Pls. Help Urgent ... I'm very much worried & surprised...they look like white spots all over my cichlid tank

Question

They look small white moving spots/dots like insects or wht ever ... They are on the glass & also in the water. Few of my cichlids are very sick with rot on the skin & fin etc... This is something i have never seen in my tank in the last 2 1/2 years. Pls. let me know what these could be whether harm ful to human by any chance or get transfered etc...what is teh treatment etc pls. help

Answer 1

The small white dots in your tank are most likely the larvae of some small insect and not a problem for the health of you or your fish. I can think of no parasite that would swarm in a tank like that that is visible to the unaided eye and it is certainly not ich, that a positive certainty. They may well be the result of accumulated debris in the gravel and I would suggest a through gravel cleaning to remove the material on which they are feeding. If you find them highly offensive and want to remove them even more quickly you could treat with a parasite medication such as Clout and is will most likely kill them, but I would suggest significant water changes as the better solution.

As for the rot you are seeing on some of your fish, that is best treated with an antibiotic such as Maracyn 2 or tetracycline. Treat per the package directions for at least 10 days to be sure it's cleared up in the tank.

MM

Answer 2

Have you introduced anything new to your tank lately, either planrs, rocke, other animals, etc? It could be a disease (like ick). I would take a sample of the water as well as a couple of pics of your fish to your local pet store and see what they say. They should have something to clear it up, and possibly something for the fin rot. You need to do something fast, though. It sounds like whatever you have is taking quite a toll on the poor guys. Good luck!

Answer 3

sounds like ick, the best thing to do is to change 1/2 the water and get some water treatment for the ick.