Mysterious White Spots!

[Beginner Fish Lover]

Two of my fish have white spots on them and I really want to know what is going on!! Here is some info too help:

Sick Fish: Two tiger barbs

What is Wrong: White spots on scales and tail

Parameters: Nitrate 20, Nitrite 0, Chlorine 0, Hardness 200, Alkalinity 300, Ph 8.4

Tank Size: 26 g.

Set Up For: About 3-4 Months

Filter: Penguin 150

Fish in Tank: 11 (Counting 2 snails)

Types of Fish: 2 snails, 2 scissor tail rasboras, 2 glofish, 1 rosy barb, and 4 tiger barbs

Water Change: The last time I changed my water was Wednesday the 24 of March. I usually do it every month. I remove about 25% of the water.

Gravel Vaccuum: Never done this, nor do I know how to.

More Fish Info: all of them were purchased two weeks ago, except for the two glofish, I have had them for 3 and a half months.

Decor: 3 plastic decor.

Food: TetraColor tropical flakes

Hope this helps,
B.F.L. ( Beginner Fish Lover)

 

[mfdrookie516]

white spots as in a fungus type white spot or like salt sprinkled on them?

 

[Beginner Fish Lover]

It looks like salt that is sticking to them!!

 

[mfdrookie516]

that means your fish have ich. slowly raise your temperature up to 86 degrees, do no more than 2-3 degrees per day... you need to do a daily water change and gravel vac to pick up the parasites in the gravel.

 

[Beginner Fish Lover]

Ok Gravel Vac:
What is it
How do you do it?
And where do you get it.

 

[mfdrookie516]

well, i've got a python (well, actually its a cheaper off-brand) that hooks to the sink. it has a hose that goes to a tube that you stick in the gravel or sand and suck up the detrius, and sometimes uneaten food. It has a valve that attaches to the sink, they have an attachment to go from sucking the tank water to filling the tank. I got mine for around $25 at walmart and it is a life saver... no more buckets. If you dont wanna spend the $25 on one, you can get just the hose and gravel vac tube alone and just drain it in to buckets. I'll attach a pic of both. You should also up your water change schedule. I do a 50% pwc weekly... imo, 25% weekly is bare minimum anybody should do. As far as exactly how to use a gravel vac, its kinda just a thing you gotta get the feel for. It'll come to ya

 

[Beginner Fish Lover]

Thanks A TON!

B.F.L (Beginner Fish Lover)

 

[dkpate]

And you will probably need to keep the temp up for 10 days, to make sure the ich is gone. What happens is, it feeds off the fish, drops off the fish into the gravel, becomes a cyst, then explodes into thousands more ich which will re-attach onto the fish. So if you don't take care of it, you will never get rid of it, and your fish will die. Remember, it will usually look worse before it gets better.
+1 for Rookie. I also change 50% of my water once a week. In the 5G tank, I change it twice a week.
You might also want to put an airstone in your tank, because the warmer the water, the less oxygen there is in it for your fish.

 

[Beginner Fish Lover]

Thanks!

Thanks Dkpate!! The only problem is that I do not know how to raise the temp since I dont have a heater.

 

[mfdrookie516]

you definitely need a heater! All the fish you mentioned you have are tropical fish, meaning they need a steady temperature between 72-78 (depends on who you ask, but it doesnt vary more than a degree or two)... you need a heater that you can adjust, not one that is preset. You can get a good heater for around $20, marineland stealth pro heaters are great, and shatterproof

 

[Beginner Fish Lover]

Thanks, I will go get a heater REALLY soon.


Thanks A TON,
B.F.L (Beginner Fish Lover

 

[dkpate]

+1 for the Stealth heater. If you don't get it within the next few days, you will probably lose most, if not all, of your fish.