HELP! Kissing Gourami has Ick!

[FiReMoUtH_GrL]

Please help... I just fed them and I noticed that my Kisser has a ton of white spots on his body and fins. I figured it was ick, so I would like to know what I can do to cure him right now.... Should I separate him from the rest of the group? If it truly is ick, how should I treat it?
Please help... Thanks in advance.

-FiReMoUtH_GrL

 

[Allivymar]

Sure sounds like ich. Do go read my article on ich, what it is and what you can do. You can find it here: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=32

There's some pics on there as well so you can compare to be sure its ich that your poor gourami has. And I would treat the entire tank; you don't want to cure him, and have him get it again when he goes back.

 

[FiReMoUtH_GrL]

OMG bless you... you're the ONLY one who has answered any of my posts on different sites! By the way, i don't have any fish meds in my home right now... What can be the cheapest med I can buy that's good? Can I also use aquarium salt?

 

[Tigerlily]

Hi Firemouth_Grl: In Alli's article there is a treatment suggestion using heat and another one using aquarium salt, so medications aren't necessary if you don't have any around. Most medications will destroy your biological filter. You can use aquarium salt. Lots of people on this site have had good luck with the heat method, although if the goldfish in your signature is in tank I wouldn't do it. Try looking through this thread, there is a lot of helpful information about the heat method, and what kind of meds to look for that won't hurt your biological cycle.

http://aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=12635

Good luck!

 

[Thaiboxer]

I have had good luck with salts and heat. I now keep my tanks at 82 most of the time, especially when I'm introducing new fish! I let my Oscar tank fall to about 76, but as soon as I started using heat and some salts I stopped seeing ich...

The only thing that store bought meds have ever done for me is kill my fish...

Good luck!

 

[Allivymar]

Are all the fish in the same tank FiReMoUtH_GrL? I ask because salt is not recommended for corys, and the high temps for goldfish. However, if they are in diff tanks, I'd do the heat method with the tropicals, and the salt method for the goldfish.

 

[FiReMoUtH_GrL]

well... i dont hav goldfish anywhere at the moment, but I do have corys in there with them. Will the corys get affected? :?

 

[Tigerlily]

If you have cories in there, I take back what I said about the aquarium salt. Not a good idea. The heat method should be fine though since there are no goldfish in there... You do need to treat your whole tank somehow because all the fish could be affected eventually. If you read Alli's article, you'll see that ich has a 3 stage life-cycle, and 2 of those stages are in the tank - not on the fish...

Good luck! Keep us posted.

 

[FiReMoUtH_GrL]

but alot of people gave me the thumbs up even w/ the cories... + i had added some salt for something else a few hours before my Kisser got ich and they're fine..

 

[Fruitbat]

FiReMoUtH_GrL...

Corydoras cats are pretty sensitive to salt, as Tigerlily alludes to. If they're doing OK with the salt you have in there now then you probably don't have to worry but I'd be really careful about adding any more. The heat treatment will probably work well for you all by itself.

 

[FiReMoUtH_GrL]

okae

 

[FiReMoUtH_GrL]

Well, i fixed my filter. i changed the water 75% as someone suggested, and added a LITTLE bit of salt. Cories aren't reacting bad to it...