ich

[Brq07]

i have a 10 gallon tank, i change my water 20% every week, vacuum the gravel every week, use an aquaeon filter and prime. i change the filter every 5 weeks (changed it every 4 weeks when there were a couple more fish in there). my water is in each level of where it should be (i test before i change the water) right now i have 3 neon tetras, a dwarf pleco and 1 platy. the platy was a gift from my husband who forgot i was treating/battling ich and i had said no new fish for a month!! until i was sure the ich was done for. well i was sure i was winning the battle until he put the platy in there and now i've noticed yesterday the poor little guy is infested w/ ich i noticed the ich on the 13th, about a week after i got the dwarf pleco. i did a large water change that night and treated it w/ coppersafe after the recomendation of 3 friends who all use it for ich. so the platy was introduced on the 17th. the last water change was 20th & i added coppersafe to the replacement water. should i change my water again?? i read on the coppersafe box that you can leave the carbon in, but should i take it out?? i don't think the platy is going to make it , he seems pretty miserable. the other fish seem fine though and no noticible spots on them. any suggestions for my battle w/ ich?? i saw that adding salt helps, but i know w/ my pleco i am NOT supposed to do that!! PLEASE HELP!!

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Hi!

Does the tank have an adjustable heater? You can use heat to treat ich. No medications needed. Increase the temp to 86f or a touch higher if your fish can handle it. Leave the temp high for at least a week after the last spot is seem. Make sure to increase aeration and the number of water changes.

Here is an article on ich and heat treatment.
http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_ich2.php

Also you shouldn't be replacing the filter cartridge so often. When it gets dirty just swish it in a bucket of tank water. By doing it that way you are preserving the beneficial bacteria that keep the tank cycled.

 

[Brq07]

thanks!! i appreciate that! my temp is @ 84f. how often do you think i should change the water?? i did NOT know that about the filter!! everyone told me to change it every 4 to 6 weeks, i thought that was a lot!

Hi!

Does the tank have an adjustable heater? You can use heat to treat ich. No medications needed. Increase the temp to 86f or a touch higher if your fish can handle it. Leave the temp high for at least a week after the last spot is seem. Make sure to increase aeration and the number of water changes.

Here is an article on ich and heat treatment.
Using Heat to Treat Ich in Freshwater Tropical Fish - Article at The Age of Aquariums - Tropical Fish

Also you shouldn't be replacing the filter cartridge so often. When it gets dirty just swish it in a bucket of tank water. By doing it that way you are preserving the beneficial bacteria that keep the tank cycled.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Normally you will have to change enough water to keep nitrate low (less than 20ppm) but at the moment the cleaner the better. 20-50% every 2-3 days until treatment is over. Clean water helps reduce the risk of secondary infections.