I have changed the water. I have put ick remover in the tank..I can't keep fish alive..I have a heater for them. What causes ick. And how can i pervent ick?
2006-10-13 11:47:41 · 7 answers · asked by tankkaray 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
Ick is a parasite. It may have been introduced to your tank when you added new fish, or, if this is an only fish, it could have already been infected when you purchased it. If this is a used tank, the eggs or even the larvae could have been in the tank when you got it. There are many possibilities.
The best prevention for it is good tank maintenance. Do partial water changes frequently. Only purchase healthy fish from a reputable aquarium store, and make sure they are completely disease free before you put them in your tank.
The ick medicine will help, along with raising the temperature in your tank. This should cause the parasites to fall off the fish's body. Remember, however, that even though you may not be able to see the parasites on the fish's body, the eggs and larvae are probably still in the tank. Continue the medication for at least 10 full days to make sure everything is killed, or you will get another infestation.
Good luck!
2006-10-13 13:47:06 · answer #1 · answered by Audrey A 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Ick is caused by stress. What kind of fish do you have?
(I'm assuming you have tropical fish - because it's the most common)
Do not change ALL the water at one time. This stresses the fish out even worse. You remove all the beneficial bacteria that is in the water.
When doing water changes, only change 25%-50% of the water.
If you do not have a goldfish or guppies you can raise the temperature with your tank heater to approx 82 degrees. ICK cannot survive in this temperature and all fish except cold blooded fish (like goldfish and guppies) can survive in this temperature.
Also add salt for freshwater fish. This is sold at all pet stores and fish stores. Ask the fish specialist to show you it. ICK has a hard time living in water with salt. The salt also helps distress the fish and they like it. (MAKE SURE YOU ASK FOR SALT FOR FRESH WATER TANKS)
The salt can be added monthly, many people with tropical fish do this. It will help to prevent disease.
Keep adding the Ick remover and follow the directions on the back. Adding more then the recommends dose will not help. Follow the directions.
Rid-Ick seems to be the best med for ick. in my opinion.
Good luck!
2006-10-13 14:03:00 · answer #2 · answered by Miss. Kitty 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Ich (Ichthyphthirious)
Symptoms: Salt-like specks on the body/fins. Excessive slime. Problems breathing (ich invades the gills), clamped fins, loss of appetite.
Ich, Ick, white spot disease, whatever the name, this is the most common malady experienced in the home aquarium. Luckily, this disease is also easily cured if caught in time! Ich is actually a protozoa called Ichthyophthirius multifiliis. There are three phases to the life cycle of this protozoa. Normally, to the amateur aquarist, the life cycle is of no importance. However, since Ich is susceptible to treatment at only one stage of the life cycle, an awareness of the life cycle is important.
Adult phase - it is embedded in the skin or gills of the fish, causing irritation (with the fish showing signs of irritation) and the appearance of small white nodules. As the parasite grows it feeds on red blood cells and skin cells. After a few days it bores itself out of the fish and falls to the bottom of the aquarium.
Cyst phase - after falling to the bottom, the adult parasite forms into a cyst with rapid cell divisions occurring.
Free swimming phase - after the cyst phase, about 1000 free swimming young swim upwards looking for a host. If a host is not found within 2 to 3 days, the parasite dies. Once a host is found the whole cycle begins anew.
These three phases take about 4 weeks at 70º F but only 5 days at 80º F. For this reason it is recommended that the aquarium water be raised to about 80º for the duration of the treatment. If the fish can stand it, raise the temperature even higher up to 85º.
The free swimming phase is the best time to treat with chemicals. Raising the aquarium temperature to 80º F will greatly shorten the time for the free swimming phase to occur. The drug of choice is quinine hydrochloride at 30 mg per liter (1 in 30,000). Quinine sulphate can be used if the hydrochloride is not available. The water may cloud but this will disappear. By reducing the time (with raised temperature) of the phases, you should be able to attack the free swimming phase effectively.
Some aquarists like to use malachite green, but it tends to stain the plastic and silicone in the aquarium. Most commercial remedies contain malachite green and/or copper, which are both effective.
2006-10-13 14:15:45 · answer #3 · answered by hhhhhhh 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
oftentimes ick is available in with new fish, it quite is why that is fantastically reported to quarantine them for a minimum of each week in case you may yet in a diverse way of removing ich, is the salt and temperature therapy take place the warmth to 88 stages, it quite is the temp ich quite dies Take out a nil.5 finished cup of tank water and dissovle a million tablespoon of aquarium salt consistent with gallon in there meaning in case you have a 20 gallon tank, you place 20 tablespoons of salt in there, dissolve it and pour it slowly into your tank you will ought to do daily waterchanges of 25% with a gravelsiphon and repeat the salt therapy daily till you notice not greater spots once you do the waterchange basically positioned as lots salt in there as you place new water in, meaning you will take out 5 gallons of a 20 gallon tank, with which you basically ought to dissolve 5 tablespoons of salt After approximately 3-4 days, the ich must be disappeared, turn the warmth pass into opposite to commonplace, and do a 50% waterchange and not in any respect use those chemical ingredients for a cloudy tank, they do greater harm then reliable wish that helps reliable success EB be at liberty to digital mail me
2016-10-19 08:41:14 · answer #4 · answered by goodknight 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hard water, clean the tank and do not transfer any old water in to the new one
2006-10-13 11:55:07 · answer #5 · answered by Meg C #5627 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋
This is a great site, take time to look it over...
http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_diseases.htm
Hope your fishys get better!!!
2006-10-13 13:14:08 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
you need more s's
2006-10-13 11:55:35 · answer #7 · answered by pdudenhefer 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋