White spot

[mkc2186]

Hi all, I put a post up last week in regards to my ick outbreak, I’ve got a 6ft tank that’s fairly new and unfortunately I e had an outbreak of ick, I’ve tried everything possible in terms of raising the temperature, adding salt, frequent water changes, gravel cleaning, adding meds.....nothing seems to work, the only fish in the tank are my rainbow cichlids, they’re all adult, there’s 8 of them and they’re riddled with white spots now, they’re showing all the signs of advanced infection. Laying on the bottom of the tank and barely moving! They’re are barely eating too......is there any point that you cut your losses and put them out of their misery? I know it may seem harsh but the longer they’re there the more risk of the others becoming infected? I’m no expert and would appreciate some feedback on this topic. Thanks

 

[mkc2186]

Sorry in the regards to what fish are in the tank there is, 3 frontosa’s, 3 silver dollars, 1 green terror, 2 yellow labs, 2 rosy barbs, 2 angel fish and 8 cichlids. Only the cichlids are affected by the ick, they’re all older than the oldest of the other fish. Is there any reason why it’s only the cichlids affected?

 

[coralbandit]

The others will probably get it soon enough.
The only real way to cut your losses is kill the ich.
It is in your tank not just on the fish you recognize..
Rid Ich Plus and water changes .
Your fish sound like they will die before salt or heat work..Both take much longer then meds and really only work on small infections IMO..

 

[mkc2186]

Thanks coralbandit, I’ve been applying meds as well as everything else but nothing seems to work, it’s getting worse and the fish are dying now for sure :-( I did a 50% water change yday and cleaned all the gravel and then applied the meds (the lfs guy said this stuff is the best they’ve got) today again they look worse, they are literally covered in it now :-( I’m at a loss with what to do

 

[coralbandit]

What is the med?

 

[mkc2186]

It’s NTlab anti white spot and fungus

 

[mkc2186]

To be honest it’s a 7 day treatment but it just seems the fish at getting worse and worse due to the visual symptoms and their behaviours

 

[coralbandit]

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...spot-fungus/&usg=AOvVaw3u9MbVTIHoMExPR8TeNLB1
If this is what you are using it should work . Try increasing dose.
Dose the water loose the color from med quickly? if so you can probably double the dose.
Ich will not die on the fish. It can only be killed when it falls off for a brief 24-36 hour window. Keep meds in force so you can kill them as they fall.
You are either going to kill ich or it is going to kill your fish .
If the meds seem to not be doing enough I would increase them.
Here is the deal on ich ;
https://web.archive.org/web/20160313202109/http://skepticalaquarist.com/ichthyophthirius
Know your enemy ..
The med I linked[what I think you have] is MG and formalin and still considered the best treatment for ich..

 

[mkc2186]

Yeah that’s what I was thinking, initially when I put the meds in the water was a bluey colour (due to the meds) I was happy about this as it gave me a sense of comfort due to I felt like they were being treated but the next day the water was clear again....I have a fluval fx6 currently active, should I keep this on or downsize or will that not affect the meds?

 

[coralbandit]

If you are running carbon it needs to be removed .Otherwise it is not the filter but dissolved organics [all tanks are loaded with them] that are deteriorating the effectiveness of the meds too quick.
If you are dosing every day it may be ok to be clear the next but if it is almost gone faster I would up the dose. Disregard the "7 day treatment" . You need to keep installing meds for at least 3 days after you see the very last single spot on fish..
Instead of just doubling dose try dosing in am and pm. This will distribute the meds effective time longer .

 

[mkc2186]

Thank you for your advice coralbandit, it’s greatly appreciated. You’re a credit to the hobby