# The best way to treat Ich in this tropical aquarium?



## V1ad (May 2, 2010)

Hey guys, I know there's a lot of advice how to treat ich, but here is the situation, this afternoon I heard some banging noise in my aquarium, so I turned to the aquarium and noticed how my Red Line torpedo barb was swimming rapidly side to side banging the aquarium glass. If he wasn't a fish I would say rage disease, after 5-10 seconds of banging, he just floated to the top and turned upside-down. I knocked on a glass, no reaction, so I got bucket filled it up with aquarium water, put him in, he just turned pale after an hour. 

So i began observing my fish closely and I have noticed white spots on some of the fish, google images let me conclude it's an ICH disease. 

*Cherry Bards* - infected
*Neon Tetras* - infected
*Black Neon tetras* - infected

*Black skirt tetras* - no sign 
*Amano Shrimp* - no sign
*Bronze corys* - no sign 
*Bristlenose* - no sign 
*Raphael cat fish* - strange behaviour - rage and he bumps on to the gravel ans rubs again the boogwood, no visual signs 

Here's the situation, how do I treat this communal aquarium and what with, I would have to wait 2-5 days if I order some medication online (as the neares pet store is 12 milles away). If I treat them with salt, I have *plants, shrimps and catfish*. Do I remove the sick fish?


----------



## TexasTanker (May 5, 2010)

WHAT ARE YOUR WATER PARAMETERS, HOW BIG IS THE TANK, WHEN WAS THE LAST WATER CHANGE AND WHEN? Sorry about caps. too lazy to retype it.


----------



## V1ad (May 2, 2010)

*100L* aquarium, has been running with all that fish for 2 months now with *PH 7.2*, *ammonia - 0*, *Nitrite – 0*, *Nitrate 120* at 25C, but summer, temperatures rises to 28C during the day. Last time I have changed the water was last Sunday, where I did about *35%* of water change.


My question is what's the best way would be to treat tetras, catfish, corys, shrimps and not to harm any as well as plants, together, sepprate?


----------



## V1ad (May 2, 2010)

Today in the morning I have discovered 3 black neon floaters, 1 on the bottom and 1 cherry barb on the bottom too. I have noticed white mark on black widow's nostrals too. What to do guys????????


----------



## twocents (Feb 22, 2010)

Right off the top of my head I'd say your tank is waaay overcrowded.
You have plants, so I would not recommend salt.
I think raising temps would help a tad, but you would have to research that. I think I read it somewhere but my memory is not so good nowadays.
You will need to get ich meds. I would recommend keeping ich meds and a fungus med on hand at all times for emergencies such as this.


----------



## LisaC144 (Oct 22, 2009)

Do not raise the temperature. It will only cause more stress to the fish. Go to your LFS and purchase an ICH med. I have had much success with RidIch+ found at PetsSmart. Dose at 1/2 the recommended strength for your stock list. Although some fish show no signs, you want to treat the whole tank because it is present in the water. Treat everyday until all traces of white dots are gone from the fish, then treat an ADDITIONAL 3 days after that.

Google Ich to learn about the life cycle of Ich.


----------



## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

+1 to Lisa. That's exactly how I treat ich. I also use Kordan's RidIch+, at half strength, to battle ich, in a tank with sensitive fish. No heat or salt, as plants don't like it and neither to scaleless fish. 

Here's a good article:

http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/ich.shtml


----------



## LisaC144 (Oct 22, 2009)

Good article, Kymmie.


----------



## V1ad (May 2, 2010)

I have increased the temperature to 84 and added 0.25% salt to the whole aquarium in 3 days, salt bath only because I could not get my hands on any medications 3 days ago. Now 3 days later, 6 (4 black neons and 1 clown loach and 1 cherry barb) dead fishes later I had a chance to travel to a pet store and purchased Interpet No.6 anti white spots medicine.

However since the salt has already been added, is it worth mixing it with the medicine?


----------



## LisaC144 (Oct 22, 2009)

The fish more likely died from the heat and salt than anything else. Loaches and neons are HIGHLY sensitive to salt and 84 is really at the high end for them to tolerate. I would do a 50% water change and start the Ich meds AT HALF STRENGTH despite what the directions say.


----------



## kitten_penang (Mar 26, 2008)

partial water change and add medication.oh yeah remove all carbon filters if any... and only put them baack once treatment is over


----------



## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

Once again, I agree with Lisa. You need to do at least a 50% water change to remove the salt from your water before you start treating with meds. Salt + meds will most likely result in the demise of your remaining fish. Good luck.


----------



## V1ad (May 2, 2010)

Guys what the best course of action would be? 
1. Change the water and then treat them with medication? 
It's a _Interpet No 6_ Anti White Spot 100ml it contains - 
Formaldehyde and Malachite Green Oxalate

or

2. It's been 3 days already since I've introduced a salt bath, may be it is worth just allow the salt work? 

any advice or opinion is appreciated!


----------



## kitten_penang (Mar 26, 2008)

V1ad said:


> Guys what the best course of action would be?
> 1. Change the water and then treat them with medication?
> It's a _Interpet No 6_ Anti White Spot 100ml it contains -
> Formaldehyde and Malachite Green Oxalate
> ...


 

read above message ^.^


----------



## V1ad (May 2, 2010)

My question still in place:

Do I change the water to get salt levels to 0.1 and mix it with medication but as *aunt kymmie* mentioned it could fatal or do I just let the salt work? I've just lost another cherry bard


----------



## kitten_penang (Mar 26, 2008)

umm aunt kimmie said take out 50% of water from your aquarium to get rid of the salt.

add fresh water then add medication.

your fish will only die if you add medication straight into your salt mixture......


----------



## V1ad (May 2, 2010)

that's was my question, adding 50% of fresh water will only dilute salt content, making it *0.1%* from *0.2%*
is 0.1% a safe amount to add medications to it?


----------



## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

I just went back and read where posted that your nitrate reading was 120 ppm. Is that correct??
If this was my tank (and it's not!) I'd do a 75 % water change, and use meds at *half strength only*.
Make sure the new fresh water going in is the same temp as the water in the tank. Your fish don't need any more stress and temp changes are stressful.

I just checked my Rid Ich+ bottle of medication and the label says, "Formaldehyde 4.26% (11.52 % formalin) and a zinc free chloride salt of malachite green. 
This medication has always worked for me, without any fish loss. It seems the medication you picked up sounds very similar. Good Luck.


----------



## V1ad (May 2, 2010)

*Aunt,* so you think adding medications to a clean water will be more effective rather then continuing the salt bath? 
How about the shrimps, I have to move them out since the medication can effect them, but do they carry any ich spores? Because they can reintroduce the ich once I let them back in.


----------



## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

In my experience heat and salt wasn't effective. I ended up having to do a HUGE water change and then use meds to finally rid my tank of ich. Since it seems you are losing fish on a daily basis it doesn't sound like the salt bath is having the desired effect. 

It's good you've removed the shrimp from the tank as the meds will kill them.
Reintroducing them AFTER you've done a huge water change (and adding carbon to the filter to suck up medication residual) will not be a problem. Inverts are not vulnerable to ich, ich protozoans are parasitic to fish only.


----------



## V1ad (May 2, 2010)

Yes, 80-120 nitrate*
Aunt* thanks for your help, I'll do the water change and add the medication in the morning it's 3.36am, every one is asleep. I'll let you guys know how I get on.


----------



## LisaC144 (Oct 22, 2009)

Wow, with nitrates that high, I am inclined to think that the stress from such high nitrates is what brought on the Ich in the first place. You need to get those numbers down below 40ppm. What is your full stock list and how much and how often do you feed?

+1 on what Kymmie said. First remove 50% water, add fresh (dechlorinated) water, and start meds. The trace amount of salt that might be left will be minimul with a 50% water change.


----------



## V1ad (May 2, 2010)

100L I had:

5 corys
1 bristlenose
1 raphael catfish - temporary he is going
5 neons 
6 black neon tetras - 1 left
6 black skirt tetras 
4 cherry barbs - 2 left - temporary
1 baby clown loach - gone
and 2 shrimps

I feed them 2 times a day, 10am and then at 10-12pm - 2 granules and a medium pinch of tropical flakes.

I used to do 20-30% water change every Wednesday and Sunday


----------



## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

Agree, that is a huge nitrate reading and I missed that piece of information at the very start of your thread. So the cause of the ich is most likely the overcrowding of the tank (which is extreme considering the tank is roughly 26 gl) and the huge nitrate reading. 
(Don't feel bad, the first time I set up a tank I did the very same thing, I stuffed it full of fish and three days later every single fish was covered fin to fin in ich!)
Your best bet is to do the huge water change, treat with meds and look at rehoming your fish (after they are ich free) and restocking the tank appropriately or upgrading to a larger tank. 
Keep us posted with your progress.


----------



## V1ad (May 2, 2010)

Around 70-75% of fresh water has been added along with 1/2 dosage of medication, the water is green/blue but the fish seem to swim as usual.


----------



## LisaC144 (Oct 22, 2009)

The change in water color is normal. Once all Ich is gone, treat for additional 3 days. After that, you can add carbon to your filter to remove the meds, although all I've ever done is a large water change and everything was always fine.


----------



## V1ad (May 2, 2010)

4-6 hrs after adding medication I found 2 cherry barbs dead, today (a day after adding medication) I black neon dead. I have to wait another 3 days until a second medication dosage.


----------



## V1ad (May 2, 2010)

Allright, after x2, 1/2 of recommended manufactures amount dosage the fish began to look better.

Since adding medication, only one black neon died, the rest made it. Medication was much more effective than a salt bath. Now I realised that some of the fish could of died because of the high temperature, newer the less, a valuable lesson for beginner. 
*
Thank you very much all for your help with my situation! *


----------



## twocents (Feb 22, 2010)

keep on keepin' on. we have all been there, we all have made mistakes... sometimes sad ones..

live, learn, and try to pass it on


----------



## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

Glad to hear things have gotten under control, V1ad. As twocents has stated, we've all been there!


----------

