Ick in my 55 gal tank. Treated with Ick guard 2 days ago..no progress?

Question

Have approx 20 fish in there, most have or showing signs of Ick. Bought 2 bala sharks about a week ago from fish store with other tanks that were "quarantined" due to ick, clerk stated those were on a separate filtration system....obviously not. I've treated and changed 30% of the water. The tank was well established as were most of the fish.

Need help--Ick appearing to multiply on each fish. Also, have to Gourami's both developing red portions on their fins, close to the joints (pectoral/dorsal fins)..is this Ick or some type of fin disease.
Needless to say, I'll never buy from that location again.

Answer 1

No no, don't change 100% of the water. A water change is benificial, even a large water changes; but 100% will mess with your beneficial bacterial colonies and needlessly stress your fish.

Anyway, ich guard does not act in 2 days. In brief, ich has 4 lifestages. First, it is freeswimming. You can't see them; they are hundreds and thousands of parasites looking for hosts. Second, they find the hosts and attach to them, feeding off the flesh and blood - the body of the fish forms a white cyst (which you see) in an attempt to protect the body. Third, the parasite, within a cyst, separates and floats for a while, looking for a place to attach. Fourth, it attaches to something (a plant, wood, gravel) and exploded into 1000s of new parasites. Only during this FIRST stage, when they are free-swimming, before they find a host, are they killable. After that, they are protected by the cyst, of the fish's mucus.

It is recommended to leave the medication in the tank for as much as 2 weeks to be sure to eradicate the problem. Increasing the temp by a few degrees can also help - at a higher temperature, the Ich lifecycle goes by more quickly (at 79F, it takes 3-5 days), enabling you to more thoroughly eradicate the parasites.

Frankly, Ick Guard, while effective at killing ich, is also very effecting at killing your fish, your inverts, and your biological system. I suggest you do a large (not 100% - more like 60%) water change to remove the ick guard as well as some of the free-floating ich parasites. Replace the water, and instead, treat with aquarium salt. Aquarium salt is just as effective at killing ich, but it won't hurt your fish. Treat with one tablespon of aquarium salt per gallon of water, disolved first in dechlor water. Leave for 2 weeks, and then you can start removing the salt as you do your weekly water changes.

The redness you seee on the gouramis' gills is likely a bacterial infection. Once the parasites detach from the host fish, it leaves a small, open wound, which leaves the fish vulnerable to secondary infections. Once the ich treatment is completely, if the salt has not cured these problems, look into treating the finrot / fungus / bacterial infection with maracyn or maracyn-2.

Also, most petstores have ich. It's just the way it is. There is a theory that ALL tanks have ich lying dormant. Personally, I dont' think that's true - once you kill the ich, it's gone. However, I do knwo that many (or even most) tanks have ich in them, but when fish are healthy, they can combat the ich, as they would in the wild.

In your case, it might be stress from the move that caused your fish to develop ich, or it might be overcrowding. I don't know what your other fish are, but bala sharks belong in tanks no less than 125 gallons. They are also schoolers and need to be ground of 4+ - being in small groups or alone stresses them out. Look into how your tank is stocked - you may want to cut back on some of your fish (definitely the bala sharks) to ensure their health in the future.

Answer 2

Take out your carbon and use a product called Quick Cure, follow instructions carefully then make sure you do a series of 25% water changes when treatment is done. There is another way that is safer and could be more effective. First raise the temp to 83 (add additional airstones if available) then use 1 teaspoon of non iodized salt per gallon in the morning then repeat in the afternoon. Then repeat the same thing the next day. Leave them like that for 2 weeks then change the water with out salt. If you need to make a water change within the two weeks make sure you use water w 4 teaspoons of salt per gallon. Ick has a life cycle what you did was kill off mature microbes and then the babies came out. The fish dealer did not quarintine long enough or at all. Cold water can sometimes bring about ick. Lower the temp when done salting. Ick cannot live in water warmer than 82. Good luck!

Answer 3

Ok, don't put any ick treatments into your tank unless your sure you know which one you need. Most ick treatments are for fish with scales. If you have scaless fish, like loaches, sharks, eels, it can kill them because there skin absorbs the medication.
If you have some scaless fish in your tank, you can use Ick Guard II, (not reg ick guard) which is made for scaless fish.
You will also want to raise your tanks tempature between 78-82 degrees. Ick is a parasite that shows up on stressed fish, ususally from a drastic change in temp or PH. The parasite shows up on fish, drops off 24 hours later into the gravel, then mulitplies. This is why you usually see it on the bottom dwellers first. The raised tempature makes the eggs hatch out quicker, so the medication will get all of it, not having some show up days later that your medication didnt kill.
Remove your charcoal filter while treating, so you don't take out the medication your putting in. Some tell you that you don't need to remove it during treatment.
I also like to add aquarium salt to my tank during treatment and always add salt after every water change. (Ick doesnt like salt).
Good luck

Answer 4

Ick Guard

Answer 5

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It would be VERY helpful to know specifically how you cleaned your tank. Also, let us know what type of fish you have. If you'll provide this information, we can give you good advice on how your fish got ich in the first place! Ich and other common disease are usually caused by poor water quality. High levels of ammonia and nitrites will be present in your water if you are not performing proper partial changes and tank maintenance. Also, if your water is not the correct temperature for your fish or if your water temp is varied too much by water changes, this will stress the fish. Poor water quality and temperature fluctuations can stress your fish. Stressed fish become susceptible to illness. Ich is highly contagious and it sounds like all of your fish have it. Purchase an Ich remedy from a pet shop and follow the instruction. Don't get the least expensive nor do you need to purchase the most expensive. API has good products and so does Mardel. Avoid Coppersafe as it may not be appropriate for your specific water chemistry and can be harmful to plants, some fish and invertebrates. Follow the instructions on the packaging and complete the entire treatment even when the ich disappears. You'll need to remove any charcoal filters, and you'll need to do a partial water change and add new charcoal if you removed any (don't re-use the old). Again, it would be very helpful to know how you cleaned the tank, what size of tank and what all you have in your tank. Hope this helps & Good Luck!

Answer 6

Do a 20% water change once a week.

Raise the temperature up to 80 degrees.

Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of sea salt (no iodine). Brackish water.

Continue treating with what you have.

You should start seeing resuts with in 3 to 5 days..

If you still don't see results, then you may have to do a total break down of the tank and scrub everything real good and start over again.

With all of the fish in one smaller tank it will be easier to treat and also allow for the big tank to cycle for a few days to eliminate the chlorine, fluoride and other additives. Now is a good time to put in any slime conditioner and again 1/2 cup of salt.

.

Answer 7

Ick is like fleas on cats...its little white spots that look like salt and make the fish itch....it will eventually kill them.

I would do a 50% water change not 100%. Vaccume the gravel. Treat with Ick meds. Aslo raising the temp can help. Im not sure if fresh water salt will help or not...need to look that one up.

Answer 8

Use Quick Cure by Aquarium Products, works in 2 days 3 days tops. 5 out of 5 star recommendation!

It is a tremendous product. It turns your tanks blue and that is how you know it is working. You have to put a certain amount of drops in your tank to make it work. But it differs with tetras.

Another product is CopperSafe by Mardel Laboratories which takes up to 4 to 5 days to work. Although I would better recommend Quick Care for its cheaper and more effective price.

Here is a site you can use for more information:
http://www.nunnie.com/ick.html

Answer 9

needless to say .. your fish may be gonners.. ick is caused by water being to hot for a long period of time allowing parisites to form and flourish in the tank. certain brands of medication can cure ick on one maybe two fish if they are quarintined in time , how ever they will not effectivly treat a large tank of fish at one time . it may serve you best to purchase another smaller tank such as a 10 or 20 gallon and select two of your favorite fish from the larger tank . treat the water in the smaller tank and let the water rest for about 45 minutes to one hour before placing the fish in it . keep the heat setting at the smallest possible level , (not freezing of course) , buying a placostimus couldnt hurt the smaller tank either . monitor the fish in the smaller tank .

Answer 10

you need to change 100% off the water, clean the tank well, then use the ick guard.