What should i do with my Raphael catfish?

Question

I recently had an outbreak of ich in my tank. I purchased Nox-Ich at a local pet store and treated my 10gallon with half the recommended dose as i have some sensitvie fish present. Last night about 48hours after my first treatment of the tank i noticed that my Raphael Catfish was near the surface and gasping for air. I immediatly removed him from the tank and placed him in a one gallon with an airator. Half of his water in the one gallon is fresh the other half is from the old aquarium. This morning i got up and all over his body is long stringy like slim. It hangs from his body and extends about the length of his body. He seems to be doing better regarding gasping at the surface but this has me worried. I am new to tending to fish and would love some advice. Also i am treating my main tank for ich again today does anyone have any suggestions for making this easier for my other fish?
Thanks so Much for your time. :)

Answer 1

If you have fish sensitive to medications in the tank, you may have better luck treating the fish with salt and heat.
Change a large portion of the water, about 50-60% while cleaning the gravel very well.
Clean the filter and change the filter media.
Add 1 tablespoons of salt per gallon of the tank. Add this slowly, giving the fish time to adjust.
Raise the temperature to 88-90 F. Raise it slowly, about 1 degree per hour. You may need to add an air stone or two depending on the type of fish and how heavily the tank is stocked. Treat for at least 7 days after you see the last white spots on any of the fish. After the treatment return the tank temperature to normal.

This works, and is more gentle on most fish than medications, but it does often take longer to finish the treatment.

Once you do the water change to remove some of the ich and to remove some of the medication, you should be able to put your catfish back in the tank for the salt / heat treatment with no problem.

If I can help more, feel free to email me.

MM

Answer 2

hi,.C.K,.
http://www.biology.com
http://www.fish.com
- good luck,.