is this ich?? help

[undercutter]

noticed some white spots/grains on my catfish that weren't there yesterday, does this look like ich?

my second question is, can I just remove and treat the catfish, or do I have to treat the whole tank now? I have betta and some amano shrimp in there, all of them look healthy, active with good appetite

the catfish doesn't act sick or lethargic but I don't see what else this can be besides ich?

 

[GodFan]

It doesnt appear to be ich from what I can see in your pics... Ich is ussually quiet pronounced... Look and see if the spots are surface only or if they are protruding. Protruding spots are a bad sign. What kind of catfish is it? It looks cool.

 

[RabiedRooster]

Yeah looks like it. Remove to a QT tank. Treat for 1ish week. Put back in tank. Most treatments will harm shrimps so best not treat the whole tank.

 

[undercutter]

yeah I already removed the catfish

I am just wondering if I have to treat the whole tank for ich if one the fish in a tank has ich, will it automatically spread to everything else there, or could it remain just an isolated case because that particular fish was stressed or something

I know the treatment will probably kill the shrimp, I have 4 amano shrimp in there that are almost 2 inches so I really don't wanna do it

it's a jaguar catfish, the spots look like tiny salt pellets attached to its skin and fins

I am not sure the catfish will survive treatment either since it doesn't have scales

 

[RabiedRooster]

Id remove the betta to the qt too and treat both. The life cycle will be disrupted in your main tank as there are no fish and the ick will die. If you can turn the heat up a little in both qt and main to speed up the life cycle of the ick. you can treat the fish, tank and not lose your shrimp this way.

 

[GodFan]

Id remove the betta to the qt too and treat both. The life cycle will be disrupted in your main tank as there are no fish and the ick will die. If you can turn the heat up a little in both qt and main to speed up the life cycle of the ick. you can treat the fish, tank and not lose your shrimp this way.

Hey I want to know about that! How can I treat ick without chemicals and without salt?

 

[RabiedRooster]

You would need to use salt and heat. The heat just speeds up the life cycle of the ick. the salinity is what kills it. In his display tank having increased heat and no fish would more or less guarantee the ick gone by the time he puts his fish back in after treatment. i presume he would be using medication in his QT although heat and salt would work too.

 

[Dale_I]

You can affectively treat ich with heat only at temperatures above 85 degrees. However, salt does help and you don't need a whole lot of it. Most call for a tablespoon for every 5 gallons, but increasing it just a teaspoon per 5 can help. You can read this:
Understanding and Treating Ich or White Spot
and an even better read is:
Ich | The Skeptical Aquarist

The skeptical aquarist is a long one, but very thorough and informative if you can get all the way through it. A definite "must read" if you want to completely understand ich.

 

[Reygan2]

Dale I is right, you don't need meds...just 2 weeks, 86 degrees, and extra surface disturbance to allow for 02 exchange (lower water level in tank for splashing/air stone). IMO you don't even need to add salt, but if you do be sure to dilute it in tank water in a separate container 1st.

 

[GodFan]

Im afraid of salt because Im not sure how cories and kuhlu loaches would tolerate it. Not to mention inverts...

 

[Dale_I]

There is salt in common water. It is the concentration you want to be careful with. It is the change in salinity that ich can't adjust to, so as long as it is a conservative change that won't be more than the fish can adapt in it shouldn't be a problem.

I've seen recommended dosages from 1 tablespoon to "a handful". Like I said, I only use a teaspoon per 5 gallons, which is fairly conservative.
3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon