Ick - Starting over

[srhnglnn]

Hello! I'm new to this site and I'm researching Ick and the next steps to take.

We have a 55 gallon fresh water tank. Before our tank was infected with Ick we had one large fantail fish, 2 medium sized Shubunkin's, a Black Moor and 2 large sucker fish (5 and 6 inches long). Not that the size probably matter! We've had these fish for 7 years. The Shubunkin's for 2 years.

Anyways... we decided to add to the tank! So 2 weeks ago we bought 4 little fantails.. from Walmart.. yes I know.. bad move! A few days went by and I noticed spots on my black moor and large fantail! The next day my fantail fish was very lethargic looking and almost looked like it was covered in baby powder! Right then I knew something wasn't right and found out it was Ick! I had NEVER heard of this before! So we started treating them asap.

During the next few days we lost all of our fish except ONE small fantail that is still swimming around our huge tank.

Last night my husband and I took a trip to walmart.. just to see what the fish looked like! I had a feeling the fish we bought infected our tank but I wanted to see for sure. Sure enough the two tanks we got our fish from were infested with spots all over them! SOOOO frustrating!!!!

So now my question is what steps to take next to start over!?? What is the BEST way to prepare my tank for new fish? Should I remove the last little fish we have into a smaller tank for now? Do I completely empty the tank and scrub it down or just treat it with the existing water?

Thank you so much in advance for your advice!!
Sarah

 

[Brox]

Keep treating it and raise the temp to the 80s to kill the ick, the fantail should be fine

 

[jlk]

Hi! I am a bit confused by your post. Exactly where are your fish right now? Are they still alive? If so, how many/what type? Goldfish do not do well with heat treatment for ich. The best treatment for ich in goldies is aq salt (or another pure salt such as canning or kosher) at a .3% salinity maintained along with frequent large water changes for atleast a week after the last spot is gone. Unless there are no fish left, theres no reason to start over. Please dont hesitate to ask if you need help with using salt- it needs to be predissolved in conditioned water & added gradually over 48hrs. When you do wcs, only add back the salt removed. Example, 50% wc, add back 1/2 original dose predissolved in conditioned water.

Preventing health issues is the best approach to take in the future. Qt any new fish for atleast 4wks before adding to your main tank. Stock appropriately- fancy goldfish need minimum of 20g for a single fish, atleast another 10-20g for each additional fish. Shubunkins are pond fish that realistically dont belong in aquarium settings unless theres adequate water (min 50-100g per fish)- they can grow well over 12inches and would have a difficult time even turning around in a standard 55g. Please dont hesitate to ask questions!

 

[srhnglnn]

Thank you so much for replying!!
I'm sorry if my post was confusing. Currently my tank is empty. All the fish have died So now I need to know what steps to take to prepare my tank for new fish! Can you help me with this?

Thank you so much!
Sarah

 

[reefdiver]

I would do a 1:10 bleach ratio cleaning tank and decor. Then rinse it out well with hot water a couple of times.

 

[srhnglnn]

Will that surely get rid of the ick?
Can you tell me what I need to know or refer me to resources on setting things back up?

Thank!
Sarah

 

[shellieca]

Will that surely get rid of the ick?
Can you tell me what I need to know or refer me to resources on setting things back up?

Thank!
Sarah

Sorry you lost all of your fish. For starting over you should read this & then ask as many questions as you need;

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/artic...-Guide-and-FAQ-to-Fishless-Cycling/Page1.html

 

[jlk]

I am very sorry you lost all of your fish! I agree on disinfecting with bleach, however, if your going to recycle this tank fishless & its going to empty for a few weeks, this is honestly not even necessary. Do a 100% water change & make sure the substrate is very well vac'd. Crank the heat up to 88f & leave it there for atleast 2wks. If you dont have a heater, leave the tank empty for 3-4wks. You will need to dose daily with ammonia to keep everything cycled. The other alternative is to disinfect everything with bleach, toss the filter media and recycle from scratch (which will still take atleast 4+wks). Please ask if you have any questions!