• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Aquarium people - questions about Ick

mugs

mugs

Lifer
One of my fish appears to be afflicted with Ick. Last weekend I added some new fish to the tank. Algae has gotten out of control since one of my two algae eaters died, so I bought a few more to get it under control. Then on Saturday night I noticed that one of my older fish was laying on the bottom of the tank. He was motionless other than his mouth moving.

Sunday morning he was still like that, and I noticed white spots on his sides. He's also not eating, and he is looking pretty thin. It was Easter, so stores were closed. This morning I went out and got some stuff to get rid of the Ick - Wardley's Ick Away. I added it to the tank.

Questions -
How long should it take for my fish to start recovering?
Based on my description above, is it likely that I caught it fast enough to save him?
 
Only one fish has ick right now? Do you have a spare tank by any chance that you could put it in? Putting them in a quarantine is the best way to make sure it doesn't spread to the other fish.

I haven't dealt with this in a while and so I don't remember, but you might have better luck searching around on this site: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/
 
Not in direct sunlight. No I don't have another tank. I'm thinking about buying one though.
 
I've never seen ick take down a fish that fast. Any cases of it I'd ever had cleared up within a few days, and I don't recall any of them acting like that from it. Try putting some epsom salt in the tank, it will help them heal. I don't recall the dosing, but google is your friend.
 
If he's on his side and he's not eating...it may be too late. From what I recall by the time you see spots on the scales it's pretty bad since it may start in the gills. Maybe try and raise the temperature gradually and do a partial water change.
 
I have no idea what kind of fish I have. 😀
No shrimp, one plant that I don't care much about (it looks pretty nasty)

I added some salt to the tank (regular salt, not epsom salt), because I read that helps with ick.

He's not on his side, he's upright - he's just sitting on the bottom of the tank. He moves to a different spot occasionally.

I am raising the water temperature.
 
Aquarium temp has been at 82 for 3 days.

I added salt 3 days ago.

I've treated it with the Ick killer twice now, but from what I've read you can only kill the ick that is in the water, not what is on the fish (hence the point of raising the water temp - to speed up the life cycle and make it mature and leave the fish).

Last night I noticed that the white spots on my fish had changed to a shiny silver. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

The fish hasn't eaten in at least 5 days, but he's still hanging in there.
 
How big of a tank? List all the inhabitants.
How long has it been up and running?
What is your water change regimen?
Do you have test kits for Ammonia, Nitrate and Nitrites?

I find that ich tends to be a symptom of some other form of stress for the fish, and not the primary problem. A better solution lies in finding the stress that caused the ich and removing it.

Immediate large water changes are also a good place to start. If possible, take your tank down to 10 or 20% water level, fill it back up to half way, then down to the 10 or 20% level again, then back to full. This will go a long way in removing anything nasty that's in the water.

The large water change may not be advisable if you never do water changes though. Old tank syndrome (high nitrates from no water changes) can seriously stress your fish if you do a big water change.

Algae problem usually indicates high nitrates in the water, perhaps from overfeeding, poor water change regimen, or even an unnoticed death in the tank. It could be the cause of your fish's stress. Reduce feeding or increase water changes to increase nutrient export.
 
10 gallons, don't know names of fish.
6 months
About 30% every month (when I vacuum the bottom of the tank)
I do have test kits. I noticed that one of the tests was on the high side, it was nitrates I think (or nitrites). I can check when I get home. I guess increased water changes would be the way to lower nitrate levels? I'll try a partial water change when I get home tonight.
 
The various ridichs are basically a diluted copper solution. They're effective for treating a breakout. Public aquariums use copper sulfate (CuSO4) solutions to battle crypto, which is the saltwater version of ich. Or a solution called copper power for more sensitive animals like tangs and lionfish. Ridich is probably much like CuPower. But when a fish is on its side and gilling hard it's usually a bad sign.

You could try a saltwater dip at around...oh like 15-17ppt (ocean water is ~35ppt) for a couple minutes, basically watching for signs of stress. Doing this attacks the osmotic pressure on the parasite.

When we treated for crypto, you had to treat for a month long lifecycle. Two weeks to knock off the current generation and let them die in the water column, two weeks keep the next generation off the fish when they hatch out from the substrate, and die in the water column. I'm guessing ich is similar, but you might check on that.

The nitrogen cycle goes like this: Fish eat --> poo biodegrates --> Ammonia (most toxic) --> nitrosomas convert --> nitrites (less toxic) --> nitrobacteria convert --> nitrates (least toxic).

Unless you have live plants and enough of them, nitrates, though the least toxic, will build up and become toxic. You need to perform more regular water changes to keep this level down. I'd say 20% every week or 30% every two-weeks-or-so. Remember that when you add in new water from the tap to treat it (get the chlorine out), and try to bring it as close to tank temperature as possible, so as not to shock your fish.

When the fish become affected by the water chemistry, it's going to affect their immune system, making them more susceptible to breakouts from something like ich. HAvinf enough water flow and aeration is also part of this.

Lastly, quarantining possibly infected animals before introducing them to your tank mates will help avoid the problem in the future.

I only read the first couple posts, so you may have already done all this, but I hope it helps anyway.
 
Thanks for the info. At some point I'm going to buy a 30 gallon tank, and at that point I'll use my 10 gallon tank as a quarantine tank. I'll also put more plants in the 30 gallon tank. The 10 gallon is pretty small.

What quantities of salt and water should I use to reach the right concentration for the saltwater dip?
 
Originally posted by: mugs
I have no idea what kind of fish I have. 😀
No shrimp, one plant that I don't care much about (it looks pretty nasty)

I added some salt to the tank (regular salt, not epsom salt), because I read that helps with ick.

He's not on his side, he's upright - he's just sitting on the bottom of the tank. He moves to a different spot occasionally.

I am raising the water temperature.
Click to expand...
LOL! 😀

I think you're raising guinea pigs, not fish. 😉
 
Originally posted by: BoomerD
Gotta be careful with the salt or copper. MOST plants won't tolerate either one very well.
Click to expand...

I don't really care about my plant... it's ugly. So far the plant has done alright though.

 
Oh, does anyone have any insight on what the change from white spots to shiny silver spots on his scales means?
 
Originally posted by: mugs
10 gallons, don't know names of fish.
6 months
About 30% every month (when I vacuum the bottom of the tank)
I do have test kits. I noticed that one of the tests was on the high side, it was nitrates I think (or nitrites). I can check when I get home. I guess increased water changes would be the way to lower nitrate levels? I'll try a partial water change when I get home tonight.
Click to expand...
If the nitrates/nitrites are still high, definitely do a partial water change, they shouldn't be measurable.

Edit: Not sure about the change in color or how much salt to put.
 
Thursday evening I did a ~50% water change and added salt to the fresh water I put in. I also used added some ick medication. This morning the fish was breathing a bit slower than before. This evening I did another 50-60% water change and again added salt to the fresh water I put in and added some ick medication. Later I noticed that the fish was breathing normally again, and he seemed a bit more active - he still settles on the bottom of the tank a lot, but every once in a while he does a lap around the tank. I put some food in and he swam up and ate about one flake. First time he has eaten in a week, even if it's just a little bit. He still has the silver spots on his side, but I think he may be starting to recover.
 
The silver spots could basically be scar tissue and damaged/lost scales. I wouldn't worry too much.

For doing SW dips, if you buy a bag of instant ocean from the pet store, it should have all the directions you need to mix to proper salinity. You can buy a cheap tool at the store to check as well. Just dilute with filtered FW until you get your desired salinity.

Anyway, I'm glad it sounds like he's recovering. It's always satisfying to be able to bring an animal like that back from the dead.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top