Temperature vs. Ich. Questions...

[laurelhed]

I have a sunset platy with fuzzy white spots about the size of sea salt granules on her sides. She has clamped fins, is not eating, and is hiding in the back of the tank in the plants. She occasionally flashes, and has been behaving oddly and not looking her robust self for some time now (months). No other fish are affected. I have: 2 otos, 1 rubbernose pleco, 1 siamese algae eater (snuck in with the otos), 5 pink zebra danios, and too many platies due to growing fry at various stages in a 20 gallon tank. I will test for parameters in the morning, but the tank has been cycled for several months and running at: Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrates 40ppm, sometimes higher. Struggling with those nitrates, but I have nitrate-busting plants, and do frequent water changes.
Here's the question, well, 2 of them. First, does this actually sound like ich or velvet? Second, now that I have seen the white spots, and after researching treatment, I have decided to go with elevated heat and no lights. I am raising the temperature from 74-76 slowly (day by day) to 86. BUT, over the summer, the temperature in the tank was running 82+ for weeks. My thermometer doesn't read higher, but wouldn't the high temp have killed off ich in the tank? Or would temperature drops at night mess up the cycle and allow the little buggers to multiply? If the temp only reached 84, would this really be too low, even over a period of 2-3 months to kill off ich?
I really want to help my fish! She is one of my original "Big Mommas" and just so sweet & beautiful. All advice will be appreciated!

 

[ejaramillo01]

I have a sunset platy with fuzzy white spots about the size of sea salt granules on her sides. She has clamped fins, is not eating, and is hiding in the back of the tank in the plants. She occasionally flashes, and has been behaving oddly and not looking her robust self for some time now (months). No other fish are affected. I have: 2 otos, 1 rubbernose pleco, 1 siamese algae eater (snuck in with the otos), 5 pink zebra danios, and too many platies due to growing fry at various stages in a 20 gallon tank. I will test for parameters in the morning, but the tank has been cycled for several months and running at: Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrates 40ppm, sometimes higher. Struggling with those nitrates, but I have nitrate-busting plants, and do frequent water changes.
Here's the question, well, 2 of them. First, does this actually sound like ich or velvet? Second, now that I have seen the white spots, and after researching treatment, I have decided to go with elevated heat and no lights. I am raising the temperature from 74-76 slowly (day by day) to 86. BUT, over the summer, the temperature in the tank was running 82+ for weeks. My thermometer doesn't read higher, but wouldn't the high temp have killed off ich in the tank? Or would temperature drops at night mess up the cycle and allow the little buggers to multiply? If the temp only reached 84, would this really be too low, even over a period of 2-3 months to kill off ich?
I really want to help my fish! She is one of my original "Big Mommas" and just so sweet & beautiful. All advice will be appreciated!

Sounds like itch to me, a picture will help even better. When did you notice the white granules on her? You said that for months she has been behaving oddly, but with no white spots correct?
Yes, I would say that the temp must be maintain all the time at 86 minimum. But if your tank was reaching high temp during the day, for sure was attacking the ich, maybe for this reason you have not seeing affecting other fish, but dropping temp at night doesn't help for the ich treatment.

My suggestion is to follow the heat treatment, as you already doing, for at least two weeks, maybe three, depending how fast you see the white spots desapearing.

Good luck

 

[laurelhed]

so I'v e been slowly raising temperature, but had to turn lights back on because my tank is planted. Momma looks a lot better, but is missing scales on her sides, especially the right. However, the temp still hasn't reached 86, and not a single other fish is at all affected. Could she just have a bacterial something? oh, Big Momma is starting to eat as well.