Confusion about Ich

[newgirl]

So still a newbie here and didn't have a QT - bought some Rummynose Tetras that I now realize had Ich (small white grains of salt).

Raised the temp to 82F (have guppies and Blackline rasboras also) - lost three of the four RN tetras - one remaining (know they need company but not sure want to put anything else in tank right now).

Treated the tank with API Super Ich Plus - so far the other fish appear okay although one of the blackline rasboras has started hanging out lower in the tank.

My confusion is this - treated twice with SIP but will this be enough? The lifecycle of ich seems to be 2 weeks approx so how will 2 48 hour treatments be enough?

 

[BBradbury]

Treating Disease

Hello new...

Diseases happen when the tank water isn't clean enough to keep the fishes' immune system working. The chances of a healthy fish in clean water conditions being infected is very remote. So, you have to clean up the water asap. Pure and simple. You do it by changing out half the water daily for a couple of weeks. Do a good job of vacuuming the bottom material if possible. Be careful around plants.

Using aquarium salt is helpful. But be careful, use no more than a couple of teaspoons for every 5 gallons of new, treated tap water. Plants are sensitive to salt. Heat is good too, but not too much or you'll harm your plants. 82 degrees is fine, this temp will retard the growth of the Ich parasites.

Feed a little bit every couple of days, but no more. Sick fish aren't likely to be hungry and you don't want uneaten food to dirty the water.

Putting chemicals into the tank water is never a good idea, because you don't know how the fish, plants and even the good bacteria will react.

You can follow these steps until you see improvement in the fish. When you're certain the parasites are gone, you can return to your routine. I would continue the 50 percent water changes every week for the life of the tank. The water changes will keep dissolved wastes out of the water. Keep the water clean at all times and you'll have no more tank problems.

B

 

[Brookster123]

Hello new...

Diseases happen when the tank water isn't clean enough to keep the fishes' immune system working. The chances of a healthy fish in clean water conditions being infected is very remote. So, you have to clean up the water asap. Pure and simple. You do it by changing out half the water daily for a couple of weeks. Do a good job of vacuuming the bottom material if possible. Be careful around plants.

Using aquarium salt is helpful. But be careful, use no more than a couple of teaspoons for every 5 gallons of new, treated tap water. Plants are sensitive to salt. Heat is good too, but not too much or you'll harm your plants. 82 degrees is fine, this temp will retard the growth of the Ich parasites.

Feed a little bit every couple of days, but no more. Sick fish aren't likely to be hungry and you don't want uneaten food to dirty the water.

Putting chemicals into the tank water is never a good idea, because you don't know how the fish, plants and even the good bacteria will react.

You can follow these steps until you see improvement in the fish. When you're certain the parasites are gone, you can return to your routine. I would continue the 50 percent water changes every week for the life of the tank. The water changes will keep dissolved wastes out of the water. Keep the water clean at all times and you'll have no more tank problems.

B

Blah blah... not once did you mention the most well known fact it combating ich... 87 degrees and you tell that ich please... salt?!?!?
Op- get the temp up to 87 slowly, perform a 25% wc every other day while giving the substrate a good vacuum to catch fallen ich sacks. Use salt if it agrees with your stock. I always save meds as a last resort.

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[newgirl]

Appreciate the advice folks as I said I bought the fish.without realizing they had ich. When I went back to the store and looked at the tank they came from the other fish in there had it too.

I am getting super confused about water changes. Some say don't do more than 30% to avoid stressing fish. My ammonia is .25 even after big water change but i am using prime which I understand can show this. Nitrite 0 nitrate 20 on test strip and 5 on api liquid test.

I can stop medicating but don't want the little buggers to come back. Not sure my fish and plants can take 87 but could try slowly.

Appreciate the advice sooo confused!

What do i do about lone rn tetra? Will he.be okay on his own until tank clear or will he likely die of stress of being alone. He hangs out closer to the bottom a lot

 

[treemanone2003]

Do a good job of vacuuming the bottom material if possible. Be careful around plants.



Feed a little bit every couple of days, but no more. Sick fish aren't likely to be hungry and you don't want uneaten food to dirty the water.

B

In the thread "Water Changes" you recently posted "Everything inside the tank dissolves in water. So if you remove the water, you remove anything that's dissolved in it. There's no need to vacuum the bottom material......"

Here you state ".... you don't want any uneaten food..."

According to my thought process, these two statements are totally contradictory and I think you're making quite the fool of yourself. If undissolved food will dirty the water, how does fish waste not do the same ? Does it dissolve instantly ? Does only food not dissolve and fish waste does ? Because fish waste is digested and excreted fish food, right ? And with healthy fish it comes out brown and somewhat firm, not invisible or non existent.

Looking forward to the explanation on this. Thanks.


Sent from my iPhone that doesn't like me. Or you !!

 

[newgirl]

If it helps 9 fish are eating ravenously. The one remaining tetra is hanging nearer the bottom of tank and not coming up to top to eat. But the rn tetras never.seemed.to come.up they.picked at what dropped if anything.

 

[Mebbid]

Hello new...

Diseases happen when the tank water isn't clean enough to keep the fishes' immune system working. The chances of a healthy fish in clean water conditions being infected is very remote. So, you have to clean up the water asap. Pure and simple. You do it by changing out half the water daily for a couple of weeks. Do a good job of vacuuming the bottom material if possible. Be careful around plants.

Diseases happen because of poor water quality, that is absolutely true. Ich happens because of poor quarantining procedures. It is a parasite not a disease and as such will only arrive when it's allowed into your tank.

Using aquarium salt is helpful. But be careful, use no more than a couple of teaspoons for every 5 gallons of new, treated tap water. Plants are sensitive to salt. Heat is good too, but not too much or you'll harm your plants. 82 degrees is fine, this temp will retard the growth of the Ich parasites.

That amount of salt is ineffective in combating ich. Also, that level of heat does nothing but speed up the ich's life cycle making them breed faster and spread more quickly. If your goal is to help the parasites infect your fish faster, this is excellent advice.

I have yet to encounter a plant that cannot handle the ich treatment temperature of 86 degrees.

You can follow these steps until you see improvement in the fish. When you're certain the parasites are gone, you can return to your routine. I would continue the 50 percent water changes every week for the life of the tank. The water changes will keep dissolved wastes out of the water. Keep the water clean at all times and you'll have no more tank problems.

The parasite will never be gone without actual treatment. It is true, that a low level of the ich infestation can be maintained by keeping your fish healthy, the ich will ever be present waiting to make a comeback at the first sign of trouble in your tank. These latent infestations can persist for a year or more which is what leads people to believe the myth that ich is always in the tank.


Just raise the temperature up to 86 by a few degrees every hour and keep it there for 2 weeks after the last sign of ich goes away. This is a tried and true method of treating for ich.

 

[Matt68005]

Jeez if fish in the lake had water as clean as bbradbury always suggest, this world would have a lot more skinny dipping. Does anyone ever just dose with malachite and call it good? Jeez.

 

[Mebbid]

Jeez if fish in the lake had water as clean as bbradbury always suggest, this world would have a lot more skinny dipping. Does anyone ever just dose with malachite and call it good? Jeez.

Malachite green is a nasty little med. There are safer options out there

Metronidazole (General cure) is my favorite for ich currently failing heat treatment.

 

[newgirl]

Update - all Rummynose Tetras died (4 of them) - bit sad - the last one looked a bit better this morning and thought he was going to make it but he died unfortunately. Other fish look good so far so although temp increase and meds didn't work on already infected fish am hoping prevented further infection. Treated a 3rd time just in case - didn't want to lose anymore fish.

 

[newgirl]

****** - the Blackline rasbora that arrived with the RN Tetras (accidentally he was just in same tank) now has white on top and bottom lip - he is breathing fast - not sure how to save him...

 

[Mebbid]

Sounds like columnaris. Methylene blue dips work well for it as well as triple sulfa.

 

[newgirl]

Lost the blackline overnight.and two of the guppies have white spots hating fish diseases right now

 

[Mebbid]

Lost the blackline overnight.and two of the guppies have white spots hating fish diseases right now

Whered you get these fish from?

Ich is no big deal. You should actually expect to get it any time you add new fish.

 

[newgirl]

I got them from an LFS in Ontario - big name (won't share it publicly) - but a fish specialist. They were all from the same tank (the rasbora was in with the RN tetras - a hitchiker). Other fish from there have been fine.

Really hoping I don't lose the guppies and three remaining rasboras

 

[NigelK8485]

Can you not get any pictures of the fish to help determine if it's columnaris or ich?


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[Mebbid]

Can you not get any pictures of the fish to help determine if it's columnaris or ich?


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White fuzziness around the mouth or in a saddle shape around the back is columnaris.

White salt sized spots is ich.

 

[newgirl]

It wasn't fuzzy just looked like he had thicker, white lips but was defined. I turned the temp up for ich but understand this can accelerate columnaris- gah!