Ich treatment- Fish are getting aggressive (and ich is getting worse)

[fishlooker]

I am on day 3 of treating a case of ich with heat and salt. The temp is right at 86F and I've added about 1.5-2 tsp of aquarium salt per gallon.
I made these changes very gradually.

Now on day 3 I'm noticing some things that concern me, which I'm looking for advice about:
The first is that the ich is much worse, mainly on my little blue ram cichlid. He seems to have it worse than anyone else in the tank.
- Is it normal for the case to get worse before it gets better?
- Should I quarantine the ram? This means buying another setup and treating two tanks

The second is that fish which were previously peaceful with eachother, but probably at least somewhat predisposed to aggression, are now aggressively chasing and territorial. I've noticed at least some fin damage.
- Similar question here. Should I split the tanks for a separate quarantine? Is this behavior likely to stay after the harsh conditions of treatment are gone?

Thanks for your time.

29g

6 Male Guppies
8 Kuhli Loach
1 Dojo Loach
1 Blue Ram Cichlid
1 Female Betta
1 Molly
2 Dwarf Gourami
3 Pearl Gourami

It is one of the pearls that seems to be doing the most nipping. The largest

Heavily Planted with higher than normal filtration

 

[Mebbid]

I am on day 3 of treating a case of ich with heat and salt. The temp is right at 86F and I've added about 1.5-2 tsp of aquarium salt per gallon.
I made these changes very gradually.

Now on day 3 I'm noticing some things that concern me, which I'm looking for advice about:
The first is that the ich is much worse, mainly on my little blue ram cichlid. He seems to have it worse than anyone else in the tank.
- Is it normal for the case to get worse before it gets better?
- Should I quarantine the ram? This means buying another setup and treating two tanks

The second is that fish which were previously peaceful with eachother, but probably at least somewhat predisposed to aggression, are now aggressively chasing and territorial. I've noticed at least some fin damage.
- Similar question here. Should I split the tanks for a separate quarantine? Is this behavior likely to stay after the harsh conditions of treatment are gone?

Thanks for your time.

29g

6 Male Guppies
8 Kuhli Loach
1 Dojo Loach
1 Blue Ram Cichlid
1 Female Betta
1 Molly
2 Dwarf Gourami
3 Pearl Gourami

It is one of the pearls that seems to be doing the most nipping. The largest

Heavily Planted with higher than normal filtration

I wouldn't be surprised if the problem got worse for a day or 2 before the problem started getting better. What thermometer are you using? It's very important to have an accurate one (preferrably digital) to make sure that you are hitting the temperature goals.


Personally, I wouldn't use a second tank. If the aggression gets completely out of hand then a mesh breeding box or something similar would probably be recommended.

 

[fishlooker]

I wouldn't be surprised if the problem got worse for a day or 2 before the problem started getting better. What thermometer are you using? It's very important to have an accurate one (preferrably digital) to make sure that you are hitting the temperature goals.


Personally, I wouldn't use a second tank. If the aggression gets completely out of hand then a mesh breeding box or something similar would probably be recommended.

Thank you, the breeding boxes are pretty cheap apparently.

Stick-On thermometer. The thermometer, placed at the bottom corner of the tank is reading about 1-2 degrees lower than the dial on my heater, which makes sense to me, so I'm inclined to trust it.

 

[V227]

First deal with the Ick problem. Be sure to thoroughly gravel vac every day of your treatment. 10% - 20% WC's. This will dilute the parasite population. The elevated temp. has likely accomplished two things, accelerated the Ick life cycle, which is a good thing. It has also contributed to the rise in your fish aggression. A hot tank equals mean fish.
I keep my tanks set at 74 degrees to calm my larger cichlids bad attitudes. It does help.

 

[Angellove78]

You can always make up alittle divider with holes to keep the aggressive on one side. Aggression could be too that they are not infected and they know the other ones are, so they nip and chase the sick ones.

 

[fishlooker]

First deal with the Ick problem. Be sure to thoroughly gravel vac every day of your treatment. 10% - 20% WC's. This will dilute the parasite population. The elevated temp. has likely accomplished two things, accelerated the Ick life cycle, which is a good thing. It has also contributed to the rise in your fish aggression. A hot tank equals mean fish.
I keep my tanks set at 74 degrees to calm my larger cichlids bad attitudes. It does help.

This is what I was looking to find. My main fear is that the heat would permanently change their behavior.

You can always make up alittle divider with holes to keep the aggressive on one side. Aggression could be too that they are not infected and they know the other ones are, so they nip and chase the sick ones.

Little underwater jerks. Although at this point most everyone is infected. My little ram is the worst though


Update: I changed the direction of water flow from a secondary filter in the tank and reduced the turbulence by a lot. I also kept the problem separate, floating in a small cup for about a day. So far he seems to be swimming peacefully. Though a dwarf has now become pushy, but I expect a little from them.

Thanks for the advice everyone, I got what I came for. If the aggression becomes bad I'll divide them with small boxes until the treatment is complete.

 

[Mebbid]

First deal with the Ick problem. Be sure to thoroughly gravel vac every day of your treatment. 10% - 20% WC's. This will dilute the parasite population. The elevated temp. has likely accomplished two things, accelerated the Ick life cycle, which is a good thing. It has also contributed to the rise in your fish aggression. A hot tank equals mean fish.
I keep my tanks set at 74 degrees to calm my larger cichlids bad attitudes. It does help.

Lower temperature in affect make the fish more lethargic. Less movement, less eating, and slower growing. Once the temp increases you begin to see the natural behavior.