New Platys - Is it Ich?

[Nolan]

I picked up a couple of platies yesterday, and one is not looking so hot this morning. I'm not sure if it might be Ich? He has white buildup on his top fin and his tail fin (couldn't get a picture of the tail buildup).

I removed him from the tank and put him in a small beta tank (1 gal) for quarantine, but if it is Ich, the entire larger tank is already infected, correct?

Note: I put the fish in a cup just for the pictures, don't worry, he is not in the cup still.
______________________________________________________________________________

1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the best of your ability (i.e. cotton like growth, bloated, etc.).
Red Wag Platy, white build-up on dorsal and tail fins.

2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.
Will check when I get home from work.

3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?
37 gallon tank, set up for approximately 9 months

4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known.
Top Fin Power Filter 40 (200 gph)

5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes?
6 other platies (~2.5"), 1 molly (~3"), 8 neon tetras

6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time?
PWC performed yesterday before introducing the new fish into the tank. PWC performed ever weekend, remove 10 gallons from the 37 gallon tank.

7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?
Have had fish for <24 hours. Acclimated by floating bag on top of water for ~30 minutes. Netted fish out of bags and put into aquarium, dumped bag water into the sink.

8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?
No new additions.

9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?
Omega 1 flakes. Fish are new, unsure of LFS feeding routines.

 

[BBradbury]

Hello Nolan...

If your fish has a parasite, the entire tank must be treated. If this is the first time you've noticed a problem, you've likely caught the infection early. So, you can return the fish to the main tank and start an aggressive water change routine. Remove and replace half the water every couple of days and bump the heat up to 80 degrees. I would add a bit of standard aquarium salt to the new water too. A teaspoon for every 5 gallons of your replacement water should be enough to kill the parasite, but won't damage your plants.

Turn the lights off in the tank and in the room where you have the tank. The "ich" parasite locates a host by sight. Do a good job of vacuuming the substrate too. Most parsites will live in the gravel. Follow these steps for 10 days and see if there's improvement.

B

.

 

[Nolan]

Hello Nolan...

If your fish has a parasite, the entire tank must be treated. If this is the first time you've noticed a problem, you've likely caught the infection early. So, you can return the fish to the main tank and start an aggressive water change routine. Remove and replace half the water every couple of days and bump the heat up to 80 degrees. I would add a bit of standard aquarium salt to the new water too. A teaspoon for every 5 gallons of your replacement water should be enough to kill the parasite, but won't damage your plants.

Turn the lights off in the tank and in the room where you have the tank. The "ich" parasite locates a host by sight. Do a good job of vacuuming the substrate too. Most parsites will live in the gravel. Follow these steps for 10 days and see if there's improvement.

B

.

Thank you. I have a sand substrate, so when i 'vacuum' it, I hold the hose slightly above the sand and suck up the solid waste from the top of the sand. Any tips for trying to remove the parasite from a sand substrate?

 

[BBradbury]

Hello again Nolan...

Keeping sand clean is a problem. It can compact in areas and voids can contain stagnant water, which can release toxins into the water. This may be the reason for the parasite problem. In the areas that have no plants, you need to move the water and agitate the sand gently, with your fingers. Then, perform the water change as usual. You'll remove a good number of parasites that are living there. You're the expert on changing the water in your tank. Just change half of it every couple of days.

B

 

[Nolan]

Hello again Nolan...

Keeping sand clean is a problem. It can compact in areas and voids can contain stagnant water, which can release toxins into the water. This may be the reason for the parasite problem. In the areas that have no plants, you need to move the water and agitate the sand gently, with your fingers. Then, perform the water change as usual. You'll remove a good number of parasites that are living there. You're the expert on changing the water in your tank. Just change half of it every couple of days.

B

Yes, i agitate the sand every time i do my water changes. I grab a handfull and put it back down, this releases the air pockets and kicks up any crud that has been buried during the previous week. After that, I swirl the end of the hose above the top of the sand, creating a tiny vortex where the solid waste rises off of the top of the sand. I'll do another PWC when I get home this afternoon.

After looking at some pictures and reading a bit more, I don't think it is Ich, but it is definitely something. The "build up" is only in two locations, and it looks like white slime rather than the speckles I have seen in Ich pictures.

 

[BBradbury]

Hello Nolan...

Whatever the case, the bit of salt and the flush of pure water over the next few days will do nothing but good things for the tank. Most of the tank problems are the result of poor water conditions. An aggressive water change routine from now one will keep the tank healthy. The addition of a little standard aquarium salt is optional. I've always added a teaspoon to every 5 gallons of the new water. I think it keeps my "Livebearers" a little healthier.

B

 

[Nolan]

Thanks. All the rest are fine, must have brought something with him from the pet store .

 

[Nolan]

The quarantined platy and one of the tetras in the main tank were belly up by the time i got home from work yesterday. I turned the heater up a bit and up a bit more later in they say so its sitting around 86ºF now. I also did a PWC (~50%). Everyone else still in there looks pretty healthy, I'm planning on doing a big water change every other day for the next two weeks, and then slowly reducing the water temperature back down to around 78ºF.

 

[BBradbury]

Hello Nolan...

Increasing the water temperature will shorten the parasites' life cycle. I would add a small filter that hangs on the back of the tank to increase the oxygen in the water. Warmer water doesn't hold the oxygen very well.

While you're checking everything else, keep an eye on your aquatic plants. Most don't tolerate higher water temps.

Keep flushing the pure, treated tap water through the tank and cut back on feeding the fish. If they're sick, they won't be hungry and you don't want uneaten food fouling the tank water.

Keep pluggin'

B