What to do?

[SoCal]

Yeah the bass is gilling super hard, has been for 2 days, I have a small whisper airator on full blast. I looked into his mouth and he has Ich all over the inside of his mouth. I am sure they are on his gill rackers as well because he flares and is trying to get them out of his mouth. He still seems strong but has stopped eating. I've got my fingers crossed. As for the other tanks, my guppies are dying one by one and I lost a giant danio. I saw one of my plecos is now covered in ich..that's just not right. I am more worried about the bass because it is wild caught and they are hard to get around here.

Kudos coming your way for sure

 

[yellowjacket171]

Guresome thought. We wouldn't want my hubby to start his own tank. I just think how his fish would suffer and of course I would have to step in and take over. He thinks a tank of his would do better than mine if he just threw in some fish, water, etc, and fed them once in a while. Oh yeah, my poor tetra has spots all over him. Maybe this is a good sign that the Ich is breaking free and will be free swimming soon. I'll keep up the meds and lower the salt but keep the temp at 82, I raised it one degree a day, partial water changes, light gravel vac and water test regularly. I have a double undergravel filter, double hang on the back filter and a ceremic bubble wand my fish just love swimming through so there is enough aeration. Thanks again

 

[Allivymar]

Ack SoCal. Thats horrible. And unfortunately dangerous; infestations of ich in the gill area can severely compromise respiration (as I think you have seen).

I came across this article on ich: http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cach...6fs.pdf+ich+salt+"ppt"+-marine&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

Read it at your leisure, but I wanted to cut n paste one section: "Researchers have discovered that the Ich parasite can multiply directly by dividing underneath the fish’s top skin layer, bypassing the usual three-stage life cycle. When this occurs, one can see multiple Ich cells of similar size lined up or in clumps underneath the thin layer of host cells (Fig. 4). Ich is not treatable when becomes established to this degree and reproduces in this manner, because it does not need to leave the host where it would ordinarily be vulnerable to treatment."

I'm wondering if this is whats happening in your tanks SoCal. If so, the only tx which IMHO would stand a chance of beating ich would be the salt/high temp tx. I've noticed recently a number of people having a horrible time beating ich; frightening to think a disease, although serious, that is normally easily treated is now mutating into something truly deadly. Please check the cichlid forums and find out if you can kick up those temps. I'd hate to see you lose that peacock.

 

[SoCal]

Well I can't be certain, but it doesn't look like my fish have the sub dermal Ich. That is a really nasty parasite. I did go to the cichlid forum and was told 86 would be fine for the bass. I added half the recommended dosage of salt last night (couldn't find a hydrometer) and this morning there was a significant decrease in the visible Ich parasite on the fish and he is gilling easier. Don't clap yet.....the fish has succumbed to a fungus, his eyes are clouding up and his fins are rotting away. He is a tough little fish but I just don't know. If I go strictly with salts and stop the meds can I treat for the fungus at the same time? Any recommendations on a fungicide?

The cichlid group gave me this link. Great read.
http://cichlid-forum.com/articles/ich.php

 

[SoCal]

Correction in my water temp. I was reading the thermometer wrong. the temp is 84.5 so I bumped it up a little. I also just read that salt is a good for killing fungus, is there anything better than salt IYO.

Geez I feel like I'm badgering you, but I just don't have experience with sick fish. I have kept aquariums for over 10 years and this is the works outbreak of anything I have ever had. I moslty dealt with "hole in the head" and tail rot (oscars).

 

[Allivymar]

Holy jeez. This poor guy is battling WW3 all by itself isn't it

First thing it to determine what he has. Are you sure its simply a fungal infection? I ask because the symptoms also resemble columnaris...and the treatments are different.

Take a look here for some visuals to compare:
http://www.fishpalace.org/Disease.html
and here for recommended treatments:
http://www.fish-disease.com/diseases.htm

I've never had to treat for either, so I'm not a huge help here I think. I do know meth blue is better for fungal infections, but is not whats needed for columnaris which is bacterial in origin...

 

[SoCal]

Those are all extreme cases. I can't tell at this stage, maybe I'll stick to the salt for a while. It looks like he is shedding his slime coat and it is trailing off of his tail and fins. I can see thining in the fins and they are starting to look like a combtail betta's fins. Also his eyes look to have a very small cottony growth started on them, this is the cloudiness. I will try to get a good picture of it tonight.

 

[SoCal]

Well I had to do a rapid water change because the water became extremely cloudy. Now the fish is no longer swimming horizontal, he is more like treading water. I don't think he's going to make it at this point.

 

[SoCal]

Peacock is dead.
Thanks for all your help, I learned a lot is a short period of time. Well I still have 2 more tanks to go, although those fish are very common so I'm not as worried.

 

[Allivymar]

Awww I am so sorry SoCal. I had really hoped he would pull thru this.

You really worked hard to keep him alive; a buncha kudos coming your way for making such an concerted effort.

 

[SoCal]

My girlfriend is telling me, "I don't think you should have anymore fish, you just keep killing them". I told her Ich is like the abola virus and she understood. I just lost my CAE this afternoon and 2 snails, I think the salt did them in.