My Neons have ick!! HELP!

[BobthePlec]

hi! I'm new here, and to fishkeeping. Unfortunately my first post is about ick...yuck!

Some background:

20 Gallon tank running Top fin 20 with Bio3 filters
Tank parameters ok Ammonia, Nitrites both at zero Nitrates @ 20ppm ph @ 7.6 (maybe a little high, but stays steady)
Tank has been up for a month, fish in for approx 3 weeks
Currently I have 8 Neon tetras, 2 Serpae tetras, 6 Zebra Danios, and 1 Rubberlip pleco I also have 3 java ferns and a little bit of Vallis planted
I water change about 20-25% once every week and vacuum about that much too.
Temp was about 77F but after reading some artices here last night, raised it about 2F this morning and I have to go to my LFS to get some salt tonight.

What I'm really wondering about is how all this will affect all my fish, especially my little Pleco! ( I realize the Zebras are pretty hardy fish, but what about the rest??

Sorry this is so long!!! Please help!!

 

[rubysoho]

Hopefully someone can come by and confirm this, but I don't beleive plecos can handle salt. Is there any way you can set up a separate tank for the pleco and treat the other tank (since ick remains in the tank for a little while after all visible signs are gone you'll need to keep the temp up and salt in the tank for some time after the ick is "gone"). A separate tank for the pleco wouldn't require much. Just an emty glass tank with a filter would be fine. Or you could try cleaning it twice a day (since plecos poop all the time!). I wouldn't even add gravel. After you treat all your fish and can put your pleco back in the main tank, you will then have a great QT tank (but you'll need to add a heater). HTH!!! I als ohope someone else with more experience in ICK and plecos will come by soon.

Welcome to AA!!

 

[BobthePlec]

thanks for the welcome!

I have 2 other tanks as well, a 5 gal and a 2 gal, 5 gal has really high nitrite levels right now, we're still cycling it, and the 2 has high ammonia levels, so i can't put my plec in either of them

As of yet there is no salt in my 20 gal

 

[rubysoho]

are there any fish in the other tanks? If not, I'd choose one, dump it out, refill, and put the pleco in it (preferrebly the 5 gallon). Make sure to feed him algea waffers though because algea wont have had a chance to grow in those tanks yet and he'll need the supplement.

 

[BobthePlec]

there are 2 zebra danios in the 5 gal and 1 java fern

 

[Menagerie]

[center:13a090a197] Welcome to AA, BobthePlec!! [/center:13a090a197]

Read the article in the Articles section on FW ich and raise the temp slowly to 86F. The salt used is minimal and affects the ich before the fish feel anything. Always a good idea to keep an eye on everyone while treating the tank, but I will tell you that I have treated tanks with rubber lip plecos and everyone survived. Premix the salt before adding it to the water, as salt can burn. The plants may not like the salt, but they will bounce back.

Tank parameters ok Ammonia, Nitrites both at zero Nitrates @ 20ppm ph @ 7.6 (maybe a little high, but stays steady)

The pH is fine for those fish and a steady pH is the best pH Continue monitoring the water parameters. Since the fish have only been in for 3 weeks, I wonder if the tank is fully cycled. How did you cycle the tank?

 

[BobthePlec]

We used substrate from a friends 20 gal, filled it up and let it run for a couple of days b4 we put anything in it. Tested the parameters, everything checked out ok. So we put in 3 danios to start. checked again in a few more days, everything was still peachy, so we went and got a few more fish. (3 neons, 3 serpae's, and the pleco). 1 serpae died the first night, stress we figure. A week later 5 more neons and 6 more danios, 2 of which are in the 5 gal. Everything seemed fine till feeding time last night, noticed the spots!

 

[Menagerie]

We used substrate from a friends 20 gal, filled it up and let it run for a couple of days b4 we put anything in it. Tested the parameters, everything checked out ok.

That's a good way to start, although, you wouldn't see anything on the tests since there was no ammonia present. For more information, read the article on the nitrogen cycle in the Articles section

FYI about the ich treatment. It will get worse as the ich life cycle is sped up and then the spots will disappear--so don't panick

 

[BobthePlec]

Thanks for the help Menagerie! I've read both articles, the ick one b4 I even posted here. I'll keep an eye on my fishys, poor sick little things

 

[Menagerie]

You are welcome. Bring the heat up slowly, add the premixed salt and keep an eye on them. I have had tremendous success treating ich that way. Keep us updated.

 

[BobthePlec]

I don't know if this is related to ick at all...but my fish are now doing something kinda wierd!! :?

One Neon will go up to the glass and kinda look like it's kissing it...the rest of the neons shortly follow suit, then the danios and the serpae's, kinda.

what's up with that?

 

[Apocalypse_Gold]

He's probably just hungry. When you crank up the temp their metabolism speeds up. When fish get hungry they eat anything. When one starts picking at the glass (there is often algae or other organic matter) the others join in. You may want to feed a little more often, but less each time until your temp is back to normal.

 

[BobthePlec]

thanks Apocolypse! I just turned up the heat this morning (6-ish hours ago) and it's up to 27C from 25C. Does that 2 degrees make such a big difference??

 

[BobthePlec]

Well, it's day to of ick treatment, just did a 10% pwc with a small amount of salt in it and light gravel vac.

When i was done adding my water back in i noticed my danios were going absolutely psycho! Weirder than they were even doing yesterday!

is that because of this

(there is often algae or other organic matter)

it's neat to watch, but at the same time i worry about my fish!

ick still noticeable on neons

 

[Menagerie]

Make sure there is plenty of surface aggitaion. In higher temps, oxygen has a harder time dissolving into the water.

 

[BobthePlec]

I have an 2 1/2 inch airstone in the bottom and i turned up the flow on my filter, is that enough?? should i remove a bit of water??

 

[Menagerie]

That's probably fine. If the fish are at the surface, then drop the water level.

 

[midiman]

I've had this happen, too. Neons seem sensitive to ick treatments, so be careful. I've used Aquarisol with great success. If you are going to use Maracide on your tank, be aware that you should use only 1/2 the dose for neons and scaleless fish. I've killed loaches, etc., using it. Raising the tank temp will help speed the ick cycle. Run the treatment for a couple of days AFTER the white spots disappear, as the white spots are not the infectious part of the cycle.

Use a quarantine tank treated with aquarisol to prevent problems!!

 

[BobthePlec]

Well, over a week later and the ick seems to be gone!!

yay!!

The heat/salt treatment does seem to work, i didn't even attempt to use meds. I jsut followed the advice from everyone here and my lfs and it worked!

I still have my temps up and will for another week or so, but my fishies seem to be doin good, especially my pleco!

Thanks everyone!

 

[Menagerie]

I still have my temps up and will for another week or so, but my fishies seem to be doin good, especially my pleco!

Keep up the treatment for two more weeks. I'm so glad your fish are doing well.