Im having problems treating ich

[saaebn]

Hello

As much as this topic is covered you wouldnt think I would be having so much trouble. I noticed the ich about 2 months ago but since it was during the holidays and my fish didnt seem in distress I just watched them and then started treatment once the kids went back to school.

I picked up the blue ich treatment at our lfs and poured some in according to the instructions. I did remove the filters. The ich treatment said I would notice a difference after 24 hours- but we have seen no change.

I then read up again on the forum all I could about what others have done. I have been slowly trying to up my temp of the tank but I topped out at 82. I then added my other tank heater and the temp is now 85 degrees in my 75 gal tank. I am having a hard time getting it higher. What should I do.

I then was thinking about adding the aquarium salt but the lady at the LFS about died and then gave me a ten minute lecture about how that would be the death for my fish- cause my tank to go brackish.

Anyhow I would like to rid my tank of the ich. Please tell me what I need to do.

My tank is a 75 gal with a xp2 filter. I have 10 red wag 2 large goldfish (plain) 1 pleco and 1 small bottom feeder catfish. Except for the spots on the goldfish everyone actually seems happy but I want to make sure they are healthy.

Thanks
Stacie

 

[grimlock3000]

***UPDATE*** THIS MIGHT NOT BE THE BEST INFORMATION FOR TREATING GOLDFISH ***UPDATE***

"I picked up the blue ich treatment at our lfs and poured some in according to the instructions. I did remove the filters. The ich treatment said I would notice a difference after 24 hours- but we have seen no change."

You want to remove JUST the carbon from the filters. You definitely want to leave the rest of the media in there. If you have had Ich for two months, it is probably going to take a while to clear up.

"I then read up again on the forum all I could about what others have done. I have been slowly trying to up my temp of the tank but I topped out at 82. I then added my other tank heater and the temp is now 85 degrees in my 75 gal tank. I am having a hard time getting it higher. What should I do."

Get some better heaters or put the temp back to normal. You need to have the temp OVER 86F or the extra heat is doing nothing except helping the Ich spread faster. For a 75g tank, a couple of 200w+ heaters like Ebo Jagers should be good for keeping the tank over 86F.

"I then was thinking about adding the aquarium salt but the lady at the LFS about died and then gave me a ten minute lecture about how that would be the death for my fish- cause my tank to go brackish."

Some LFS people feel very strongly about certain topics. For the fish you have, a salt and heat treatment would likely be safer than Ich meds.

"Anyhow I would like to rid my tank of the ich. Please tell me what I need to do."

I would get a better heater, slowly raise the tank temp to a stable 88F, turn up the bubble bars if you can, then use carbon to get the meds out of the water.

 

[QTOFFER]

I'm not sure that the saaebn's goldfish can survive 86o F.

Goldfish are cool-water fish and don't do well in the tropical tanks that mollies and platies require. This may be the reason why the goldfish, but not the others have the ich. Remember, ich is quick to afflict stressed-out fish.

Just a heads-up - eventually, those three goldies will need an unheated 30 gal tank of their own.

 

[grimlock3000]

Good point, I was under the impression that the Goldfish would have adapted to the warmer community tank and been able to handle the next 3F of temp increase. My bad.

What Ich treatment are you using? You will likely want to move the snails ASAP before keeping up with the med treatment.

This is pretty much a no win situation. Continued med treatment may kill some of the tropical fish, and the heat may kill the goldfish. Any possibility of seperating the fish for treatment?

 

[saaebn]

Hello

I did remove the snails about a month ago and put them in our 10 gal tank. Nothing has happened so far so I think I might be ok.

my hubby and I have thought about seperating the goldfish for a while now. The three goldfish were bought on a whim (by my hubby- just feeder fish) and were not really what I had planned on stocking my 75 gal with. Since then they have thrived so well that I have had a hard time knowing what to do with them. I dont have it in me to kill them and I dont know who would take them (esp if I cant get rid of the ich.) What we had talked about at Christmas I that we would really like to move all of the red wag into my other tank and get rid of a couple, then turn our 75 gal tank into a cichilid tank. My hubby (just roll your eyes please) just says to throw everything in together and I have to tell him all the time that there really is method to what he thinks is madness- or that I am just overthinking the whole thing.

My other problem is that I dont really have home space for another tank without moving one of my children into the garage. which at times doesnt seem like a bad option.

Anyhow, if anyone knows the best way to treat goldfish with ich please let me know. The good thing is that as far as I can tell none of the other fish have it and everyone seems relatively healthy.

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks Stacie

 

[QTOFFER]

Aaah, feeder goldfish - I hate the way these fish are housed in the petstores. At least they are getting more care from you than they ever have in their lives.

This is going to be a tough call on your part, but you really have to get those sick goldies away from your other fish before they pass on ich or worse. also, you don't want to be medicating healthy fish.

You have a few options:
1 Try to give the sick goldies away. No sane person would take them, but it's worth a try.
2 Setup a rubbermaid container for the goldies in your (hopefully heated?) garage. Treat with meds to cure the ich and then try to give them away.
3 Make the 75 gal a goldfish tank
4 Euthanasia - I hate to suggest it, but sometimes it is for the best - expecially if the fish are really sick.

Your bigger problem seems to be your husband, who unlike you, is purchasing fish without researching their needs first! Maybe HE should be moved into the garage.
You are very correct for not wanting to mix cichlids with your other fish.

 

[jsoong]

One more idea - do the "tub to tub" method to treat the goldies.

Set up 2 rubbermaid containers with clean water. Shallower ones are better (larger surface area for gas exchange). Depending on size of your goldies, you might be able to get away with a 10 gal tub.

Move the goldies into one of the container. Next day, transfer goldies to 2nd container with clean water. Clean out the 1st container & refill with clean water. Repeat everyday for 1-2 weeks. This is rather stressful for the fish & fishkeeper to do all the moving & cleaning, etc. But can work when you don't have a second tank/filter/etc.

Rational behind this: The ich cysts fall off the fish & multiple in the substrate before reinfecting the fish. By moving the fish everyday, you are getting rid of all the cysts before they turn into swarmers. So in theory, once the last spot falls off the fish, it is cured. Also, with daily 100% water changes in a decent size container, you won't have to worry about waste accumulating, etc.

I personally will also add salt in treating the goldies. In my bouts with ich, salt (rather than meds) got rid of ich permanently (touch wood - it's been 4 months). I raised the salt level by 0.1% everyday till it was at 0.3%, and kept it there for 2 weeks. Goldies did fine at that level & ich was gone within days. On my research - goldies (& many other FW fish) can live in low levels of salt water (like 0.3%), and mollies actually prefers some salt all the time.


Edit: One more thing to add. Make sure you are actually dealing with ich. It seems unusual to me to have ich for 1 month & only have spots on the goldies & no one else. Male goldies at breeding age get "breeding stars" - white spots along operculum & dorsal fin. This might be confused with ich. (not sure if this applies to you, but putting it in just in case!)

 

[saaebn]

Thanks for the info.

OK - just to make sure I am checking in the right place (huge stupid question coming) but, 1) which fin are the dorsal fins and where is the operculum??

Thanks,
Stacie

 

[Allivymar]

The operculum is the cover to the gills; the dorsal fin is the big guy on the back. Theres a cute lil "fish anatomy" quiz here: http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/education/fish/anatquiz.htm , and its easy to cheat. Click on one answer, then click the back button after it tells you yes or no. All the correct answers will be in a different color (like you had already clicked the link LOL).

 

[saaebn]

Ok- I looked and tell me what you think

The spots are on the operculum and slightly along the top front of the pectoral fins.
If this isn't ich- feel free to beat me over the head with a fish mallot.

Thanks
Stacie