Can't get nitrates under control - need drastic action

[Allistah]

I've been doing some reading and it looks like I might have a problem with Ick in the tank. The largest fish which is a Bumblebee looks to have his front side fin clamped as well. It's also damaged a bit. I'm reading that since I have a pleco in the tank that I should probably just raise the temp in the tank slowly. With the Africans, the catfish, and the pleco, what should I raise the temp to? I'm guessing I should also stay away from adding conditioning salt because the pleco won't like that.

Also, some of the fish have white patches on them. They're small, but they're there.

Am I on the right track?

 

[meegosh]

Typically I raise mine to about 86 degrees over the course of a few days. There is a great article on this site that talks about the life cycle of Ich and the various stages. It is definitely worth the read. Here's the link:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/articles/articles/29/1/Freshwater-Ich-Yuck-/Page1.html

 

[Allistah]

When my ex left there was some Melafix which is made by API. It's supposed to be natural and promote regrowth of damaged tissue and fins. Also there was some RidIck+ under the tank.

Should I use either of these two?

 

[Allistah]

That was a great article. Looks like Ick cannot live in water above 86F. So I will target my tank to 87F for a couple of weeks. I will also lower my tank water level a bit so that the HOB filter airates the water a bit more due to the higher temps lowering the oxygen levels in the water. I will also add a bit of conditioning salt to help the process. The article said many people on the net think that salt is bad for plecos but said that many of them do fine with it. I'll try this method instead of the meds.

 

[meegosh]

Yeah, I have cured every case of Ich I've had by using the heat method. I've never used salt so I can't comment on its effectiveness. Just remember to raise the temperature slowly over the next few days. I'd say no more than 1-2 degrees every 12-24 hours.

 

[Allistah]

My girlfriend said the fish are all hanging out in the bubbles and scratching all over the place. The temperature is set at 82, and currently at about 80. I have to say, the Fluval E200 heater is sweet. I know exactly what temp it is to a 0.5 degree and it raises the temperature slowly. When I get home I'll raise it again if it's at the current target of 82.

Since they're really scratching/flashing a lot, do you think I need to be more aggressive and use the salt as well? I'm afraid that the time it takes the temp to get to 87F it will be too long for the Ick to die off and it will have killed off a couple of fish.

 

[meegosh]

I'm not sure about the salt since I have never used it. Maybe someone else will chime in soon. I've heard mixed things about plecos and salt also, I've heard it depends on what type. I just read someone used salt+heat to treat a tank with a rhino pleco in it with no problems.

 

[Allistah]

I called the fish store that I buy my stuff from (Aquarium Concepts in Dublin, CA) and they said I could put the salt in to help calm the fish and de-stress them a bit. I had my girlfriend mix the salt and she is in the process of adding the salt solution to the tank a bit at a time. She said that after the first application the fish have calmed down quite a bit but some are still scratching a bit. She is adding a bit of the solution about every 40 minutes until all of it has been added to the tank to make sure the fish don't wig out.

The solution was mixed with tank water and 1.5 cups of conditioning salt. The temp is now currently at 81F and rising very slowly to the target of 83F.

The guy at the fish store also said he would not recommend higher than 84F as it would cook the fish. Are we all sure that 87F would be save for everyone in the tank? (African cichlids, a pleco, a catfish, and a crawdad)

Thanks for all the help and pointers everyone..

-Alli

 

[CementShoes]

87 and above is fine. If you can provide some extra aeration in the tank (bubble wands, etc) that will help as the higher the water temp the less oxygen is available to the fish. Really anthing that addes extra agitation to the surface. Beware of mixing chemicals ....err medications.. Some can kill your bacteria colony , some don't play well together.

Hopefully it's not redundant but I haven't had a chance to reread the entire post.

Anyway, you're not going to 'cook' your fish even in the low 90's. Ever been to the tropics? Water gets pretty warm.

Beware of the salt, some species (catfish for example) have been reported to be intolerant of too much salt, some provides the required electrolytes; too much reportedly is harmful if not fatal

 

[Allistah]

Thanks. I'll target the temp to 87 for about 10 days I guess then. The salt that was added was on the light side (1.5 cups) for a 55gal tank with substrate and rocks. We'll see how it goes in the next day or so. I'll post here with updates. Thanks for following my thread - I really appreciate it. It helps me calm down knowing I'm doing the right things.

-Alli

 

[Allistah]

When I got home the pleco was dead. :-( He had huge white areas on him about the size of a quarter on his head. All the others look to be going ok though. The catfish is still alive as well.

The tank temp is at 83 currently and the target is 86. This Fluval E200 is nice because it raises it slowly. My girlfriend added the salt solution to the tank today while I was at work.

I took readings today as well when I got home:

• Ph - 7.8
• Ammonia - 0.0
• Nitrite - 0.25
• Nitrate - 10

It was interesting that the Ph dropped from 8.0 to 7.8. Maybe the salt did that. The fish look like they're doing a bit better but still having issues.

 

[meegosh]

Did you drop your water level to get more aeration? At the higher temps this is critical. Sorry to hear about your pleco. I haven't heard of salt altering pH before. When is the last time you did a water change? If it has been a while the excess organics in the tank will create acidic compounds, lowering your pH.

 

[Allistah]

On Sunday a complete water change was done and all the gravel was washed so the tank was 100% clear and clean with new water. The water going in the tank has a Ph of 8.0.

Ok, I also lowered the water level a bit and the HOB filter is now giving more air to the tank. Lots of tiny little bubbles moving around. Even without the air from the filter, I have two long airstones that span about 75% of length of the tank in the back (55 gallon long tank) so they should have plenty of air.

The temp target is still set at 86F. The temp is moving up slowly and is currently at 84.5F The Fluval E200 heater is doing a good job of moving the temp up slowly still.

All the fish are fine this morning so things are looking good so far.. Except for the pleco yesterday.