Ich and eye cloudiness!!! Help!

[Jesselav1233]

Hey so I have a 55 gallon tank and have had fish in my tank for a few months. I recently traded in most of my fish(all healthy) from this tank and bought 4 discus really pretty orange and blue guys I really like them but they seem to have ich and eye cloudiness now! My temperature is at 84 degrees and all I know to do is use rid ich plus every 12 hours and do regular water changes and clean the gravel as best I can as I do the water changes....anyone have any advice on how to get rid of this stuff?

 

[jlk]

Hi and welcome to AA!!! Have you checked your water parameters for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate & ph? How do these numbers look? How did you acclimate your new fish? Cloudy eyes can be caused by high toxin levels as well as improper acclimation (drastically different ph levels). A third cause is a bacterial infection. As you are already treating the ich with meds, you will need to finish this course of meds first while maintaining healthy water parameters before considering another treatment. Some more info will help us to help you better!

 

[Jesselav1233]

Hey I tested a week ago with strips and everything came out good except my alkalinity was way to low like close to 0. I acclimated them by putting the bags they came in in my tank floated them for about 15mins then started to mix the tank water with their water for another 15 mins so after 30 mins total I let them out of their bags and into the tank thanks for replying to me I really appreciate it. This is the most useful my iPhone has been since I got it!!

 

[jlk]

Please consider investing in a proper liquid test kit such as the API freshwater master test kit. They can be found on amazon for $10+ cheaper than most lfs. If your alkalinity is coming back at zero, I suspect your ph is low as well or is fluctuating quite a bit. Strips are pretty inaccurate- I have to question the stabilty of your tank if this is the only means you are using to test. Without knowing exactly what your water parameters are reading, its a bit difficult to say what exactly is happening to your fish right now and whether its a water quality issue or an infection. Also, did you purchase new fish the same day you traded in your others or did the tank sit empty for a period of time?

In the future, consider drip acclimating any new fish- this will allow them to gradually adjust to your tank parameters. U-Tube has some decent 'how-to' videos that explain the process.

 

[Jesselav1233]

I will def get the liquid tests and start monitoring the levels I never payed any attention or had any problems before this but on the plus side there looking a little better and are swimming and eating so I have hope still this is my first time attempting discus and really don't want them to die but I think they're responding to the rid ich plus well! Thank you for ur feedback

 

[Jesselav1233]

How do I raise the alkalinity in the water? It's testing at 40 according to the strips everything else is in normal range ph is at 6.8 that's good right?

 

[jlk]

I dont have personal experience keeping these guys but theres lots of members on here that do. I believe stable, healthy water is the best thing you can provide for any fish. If your looking for discus-specific information (housing, water, diet, etc), I would post a question in general discussion for experienced members advice. According to your strips, your water parameters seem fine but I would question the accuracy of the readings your getting.

In respect to eye cloudiness, its possible it may be from the ich meds. They generally are quite potent and may affect sensitive fish. You can consider removing the ich meds via water changes & running some new carbon for a few hours and just treating with heat and frequent water changes. Meds are not usually necessary to treat ich and safer alternatives are always a good idea to try first before resorting to meds.

 

[Jesselav1233]

You were right I went to the local fish store and got my water tested my ammonia was high because the rid ich killed all my natural bacteria in my tank. Got some all natural bacteria supplement and added my carbon back in and water changed heavily along with an ammonia reducer and my water is perfect now(I bought liquid tests) and my fish seem happier and are eating normally Again thank you do much I think my fish are going to make it hopefully the eyes clear up ASAP!!! Thanks again

 

[jlk]

Just stay on top of your daily tests & water changes- your tank will have to recycle and it will be awhile before your ammonia & nitrite are reading zero again. Water changes will be the most important thing you can do to help your fish heal & then keep them healthy. Heres a fish-in cycle (what you are now in) link with some more info:

I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice