with peat moss for a great soil in a discus tank. My recommendation was loam, a naturally mineralized soil. As loam is harvested normally several feet below the surface, there is a lower risk of introduced pathogens. Once again the exact pathogen could be anything, not necessarily Hexamita.

Hexamita has very simple life cycle, infect another organism, fish, bird mammal, it doesn't care. But in the forest, the place where a person would collect forest soil(the soil the OP wanted to use), it is typically spread by birds because that's where many live and because they can travel distances quickly and easily.

 

[sciencefiction]

I value your opinion JSemour although it may not have sounded like in my previous posts. And what you say does sound plausible to me. But hexamita is not something to be feared in fish. Lack of knowledge of treatment options and how to is. Hexamita can and does come with certain new fish your introduce to a tank, not with a soil tank of any kind...Keep in mind all bare discus tanks that have never ever seen a substrate and still battle hexamita everyday to this day. ....Hexamita is a very well reserched and documented parasite, and its treatable. Other than that there are different types of pathogens. Highly contagious and fast killing ones and ones that do positive work in 80% of the times until we slack on fish upkeep...

 

[JSeymour]

The post isn't about disease treatment, there is a whole forum elsewhere for that. Forget I mentioned Hexamita. The type of pathogen does not matter.

Do you have an opinion on a soil choice to mix with peat moss?

 

[sciencefiction]

You brought up hexamita as a reply and I responded to it. if the turn of events does not suit now, it's entirely due to both of us......But if you read carefully through the entire thread prior between the lines, including your previous posts, its about preventing discus diseases....We're adults. We can read.colourful intentions presented in black and white.

Do you have an opinion on a soil choice to mix with peat moss?

No,I don't have a strong opinion on soil. I always used plain soil from the garden centre....the cheapest one, the one without any additives but it may contain peat naturally as all soil bought here does...