Is it safe to get new fish for the tank if one still has spots?
2007-02-03 09:26:15 · 11 answers · asked by MB 3 in Pets ➔ Fish
If your fish have had for a while, which I'm thinking they have since some are already dead, they are very weak and probably won't survive medicating. The chemicals used to kill ich are harsh and can be rough even on strong, healthy fish.
I got rid of ich in my tank without using medication and without losing a single fish. Turning the heat up like others have suggested does speed up the life cycle of the parasite. BUT if you turn it up just a little more, to 86F or higher, it completely stops the things from reproducing too. So, they'll live out their full livespans and die, and no new ones will replace them. It's much healthier for your fish!
I've put the link to the article that explains how to do it below. Most important things to remember are 1) do the temperature changes slowly both at the beginning and the end of the treatment or you'll shock your fish, and 2) leave the temperature up for the full ten days or you have a good chance of leaving some of the ich alive and then you'll be right back where you started.
Good luck! I hope your fish make it.
2007-02-03 18:40:52 · answer #1 · answered by ceci9293 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The most likely reason that your fish got ich is because you are way overcrowded. The rule for tropical fish (I'm assuming that's what you have. If it's goldfish, you're in even worse shape....) is 1 inch per 1 gallon of water. And that has to allow for the fish to mature and get larger. So, allowing for an adult fish of 3 inches, you can really only go with the 3 fish you have now, at most, you could only add one more, and that depends on what type of fish you have, and don't do that until you have completely cleared up the ich. Ich lives in a four-stage cycle, so even if you don't see it on your fish at the moment, it could still be hatching in your substrate, so you have to allow for a full-cycle, which is about two weeks, after not seeing any ich on any of your fish before you can decide it has been cured. You can do a salt treatment by adding a scant 1 tsp of aquarium salt (do not use table salt) to your 10 gallon tank. Or you could do a chemical treatment (do not do salt and chemical together) such as Coppersafe, Aquari-Sol or Quick-Cure. The active chemical in this is malachite green and can be deadly to some tropical fish, especially plecos, so know what fish you have and be careful about how you use this treatment.
2007-02-03 11:28:48 · answer #2 · answered by Venice Girl 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I wouldn't yet, your new fish will probably get it and die too. You didn't mention it, but I hope you have treated your tank to get rid of the parasites. There are treatments available specifically for ICH at your local pet store. I also want to mention that you should be careful with over populating your tank. A 10 gallon tank isn't meant to hold a lot of fish and by what I can tell you had more than 3 in there already. You may want to do a little research on what is a proper amount for your tank.
2007-02-03 09:42:55 · answer #3 · answered by Leigh S. 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
you can have ich and not even have a fish with spots. it falls off you fish and lives in the gravel and makes 1000s of little ichs to infect everything all over again. its best to keep treating thank if you are treating the whole tank until no fish have spots and then treat it for another week. the only other solution would be isolating the fish with ich and doing a very thorough cleaning of your gravel (like boiling it) which will kill off all your good bacteria if you cycled your tank.
2007-02-03 10:10:49 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
NO it is not safe!!!!!!!!!!! Keep treating the water. Ich could have come from your local pet store where you got the fish or if there is to much sunlight hitting the tank, and or if it is too cold. Get rid of the ich first before adding more fish. It can last a very LONG time.
2007-02-03 09:31:50 · answer #5 · answered by Ice 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
NO! The parasite has several life stages, and the one where it's on the fish is only one of them. The parasite also has two "water" stages where the parasites multiply and find new fish to infect.
You want to clear this up so that no spots are on the fish for a few (two at least) weeks. Raise the temperature to about 80o to speed up the lifecycle of the parasite. Then either treat with aquarium salt, malachite green, or Quick Cure - I like this last one, but if you have plants or snails in your tank, you need to remove them before treating. For more info:
http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profiles/disease/freshwater/ich.html
2007-02-03 09:34:26 · answer #6 · answered by copperhead 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Don't add fish until all are cured. You can turn up the heat on your tank thermostat to 82 degrees, this will kill the parasites, do this for about 72 hours, than add a cup of aquarium salt (will not hurt the fish), this is actually beneficial for the fish.
I had to do this for my 150 gallon african cichlid tank.
2007-02-03 10:01:16 · answer #7 · answered by USAFret 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you can put a little pickling salt in your tank to stop ich i have done it and never had it yet abt a tea sp or so be sure not to let it touch your fish i would put it in your hand and rest it on the bottom that way it will not get on your fish
2007-02-03 12:59:20 · answer #8 · answered by boo_boo5001 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If your fish still has white spot, treat it with Cure All.
Don't put any more fish in contaminated tank, till white spot is gone.
2007-02-03 09:46:43 · answer #9 · answered by keeren a 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no ich is contagious. you can get drops for you tank that will cure the fish. got to your local pet store and ask for them.
2007-02-03 09:30:53 · answer #10 · answered by MommyCaleb 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋