Ich, Have a few questions...

[kjbuente]

This is my first FW tank that has gotten Ich. (I took pride in the fact that I was going years with out dealing with Ich before I took my break from keeping "Fishy Friends").

Anyhow, This is my fist battle with Ich. I read the article here at AA, very very helpful. Thanks to who wrote it! But I am trying to figure out the best method of attach against the protozoan....

Here is my setup....
10Gal
4 Cherry Barbs
7 Ghost Shrimp
2 Oto cats (Was four, all where ill when I got them. Only two survived, been meaning to get more).
Ammo 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate ~30 (Hard to tell with API Master Kit. Either way, higher than it normally is...)
PH 7.5
Temp kept at 80 Degrees Fahrenheit
I do 20% PWC one week, Next week it is 50%, followed by 20% the week after, so on and so forth. I use my gravel vac every time I do a PWC.

Trying to figure out if raising the temp above 86 degrees or using salt is the best method to eradicate this pesky protozoan.....

I do not like the salt idea, but I know that Cherry Barbs are sensitive to temp. (Or was it temp swings)?

Can someone please give your thoughts and experiences?

Thanks!

 

[dkpate]

All fish are sensitive to temp swings. Since you have otos in there, I would skip the salt, and just raise the temp SLOWLY to 86*, and leave for at least 10 days.
Good luck! And feel free to ask any more questions you might have.
On a side note, you are going to need a bigger tank for the fish you have.

 

[allaboutfish]

one thing you need to do is keep those nitrates way down. with ich fish are much more sensitive to things like nitrates also i do agree the cherry barbs need a 20 gallon tank, but we can adress that later. do you have any plants? plants really help with parameters. good luck

 

[kjbuente]

I have already set the temperature above 86 Degrees, so far it is on day 3 and I can already see less white specs. I also did a couple 50% PWC after posting my first topic, the Nitrates are around 10. (I really wish the API Master Kit was easier to read). I do have some Marino Moss Balls in the tank. My Nitrates normally never go above 20 regardless when I do a PWC, I wonder why it suddenly changed....


I do agree with you all that I need at least a 20gal. But the Cherry Barbs where in my neighbor's 55Gal tank that had a meeting from a baseball that entered from a window. By the time I got my 10Gal with sustainable water, only 5 where left alive. He did not want them anymore, so I ended up keeping them. Since one died shortly after, and they are less than an inch long. I felt I have a few months till I really really have to get a larger tank. But I know these guys love their swimming room, so I've been saving and hunting for a good tank.

Anyhow, I fear I have a NEW problem.....
This morning I was doing a inspection on the fish to see how they are doing and I noticed this little worm like thing inside the tank on the glass. With out a doubt that it was alive and not something that was moving due to water flow. Other than it was thin,long (1/4 inch) and white I really can't think of other ways of describing it. Is it a possibly parasitical worm? I do not see anything in the digestive track of my Ghost Shrimp that look like it. How would I remove something like this?

I also feel that something bigger is going on here. Nothing has been added to this tank in 3 weeks and that was a thermometer, before that it was fake log for some Deco. That was 2 weeks prior the thermometer, and everything was cleaned before entering the tank. Then all of a sudden I have Ich and now this worm like thing? Is it something that could of came from my water supply? I have manciple water from the city, I know there is enough chlorine to smell like a public pool. I always filter the water though a britta water filter, treat with Prime, then temp match with the tank. Could it be something from the water, or hitching on me? (Oh god it better not be me, I'm a germaphobic)

 

[kjbuente]

Okay, I think the worms are Planaria Worms. I did notice that right below my filter intake there was some of uneaten food. I feed sparingly once a day, and gravel vac once a week. So from the fish having Ich, they just have not been eating.

Knowing that the worms are not harmful to the fish. (Freaks me out more than you think)! And the Ich is showing signs of recession, I think I can see the end of the woods.

Thanks for the help!

 

[dkpate]

Make sure the ich is completely gone before you turn the temp back down, even though you don't see it on the fish, it is possibly still present in the "sit in the substrate and be a cyst" stage. After the cyst stage, it breaks open and more ich comes out and reattaches to the fish. The ich can only be killed in it's free swimming stage.

I am so happy to hear that you are shopping for a bigger tank! That's awesome news. Have you tried Craigslist?

They probably are planaria, and it's possibly from the overcrowding. I would do an extra water change every week, and a thorough vacuum each time. I am not sure how the planaria gets in, it just happens.

The otos could have brought the ich in, and you just didn't notice it, because it can hide out in the gills of fish.