HELP first ICH outbreak ever. ...need advice!

[Chriznat20]

Ok I just did about a 15g water change. Why though? Wouldnt that be kind of diluting the medication and salt Ive been adding?

 

[zilla870]

yes that would dilute the medication in the tank

 

[Rach101]

er I used the Ick Guard II I notice the fish are acting strangely. My two balas which are hit by the ick pretty hard are just sitting there breathing strangely. Is this a side effect of the medicine? Im pretty sure I used less than I was supposed to slightly, I didnt want to use too much and do any harm by over dosing.

Yes it will... i dont think your little buddies are doing well with the meds. sides just heat and salt will most likely cure ich.

 

[weezerbot]

For the record my ick meds sdidn't stain anything in my tank...but I was lucky I guess!! Once the ick is visibly off the fish, it's still in your tank and thats why you need to continue treatment. I was told 10 days, I did mine for 14, but I have heard as long as a month!

 

[Rach101]

Well its always in your tank. Only when the fish become hurt, or stressed is it able to infect them however.

 

[newhobbist]

I bet the problem was my temperature is too low. I lowered it about a week or two ago (the same time i bought the new tetras) because it was getting hot out and hence hot inside my house.

I think you made a big mistake. You should bring your tank temperature up when it's getting hotter outside. The reason for that is a difference between day and night temperature. If your heater is set lower, your water will be warmer at day time (from outside hit), but then will get colder at night.
If you set your heater on highet temperature, your water will be warmer, but will be keeping it that way all the time.

 

[amilasiu]

It is not true: ich is NOT always present the tank. It dies in empty tanks in a couple of days (no host fish to attach to). To introduce ich in the tank, an infected fish needs to be added to an otherwise uninfected fish. Thus, if there is no external source of infection, fish and tank will be ich-free. Ich does not swim around waiting for some correct water parameters, in order to to infect fish, ich infects them right away after the parasite is introduced to the tank.

Healthy, unstressed fish (which depends on water parameters) will fight ich better but if there was an infected fish introduced, all fish will be infected independently of water, food, or what not. So water parameters do not affect ich directly (except temperature of course). Just keep up with those temperature increases, most people in this and other aqua-forums seem to have most success with it. After the high-temperature healing period, ich will physically be NOT present in the tank. All the little nasties will be dead, and voila - tank is free of ich.

Also, I am not sure what stage your fish's ich is in, but even if after temperature changes, it seems that fish are ich-free (i.e. the "salt crystal" look-a-likes have disapeared), keep the temperature high for another 2 weeks or so: ich falls of the fish at some point, to reach another cycle in their development and later to reinfect the fish. Thus, the temperature has to be high enough to kill the ich after it is off the fish. my 2 cents anyway.

 

[Rach101]

It is not true: ich is NOT always present the tank.

Hrms, i heard it was,it just can't infest the fishies. Well, sorry for giving out bad information.

 

[Guest]

Ich is not always present in a tank. That is one of the longest, most persistent, and uneducated rumors of Ich for decades now. I should submit it to snopes.com.

Chriznat20, pick salt or pick medication, but do not do both. In either case, raise your aquarium temperature to 80F. This will accelerate Ich's life cycle, allowing the salt or medication to act quicker. Keep treating for at least 10 continuous days, even if it looks like the Ich is gone.

 

[Jchillin]

There has been much debate and studies done on the ich parasite. This was possibly prompted by the myth that the parasite can lay dormant. This is not true and should never be treated as such.

There is a marine variant of ich that has been said to be able to lie dormant for up to 30 days. The chances of this happening in a FW aquarium is nil unless of course, you introduce it to your tank from an infected SW tank (gravel, filter media, etc.).

For additional info on ich, please see this link:

http://www.skepticalaquarist.com

 

[Chriznat20]

Ok well either way - Ive got more issues now!!

My bala sharks eyes are cloudy and there is ick all over them! I have had a small tetra die. The tank temperature is now at 82 and every 8-12 hours or so I crank it up another 1-2 degree. Today I plan on reaching at least 83-84 ish and then Im taking the plunge to crank it to 86.

I called my LFS, they advicsed me to do an immediate 25% water change. I did. Im bringing a water sample for them to test just in case my water test kit is faulty. So far Im getting 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and 30-40ppm nitrate (my tank has always been at that level).

Ick is spreading and its going fast. Im afraid Im going to lose my balas! The LFS also told me to put carbon back in my filter because I broke my glass heater the other day (after the ick outbreak) and she said it contains toxins that I need to have the carbon catch so I dont make the situation worse. Im also going to buy an antibiotic because the fish with ick have loose tissue where the ick broke away and it looks gorey.

This sucks. Ive never ever had a problem and am a maintenace freak. I change 30-40% water weekly, use a conditioner, dont over feed, always buy from the same clean, trustworthy LFS and look what happens

 

[Jchillin]

The LFS also told me to put carbon back in my filter because I broke my glass heater the other day (after the ick outbreak) and she said it contains toxins that I need to have the carbon catch so I dont make the situation worse. Im also going to buy an antibiotic because the fish with ick have loose tissue where the ick broke away and it looks gorey.

This is a contradiction. If you go with meds to treat the fish, the carbon will remove it.

This sucks. Ive never ever had a problem and am a maintenace freak. I change 30-40% water weekly, use a conditioner, dont over feed, always buy from the same clean, trustworthy LFS and look what happens

It's not your fault...nor is it the fault of the LFS. Ich is a opportunistic parasite. Since you can never be sure, many folks QT there fish prior to adding them to the tank.

Your water parameters look excellent. The LFS will only agree with you there. As well as your maintenance regimen.

 

[Zezmo]

Sad to hear about all the ichiness in your tank. I have only had to deal with ich twice, both times heat alone was the cure. I took a week to bring things up to 88-90deg and left it there for about a week and a half, and then took a couple weeks to bring it down slowly. I added some aeration the whole time just in case.

From most of what I have read, it is bringing the temp down where you need to use great caution and do it slowly. It makes sense, as at this point your fish are recovering from an illness and are probably a bit weak.

 

[Guest]

The tank temperature is now at 82 and every 8-12 hours or so I crank it up another 1-2 degree. Today I plan on reaching at least 83-84 ish and then Im taking the plunge to crank it to 86.

Are you still using medication or salt during this temperature climb? Because at 82-84 Ich's lifecycle is greatly accelerated and if you are not using something else to curb this cycle you are just creating more Ich in your tank exponentially.

If you're using medication, I hope you didn't put that carbon back in, either. Death sentence.

 

[Chriznat20]

Ok guys I went to my LFS and bought some PimaFix - the antifungal antibiotic thats what the owner of the store sold me. I also added it with some IckGuard I - at this point I could care less if it stained Mother Theresa, I just want the Ick to go away. My balas look like hell. Eyes all clouded over, ick all over there bodies. I brought my water in to the LFS and my results from the testing were: 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 30ppm nitrate, water was slightly hard but not a problem. Everything is in check.

Today the temperature arrived at 85 degrees. Im going to leave it there for about 6 hours and turn it up to 86-87. Does this sound good??

I havent added aquarium salt since yesterday. I dont want to make the tank a chemical bath (pimafix, salt i already added & Ick Guard I&II)

Can somebody calm my nerves here. How long does ICK last usually??[/quote]

 

[Guest]

I think its lifecycle is supposed to be about 10 days. To be safe, I would treat the fish for 10 days after its off the fishes. The meds will work, just keep adding them every day if you go that route. The bottle probably says to treat for 3 or 7 days, but do it longer to make sure the ich is 100% gone.

 

[Guest]

I think its lifecycle is supposed to be about 10 days. To be safe, I would treat the fish for 10 days after its off the fishes. The meds will work, just keep adding them every day if you go that route. The bottle probably says to treat for 3 or 7 days, but do it longer to make sure the ich is 100% gone.

 

[Chriznat20]

Well today I woke up to 2 floating upside down Bala Sharks I hope this ick goes away soon, Im blaming it on the deaths of the balas. After they got it, their eyes got cloudy and it seemed no matter what I added to the tank - they got it the worst.

Im going to add the rest of the bottle of ick guard. This sucks!!!

 

[Chriznat20]

If you're using medication, I hope you didn't put that carbon back in, either. Death sentence.

The carbon has been out since Ive started using meds. The LFS had me put the carbon back in 1 of my HOB's because of the broken heater. I had the carbon back in for 8 hours and then took it back out and retreated with meds.

 

[Zezmo]

Sorry to hear about your sharks. Ich doesn't have to be a killer. You just have to decect it early, and choose a course of treatment... and stick with that course until its finished (ie your fish are better).