Help! Ich treatment not working!

[sbiondi1]

Hi all!

So I've had my tank 2 months now and around 2 weeks ago, I brought home 3 Cardinal Tetras with Ich

I don't have the space for a quarantine tank and I didn't even know what Ich was at the time so I just put them into my tank with my other fish and now those three Cardinals as well as some of my Neon Tetras and Gold Tetras are showing the white spot symptom...

The Cardinals also have fin rot so I bought a treatment for that the other day.

Here's my problem:

To cure the Ich, I went for the temperature increase treatment (because I have shrimp and heard that the chemical treatment/salt could be fatal for them)... I upped by temp to 32 degrees Celsius over a week ago and after the Ich got worse for 1-2 days, it then got much better with only one Cardinal still showing one or two white spots. After two days at 32 degrees I put the temp down 2 degrees to 30 degrees (because my guppies didn't seem to be tolerating 32 degrees too well). Then white spots starting appearing on the other Cardinals again!!! :/ So I increased the temp to 32 degrees again for 5 days this time. My guppies got through it and again all the white spots went form the other fish, so yesterday I decreased the water temp back to 30 degrees. But again, white spots have starting appearing on the Cardinals!!!!

I was under the impression that keeping my tank at 30 degrees would get rid of the Ich eventually and I only increased to 32 initially to boost the cure a bit... Will the 30 degree temp get rid of Ich over a longer period of time? Is it normal for more white spots to be appearing when I reduce temp to 30 degrees? Should I keep the temp at 32 degrees and hope my guppies survive?

If someone can give me advise or help I'd so appreciate it!! I don't want any more of my little fish to die! :'(

One of my tetras died last night...I think he was lacking oxygen :'( One of my guppies is hanging at the surface all the time now even though I bought an air pump and air stone and installed it a couple of hours ago! Is it just that the 02 takes time to diffuse? I really hope he'll be ok!

I lowered the water level when I increased my temp two weeks ago so that there'd be more surface movement but I think they were all struggling to get air when I added a few more fish around 2 days ago.

(I know you're probably going to think I was crazy adding new fish but like I said, I have no quarantine tank and I figured that since I was treating for Ich and finrot, I might as well add new fish while I was curing for them because that way if those fish had either of the diseases it would be cured on them too...)

I think maybe the chemical treatment for finrot also reduced o2 in the tank? Is that possible? I read somewhere that chemical treatments can also redue oxygen in the water...

If anyone has advise please help!!! I really don't want other fish to die

Thanks in advance!! S

 

[Coryluv]

I'm sorry for your loss.

Do you have an airstone/air pump? That will help if you think the fish are stressed from a lack of oxygen.

When I cured my ich, I combined heat treatment with Kordon Ich Attack for seven days. I kept my fish quarantined for an additional two weeks before putting them in the display tank where they live to this day.

Have you checked your thermometer against a different thermometer? So far I've found the digitals to be more accurate than the suction cup type. Some folks here have had trouble with heat treatment because of inaccurate thermometers. I have two of each kind and my two digitals and one suction cup match. The other suction cup reads 4 F too low (which would have me keeping my fish too warm if I didn't know).

Here are some articles that may give you additional ideas.

Aquarium Ich Disease | Ichthyophthirius Multifilis & Cryptocaryon

Ich | The Skeptical Aquarist

 

[RAvirani]

Try to keep the temperature as high as you can and use aquarium salt. Also as Coryluv said, get an air pump.

Hope this helps!