ich?

[fishy_love]

Hello, I recently added a pair of red wag platy to my angelfish's tank and one began flashing occasionally and now my black veiled angelfish baby has white spots :-( no one else seems to have them. She is acting perfectly normal and is eating. I Googled and it suggested adding aquarium salt so I have done so. Is this ich? It looks like she has a few little white dots on her body, I attached her picture showing the specks. Will the salt help? What should I do? Thank you for any help.



She is about 1.5 inches tall and the specks are the size of ballpoint pen tips. All tank parameters are normal.

 

[molliwopp]

There are lots and lots of threads on this topic, have a quick search if you want a more detailed description but you want to slowly rise the temperature of your tank over afew hours to low to mid 80s and keep it there for 2 weeks. Gravel vac the substrate regularly over this period get out any paracites that fall off and settle at the bottom of the tank.

Failing that, there are lots of medications that will kill ich, most wont effect you biological filtration

 

[fishy_love]

There are 8 tiny dots on one side and 1 on the other. Ranging from pin-head barely visible sized to ballpoint pen tip sized. I don't know if that helps at all but yeah, I'm worried.

 

[michelle5012]

That looks like ich to me! Increase your temperature in the tank slowly (but not above 85 degrees) and use a salt treatment like "marine salt" or even "cichlid salt" and "aquarium salt" is widly used for 10 days. Even if the spots go away you don't want to stop treatment. Also you may want to keep the light off and lower the water level. I have also used an air stone for added oxygen. They have medication for ich but I don't use meds in tanks! Good luck!

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Looks and sounds like ich. To treat:

Increase temp to 86-88F (must be 86 or more any less wont work).
Increase aeration.
Increase gravel vacs and water changes.
Leave the temp up for at least one week after last spot is seen.
Slowly decrease temp to normal.
No meds or salt are usually needed.
http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_ich2.php

 

[molliwopp]

Yeah its definitely ich. Ich is a paracite that burrows under the skin, the spots themselves appear as white spots because the fishes body trys to heal over them. Ive heard many many people curing it with heat as low as 80.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

That looks like ich to me! Increase your temperature in the tank slowly (but not above 85 degrees) and use a salt treatment like "marine salt" or even "cichlid salt" and "aquarium salt" is widly used for 10 days. Even if the spots go away you don't want to stop treatment. Also you may want to keep the light off and lower the water level. I have also used an air stone for added oxygen. They have medication for ich but I don't use meds in tanks! Good luck!

Don't use marine salt or cichlid salt to treat ich. One will change water parameters and the other will make brackish conditions. Any temp under 86F will not stop the ich. 86F stops the ich from reproducing and eradicates it from the tank completely. If treated correctly it will not come back unless reintroduced by new fish or infected plants and equipment.

 

[michelle5012]

Sorry Mumma is completely right!!! I was going by memory and my memory is not that great. I will butt out now.

 

[molliwopp]

Don't use marine salt or cichlid salt to treat ich. One will change water parameters and the other will make brackish conditions. Any temp under 86F will not stop the ich.

Not true. Many people have cured it with lower temps. But if you want to be safe stick it up to 86 the hotter the better but To be honest, depending what fish you have may determinded how high you want to push the temperature.

 

[fishy_love]

Thank you all so much!!
I've salted, I have a bubble stone and an led bubble wand in the tank, I vacuum 1/4 of the gravel and change +/-30% of the water weekly, should I vacuum the same gravel or other spots if I am doing it 3x a week? I read that vacuuming all of it can mess with the biological bacteria?
My heater is currently at 80, I think I will need to buy a new one to get up to 86 though, any suggestions?

 

[molliwopp]

While the ich is inside the fish it cannot be killed. Heat speeds up the cycle, shortening the time its inside its host. If you gravel vac regularly and you can cure itch at any temperature!!!! Thats why i asked what fish you have, for example peppered cories wont tolerate a temperature of 86+

 

[molliwopp]

How long has your tank been up?

 

[fishy_love]

Since the first week of November. Fully cycle with normal parameters, the heater runs low though I've noticed by up to 2degrees at times. I last month added a few plants and boiled driftwood, I want to over time convert it to natural decor instead of the obviously fake stuff.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Cured for a few months or completely eradicated? The higher temp of 80F will certainly increase the rate at which the ich reproduces and cause it to leave the fishes body sooner than that of lower temperatures. What people are seeing when the spots disappear from the fish is only one stage of a 4 stage life cycle. It will still exist in small numbers in the substrate for a number of weeks. It only takes one to attach to a fish and go unnoticed for it to produce thousands more. Then only one of these needs to infect a fish and go unnoticed to produce thousands more. And so on. Then weeks or months down the track a fish will get stressed or sick from bullying, disease, poor water conditions and it will take its chance and reinfect the tank. That is why I am suggesting a higher temp of 86f or more. Ich stops reproducing at 86f and can be completely eradicated from the tank altogether.

It only takes one. By vacuuming the gravel there is no guarantee you can get it all.

I have treated peppered cories at 88F for three weeks without any issues what so ever.

 

[molliwopp]

Granted, if you have warmer water fish that can tolerate 86 for afew weeks, do it. Otherwise be careful.

Really? Peppered cories at 88? Mm sounds 'fishy' lol i certainly wouldnt recommend it. Maybe im thinking pandas. One of which like 69-74.

 

[molliwopp]

If your heater cant do 86 like you said, instead of going out and buying an extra heater try alittle aquarium salt like you said and a slightly lower temp.
Ich is only really dangerous at cold temps when left untreated.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I don't mean to argue but I really think that getting an extra heater is the way to go. You want to make sure to cure the ich completely. What other fish are in the tank? Fish such as cories, loaches, plecos and other catfish can have issues with salt added to the tank. They can handle some but usually the amount it takes to cure ich is higher than they can stand.

I have to state that you should never use heat to cure ich in cool water fish such as goldfish. They can handle higher salt concentrations so salt can be used. 0.3% salt (1gram per 1000mL) is used.

 

[fishy_love]

So she should be alright at about 82 with salt? The packaging said 1Tbsp per 5gals for disease treatment, it is regular aquarium salt. I will feel horrible if she dies all because I wanted to add some colorful fish...
I will increase my water change/gravel vacuuming to 3x a week also.

Do you guys think it is necessary to buy the meds they sell or will the heat and salt treatment be enough? I would prefer to not medicate the tank if I can.
I might go get a new heater anyway since my current one runs low.

 

[molliwopp]

Were assuming the OP even has cories. Mommas right about cories not liking much salt, and now i think about it, id rather have them at a higher temp than risk salts. Buy another heater and then youll always have one for back up, this could actually save you trouble at a later date if one fails.
Either way i wish you sucess with the little buggers.

 

[fishy_love]

my angelfish baby, 2 red wag platies, a bn pleco about an inch long, 3 neon danios, and 3 snails. I had mollies, dwarf frogs, and gourami but I moved them to a new tank for the angelfish's sake.

Should I move my pleco, Thomas, while the salt treatment is happening?