My First Tank - Everyone is DYING! :(

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aquanewbie72

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Dec 13, 2005
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Location
Rockville, MD
OK most importantly - I am begging all you experts to be patient with me and be nice. I know I've probably done some things wrong - but obviously I want to fix it or I wouldn't be here.... so here it goes:

We set up a 26-gallon aquarium 2 weeks ago with 2 red guramis, a cory catfish, a german ram, 2 calico moonfish, and a dozen neon tetras. There are no real plants. The bottom is small stones we got at Petco from the aquarium section.
Slowly, we lost a neon or 2 over the first week. We figured it was "new tank" syndrome. When our neons got low, we added 6 GloFish tetras. The water got sort of cloudy, I did my research, figured it was "new tank bacteria bloom" and just kept testing the water and figured it would all get better.
Suddenly last week, our Ram had what looked like ICK. The very next day, I bought Tetra’s Super Ick Cure. We have been following the directions- bumped the temperature up to 80, removed the carbon filtration, treated the tank with the med, waited 48 hours, treated again. Tonight is the night we're supposed to be doing a 25% water change and putting the filtration back on. But since Friday, 6 more fish have died (including the Ram who was the first to show symptoms).
The Ram died on Saturday - and OK - I know this was very poor judgement but I ran to the fish store and replaced him on Sunday. This morning (Tuesday), the new Ram was DEAD (after 3 days) along with another GloFish.
Everybody who is still alive (the guramis, the cat, the moonfish, and a 4 neon tetras and 3 GloFish tetras) has the white crystals on them. The water is cloudy- but I test it every morning for everything and it always passes with flying colors. I'm sorry I don't have exact numbers but I do those test strips that test for 5 things at once, and everything was in the "ideal" range this morning. THe only thing that looked off was the pH was a tick low.
The fish are still eating and swimming around. They eat good ole' Tetra flakes.
Any suggestions? Should we go through another cycle of medication or maybe is it not ICK? Could this be a different disease?

Please help me stop the DEATH! *snif* :cry:

~Michelle
 
OK, Now I'm at lunch and have had time to read the links you gave me as well as some other posts from other people with the same problems.

Here is what I've decided:
1) I've got a raging ICH infection in a new tank that hasn't cycled yet. So basically I've been double-whammy'ed.
2) Its much too late to QT anybody - so I need to keep treating the whole tank.
3) The claims on this bottle of medicine that my ich would be gone in 4 days is B.S. and I need to keep treating until my fish don't look covered in salt.

So here's my questions:
1) I've bumped the tank up to 80 degrees- I see other posters recommending 84-86 degrees. Will all of my fish tolerate 86 degrees? At the moment I have Red guramis, calico moonfish, a cory cat, and some neon tetras.
2) I see a few people talk about water changes - I haven't done any since the outbreak. Please advise the percentage and frequency of water changes I should be doing to cure this... I'll do ANYTHING. I'll do it every day if I have to.
3) Should I keep treating the tank with this Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Super Ich Cure stuff - or do you veterans recommend a different product? I don't care how much it costs - like I said above, I'll do ANYTHING - whatever it takes to keep me from scooping fish every morning.

Thanks! Is there anything else I can tell you that would help? Information about my tank.... pictures..... VIDEO?!?!? Just say the word....
 
Glad to see you grasped this stuff so quickly.

Yes, 86F is the recommended minimum. Keep it there until at least two weeks after the last spots are no longer visible.

You need to get yourself a good test kit to measure your parameters (ammonia, nitrite and nitrate). AP makes a good one (despite the Ich Cure "miracle in a bottle" stuff- AP is an excellent company). You will need to test for ammonia and nitrite every day and try to keep the levels below 1ppm. PWC's of 50% or more when needed or at least 40% per week is recommended.

You really don't need the meds, the ich dies just as slowly without them (as you have seen in the article...there is only one stage that you can kill them at - the meds don't last that long).

If it's any consolation, I had the very same issue hit me when I first started and the above methods got me through it. :)
 
Thanks - and thanks for not yelling at me about rushing the tank and putting in too many fish all at once without cycling the tank and blah blah blah - cuz I know that I messed that up- I should've done more research at the beginning. :oops: Now I just want to try and save what I have left.
Is that probably what started all of this mess - too much stress on the tank and too many fish too early?

*awww* I just looked at your gallery - your tank is beautiful! I want mine to look like that when it grows up. :wave:
 
Many things can bring on the terrors of Ich

Maximum everyday fish temps - then maximum short term(ish) temps (treating Ich)
Red guramis, 75-85 (varies on breed) (86)
calico moonfish, 82 (86)
a cory cat, 82 (86)
neon tetras. 82 - (86)

Most fish can handle treatment for ich. I've had my neons at 88 once, when my themrostat stuck on. (since been replaced) i think it was there for a few days before i notices my african frogs being pretty much dead. (wouldn't eat)

The neons were not as active, but they pulled through.

Good luck, and keep us posted!!!

(oh... we ALWAYS love tank pics!)
 
:oops: Thanks for the kind words about the tank. I really could not have done that without the help of the members of this great forum.

No need for yelling or anything of the sort. You needed help rather quickly and I kinda figured you already knew what caused the problem. (y)
 
OK heres a picture of one of my gurami's - you can see the ick on his fin -

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v511/Jinxicat/Wgurami.jpg

and heres a pic of my other gurami - not a great picture of the fish but see all those white specks in the water - not on the glass or on my camera - thats actually what my water looks like right now - is that because its not running through the carbon filter right now???

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v511/Jinxicat/Wgurami2.jpg


oh and sorry to report, I had to scoop 2 more neons this evening when I got home :(
 
Rams are notorious for dying at the drop of a hat. Also the neons don't seem to be as hardy as they used to be as many people on this site will tell stories of some dying for seemingly no reason within days of being purchased.

That said you've already gotten great advice. I would just do the high temp treatment for the ich and not add any new fish till the ich has been gone awhile. When you do buy more fish only add a few at a time then wait a week or two and add a few more. I'd personally avoid buying more neons since they seem so fragile lately and I probably would hold off on another ram till the tank is much more mature. They are really sensitive fish.
 
youve received great advice so far...id like to add my 2 cents...when you bump up the temperature do it slowly...like 1F every 8-12 hours or so...and sorry about the neons...not the hardiest fish...good luck! :wink:
 
Thanks everybody!

I did a PWC last night, put the carbon filtration things back in, and bumped the temp up a little bit through the evening- up to 82 as of this morning; and I cranked it up another degree before I left for work.
Also, for the first time in many days, the Grim Reaper did not stop at my fish tank last night. Everyone alive this morning and accounted for. So that is a glimmer of hope. :)
 
UGH spoke too soon - the Grim Reaper was just running late I guess. Two more neons gone - scary thing is, I've only got one body- but 2 are definitely missing. Don't know what happened to the other one. Maybe he was someone's lunch? 8O

well heck, I've only got ONE NEON LEFT. So either he is going to be my miracle survivor or he will die in the next 24 hours... either way, my larger fishes will get better- and I can finally MOVE ON. *geez*

(y)
 
Also consider dropping the water level to add some splashing, helps replenish the lower oxygen levels in the water, or alternatively add some aquarium salt (I think this would be best for you with the combined problem, you can't afford to have a low water line as less water will pollute faster)

I noticed a Black Neon that went into my daughters tank developed ich withing 1 day of being purchased (the store has been plagued with power outages so temps are a problem, they accept it was their fault, but not really important), I replaced the heater in her 16Gal with my old 150w (more accurate and can hit 90f) and just raised the temp to 88f, let it sit there for a week while I was away, came back, ich was gone and I dropped the temp back down about 2f/day to 77f..
 
Just an update.....
Although I ultimately ended up losing all of the neons, the surviving 5 fish are all healed up and looking FABULOUS. The water has cleared up and I could not be happier. This weekend will be 1 week since the ich disappeared and I'll start bringing down the water temperature.

Thank you SO MUCH everyone who responded and helped me through my first ich epidemic. I'll be much wiser next time and I'll know exactly what to do!

Thanks again to all you fantastic fish folks!!!!! Love ya!!!
:hugs:
 
two weeks from the last site of ich on the fish then bring down the temperatures..
great to hear you had some suvivors.. as others have already stated, I would personaly be very supprised to see neon tetras last through a cylce alone much less cycle+ich.
good work (y)
btw.. your more then welcome to stick around and post about fish thoughts and ideas (or coment on others ideas and thoughts) here on the board :p
 
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