Can you treat Ick and Fin Rot at the same time?

Question

I know..I know...I'm a lucky lady! I have a fish that has Ick and tail rot. One other fish that has Ick and two other fish that seem like they're okay (for now). I bought Ick medication and Fungus medication. Can I treat them together at the same time?

Also, how long does it take to treat these problems? Any thoughts?

Answer 1

AHHH!! No don't mix meds! NEVER NEVER NEVER!!
Please try using kosher rock salt and heat before meds! One tablespoon per gallon and heat at 83 degrees will kill both. Tail rot is stress, stress from ick. Cure the ick with salt and heat for 2 weeks. Keep water perameters perfect at all times. Ph stable, ammonia and nitrite zero and nitrates under 20 ppm. Meds WILL kill your biological system. Doubling the meds can easily kill the fish as well. Anti-biotic medicated food is better. You are about to make a really really big mistake.
It will take as long for the fish to heal as they have been sick. Be patient. 2 weeks to cure ick. Change the water and replace with salt water of same concentrate during this time. After treatment replace tank water with fresh and don't add salt.

Answer 2

Fin rot is usually caused by bacteria, so the fungal medication will only be treating fungus that comes in as a secondary infection. And fin rot problems are often the result of water quality problems (too high of ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate in the water). If there's a buildup of organic material in the gravel in your tank, this is the first thing you need to address, since organics will bind to some copper-based medications (lots of ich medications use this as an active ingredient) and it will make the ich meds less effective.

I'd also be cautious trying to add too many medications at once, especially if they're from different manufacturers. No telling how they may interact.

I'd suggest following one of two possible methods of treatment. Both begin with a good gravel cleaning to remove any built-up fish waste and excess food from the gravel (this will aslo remove some of the ich parasites that aren't attached to the fish yet).

From there, you could treat with the ich medication you've already purchased, and wait and see if the fin rot resolves on it's own as a result of the water change.

The other option would be to treat the ich with salt (preferably a type without iodine added, such as kosher, canning, rock, or aquarium salt), and use a broad-spectrum antibiotic like Furanace to treat the fin rot.

For either option, raising the water temperature to 86-90o (do this slowly, a few degrees each hour) will speed up the ich life cycle, making the parasites drop off the fish faster, so the treatment can take effect (on the fish they're in a protective cyst). Treatment should last for around 10-14 days, or at least 3-5 days after you can no longer see spots on the fish. Stopping earlier can risk reinfection. See this link for more on treating ich with salt: http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/ich.shtml

Check any medication to see if it requires you to remove your carbon from the filter before you add it to the tank.

When treatment is over, lower your water temperature equally slowly so you don't shock your fish and do a good water change.

Answer 3

How To Treat Fin Rot

Answer 4

Fin Rot Treatment