help me please!!!!!!?

Question

What else can i do?
my fish have ick/ich!
i have a 3foot tank which measures :-
H92cm W32cm H38cm
which i think is about 24.6 gallons
the fish i have are:-
1 male betta, 1 dwarf gourami, 1 mollie, 1 red platy (preggers)
2 blue platys (ones preggers), 2 kuhli loaches, 3 neons and a plec.
i did have 2 clown loaches, 4 cherry barbs, and male red platy but they all died the other day :o( sob sob
any way ive been treating them for ick/ich. i tryed this one treatment called fish saver but seen no change at all. so i bought some new treatment that is called ANTI WHITE SPOT PLUS #6!!! i did a 30% water change yday and ive been turning the heater up since sunday. (as alot of ppl on Y!A told me to do this. my thermomiter is reading 79 is blue 81 is green and 82 is going slightly red. is this ok? i put the new treatment in yday after i did the water change. i havent noticed any of the white spots going but i have notice alot more on my fish since turning the heater up. (and thats when they started dying)

should i do a 30% water change tomorrow aswell?
when should i start seeing a change?
is it more then likely i will lose more fish if not all of them?
i really want to get rid of this problem as im starting to think im not cut out for all this, ive only had the tank 5weeks, i did everythink i was meant to have done. i allowed the tank to cycle for two weeks, i then added 3 fish (male betta, mollie and dwarf gourami) they were really healthy and loved it in there, then i ordered the rest of my fish off the internet and they all seem fine untill now, and every single one of them is acting abit weird apart from the plec! there all eating and swiming around ut acting weird some times

Answer 1

Since you have freshwater fish, the only parasites you have to worry about here are freshwater ich (Ichthyophthirius multifilis) and velvet disease (oodinium - this can look like ich) - Cryptocaryon irritans and Brooklynella hostilis (commonly called clownfish disease) are both saltwater diseases - they don't apply here!

*Make sure your diagnosis was correct - see photos in this website for comparison: http://www.fishdeals.com/fish_diseases/s... Spots from velvet are smaller than those of ick, and have a gold/amber/rust colored sheen under bright lighting.

*If what you have iss ich or velvet, the treatments are similar - I use medications containing malachite green and/or formalyn - both of these are carcinogens, so be careful not to get any of the concentrated stuff on your hands. If you decide it's velvet, reducing light to the tank can also help in the cure because the organism causing velvet contains a photosynthetic pigment.

*Your loaches may be sensitive to the medication, so if possible they should be treated in a separate tank starting at half-strength dosage and gradually increasing to full strength - if they start showing signs of distress, remove some of the water and replace with fresh (tap) water about the same temperature to which declorinator is added. You will have to treat the main tank, as only one stage of the life cycle is on the fish - the one that is most resistant to treatment! Medications affect those stages in the water that are free-swimming. Continue treatment for at least 14 days to make certain all free-swimming organisms are dead.

*Raising the temperature is a good thing to do when dealing with ich - it speeds up the life cycles, so the encycted parasites on the fish drop off more quickly where they can be affected by the medication. Remember that when you raise the temperature, your fish need more oxygen, but the water is able to hold less - an airstome to supplement water movement is a good idea as well - you temperature can go even higher if your fish can take it - to around 85-89o.

*You don't need UV for the tank. These are expensive and the bulbs have to be replaced yearly. UV units are placed outside the tank and water from the tank flows through them via a powerhead or cannister filter. If the parasites don't go through the tubing, they remain in your tank to infect your fish. Prevention using a quarantine tank is the way to go.

*It also helps to inspect fish carefully before buying (and the condition of the others in the tank as well).

*The best way to prevent another outbreak is to not introduce more to your tank. If you do add more fish or any live plants or invertebrates, never add water from the store to your tank. This is how the parasite is introduced. Setting up a quarantine tank is the best way to go - a small tank with a filter, no gravel. Put the fish in this for a few weeks. If it has a disease, it won't get spread to your other fish. The smaller volume will mean less medication that need to be used however you decide to treat for whatever conditions you might encounter.

See links below for more info on velvet and ich:

Source(s):
http://www.fishdeals.com/fish_diseases/stressdisease.shtml
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_Ich.html
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/ich.php
http://www.members.optushome.com.au/chelmon/Velvet.htm

Answer 2

I cannot speak for the brand of fish medicine that you chose, but one for fish without scales would be advised due to your loaches. My personal preference is Ick Guard (2 is for scaless fish), and Quick Cure. Increasing the temperature is an old trick that can speed up the life cycle of the Ich. Most Ich medicine kills the parasite in its free swimming stages. That is why the white spots are not going to instantly go away. It could take up to a week or longer to successfully treat a bad case. The medicine itself could have an affect on the good bacteria within your tank as well. That is why it is highly recommended to do water changes throughout the treatment. Between the Ich, temperature change, and the medicine, your fishes behavior is going to be off. 80 to 82 should be fine, but I wouldn’t go a degree higher. Go out and get a regular aquarium thermometer. They are very cheap. The sticker ones are nice looking, but this situation is why they are a pain. I know this is not a magic solution, but all you can do is wait. Keep up the water changes preferably before each treatment, and moderate your feedings. Ich can be a pain, and I have lost several fish to it (both fresh and saltwater). Don’t forget to sit down and figure out how it was introduced to your tank. 99% of the time it is when you add a new fish or plant. Some people recommend quarantining a fish before introducing to their main aquarium. I’ve never found it practical with the species you mentioned, or smaller show tanks. Good luck…

Answer 3

You need to get the heat up even further. All of the fish in your tank can take high heat and it will help the ich treatment process. Turn up the het to 88-90F. I know that's in the red zone, but the heat will not kill your fish. You can increase temperature safely as much as 1 degree an hour. Also add salt to the tank, you can safely add as much as 1 teaspoon per liter with the fish you have. I would suggest a lower amount though. 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons.

Check you medication label. If is says contains Malachite green, formalin or copper then your on the right track. If not, go to the store today, ASAP and get a treatment that contains at least one of these ingredients. Ich is hard to manage once it gets a major foot hold in a tank and can kill fish in 48 hours or less so treating aggressively and quickly are important. At this point stop the water changes for a few days. It willstress the fish and as bad as they are it would be better if you just leave them alone as much as possible. Be certain that the carbon is out of your filter or it will remve the medication in a matter of 1-2 hours, maybe less. Best of luck with it and feel free to email if I can help.

MM

Answer 4

Agree with the first person. Raising the temp speeds up the ick cycle, quick cure is good I've used it. Adding non-iodine salt also helps because the ick doesn't like it, usually 1-1 1/2 tbs. per 5 gal. and also use meds. Marycin is good.
Good luck.

Answer 5

don't do another water change ( one a week is enough). U need to let the meds work and not start your tank to cycling. The meds for ick (malachite green) is hard on tetra,s (neon's) and if you add too much it will kill them. so be careful how much you put in. and remove the charcoal from your filter till the treatment is finished. if you do have ick you are doing the right things. good luck.

Answer 6

Don't waste your time being afraid of some person who's just trying to intimidate you with the use of a keyboard. That's rather sad, on her part. Don't be so paranoid, love.

Answer 7

Do not get discouraged. Every one who is in fish has had their battles with the ICH! in one form or another. First off, what kind of ich do your fish have? White spot or cotton? To treat ich effectively, you need to know what you are treating for.

I would suggest NOT turning up the temp (you need 90 or better to actually do any harm to the ich parasite) or placing anything else in your tank. This places more stress on your fish. Adding salt to some treatments can lessen the treatment. If the bottle states it is ok to add with salt then by all means.

More on ich and what kind you might have:

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 help
If you need more help feel free to email me.