ich again :(

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courtnee

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Nov 17, 2006
Messages
285
Location
South Dakota, USA
I had a tank crash that started with ich and something else (bacterial maybe) a few months back. I lost 4 spotted pictus, 5 clown loaches and several tetra. My tank recovered with what I had left. I tried the heat/salt method and had horrible results. I tried ich meds for scaleless fish and had bad results.

My clown loaches last time started with the ich signs. Today a hour ago I notice one of my new clown loachs with ich spots!!! I left my tank be until recently and just added the clown loaches not to long ago, I QT them and everything was fine! I was scared to try the loach thing again as is. *sigh*

55gl tank
80F
ammonia = 0
nitrIte = 0
nitrAte = 20 (did a water change the other day) never see it above 40
PH - 7.2

In the tank I have

2 pims (one spotted one white) 6" and 7"
1 vampire pleco (L007) 5"
1 common pleco - 6"
1 rainbow shark - 6"
2 clown loaches - 2"
1 male betta - normal betta size
2 serpae tetra - full grown
6 white skirt tetra - full grown
2 mystery snails - golf ball sized

The last time my pims and pleco didnt have any problems trough it all.

I have a 10gl tank that is cycled with a male betta and a baby bullhead that is 1"

What should I do? No one has signs but the clown loaches, and I know once one gets it they all will eventually get it.

My issue is my plecos and pims are not salty tolerant fish so I get a bit screwed there.

Should I put the bullhead in the 55gl and hope the pims do not eat him, betta in a bowl and treat the loaches in the 10gl tank and try and stop it here and watch the 55gl or what?

I dont want a repeat of a few months ago!
 
Yes clown loaches are prone to ich, but the heat treatment works well. I find that clowns can get ich with the slightest bit of stress when they are still small. My clowns are 4-5" now and they are sometimes the bullies of the tank. Nothing stresses them.
 
I have another 29 gl tank that is QT but has some tetra in it that are not done with QT so that is why that is ruled out, bad timing.

I moved the bullhead into the 55gl (crossing fingers) and put the betta from the 10gl into the bowl. He is pouting.

I added ich treatment to the 10gl ich guard II, going a few days with that and will increase heat and salt slow, and not dose anymore medication. Clowns are going in there.

I checked my ammonia again in my 55gl it is moving up (UGH!) I did change two of four filter pads yesterday. I am going to go buy biospira tomorrow for that issue. I did a 50% PWC tonight as soon as I saw that.

The loaches after treatment are going to stay in the 10gl I think for awhile as least a month after treatment. I am done risking my 55gl tank with their ich. I love them but wow they are so prone to ich. I am getting a free 30gl tank I will get fishless cycled and put the loaches in there for sometime as they grow so slow. By that time my fish I worry about will be out of the 55gl into a 75gl.

I am going to raise the temp in the 55gl as well as a safeguard to the ich in there. Try it with out salt. No one has signs but the loaches so I hope heat works.

Okay off I go to catch me some loaches, that are no where to be found LOL
 
I wouldn't add salt with the loaches at all in your 10 gal. My experience with salt and loaches has been bad. I have successfully beaten ich 3 separate times with heat only. I know several other members that have also had success with no salt and heat only. Raising the heat as a precaution is a good idea just in case. Remember to either have an airstone or lower the level of the water a bit to create more splash.
 
I just hit the heater in my 55gl up a tad, will do more in the morning. More in the afternoon. I already run it at 80F so it wont take long to get it up to where I need it.

I wont add salt to the 10gl just do what I got planned besides the salt and hope it works.

1 problem. When small loaches go to bed and hide, good luck finding them! I found all fishes in my tank even the small bullhead that is hiding several times, not one sign of a loach and I moved things LOL

May have to wait until tomorrow morning when they think it is feeding time. Due to the ammonia no food until that is fixed. Nothing is dead in my tank so I am not sure why the ammonia is moving up except the only thing I did was the two out of four filter pads.
 
I know how hard loaches are to catch. I usually end up having to remove what I can from the tank and still have trouble. I wish you luck catching them.
 
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