ich

[couplescaddy]

everybody, i have just noticed a problem with one of my fish. ive had my tank up for about 5 days now and on one of my fish (Ace) ive noticed a small piece of his tailfin missing and a whitespot on his right side, VERY SMALL white spot. i read something about ich and i think this might be what it is. what do i do now?

 

[couplescaddy]

also, he seems a little slower, and just chills in the bottom back of the tank

 

[fish_doc]

If you get a chance check the ammonia level in the tank. New tank setups are prone to many problems with ich being one of them. This is due to the stress on the fish for being moved and being in a tank that is cycling. Try starting with a 20 to 30 percent water change.

 

[couplescaddy]

alright, thanks, ill do that right now. and i turned up the heater to like 87* hopefully thatll help, they are tropical fish so i think theyll just be chill with the hike in temp.

 

[Menagerie]

Read the article on FW ich and compare the pics to your fish.

 

[couplescaddy]

yeah, i did, theres one spot on "Ace" and im kinda worried, cuz hes my favorite fish. i hiked the temp like i said already, hopefully theyll chill at that

 

[couplescaddy]

hey, guys, ive got my tank up to 88* to get rid of the ich, but how long do i need to keep it that warm? when can i take it back town to optimum???my fish are acting kinda unhappy about the temperature change, i really dont want to leave it up too long.

 

[madasafish]

Will, have you tried testing your water for Ammonia? The lethargy of Ace might be due to high levels of ammonia (as fish_doc mentioned) if the tank is not fully cycled (if you don't know what this means, PM me). I'd highly advise that you invest in at least an ammonia test kit, if not ammonia and nitrite test kits. They'll cost you about $8 each. Your ammonia and nitrite readings should be 0 in a well-established tank.

Whether the problem's water quality or illness, it makes good sense to change the water every day or two for a week or two (unless you're dosing with medications, in which case you should follow their instructions). I assume you're just doing the temperature treatment, which I think is adviseable. Just make sure to match the temperature of the water when changing it.

 

[couplescaddy]

yeah, i have an ammonia moniter, and a tester for nitrites and nitrates. ammonia is reading safe and so is everything else, its only been like 5 days since i started the tank but i noticed the white spots on Ace today. i got the water up to like 88* or 89* but i need to know how long i can leave it like this, all of my fish are chillin at the bottom and dont seem very happy about the temperature change, how long should i keep it warm? i dont want to stress the fish very much and im not sure how good this warm water is for them. please help.

 

[pkremer]

As the temp gets higher, the water can't hold as much oxygen. Try dropping your water level down an inch or two so that the water falling out of the filter will create more surface disruption and oxygenation.

Have you read Allivymar's article on ich? If not, read it. It is excellent.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=32

This quote addresses your question:

By raising temps to above 86F one can kill all the parasites; generally, 4-5 days after the temps have been raised above 86F you will see a reduction in white spots on your fish. It is best to continue temps above 86F for at least 2 weeks to ensure all the parasites have been killed.

You didn't crank the heat up to 88 right away, did you? Your post makes it sound like you may have been in the 70's and then just turned your heater up to 88. If so, the fish are probably stressed out from the rapid temperature change.

What kind of fish do you have? I think most people on this forum have had good success with the heat method even though the heat is outside of some of their ideal temperature ranges.

Paul

 

[jaysono]

You may also inquire about using some Aquarium Salt. It appears that your tank looks no larger than 10-12 gals (based on my eyes and your picture).

Generally 1 Tablespoon for every ten gallons I think is the norm. The salt helps elliminate ich as it will cause the critters to eventaully die off,a nd actually a bit of salt helps the fish in other ways too!

Also look into Quick Cure. You can search my posts on recent successful use of Quick Cure. It's relatviely cheap and touted as a very good med, though I do realise some people don't liek to add meds to their tank.

 

[couplescaddy]

thank you all, i think that raising my tank to 87* and the ick clear med i got, i think its pretty much gone away. again, thanks everybody for all your help.