White Stuff on Fish (SD)

[BallerTank]

ok so so far so good on KEEPING MY CICHLIDS ALIVE THROUGH THE TANKS CYCLE... new problem though. i threw 2 silver dollars (they were on special) in order to get some water with bacteria in the tank. everything was fine until almost a week in to it when the SD started getting salt like spots on them. i figured it was ich so i bought some "quik cure" and followed the instructions.. as soon as i started the med cycle my SD started getting white like fungus on the sides. i started a API tetracyclyn med but im not sure if thats a good idea or not.. all my other fish 6 cichlids seem to be fine with no signs of the spots or fungi but my sucker fish is starting to get the white spots. im almost ready to take the SD out and back to the petshop in order to prevent any infection to my cichlids but feel bad for i think the pet store will just discard them. can i save these guys???? pics below.

[neilanh]

Moving to the Sick Fish Forum

[Jason7894561230]

Those fish look almost beyond our help. First of all get the SD out of the tank you dont want to infect the other fish. Now make sure there is no carbon in the tank this will suck out all of the meds you put in there. Now for the ich put the temperature up to around 28*C and put some salt in the tank. Pick up some melafix and primafix and put that in the tank to ward of infection and keep the tank water super clean.

[Roscoe Jackson]

It looks like they have some sort of fungal infection plus ich. I would treat the ich with Quick Cure. It is cheap, easy to use,and it works great.
I would also get some Jungle Labs Fungus Clear.

[dkpate]

Wow, those poor guys look pretty bad.
Don't turn the heat up with the fungus, it will make it worse.
I would get Kordon Ich-Attack, Melafix and Pimafix. Since you seem to still be cycling your tank, I would use those since they are all natural and won't kill your good bacteria, QuICK Cure will.
Keep all the fish in the tank for treatment, since they are all most likely infected, if not with the fungus, then for sure with the ich.

[Roscoe Jackson]

QuickCure does not affect the beneficial bacteria at all.

Pimafix and Melafix will not help your fish. If you add it,it is like giving them a tea bath. There is nothing in either of those products that will help what is going on with your fish right now. They need meds.

[Jason7894561230]

Melafix and primafix are meds.

[Roscoe Jackson]

I do not consider Pimafix or Melafix medication. They are made from tree oils,and do not work IME.

[dkpate]

I have used Melafix and Pimafix twice to cure fungus on my harlequin rasboras.

QuICK Cure does kill your bacteria, since it contains malachite green.

Malachite Green is toxic... poisoning your livestock, the "good guy" bacteria populations in your system, as well as (hopefully) the pathogens you hope to be rid of.
(MalachiteGreen)

Melafix:
Heals open wounds & abrasions, treats fin and tail rot, eye cloud, mouth fungus and promotes regrowth of damaged fin rays & tissue. Will not adversely affect the biological filter, alter the pH, or discolor water. Safe for reef aquariums and live plants. For use in fresh or salt water.

Pimafix:
Treats fungal infections and both internal and external bacterial infections. Will not adversely affect the biological filter, alter the pH, or discolor water. Safe for reef aquariums and live plants. For use in fresh or salt water. PimaFix has been formulated to work in combination with Melafix to enhance effectiveness against fish diseases.
All info from: www.aquariumpharm.com

[Roscoe Jackson]

Originally Posted by dkpate

QuICK Cure does kill your bacteria, since it contains malachite green.

Malachite Green is toxic... poisoning your livestock, the "good guy" bacteria populations in your system, as well as (hopefully) the pathogens you hope to be rid of.
(MalachiteGreen)

You failed to link the entire article. If used as directed,it is fine to use.

I have used quickcure enough times to know it does not kill fish, or the bacteria. It is a cheap and easy way to get rid of ich. If you have clear silicone, it will stain it blue. I always use it in a QT,so I know how much water is in the tank, and do not care if the silicone is blue.

Melafix and Pimafix are nothing but tree oil, and a waste of money. But they do smell nice.

[dkpate]

I did link the entire article, hence the underlined site....try clicking it.

Have you ever used Melafix and/or Pimafix? I have, as well as many others on here, and it works great. I have also used QuICK Cure, and it also worked, but I used it in a small QT tank with one fish.

[Roscoe Jackson]

I'm sorry, you only quoted part of it in your post. I mis-spoke.

I have used Melafix and Pimafix. It has never helped with anything for me. From the majority of the reviews I have read,and from people I have spoken with about it,most see it as snake oil. If it has worked for you,that's great. But it is not something I would recommend.

[WendiDell]

WOW! It sounds like your getting a lot of conflicting advice. So I hope this doesn't add to your confusion, but here's my 2 cents worth.
1st, give all your fish a salt bath, sick or not, do em all.
The salt bath is 1 Tablespoon of aquarium salt in 28oz of clean tank water. Not the stuff with ick in it. Give each fish fresh solution to bathe in. Don't skip or skimp on this part.
The salt bath does 2 things, it helps the fish breath a little easier and it makes them less desirable food for ick.
While your fish are bathing do a 50% PWC.
Then put fish back in the tank and treat them with a medicine called Polyguard.
Polyguard treats ick and fungus and secondary bacterial infections. It's safe and treats almost everything so you don't need to be a diagnostician to treat your fish.
It will turn things blue so remove any decor you don't want to be blue.
Polyguard cost around $6.00 and treats 1000 US gallons. It's the only medicine I use any more. It's both gentle and very effective on so many different fish diseases, you won't need anything else.
Good luck to you and all your fish, no matter which therapy you choose.

[SpyGuy]

Originally Posted by Roscoe Jackson

I do not consider Pimafix or Melafix medication. They are made from tree oils,and do not work IME.

I know nothing about Pimafix or Melafix, so I can't comment on their effectiveness. But I must take exception to your premise that these could not be considered medications because they are made from "tree oils".

A great number of potent medicines and drugs are derived from botanical sources. Salacylic acid is derived from the bark of the willow tree:

"Salicylic acid is known for its ability to ease aches and pains and reduce fevers. These medicinal properties, particularly fever relief, have been known since ancient times, and it was used as an anti-inflammatory drug"

Acetylsalicylic acid is a related drug. You may know it as "Aspirin".

And don't forget that opium (and its derivatives such as morphine and heroin) are extracted from the opium poppy.

[uscamaro]

Put some "aquarium salt" (can find it at Petsmart). That's how I got rid of my ich

[WendiDell]

Originally Posted by uscamaro

Put some "aquarium salt" (can find it at Petsmart). That's how I got rid of my ich

I use Aquarium salt in all 4 of my freshwater tanks at all times.
It truly keeps ick at bay in freshwater tanks.
I only use a small amount, 1 Tablespoon for every 5 gallons. And I only replace it with PAC, not refills from evaporation. Because the salt doesn't evaporate with the water.
The salt has helped keep my fish ick free, except a couple very mild cases.
Unfortunately I found out about salt in freshwater aquariums after I lost an entire community tank in one day.
I used quick cure on them and they all died any way.
Afterward I did a lot of research on ick and found out about salt baths and Polyguard. And I haven't lost a single fish to ick in more than 2 years.
Salt is good even in freshwater tanks, if used wisely.

[WendiDell]

accidently posted the same thing twice. Sorry it's early, and no coffee yet. please read #16 and ignore #17

[dkpate]

Ich is not always present in an aquiarium, so there is no need to use salt all the time in freshwater tanks, (unless you have mollys). If fish preferred salt water, they would live in the ocean, or where the rivers meet the ocean (brackish).
Ich has to be brough into the aquarium, it doesn't just happen.

[Roscoe Jackson]

Originally Posted by SpyGuy

I know nothing about Pimafix or Melafix, so I can't comment on their effectiveness. But I must take exception to your premise that these could not be considered medications because they are made from "tree oils".

A great number of potent medicines and drugs are derived from botanical sources. Salacylic acid is derived from the bark of the willow tree:

"Salicylic acid is known for its ability to ease aches and pains and reduce fevers. These medicinal properties, particularly fever relief, have been known since ancient times, and it was used as an anti-inflammatory drug"

Acetylsalicylic acid is a related drug. You may know it as "Aspirin".

And don't forget that opium (and its derivatives such as morphine and heroin) are extracted from the opium poppy.

You completely misunderstood what I said. Nowhere did I say that I do not consider Pimafix or Melafix meds because they are made from tree oil. I do not consider them meds because they do nothing to cure fish of anything IME.

[dkpate]

And they have worked great for me. But anyway, we have majorly thread jacked, and probably confused the poster more than was needed, so we should stop this argument.