Twoapennything
Aquarium Advice Freak
1. I'm pretty sure my black velvet Molly has Ich (pictures at the end of the post) - he has white spots over his head and belly, and the scales look fuzzy, as if they've been brushed the opposite way than they normally lay. Guy was doing a lot of lurking and darting around the tank frantically. I did not see him trying to rub himself on rocks or decor.
2. Today's tank parameters are: Ammonia .125; NitrIte .125, NitrAte 0-5, pH 7.8 (note: I have done two Ich treatments in the past six days, using API's Super Ick Cure).
3-4. I have a 37 gallon Marineland tank with a built in hood and filter. The tank has been set up since January 15, 2010. The filtration system is Marineland biowheel and, as I said, is just built into the tank set. I do know that it says it can process up to 250 gallons of water per hour (could this really be true? That's a lot of water).
5. I have two mollies (small); one fancy goldfish (medium); one betta fish (small); seven neon tetras (tiny); two cherry barbs (tiny); two powder blue gouramis (small); one balloon belly molly (tiny), two guppies (tiny); two sunset wag platies (small); one angelfish (small); and two African dwarf frogs (tiny) in my tank.
Tiny = less than 1 inch
Small = 1 - 2 inches, approximately
Medium = 2 - 4 inches
Large - 4+ inches
Total: 23 fish I am maxed out on my bioload, IMO. I'm not planning to add any more fish to this tank.
6. This tank, I think, is still cycling. I do a water change whenever the ammonia and nitrite levels go up; this would be between 2-4x per week. I vacuum the gravel every time I do a water change. I remove between 30% and 75% of the tank's water, depending on the ammonia and nitrite levels. The higher the levels, the more water I remove.
7. I have had Guy Noir for well over six months; this is the first illness he has shown.
8. The only new addition to the tank is our betta fish, Hemlock. He has been with us for 10 days. and doesn't show any signs of Ich. Nothing else is new - no new chemicals, no new decor, no new food, etc.
9. I have not changed the fishes' diet - I work really hard to keep their diet stable and the fish on a fixed eating schedule. In the morning I feed NutraFin Max livebearer flakes and one very small pinch of Top Fin small freeze dried medley (daphnia, mysis shrimp, and bloodworms). In the evening I feed NutraFin Max livebearer flakes and NutraFin Max tropical fish flakes. About every two days I also feed in the morning ReptoTreat, which is whole bloodworms in a "nutrient rich gel," mainly for my African frogs. I also feed them fresh peas (frozen/dethawed, and shelled, technically) and sometimes a piece of lettuce. I am careful not to overfeed the fish.
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Okay, so Guy has Ich, I'm pretty sure. I have treated the tank twice with the API Super Ick Cure, every 48 hours, per the directions on the box. Guy's looking better, but the white spots are not completely gone. The FAQ indicated that sometimes daily treatment is necessary. I have a product on hand called Jungle Parasite Clear - Tank Buddies, which is a multi-parasite treatment, apparently. Should I use this? Or should I go to PetSmart and buy the Super Ick Cure again and just stick to that? What about aquarium salt - is it a good choice to try?
Apparently Ich can be killed more quickly when the water is warmer. I have slowly been raising the temperature in the tank to 80+, but I'm worried about my fancy goldfish - I usually keep the temp around 78-80 degrees, so it's not like Lady isn't used to warmer water. But higher than 80? Would it kill my goldfish?
Any and all advice is appreciated. Here's some pics of Guy:
2. Today's tank parameters are: Ammonia .125; NitrIte .125, NitrAte 0-5, pH 7.8 (note: I have done two Ich treatments in the past six days, using API's Super Ick Cure).
3-4. I have a 37 gallon Marineland tank with a built in hood and filter. The tank has been set up since January 15, 2010. The filtration system is Marineland biowheel and, as I said, is just built into the tank set. I do know that it says it can process up to 250 gallons of water per hour (could this really be true? That's a lot of water).
5. I have two mollies (small); one fancy goldfish (medium); one betta fish (small); seven neon tetras (tiny); two cherry barbs (tiny); two powder blue gouramis (small); one balloon belly molly (tiny), two guppies (tiny); two sunset wag platies (small); one angelfish (small); and two African dwarf frogs (tiny) in my tank.
Tiny = less than 1 inch
Small = 1 - 2 inches, approximately
Medium = 2 - 4 inches
Large - 4+ inches
Total: 23 fish I am maxed out on my bioload, IMO. I'm not planning to add any more fish to this tank.
6. This tank, I think, is still cycling. I do a water change whenever the ammonia and nitrite levels go up; this would be between 2-4x per week. I vacuum the gravel every time I do a water change. I remove between 30% and 75% of the tank's water, depending on the ammonia and nitrite levels. The higher the levels, the more water I remove.
7. I have had Guy Noir for well over six months; this is the first illness he has shown.
8. The only new addition to the tank is our betta fish, Hemlock. He has been with us for 10 days. and doesn't show any signs of Ich. Nothing else is new - no new chemicals, no new decor, no new food, etc.
9. I have not changed the fishes' diet - I work really hard to keep their diet stable and the fish on a fixed eating schedule. In the morning I feed NutraFin Max livebearer flakes and one very small pinch of Top Fin small freeze dried medley (daphnia, mysis shrimp, and bloodworms). In the evening I feed NutraFin Max livebearer flakes and NutraFin Max tropical fish flakes. About every two days I also feed in the morning ReptoTreat, which is whole bloodworms in a "nutrient rich gel," mainly for my African frogs. I also feed them fresh peas (frozen/dethawed, and shelled, technically) and sometimes a piece of lettuce. I am careful not to overfeed the fish.
---
Okay, so Guy has Ich, I'm pretty sure. I have treated the tank twice with the API Super Ick Cure, every 48 hours, per the directions on the box. Guy's looking better, but the white spots are not completely gone. The FAQ indicated that sometimes daily treatment is necessary. I have a product on hand called Jungle Parasite Clear - Tank Buddies, which is a multi-parasite treatment, apparently. Should I use this? Or should I go to PetSmart and buy the Super Ick Cure again and just stick to that? What about aquarium salt - is it a good choice to try?
Apparently Ich can be killed more quickly when the water is warmer. I have slowly been raising the temperature in the tank to 80+, but I'm worried about my fancy goldfish - I usually keep the temp around 78-80 degrees, so it's not like Lady isn't used to warmer water. But higher than 80? Would it kill my goldfish?
Any and all advice is appreciated. Here's some pics of Guy: