ich and weather loach

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lynda orourke

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Apr 21, 2008
Messages
33
Location
milton keynes uk
I have a large cold water comunity tank, mostly gold fish but also some weather loach. I have white spot, I know the loach are senstive to medication and that I need to treat the whole tank, can any one give me any advise to the best way to treat this with out killing my loach?
 
The only way you will successfully do this is to remove the loach to QT tank, and SLOWLY raise the temps. Now depending on the severity of the ich, you may have a problem here. Heat in the range of 87 F is required, and kept that way for 2 weeks after the last spot of ich is seen.

Now as I mentioned the problem is that if he is covered heavily in ich, you are in a battle against time. I would start with 2 degrees for every 12 hours. You may have to up that to 2 degrees every 6 hours. Also you will need an airstone or lower the level of the water to create more splash. Esp important for a cooler water loach. You can't do this in your main tank because of the goldies. If you can't set up a QT tank, ( 5 gal rubbermaid container with a small filter and airstone would work, and obviously a heater, then try treating with meds at half strenght. I would definately do the QT if at all possible.
 
Thanks for your help, I wasn’t able to take the weather loach out to treat them separately, but I was able to successful treat the whole tank at half strength, everyone looks fit and healthy with no more spots. I will continue treatment for the next few days though to make sure its not still lurking in the tank.
 
I'm glad to hear that he is doing better and that no one else seems to be carrying on with the ich. It is the most common tank illness and also the easiest to treat IMO.
 
Lynda and Zagz, this thread has given me hope!

I have six platies and a loach. Three of the platies are showing slight signs of ich although it could be velvet. Mom says I'm just a paranoid new owner but even if I am, it's better to be safe than sorry. All six platies are 'flashing' but there's no good evidence of fin clamping.

The only ones showing 'white spots' are the three I got from one pet shop. The other three were bought from another fish shop and seem healthy and happy, except one female who is exceptionally mean.

I was irked when I read somewhere that after you've transported a fish, you shouldn't add the water from the pet shop tank, to yours. The pet shop lady (who specializes in fish, mind you) told me I should. What's the deal with that?

Lynda, I wanted to know what medication you used?
And if my fish don't have ich will this medication hurt them?
 
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I used pets at home own brand, I didn't want to wait around so I had a option of the two brands they had, the shops own one specified how to use it with loach the other didn't.

Loach are med sensitive so if you dose for white spot you then need to be even more carefull if you have to swap to another treatment, making sure you have compleatly removed one treatment before adding another.

There are other people on this site who will be able to give you a hand with diagnosis. They will ask for a photo and you water parameters
 
Okay, I'll get suggestions from the pet stores around here.

After yesterday's water change I've noticed that some of the spots on the fish went away. I'm going to assume for now that it was due to my ammonia spike. I haven't seen even one fish 'flash' today.

Thanks!
 
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