Do freshwater fish get "ich"?

[Bhud79]

Recently started a little 2 gallon freshwater tank. The neon tetras that I have had in there for a week have little salt looking spots on them. They appear healthy. They have an appetite. Is ich a common freshwater ailment, and if so, how can I treat it.

 

[Rutrag]

That is classic ich. If you have no plants or inverts, there are several medications you can use. I always liked Quick Cure. Be aware that tetras are sometimes sensitive to the medicine.

If you have a heater (which you should for neons), raising the temp along with the medication helps as well.

Stress (particularly from a temperature swing IMO) normally sets off the disease.

You didn't indicate, but neons should be in a school (at least 5 fish) which is a little
Much for a 2 gallon IMO.

 

[Bhud79]

I have 3 in there. That was the amount recommended by my LFS. I think I may go the salt route. Anyone had any success with that? Anything I should look out for?

 

[KaylNeko]

Your LFS was wrong, unfortunately. Schooling fish don't do well in groups smaller than 5 or 6, with more being ideal, and 2 gallons isn't big enough for them to really swim, much less handle the bio-load.

Check out this article on treating ich--the treatment section is about halfway down the page. I treat just with heat raised to 86-88, but others have their preference.

 

[siva]

Yup, that's probably ich.

Your tank set-up really won't work though. Neon tetras need a minimum of a 10 gal tank and are schoolers that should be kept in groups of 6 or more. In fact, I can't think of any fish I would keep in a 2 gallon tank. It would make a great shrimp tank though.

To treat ich, you raise the heat to 86 degrees and add aquarium salt. Neons tend to be a bit sensitive to this treatment.

Did you cycle this tank before adding the fish? If not, the tank is cycling, which means the fish are likely being exposed to dangerous levels of toxins in the water, such as ammonia and nitrite. This could be what has brought on the ich. If you aren't familiar with cycling, the best place to start is gain an understanding of how the nitrogen cycle works. Read here: The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle And here is more info on how to actually cycle your tank, with fish: I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! or without fish: The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling. I'm not sure if you already have a test kit, but if not it's crucial that you have one to properly run an aquarium, especially a new one.

Whether or not you treat the fish first, I'd strongly recommend you take them back to the store as this tank is not going to work for them.