Cichlid Tank - Is this Ich?

[jmeunier]

I've got a cichlid tank with a 1 Red Terror, 1 Green Severum, 1 Green Terror, 2 Convicts, and 2 Jack Dempseys. About 1 week ago I noticed what looks like a small white buildup on the base of the side fins on the Red Terror. It's gotten a bit bigger, and the Red Terror is now mostly inactive, just staying on the bottom of the tank, and not really eating. Any ideas? Is this ich? None of the other fish seem to be infected.

One thing that's become strange about the tank (and I'm pulling my hair out on this one!) is that whenever I feed them (literally, within 30 seconds), the water suddenly becomes ultra-cloudy. It's normally crystal clear, but clouds right up at feeding time. I'm feeding them Tetra mini-cichlid granules. Never had this problem before--it's only been in the last week. It's like there's a level of something in the water that gets pushed over the threshold when food is added. It takes about 5 hours after feeding for the water to get back to 'normal.' Could this be related?

Thanks;
Jay

 

[Allivymar]

Does the white buildup look like salt grains? Is the Red Terror itching or scratching on anything? If not, its probably not ich. The white buildup; does it look more like a cloudy area? Or like fungus? Can you get us a pic?

And I suggest trying a different fishfood. Its possible Tetra changed the recipe for their granules and thats causing the prob.

 

[jmeunier]

I'll try and get a pic of it...the terror is making it difficult, tho---he's staying in 'his' cave all day and won't come out!

In any case, it looks like a buildup of white salt grains attached right where the fins attach to the body of the fish. The terror is not really doing much of anything, aside from staying still and not eating much.

Thanks;
Jay

 

[jmeunier]

After searching through all the posts on here, I'm getting ready to crank the heat up in my tank (gradually, of course to about 88-90 degrees to see if this will get rid of it. I'm becoming more and more convinced that this is ich.

Since I've never had to do this, I don't really know--Will this hurt the fish? They're mostly South American cichlids, so I'm guessing that they're fairly heat resistant.

Thanks;
Jay

 

[Menagerie]

They will probably tolerate the heat--do some quick research on their temperature extremes. Also remember, the higher the temp of the water, the more poorly the oxygen will dissolve, so make sure you have lots of surface agitation.
If you have a QT tank--use it!
Good luck and keep us updated.

 

[jmeunier]

Well, my Red Terror is no longer with me-he died.

Oh well, I'm still going to heat-treat the tank as a precaution. I really don't want to lose any other fish this way. Argh.

Jay

 

[TankGirl]

I don't know about the others, but the severum does not like high temps, and 77F is listed as the top of its comfortable range, which is on the low side for most tropicals.

That being the case I would resort to the use of a product like Rid-Ich, which I have had success with (and also had success with high temp, for fish that can tolerate it). You will need to follow the directions on the bottle exactly, which involves doing daily water changes prior to dosing. This is a pain, but it is very effective and cichlids will tolerate this medication fine. Do you have any other types of fish in the tank?

 

[Allivymar]

I'm sorry about the loss jmeunier.

I also suggest not using the high temp tx for the tank. Another reason is I'm still suspicious about the ich diagnosis being the cause of death. It often shows up initially ON the fins, not just at the base and moves to the rest of the body. When ich is bad enough to kill, its either found in the gills (suffocating the fish) or all over the body, opening the door to bacterial disease. If it was actually bacterial disease which killed the fish, higher temps may make things worse.

 

[Menagerie]

I'm so sorry for your loss.
Here is a good Freshwater Diagnostic Chart--you may need this in the future.
http://www.aquatronicsonline.com/hobbyist/hobbyist3.htm

 

[jmeunier]

Thanks, all, for the help and advice.

I did decide not to do the heat treat after all. After going back and forth all day I'm of the mindset now that there's something else amiss in this tank. I'm going to do some more research over the next day or so, and also keep a close eye on the remaining fish to see what happens.

Jay

 

[medge00]

you don't have to raise the temp very high, just a little higher than normal. this will at the least speed up the lifecycle of ich. research on the forums to see how tolerant these fish are of salt. salt is often used with higher temp to rid tanks of ich. do a google search for other cichlid forums, there are some that have many people with expertise in bigger cichlids.

 

[TankGirl]

I too am suspicious about the ich diagnosis, and bacteria thrive at high temps, so you have to be sure about it. No matter what it is, I think increasing the water change schedule will be a beneficial therapy, and possibly prefent further outbreaks of illness. What size tank do you have, BTW, jmeunier? I don't think you have mentioned, and you do have some rather aggressive cichlids so if it is not a good sized tank stress may be playing a role here, as well. Just food for thought.