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ICH alert!

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MrkFnd
Post subject: ICH alert!
Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2006 9:04 am
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My tank has had no changes (i.e. no fish or plants added for the past 4 months, same containers of food and same types of food). Last weekend I was in the store and brought home 3 kerri tetras, 2 bumble bee gobies, 1 dwarf frog and a large clump of the tall grass like plant. This morning (8 days later) I noticed a white dot on one of my fish... I started looking closer, most of the fish have some amount of white dotting!

As my tank has been doing very well, stable and unchanged for the past 4 months I am assuming that one of your tanks that my additions came from is infected and has infected mine... Might want to take a close look at those tanks.

Meanwhile, any recommendations for ich treatments that won't harm aquarium plants and baby fish?


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Admin
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2006 1:07 pm
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3 kerri tetras, 2 bumble bee gobies, 1 dwarf frog and a large clump of the tall grass like plant. This morning (8 days later) I noticed a white dot on one of my fish... I started looking closer, most of the fish have some amount of white dotting!

As my tank has been doing very well, stable and unchanged for the past 4 months I am assuming that one of your tanks that my additions came from is infected and has infected mine... Might want to take a close look at those tanks.

Meanwhile, any recommendations for ich treatments that won't harm aquarium plants and baby fish?


Sorry to hear that...
the ich might have come from us
...but I still have the things you mentioned
and the ones I still have do not have ick.
Ich can break out any time, usually freshwater ick appears after a chill stress.. often saltwater ick appears after a heat stress.

There are 3 main ick medicines..
copper,
malachite green and formalin,
and salt.
My favorite ich medicine is copper.
Copper kills every species of ick.
If your tank has only a few plants,
I suggest you take the plants out and put them in a bucket of plain water for about a week while doing the treatment below.
If you have a densely planted aquarium, copper is a little risky.
Salt will certainly kill plants.
Malachite Green & Formalin will not kill plants, but some stubborn types of ick will not be killed by Malachite Green & Formalin.

Whatever you do, do it right away!
Ich is easy to kill, but it is fatal to all fish if left untreated.

I often use salt along with the copper or the malachite green.

1 drop per gallon of quickCure (malachite green/formaldihyde)
will kill ick ... needs to be repeated several times
...do NOT use UV light or carbon filter while using dye medicines

2.2 teaspoons of salt per gallon
(aprox 5 pounds per 150 gallons)
will kill ick in warm water... treat ONE TIME ONLY with salt

PREVIOUS ICK DISCUSSION:
viewtopic.php?t=958&highlight=ick&sid=f ... f9b4908359

Hope this helps,
turning the temperature up to 81 degrees F helps speed things along also.

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Ned
unclenedsfishfactory@gmail.com
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MrkFnd
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Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 8:21 am
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Ok, I did some poking around on the net and found that someone tried a few various treatments with their planted aquarium and had comments on what worked best for them/their plants. I don't have many plants but enough so that taking them out would be a nuisnace if I can get around it.

Also I think I spotted the ICH early enough so that I have some time. I did lose one of the new kerri tetras about 2 days after getting them home and I lost one of my now large SAEs the day after I discovered the ICH. However, I am not convinced those deaths were due to ICH as it was just starting to show up with one or 2 dots on about 70% of the fish in the tank. The worst affected were the clown loaches and one of the kuhlie loaches, though nothing compared to pictures I have seen describing the parasite.

I settled on Maracide and in my haste was left with PetSmart as my only option for aquiring it. Of course all they had was a tiny bottle which I now know won't even complete the treatment cycle they suggest (days 1, 3, 5)! So I will need to find another source. On line sources sell it in larger quantities but shipping takes a week and I need more by friday.

Do you sell a larger quantity/concentrated solution of maracide? With planning I could get to your store on friday, in time for treatment #3.

As of last night (treated monday, and again last night) I could not see any obvious dots (possibly a faint spot on one platy) but the loaches are being extremely skittish so I can't get a good enough look at them to tell if they have any left.

My plan is to continue treatment for days 1, 3, 5 as it says, then do a roughly 50% water change on day 7 and treat again on days 7, 9, 11. I don't want to build up too much in the way of water pollutants.


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Admin
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Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 2:59 pm
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We don't stock Maracide (I find it to be too wimpy a med)
I do have
aldehyde,
formalin/malachite,
formalin,
general cure & clout (insecticides),
and several forms of copper

If you want the Maracide soonest i can have it is Wednesday. the 18th.

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Ned
unclenedsfishfactory@gmail.com
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MrkFnd
Post subject:
Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 9:08 pm
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Ok... I pulled out the plants, did a 50% water change, added salt and 50 drops formalin (which I will add another 50 drops every morning and evening for a week correct?).

Now, a few things I forgot to ask when I was there...

1. Will re-introducing the plants reintroduce the ICH?

2. Is it necessary to remove/replace the charcoal and foam filter media pre treatment? I did not do it during the initial change, assuming I can just do it after the treatment when I do the exchanges to remove the salt water. Will this be ok or is it risky?

3. Will the salt/formaldehyde destroy my biological filtration??? (have bio-ball like media too, does that also need replacing now?)


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Admin
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 11:38 am
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1. Will re-introducing the plants reintroduce the ICH?
NO... Ich dies by itself if it doesn't have live fish to feed on for 10 days

2. Is it necessary to remove/replace the charcoal and foam filter media pre treatment?
CARBON WILL LOCK UP THE FORMALIN AND DYE MEDICATIONS, BUT NOT SALT.
SO REMOVE THE CARBON IN YOUR CASE.
PUT IN A NEW FRESH CARBON AFTER THE TREATMENT IS COMPLETE.

I did not do it during the initial change, assuming I can just do it after the treatment when I do the exchanges to remove the salt water. Will this be ok or is it risky? HUH?

3. Will the salt/formaldehyde destroy my biological filtration??? (have bio-ball like media too, does that also need replacing now?)
OVER-DOSING WITH FORMALDEHYDE CAN TEMPORARILY KILL BIOLOGICAL (BUT IT GROWS BACK QUICKLY)...
SALT WILL NOT KILL THE BIOLOGICAL.
BIO BALLS ARE GOOD FOREVER...ONLY YOUR CARBON NEEDS REPLACING.

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Ned
unclenedsfishfactory@gmail.com
508 533 5969
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