I've just read a website on ich and I looked at my fish carefully finding it has white dots on it. I've searched and read on ich so far and the only signs that it has ich is about ten white dots that are on its skin and fins. Another sign is that it is hovering near the filters water letting out part. It's not like it rubs and I dont know what to do. I have a big bucket but only a small aquarium for my pictus catfish that has a bubbler i could put in the bucket. Should I do a salt treatment for ten days? Or is it not ich?
2007-06-11 16:06:16 · 9 answers · asked by lupelaugeher 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
Sounds like ich to me too. Ich can move very fast on your fish so you need to start treatment asap. Your pictus cat will not do well with most ich medications, so I would suggest a salt / heat treatment to you. Add 1 tablespoon of salt for every 1 gallons of water ( that amount won't hurt the cat, but more might) and increase the temperature of the tank to 88F. Do a daily water change of 50% while cleaning the gravel with a gravel siphon and replace the removed water with clean water. Add salt for the amount you removed only! Don't resalt the whole tank! So if you take out 4 gallons, add 2 tablespoons of salt, if you take out 10 gallons add 5 tablespoons of salt. Keep the heat up, the water changes going and the salt added for 7 days after you see the last white spot disappear.
Also, expect it to look worse before it gets better, that's totally normal during an ich treatment.
If can hep further feel free to email me
MM
2007-06-11 16:33:31 · answer #1 · answered by magicman116 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Be careful! The pictus (or any catfish) does not do well with medications or salt treatments. The normal cures can kill catfish or any scaleless type fish you might keep.
Aeration is good. Up the aeration and you don't mention what your temperature is set at..but if it's in the 70's, try moving it up to the 80's slowly. Aeration is necessary as heating the water will lessen the amount of oxygen in the water.
Pictus catfish demand very clean water. Dirty water causes stress and eventual death. Always use a water conditioner. Some of the chemicals in tap water will severely stress them.
If medicating for ich, use your cure at half-strength. Most medications severely stress pictus catfish. Use medications only as a last resort. Too much malachite green will yield a tank of dead pictus with their mouths wide open.
2007-06-11 16:23:36 · answer #2 · answered by Barb R 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like ich. If the spots resemble sugar grains, it's definitely ich. Get some QuickCure, remove the carbon from the filter, and treat your tank. The dose is one drop for every gallon. Once the ich is gone, remove your fish to another tank for about a day. Drain your tank and refill it with boiling hot water. Let it cool down to normal temperature before adding your fish. It does work, and this guarantees that all ich parasites are eradicated. It worked for me.
2007-06-11 16:52:48 · answer #3 · answered by lornesett 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
sounds like ich -- is it on your catfish? ich lives in your gravel for part of its life -- you should do research on the ich lifecycle before treating anyone or anything and its best to treat the whole tank as long as you don't have salt sensitive fish -- and do frequent gravel vacuums and water changes too.
2007-06-11 16:11:14 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes, you have ich - no salt, use ich meds and try not to make changes to your tank to keep the stress down on your fish.
Moving sick fish will guarantee death. stress is a major factor is ich.
2007-06-11 16:11:43 · answer #5 · answered by MotherNature 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
sounds like it might be ich. There are products you can buy at a pet store to add to your water to cure it. Don't worry as long as it is treated you are fine.
2007-06-11 16:11:46 · answer #6 · answered by nerakian 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
just be careful before starting any meds, sounds funny but your sure that isnt the color of your natural fish ? ive seen black ones with white spots? did it come with the fish or the white spots came after ? i did the same mistake with my guppy male and was left in isolation for 3 weeks then saw his babies had the same coloration.
hope your wrong and goodluck
2007-06-11 16:23:27 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Be sure the meds are OK for scaleless fish. Salt won't hurt.
2007-06-11 16:20:03 · answer #8 · answered by PeeTee 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
get the ick treatment and follow the directions
2007-06-11 16:12:26 · answer #9 · answered by Reta, Bears mommy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋