My betta fish died of Ich.. ;_; how do i sterilize his tank??

Question

Beta(his name) was getting gross white splotches all over his body. he was swimming violoently and banging into the rocks, tank, and plant. if i were to get another betta fish to go in said ich tank would that fish get ich too? ;_;

Answer 1

There is no need for draining your tank only to start the cycle process over again. Once you understand ich and what it is and how it evolves, you will understand why.

Is it white spot disease or is it Ich? You need to know the difference between the two since they are treated differently.

Cryptocaryoniasis, White Spot Disease or Marine Ich is caused by an infestation of the ciliated protozoan Cryptocaryon irritans. Although Cryptocaryon becomes a parasitic organism at one stage in its life cycle like Oodinium and Brooklynella do, and it progesses less rapidly than these other ich diseases, in a closed aquarium system it can reach overwhelming and disasterous numbers just the same if it is not diagnosed and treated upon recognition.

Unlike Oodinium and Brooklynella that typically attack the gills first, which allows these ich diseases to advance into life-threatening levels quickly as they go unnoticed, Cryptocaryon usually appears at the onset as salt-sized white spots visible on the body and fins of a host fish, and when the organisms become parasitic, it is then that they move inwards to the gills. Because crypto is more easily recognized in its beginning stage, this makes it much easier to treat and cure before it gets out of control.

Aside from the appearance of the white spots, fish will scratch against objects in an attempt to dislodge the parasites, and rapid respiration develops as tomonts, mucus, and tissue debris clogs the gills. Fish become listless, refuse to eat, loss of color occurs in patches or blotches as the trophonts destroy the pigment cells, and secondary bacterial infections invade the lesions caused by the trophonts.

Although copper is very effective on Oodinium, and it works well to eliminate crypto organisms in their free-swimming tomite stage, it is not as effective on the Cryptocaryon trophonts that burrow deeply into the tissues of fish. A combination of freshwater and formalin treatments adminstered by means of dips, baths, and prolonged treatment over a period of time in a QT is recommended

Reinfection will occur no matter how effectively the fish have been treated if Cryptocaryon is not eradicated from the main aquarium, which can be accomplished by keeping the tank devoid of any fish for at least 4 weeks. For fish-only aquariums hyposalinity can be applied, and to speed up the life cycle of the organisms, elevate the tank temperature to 85 degrees for 10 days to 12 days. For treating reef tanks, FishVet No-Ich Marine, Ruby Reef Kick-Ich, and Chem-Marin Stop Parasites are Cryptocaryon specific remedies that are said to be "reef safe". Several days prior to returning fish to the main aquarium, clean all filtering equipment, change any filtering materials, and do a water change.

Remember to remove all filters media and turn off protein skimmers when treating for any types of Ich.

Although many over-the-counter remedies contain the general name Ich or Ick, carefully read the product information to be sure it is designed to specifically target and treat "Cryptocaryon"

Brooklynella hostilis - these protozoa reproduce asexually by means of simple binary fission through conjugation, which is why they are able to multiply so much more rapidly than Cryptocaryon (White Spot), and Oodinium (Velvet Ich), and why it can kill fish within a few days and even hours upon recognition

Most similar symptomatically to Oodinium, this too is a parasite that primarily attacks the gills first. At the onset fish may scrap up against objects, rapid respiration develops, and fish often gasp for air at the surface as the gills become clogged with mucus. Fish become lethargic, refuse to eat, and colors fade, but the most noticeable difference that sets Brooklynella apart from Oodinium is the heavy amount of slime that is produced. As the disease progresses a thick whitish mucus covers the body, usually starting at the head and spreading outward, skin lesions appear, and it is not uncommon for signs of secondary bacterial infections to arise.

Suggestions range from copper, malachite green and other remedies, with some recommended being used in conjunction with formaldehyde. However the general consensus is these types of medications are either largely ineffective or do not work at all, and that the best and most effective treatment for Brooklynella is formaldehyde alone. Typically a standard 37% formalin solution (shop & compare prices) is mixed with either fresh or saltwater in a separate treatment container, initially all fish are given a quick dip or a prolonged bath, followed by continued treatment and care in a QT. Of course the longer fish are exposed to the formalin treatment, the more effective it will be at eliminating this "disease". Whether to administer a dip or a bath to start with is something you will have to determine yourself, but there's a very simple way to do this.

Since these are Free swimming parasites which are in watersources, come attached to our fish etc. The only way to ensure NO ICH is to get a UV Sterilizer and addit to the tank. The UV Sterilizer kills the free swimming forms of various ich and other parasites.

Hope this helps

Answer 2

If the tank is small under 3 gallons empty the tank, pour in a cup of bleach, then add water until the tank is at its regular level, and run an airstone for ten minutes to get the water moving. If the tank is larger you will need more bleach.

Once the 10 minutes is up you can drain and refill the tank. Add twice the recommended level of chlorine remover (bleach is chlorine) and then let the airstone run for 48 hours before getting another fish. Chlorine only takes about 12 hours to evaporate out of a aquarium that has water movement, the Chlorine remover will facilitate the process though, and the extra time is just to be sure.

Blotches are not ich, make sure that you change a portion of the water for you betta regularly to prevent the problem from taking the life of another betta. Be sure that you were not overfeeding.

Good luck with your next Betta.

Answer 3

Ich needs a host fish to survive. Just leave the tank empty for a week, and it will die off. All the remaining cysts that are now in the gravel will hatch in a few days, and the parasites swim about looking for a new host to infect. If they don't find one in 12 hours or so, they die. So give it week, and they are all gone. This way you don't need to throw out anything, or sterilize the tank and destroy it's nitrogen cycle. Will bleach kill ich? Yes, but it also kills the cycle bacteria, then you have to cycle the tank again from scratch. Aquarium salt and gourami? A small amount wont harm them. The idea is the ich parasite is more sensitive to salt and warm water than most fish, so they die,and the fish survive. Ian

Answer 4

Yep ick can stay alive even if the tank has dried out. You can use bleach but you will have to be sure to rinse and rince and rince. Break it down and sit it outside in the sun for a few days. Wash it with scalding hot water and let dry. That should do it without the use of chemicals. Shame on the petstore, that's most likely the reason the fish got ick. They don't treat betas very well at the retailer.

Answer 5

Ich needs fish to complete it's life cycle, and will not survive more than a week in an empty tank. That said I wouldn't like to risk it, and also the betta could have developed a nasty secondary infection. I recommend throwing out the gravel, filter media, andordainments, washing the tank/bowl,with dilited bleach, and then rinsed throughly with lots, and lots of water. Then let dry ideally in direct sun light.

Gravel should never be cleaned with soap or bleach. Boil or bake it. Filters should be sterilized with bleach, rinsed over and over, and then let sit dry for days.

Answer 6

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
My betta fish died of Ich.. ;_; how do i sterilize his tank??
Beta(his name) was getting gross white splotches all over his body. he was swimming violoently and banging into the rocks, tank, and plant. if i were to get another betta fish to go in said ich tank would that fish get ich too? ;_;

Answer 7

If you know for certain that it was ick (and I mean for sure) then all you really need to do is raise the temperature of the tank to over 90 F and add a few tablespoons of salt for about 3 days. That will kill the ick but not completely kill the cycle bacteria in the tank. Just drop the temperatuer and do a 75% or so water change before adding any new fish.

MM

Answer 8

You can simply let the tank dry out for a week or two. This will kill the parasites. When you fill it back up, add a heaping tablespoon of salt to the water and let it sit for a day or two to kill any remaining parasites. Then dump and fill up as usual.

However, what your betta had doesn't sound like. Ich isn't "gross white splotches" - it looks more like little grains of salt or sand. Gross white splotches sounds more like fungus, which would look like white fuzz.

The best treatment for fungus is a clean tank. So with your new betta, be sure to do 50% DAILY water changes (using a clean turkey baster to suck out any uneaten food / poop - it'll take 2 minutes to do), not overfeed (3-6 pellets per day is enough) and keep him warm (near a lamp or in a warm room). You can also add a little salt (1/2 teaspoon per gallon) to his water to help boost his immune system.

Answer 9

Yeah, this happened to my fish too. What you should do is first completely dump out all the stuff in the tank.(marbles,castles, ect.) and then DO NOT USE SOAP!!! Soap is bad for fish. Just keep rinseing the tank until it's completly clean. Maybe use a paper towel to clean it to. NO CHEMICALS. Fish are extremely sensitive. I learned that the hard way. So good luck!

Answer 10

I've had fish for several years you should clean the tank out good. Make sure you use hot water. If you had rocks or anything in the tank I would replace them and start with new ones and make sure you use fresh water. That should be good enough.