EMERGENCY! PLEASE HELP! Seriously please read my question!

[mandy2936]

OK tank details: 20g 5 male Guppies, 4 Julii Cories, 6 Neon Tetra.

Everyone healthy, happy, and okay.

Today I went out and purchased two more Neon Tetras and a Dwarf Gourami.
WHAT HAPPENED:
I was floating the bag as I planned to acclimate them for 30 minutes. I turn my back for one second and find the bag sunk into the tank and the fish are released! They had only been acclimated for 5 minutes. Also, half of the bag water got into my tank!

The Neons began schooling right away. They had very minimal color, very dull. I figured they would brighten up when they adjust. The Dwarf Gourami seems to be doing well as of now. Pretty cheerful and exploring the tank.

I ate dinner and when I came back I noticed the Neons were still dull looking. I looked closer to find one of them had little grain-like white spots on him! I immediately panicked. Could this day get any worse? I assume it's ich.

Right away I scooped up both the two new Neons and placed them into a 1/2 gallon bowl with their tank water. That's the best I could do. I don't have a quarantine tank.

There is no filter or heater in this bowl. Soon the temperature is going to start dropping to room temperature, hopefully slowly enough though. I place the a dark towel around the tank to keep stress down a bit, they seem to be getting worse color wise.

I plan to return them tomorrow. At least they can be put into a filtered tank, rather than this bowl.
Will they survive the night?

MOST IMPORTANT:
Has a diseased been introduced into my tank?
I know it's bad enough the bag water got into my tank.. but now water that a fish with ich had been in? I'd say the fish had been in the tank for about 30-45 minutes before I noticed the ich and took them out.

WHAT CAN I DO? Please help! I'm a beginner and everything was going perfectly up until now!
I'm so upset. Please help.

 

[HN1]

The fish sound stressed, shut out the lights and let them settle.

You probably have introduced a disease. Read up on ich treatments, but don't rush to start anything. Drastic actions usually do more harm than good.

Temp matched, dechlored water changes never hurt IMO.

Don't kick yourself too hard. I'll bet most folks have had something like this happen. I know I have had a few! lol Good luck!

 

[mandy2936]

So basically your saying that I should do a water change? Which is worse..
Letting my DG settle in and adjust and possibly leave the tank with a disease, or do a water change and risk stressing my DG?

Also ask i said above I put a dark towel around my neons QT so they can be less stressed.

Oh no! I don't want to have ich in my WHOLE tank! :'(
Is there anything I can do?? I will do a large water change for now.

thanks for the quick response.

 

[HN1]

Let the fish settle first, give them a few hours or overnight if you can. Anything that would be introduced already is so there is no use stressing the fish further. Then do a water change. Read up about ich treatments and decide on a course to start tomorrow or the following day. That's JMO.

 

[mandy2936]

Ok. Is there a possibility that Ich was not introduced to my tank?
Also, how will I know whether to treat the tank or not? Should I wait until I find signs in my fish that they have caught Ich, or treat the tank immediately?
Remember that the Neons have been QTed.
Please Help!

 

[libbyb]

You poor thing. You sound like you need to de-stress, too! Just follow HN1's advice and I'm sure all will be ok. You very may well have introduced ich to the tank but it's not the end of the world. The people here on AA are experienced and knowledgeable. There's also a good website: peteducation.com by Doctors Foster and Smith.

 

[libbyb]

How are you babies doing?

 

[Bigzmey]

Raising temp to 80 and adding some salt should help to get read of ich

 

[mandy2936]

Hey guys,
Well, unfortunately the sick Neon who was infected with Ich that I brought home from the pet store and removed from the tank died, and has been buried.
His partner, from the same tank, (whom I also QTed) seemed so have a bit of early signs of Ich. I knew that he would face the same fate as the first Neon without a filter, so I took him back to the pet store and returned him.
So far I have been very lucky. My main tank, the 20 gallon doesn't have any sick fish as of yet. No one seems to have Ich, so I'm hoping it will stay this way. It happened on the 11 and it's now the 14th, so would it have already affected my fish by now?

Thanks for the concern and advice.

 

[Bigzmey]

It is not over yet, keep observing the fish.