Ok i had two fish in one of my 20 gallon tanks and they were both victims of ick. I now learned that i should quarantine my fish before i put them into one of the bigger tanks. Now i have an empty 20 gallon tank in my room with the same water as usual, whats the next step? completely change the water? change the filter pads? And also i've heard ick would be a lot more present in a 20 gallon than a 75 gallon...true? (its a marine tank)
2007-05-20 03:53:44 · 4 answers · asked by yd3 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
First, the size of the tank will have nothing to do with the ich content. As long as there is ich and there are fish, it will spread. You are right that a quarantine tank is the only way to prevent ich from getting into a display tank and the best way to treat an infected fish assuming you have a reef tank. If you have a fish only tank then you need to treat the entire tank when dealing with ich. But let's avoid some confusion, it's not ich in a marine tank despite the common name of marine ich. It's really Cryptocaryon irritans or Crypt. That prevents confusion in treatment options.
If your 20 gallon was infected with Crypt, you can simply now allow it to run fallow ( no fish) for 4 weeks and allow the Crypt to die off. You will of course need to "feed" the cycling bacteria in the tank with some source of ammonia during this time so that the cycle will hold up and you will not have to cycle the tank again once you can put fish in it.
Here's a great article about marine ich or Crypt, it's prevention and cures.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ichart2mar.htm
There are tons of FAQ's and other links at the top of the page that deal with Crypts and are worth a read.
Hope this helps
MM
2007-05-20 04:12:37 · answer #1 · answered by magicman116 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ick is a fungus. you need to be very particular about buying your fish. if you see any spots or patches on any fish at the shop do not buy anything from that tank.
you can buy special products that treat ick but an aquarium buddy of mine several years ago told me that he just added salt to his tanks and i gotta tell you i never found ick in his shop. you don't need a lot just a 1/2 s teaspoon or so should keep it clean
2007-05-20 10:59:46 · answer #2 · answered by sashimi 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the best solution is get a heater. ick hard to survive at 25c temp. my goldies was attacked by ick too.. but it didnt happen after i get a heater.
2007-05-24 05:55:44 · answer #3 · answered by yEwChAi~~ 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
treat the water with ick medicine.
2007-05-20 10:57:57 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋