Ich and Fry- lights on or off?

Question

I have heard to keep the tank dark while treating for ich - the more light, the more ich. But I've also read that guppy fry like lots of light and to keep the lights on for about 16-17 hours per day. Well, I have fry in a breeding net within a tank which I am currently treating for ich. I'd been keeping the lights on as much as possible for them. So far they seem unaffected by the ich, thank goodness. But I have had 2 of the 4 adult guppies in the tank die of ich since yesterday. Obviously I want to get rid of the dang ich! But I don't want to sacrifice my fry in the process. So do I keep doing what I'm doing even if it means losing the other two guppies- since I'll be left with about 2 dozen new ones to take their place (and continue their legacy)? Or do I get more agressive on the ich treatment by turning out the lights? Will less light actually be harmful to the fry, or will it just slow their development? They are 2 weeks old. There's also a pleco in the tank.

I am most concerned about how to care for the fry during this process and whether I should treat with the "scaleless fish" doses to make it safer for them.

My water temp is about 80 or so although my heater is set to much higher- about 85-87. I'm afraid to turn the dial any more even though my thermometer reading is only at 80. But I'll turn it a bit more.

What's the highest temp these fish can tolerate?

I use salt in the water and I did a water change a few days ago.

Can a salt dip really kill off the ich that is on the fish? I thought it was immune to treatment during that phase of its life-cycle?

I don't think the fry have gotten the ich yet- why not? They are in a breeding net, but they are still in the same tank. I don't want to move them and cause undue stress.

I would be OK with my remaining adult guppies dying but I wuold be more upset at losing my fry and my pleco. They are my priority. Please advise.

Thanks!

Answer 1

I agree with something here and would only add that lighting does not affect the ich at all. I would run the lights for about 10-12 hours a day. My guess as to why the babies don't have ich would be 1) they are in a breeder net up high in the tank away from the gravel and 2) they are in a breeder net that restricts the water flow a bit. These two things means there is less chance for the free swimming ich to get to them.

I would also suggest a slightly higher temperature , something around 88F. I also advocate leaving the salt in the water and the heat up for a bit longer, even as much as 8-10 days if you have a fairly heavy infestation.

I don't thing the level of light will impact the development of your fry either way to be honest.

MM

Answer 2

First you may desire to characteristic air stone to any tank you cope with. next you may desire to gradually turn the warmth as much as 86°. no longer 80 4°, no longer 80 5°, yet 86°, or 87° to make confident. much less then this and ich will nonetheless stay. this is all you may desire to do. The air stones shop the water oxygenated interior the overheated situations, and warmth on my own will do away with ich from the aquarium via speeding up their lifespan and combating duplicate - no salt, no meds needed. no rely the form you cope with, meds, warmth, or different, the extra progressed the case of ich is, and the weaker the fish are, the extra effective the possibility that the therapy itself would kill the fish. there is relatively no longer something to be accomplished approximately that. yet of direction, ich is a preventable ailment, so until you got a fish that got here with it, attempt to verify what's occurring and why they have been given it. issues like that's related to rigidity. -- additionally I could upload which you may shop up the warmth therapy for 8 days, even nonetheless signs and indications of ich will disappear earlier this. To the consumer below: Why do you maintain having to handle ich?? this is a very and carefully preventable ailment! the choose arises to look at your fishkeeping practices!

Answer 3

I've never heard of lighting affecting the treatment for ich. Reducing the lighting is used in treating velvet, however. The organism causing velvet has photosynthetic pigments, so it can get nutrition from your lighting as well as your fish.

Both ich and velvet appear as white spots on your fish, but the velvet spots are smaller - more dust-like or powdery - and have a gold-amber iridescence under bright light. If you're sure you're treating ich, changing the lighting won't have much effect. If you're not sure, try googling velvet (or Piscinoodinium pillulare) photos to compare with your fish (and this could be hard to determine because of the size of the fish).

Answer 4

I don't believe the length of time the light is on makes a difference. I'd get the Pleco out before it gets ich, as treating scaleless fish for ich is much harder. The followeing is my treatment for ich. I've been an aquarist for 37 years and treated ich probably 100 times, but fortunately not in the past two years.

Treatment of Freshwater Ich, Ichthyophthirius.
It is believed that ich is present in all aquariums. Fish that have the disease exhibit small white dots about this size of a grain of salt. It is very contagious and it is fatal.
The best protection is a healthy tank with water changes done weekly or every other week with a gravel vac in the amount of 20-25% of the tank volume. A sound practice in fish keeping is to keep new fish in quarantine 4-7 days before adding them to your tank. The stress from being shipped from the wholesale to the retailer, the stress of living in the retailers tanks which may be overcrowded and poorly maintained and the stress of being bagged up and taken to your home can weaken a fish and make it most vulnerable to ich and other ailments. Rather than introduce a sick fish to your aquarium, it is better to quarantine it until you know it is healthy.

When sound fish keeping practices are not enough, fortunately ich is also very easy to cure. Freshwater ich should not be confused with marine ich, Cryptocaryon irritans. Salt will weaken freshwater ich, obviously marine ich, being in salt water already, this is obviously not the same treatment.

First step:
20-25% water change with gravel vac. Most likely your poor water conditions contributed to the outbreak of ich.
Second step:
Raise temperature (no more than 1° per hour) to 85°.
Third step:
Add aquarium salt (not table salt) in the amount of one rounded tablespoon per 5 gallons. If you have scaleless fish such as loaches, catfish and "algae eaters", reduce that to one rounded teaspoon per 5 gallons, as they don't tolerate salt well.
http://www.aquariumpharm.com/en_us/productCategory.asp?categoryname=WaterConditioners
Fourth step:
After 24 hours, a second 20-25% water change. Add more salt. If you took 5 gallons out in the change, put another rounded tablespoon in.
Adjust for your situation.
Fifth step:
Wait 24 hours.
Sixth Step:
A third water change of 20-25% and replace salt removed.

If this does not cure the fish, and no signs of improvement show up yet, you may want to use a commercial ich curative, all of which require removal of the carbon from your filter, or the carbon will filter out the medication. You can continue with the cleaning process and maintain salt levels. Brackish water fish such as mollies need to have some salt in order to maintain good health. Most other fish benefit from a little aquarium salt as well.

One of the most common is copper sulfate medications like Aquarasol http://www.aq-products.com/APpro/aquarisol.htm
In more extreme cases, Malachite Green is very popular.
http://www.aq-products.com/APpro/quickcure.htm
In the case of scaleless fish such as loaches and catfish, a formaldehyde based Formalin
http://www.aq-products.com/APpro/formalin.htm
Be extremely careful with Formalin doses, many are super concentrated containing 37% formaldehyde, as 1 teaspoon treats 90 gallons.
Some are pre-diluted like Formalin-3, where the dosage is 1-2 teaspoons per 10 gallons. Formalin will kill the bacteria in your filter that break down the waste,
http://www.novalek.com/kordon/formalin/index.htm
Some products contain a combination of these medications. Read the labels and know what you are putting in your tank.

Good Luck

Answer 5

you shouldturn out the lights