my fish died of Ich, do I have to completely change the water in the tank and start the cycling process again?

Question

I have a small 2 gallon tank (there were 2 cherry barbs and a snail). The tank was set up 3 weeks ago and was cycling when I identified the Ich.
The fish have died, the snail has not.
Should I do a complete water change and start again or continue with 25 - 50% water changes over a period of days to eliminate any of the ich remaining in the water or should I treat the water with Ich medication to kill it off and keep the integrity of the water?
I don't want to harm other fish before I have the water conditions perfect for new fishes.

Answer 1

Be sure to read label on your ich medication. Lots of ich meds will kill snails and other scaleless fishes. Do a 50% water change and you will not destroy the necessary bacteria that has been established. It's hard to regulate temp in a 2 gallon tank, so ich might be a problem for you. If there is now a heater available for a small tank, I would invest in one so as to keep your water temp the same at all times. This will prevent ich in the future.

Answer 2

ich has an 11-14 day life cycle. With no host, the ich will die. Over the counter ich medications contain formaldehyde and malachite green, both of which will kill snails.

I would just let sleeping dogs lie. You could either remove the snail and treat the tank, or you could let it be and monitor daily. Like someone else said, a larger water change won't hurt at this point. I would purchase a water quality test kit and monitor your water quality. Once your ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite are at 0 ppm for over a week, your tank has established a biological filter and is ready to accept new fish. Keep the bio-load low. Tropical don't so well in a cold water environment. Ich loves cold water and bad water quality and lots of light. you would be better off to get a betta or a couple of 12 cent Rosy Red minnows.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

They lied to you in the fact that they had you do it with 12 tiger barbs and 2 bushy nose plecos. The way to cycle a tank with fish is to use 1 or 2 hardy fish per 10 gallons. This way, the ammonia and nitrates go up gradually so the few fish that are in the tank get used to it and don't get ammonia stress. I have a 29 gallon freshwater tank that I have just recently finished cycling. I used 4 zebra danios and they survived without getting stressed. It took about 2.5-3 weeks to completely cycle this way and then I got more fish. You do not want to add more than the amount of fish you already have in your tank at a time. Obviously, it is too late as you have already added fish and cycled the tank. The fish you chose were pretty hardy species so that is why most survived, but in the future follow the 1-2 fish per 10 gallons rule. Based on personal experience, cycling with fish is the easiest, fastest way to cycle a tank. Fishless cycling is less stable and can take up to twice as long. Especially if you add too much or too little ammonia.

Answer 4

# Treatment: Raise water temperature
# Medicate for 10-14 days
# Reduce medication when treating scaleless fish
# Discontinue carbon filtration during treatment
# Perform water changes between treatments

The entire cycle takes about two weeks from start to finish. Higher temps will shorten the cycle, while low temps lengthen it. Therefore, raising the water temp shortens the time it takes for the parasite to reach the stage in which it is susceptible to medication.
Treatments must be given for a long enough period to assure that all parasites are gone. Watch carefully for other infections, as secondary infections often occur where the skin has been damaged by the parasite. Although nothing kills the parasite once it has checked into it's fish "hotel", several chemicals kill ich once it has left the fish. Malachite green, methylene blue, quinine hydrochloride, and mepracrine hydrochloride are all effective, and are available under several brand names.
Dose based on the package instructions, however cut dosages in half when treating scaleless catfish and tetras. Regardless of the medication used, treatment should be given continuously for 10-14 days to ensure all parasites are killed. Between treatments a partial water change is recommended. Keep water temperatures higher than usual to speed up the life cycle of the parasite. Discontinue carbon filtration during treatment, as it will remove the chemicals.

Answer 5

Get Ich treatment from the petstore and follow the directions. After the amount of time it says to use it, clean the tank out and let the objects in the tank rest in extremely hot water for an hour or so, then rinse them with cold water and refill the tank.

Answer 6

your best bet is to start new. If your tank was that new you probobaly bought the ick with the fish. Just clean the tank with regular tap water Do not use ANY KIND OF SOAP!!!! Make sure to clean everything in the tank as well. seperate the snail since most ick medicins will kill it, and you should be fine. Just remember not to get to many fish ( 2 gal of water your best bet is a single goldfish or a siamese fighting fish both do well by themselfs.)

Answer 7

You definitely want to rinse down everything in that bowl. You could also buy a broad antifungal treatment from your pet store and use it as a preventative measure before you settle the new fish in.