help please -- ick on Parrot cichlid

[frshwaterfish]

hi everyone i have a parrot cichlid with ick im not sure exactlly what to do mainly becuase i have a pinstripe eel and a pleco in the tank and dont know if they can handle the extra salt needed to treat ick. ive only been able to find info online saying that they would be sensitive to ick meds since they have no scales. very confussed and could use help also if i am able to treat with salt how mch extra do you add per gallon?

 

[Lovin Fish]

I am sorry.
You need to attempt to destroy it with heat, by raising your heat to 86 F slowly no more than 1 or 2 degrees per hour. Be sure to maintain strong continuous surface agitation to oxygenate the water. This is extremely important because oxygen levels drop in higher temperatures.
If you have a powerhead angle it up toward the surface. You can also add more airstones too.
Observe your fish closely for signs of stress. These signs are labored breathing, erratic behavior, lingering towards the surface, hovering just above the substrate, not eating. If you see any of these signs, take action and begin to reduce the temperature slowly while continuing to watch for stress and when you notice it disipating, hold the temp.

I did a quick search for you too. This is what I found if you are interested in using meds:

Slightly raise your temperature to around 82 degrees to speed the three stage life cycle of the ich. Treat the tank with a medicine that states that it can be used in lower dosages, Never use medications that doesn´t states this as using these in lower dosages can cause increased resistence in the ich/ick. Use only ¼ to ½ of the for regular fish recommended dose for scaleless fish and closely monitor the fish for increased stress. Remember that ich once it detaches from the fish will fall to the gravel and form hundreds of new tomites. Removing the ich infested fish will not cure the problem. This is a disease where the main tank needs to be treated. Without treating the main tank a relapse of ich may occur. As always with medications use of an airstone is recommended as most meds are oxidizing and decrease oxygen levels in the aquarium.

Good luck!!!!

 

[frshwaterfish]

thx lovin fish im probally going to use meds cause im scared of adding a massive does of salt with my eel and pleco in the tank, and im even more scared that heat alone will end up with someone dieing in the tank. ive already started rising the temp im going to do it very slowly and ive seen more people say only a degree or two a day compared to any other advice on rising the temp up for ick. i also have another betta question, scuba steve finally noticed one of the snails yesterday and was checking it out and then he put his fin up and started turing pale. it only would last a couple of min and his color would come back and it only happened twice that ive seen. should i add a small cave or something for him to hide better?

 

[frshwaterfish]

what do i do for filtration when i add the meds? i know i cant have any carbon in my filters or it will pull the meds right out of the water. i have a penguin 350 hob, a pengiun 150 hob, and a fluval 205 canister on my 55 gallon. what would be best to replace the filter pads on the hobs? im pretty sure the canister would be fine without its carbon but is there anything i could put in that compartment while im dealing with this ick

 

[Lovin Fish]

Be sure not to raise the temp over 82 while using meds. The combo can suffocate your fish! You are right to remove the cabon. Do you use sponges containing the carbon or do you put it inside the sponges by hand?
I don't use carbon at all in my tanks (unless removing meds when dosing is over) One of my filters has a filter that requires carbon filled sponges. I just bout a large Foam filter insert and then cut it to fit snuggly in the place where the original sponge would go. For my other filter, I have Bio-Bags that I snap open and put carbon inside only when I need. Otherwise I don't stuff em and just put them in their place in the filter. Works perfectly.

Gotta go...my 5 month old baby is callingn be right back to finish answering your questions!

 

[Lovin Fish]

Okay, I'm back...I'm sorry, I don't have any experience with canister filters so I can't help you there.

Sounds like your betta was flaring at the snail. Completely normal behaviour. Not sure about the turning pale part though. That's odd. Do you have tall plants or floating plants in your tank? I have found IME with my own bettas, they love to have plants to rest on and swim through. In the tank with the floating plants, the betta has made a home out of them Something else I have my bettas to like is driftwood that has arches. They really like to swim through the arch and rest beneath the plants that hover over the back of the driftwood.

I hope someone will be able to help you with the canister filter. Maybe post a question about running it without carbon in the equipment and general hardware section.

 

[frshwaterfish]

i have a almost 2 year old son i know how demanding kids can be. ill have to post a question about my canister in general hardwear, im just happy that the sponge and the carbon were in different places so i didnt have to pull that out. the med i got is api liquid super ick cure im able to only put in a half what i normally would for my fish without scales and it says its suppose to get the job don in about 2 treatments with a 48 hr break in between ( maybe a third cause im only using half what i normally would). i have the tank @ 82 degrees also....... yeah im still looking online for why my beta got pale it was weird he got pale on his head and had a line of paleness running down each of his sides, the good news though is he hasnt done it yet today . thx for the help ill keep updating my progress and i think im going to get my betta a few more plants and a structure of some sorts.

 

[Lovin Fish]

i have a almost 2 year old son i know how demanding kids can be. ill have to post a question about my canister in general hardwear, im just happy that the sponge and the carbon were in different places so i didnt have to pull that out. the med i got is api liquid super ick cure im able to only put in a half what i normally would for my fish without scales and it says its suppose to get the job don in about 2 treatments with a 48 hr break in between ( maybe a third cause im only using half what i normally would). i have the tank @ 82 degrees also....... yeah im still looking online for why my beta got pale it was weird he got pale on his head and had a line of paleness running down each of his sides, the good news though is he hasnt done it yet today . thx for the help ill keep updating my progress and i think im going to get my betta a few more plants and a structure of some sorts.

Great! Best of luck to ya Keep me posted on how things are going.

 

[frshwaterfish]

ive been second guessig myself all day i still think the my cichlid has ick but i keep seeing these pictures of things called egg spots. the spots my fish has are white more round then oval and are on the mid to back of top fin and on the base to mid way down the tail. i am already treating for ick cause im 98% sure thats what it is. i cant figure out how to post a pic

 

[HeatherW]

ive been second guessig myself all day i cant figure out how to post a pic

just go to advanced and click attachment and attach from file.
or you can download to a photo thing like photobucket and attach the url
or... if on iphone, click the "+" button and add from there

make sense?

 

[frshwaterfish]

these are the best pics i can get of it right now it wont stay still lol.... the bottom one is probally the better of the two and right on top fin towards back you can make out the spots. if these are no help im sorry and will try again

1. IMAG0167.jpg
2. 
   
   IMAG0169.jpg
   
   

 

[Mumma.of.two]

these are the best pics i can get of it right now it wont stay still lol.... the bottom one is probally the better of the two and right on top fin towards back you can make out the spots. if these are no help im sorry and will try again

[*]IMAG0167.jpg
[*]

IMAG0169.jpg

I cant see any pictures. Sorry.
If it looks like salt sprinkled on the fish it's ich. It can be cured with heat alone.
Raise the temp to 86-88F
Increase aeration
Leave the temp up for one week after last spot is seen
Increase gravel vacs during this time
Your pleco and eel should handle the treatment fine. Medications can do more harm than salt IMO.

 

[frshwaterfish]

hope this worked

 

[frshwaterfish]

heres a better pic

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I can't see anything on the fish. Where am I looking?

 

[frshwaterfish]

towards the back of the top fin there are spots and on the tail near the base in the middle

 

[Mumma.of.two]

They are very evenly spaced and like a patten. I'd say it's the fishes markings. Is he scratching/flashing on anything? Can you google ich pictures and compare?

 

[frshwaterfish]

yeah they are pretty evenly spaced out and do resemble a pattern thats where my confusion comes from . ive been looking @ pictures for hours and cant find a definite awnser ive seen everything from its normal, its ick, and even that it means its not pure bred cause they are suppose to have them there, im not sure what to believe.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I don't believe its ich. As I said it literally looks like grains of salt/sand/sugar sprinkled on the fish. All I can suggest is keep an eye on them and let us know if they change. Keep your water clean also.

 

[HeatherW]

I too was thinking it just looks like normal fish markings to me.

I know this may sound crazy, but do you have any pics from when you first got him to compare to? maybe you will find that he always looked like that. lol
I would say keep an eye on him and see if it gets worse. if it is ich I am pretty sure it will spread and you will be able to tell