I Need some ICH advice... Please Help!

[joshly]

I have a 25 gallon Eclipse tank and i am having problems with my YO YO loaches and ich. The problem i am having is when using ICH medication with the Eclipse filter system you need to removed the entire filter, you cant remove only the carbon. And when i do that my nitrate levels go sky high and the fish begin to die. What can i do????
And what medication will be safe for my YO YO loaches




thanks for your help

 

[TCTFish]

Removing the carbon cartridge is needed while medicating. Carbon neutralizes the meds, so it'd be a waste of medication and effort to keep the carbon in the filter. Removing the carbon cartridge should not make the nitrates go up that high. Perhaps you are over feeding? It's very common and very easy to do. Know that full feeling we get when we've eaten enough? Well, fish don't get that feeling. They lack that neural impulse. That's why they always act as though they are begging for food...LOL. Tell ya what...test the aquarium water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH and post the results. Also , here are some questions that would help us help you better...

How long has the tank been up and running with fish?
How often and how much do you feed?
How often do you do water changes and how much water do you take out?
What fish do you have?

Yo yo loaches are scaleless fish and are very sensitive to typical chemical based meds. What I use on sensitive fish is garlic soaked food and a treatment mix of 1/2 dose of melafix and 1/2 dose of Ich Attack. May take a bit longer to treat, but the fish is less likely to die from the treatment.

 

[joshly]

Thanks for your response...

My tank has been running for over a year now with fish
I feed twice daily and just a pinch or two of flaked food
I do 25% water changes one a month, sometiem twice.
I had 4 guppies, 1 gourami, 4 neon teras, 3 yoyo loaches

 

[TCTFish]

Try changing your routine maintenence to 15% once every two weeks instead of 25% once a month. This can help keep nitrates from accumilating too much before the next water change. Regular feeding amount shouldn't exceed two to three minutes worth of food per day. Skip a day here and there.

Still need water test results to be able to figure out what else needs to be done. If there's anything out of balance, increase of water changes to 10% two to three times a week may be needed as well as a decrease in feeding. Won't know until the numbers are posted

 

[joshly]

Why do i only have problems with extremely high nitrate levels only when i remove my filter???

 

[TCTFish]

I can't really answer this question without knowing the water quality with the filter in place. Once there are test results I can read, then I can answer. Get the water tested and post the results. It's possible that removing the filter may disrupt waste debris, which can indicate high nitrates even with the filter intact. That's just a guess. I may have a better answer after seeing the test results.

 

[joshly]

Ok i will test my water ASAP and let you know.

Thanks for your help and advice