Ich!

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Justfishin17

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Nov 13, 2012
Messages
41
So I went on a trip for Labor Day and when I got back I had a massive ich outbreak in my tank. I've lost a couple of fish. I've been doing a 25% water change very other day, added a little salt (I have a bumblebee catfish), I've turned my tank up to 86 degrees, and I'm treating with rid-ich plus once a day. I'm not sure that I'm getting anywhere with it. Any suggestions?
 
You may be over treating. The meds killed my fish along with the stress of heat may be too much. I have just gotten over ich and I used just heat 88℉ for 4 days then 86℉ for 6 more days... after one dose of maracide (a malachite green based med)which killed a fish. And I used no salt because I have loaches. I think the med also messed up my ph but I'm not sure since its still messed up. But I have heard it happens after ich treatment with med.
I lost one fish before diagnosis of ich and one cuz of the med.
Good luck. Sorry ur buddies are so sick!
Good article to read

http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_ich2.php
 
My dads tank has ick just turned heat to 83 and added API super ick treatment I might add salt
Thank you for article I will share it with my dad an hope all goes well for him
 
If youre heat treating and medicati g you dont need to add salt. One of these methods should do it alone. All 3 at once is going to cause stress. Without knowing what fish you have in the tank, salt can kill.
 
I've been treating my tank for over two Weeks for ich would it b safe to add a new filter
 
K thanks never had ich how can I tell its safe to add fish
 
If you raise the temp you lower the available oxygen, sometimes meds will require the addition of oxygen too, so you need to add additional amount to the tank with a bubbler and/ ideally lowering the water level a couple to few inches from the HOB filter out flow if that is what you have, so the water splashes down in there better, stirring it up with additional O2.

How's that for a run on sentence!

The temp needs to be 86 or even 87.

Salt and temp increase can injure snails and Cories, off the top of my head.

read up on the life cycle of the Ich there are a couple very good articles about it. This will help you understand.

Adding more fish can stress your tank. It would be wise to NOT add additional fish until you have completed treatment, returned the tank to normal parameters, changing out salty water a little at a time over several days pwc could be a week or two. Also decreasing the temp to normal over the course of a degree a day.

Then making sure they don't get anything else. Testing and checking to see that your tank is cycled. Some medications kill Beneficial Bacteria aka BB and that means you will need to almost start over.

Check with manufacturer about how much water to remove at the end of the treatment with meds.

Use a test kit to make sure you are running with correct/safe levels for your tank.

When everything is stable again after a few weeks of all normal you can get additional fish but they should be in a Quarantine tank, so they don't get your other fish sick, if they are sick.

Make sure to check your water for temperature to make sure it is not colder than your aquarium water when doing pwc. That can sometimes stress a fish and it will get sick.

Add fish slowly, a couple or small number of schoolers at a time wait a couple weeks, and so on.

I am tired, I hope I didn't leave anything out.

Usually with salt and heat treatment keep treating for 7-10 days after last white spot is seen in the tank (I did 10), meds are not necessary too.
 
Ok I did all that for about the past three Weeks or four and did exactly what the medication said just want sure as to wen it was fish safe again
 
About three Weeks ago when I qt'd them kinda afraid to put then back in till i'm certain its ok.
 
I would just turn the temperature up to 85. Make sure to have alot of water movement. Put a bubbler in the water.
 
I have the water level low so that the hob is making a ton of movement I've had the temp at 84-86 since I noticed the spots.
 
Good, make sure to not put any salt in the water. Turning the temp up makes it harder for the fish to get oxygen out of the water so make sure to have alot of water movement
 
Only thing I've added to the water is the super ich cure API
 
Any kind of ick chemicals will stay go in the silicone in your tank and stay. I just prefer to not use them. My oscars had ick. And I turned up the temp to 85 and within two weeks it was gone
 
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