Is it ICH

[Anja]

We are new to this! We have a 45 gallon tank, about 35 fish & all was well, loving it! Then, white spots, fish scratching on rocks! We got Ich out and it seemed to work, lost three neon's but the others seemed okay, well the Goramis,orange ones, did not seem to like much either! All looked good, we got two new fish and now it seems they are itching all over again!!! How do we get rid of this? I hate to have to start over, water changes, more dead neons the stress to the rest of the fish, what are we doing wrong and how long can you keep doing ick out before it hurts your fish? Thanks for you help!!!

 

[unwritten law]

Do you have carbon in your filter? This can remove meds from the water and not be effective for treatment. I would raise the temperature to 80-82ish and possible add salt to the tank, I'm not sure on the measurements but I think an acceptable amount is 1 table spoon per 10 gallons depending on the type of fish you have in there. I would keep it at this temp for a good week and if there is improvement lower it slowly. and not add more fish for close to a month because the stress of acclimation can cause the ich to reappear on the new fish and spread to the older ones.

 

[OrangeCones]

We have a 45 gallon tank, about 35 fish & all was well, loving it! /QUOTE]

What are all the fish you have? 35 may be too many for a 45 gallon tank, which could cause stress and lower the immune system of the fish.

Raising the temperature is a really good idea. It speeds up the life cycle of the ich and it will leave the fish sooner (less damage to the fish that way). But it still lives in the water. I've used higher temperatures (85-86). Raise it no faster than 1 degree per day. And make sure to leave the temperatures high until a week after there are no more signs of the spots.

 

[homebunnyj]

Do not use ich meds and salt/heat treatment at the same time... too much stress on fish.

 

[Anja]

Yes, carbon filter is out! Yes, I think I have to agree, put in too many too soon
As for heat, we have 2 gold fish & I've been told they do not like it hot! We keep it at about 78! We have 3 bala sharks, 2 blue gouramis, 2 orange gouramis, 4 guppies, 1 neon, 4 tetras, 1 Koi, 1 shebumkin?, 5 tiger barbs and one crab, oh, 2 asian sucker fish? We got the tank,it had a turtle too but he ate the fish!!! So we got him a tank so be can be alone! We put a cup with 2 tea spoons of salt in it in the bottom and they seem to like it a lot! I feel so sad that they look so sad & sick! I wish I could make it better! We've done all we know to do, water change, 25%, all the stuff to make it clean, ich out, now we noticed white poo!!!! I sure hope we can save them, we got very attached to them already, the kids have named them all!! Thanks for all your help!!!!

 

[ishar]

Well Anja, I hate to break it to you, but there are going to be a lot of replies to this post due to your stocking, and very few towards ich. It is hard to realize, but there is a lot wrong with the fish you have chosen in terms of adult fish size, temperature compatibility and aggression issues. Disease will be a long term problem in this tank until the stocking issues have been fixed, but the ich is more immediately important. I have some more personal advice for you first though ok?

Take a deep breath, and steel yourself. Yes, you have made mistakes, but here you are trying to fix them. Everyone here will give similar advice, all usually true and founded, but sometimes it will come out mean and harsh. Don't give up. Keep at it and don't let things get to you. Read the posts, do independent googling, and ask any questions you have. If you truly want to save your fish it will take some time and work. Keep at it, and don't give up.

Now for the stocking. First off, koi and shebunkin tend to get very large- 12 inches long or so if I remember correctly. These alone would be a good stock for your tank. But then you have gouramis, tetras and a bala shark- these fish require warmer temperatures and quite a bit of space. Bala sharks also get very very large when full grown if I, again, remember correctly.

If you would like to keep all of your fish, then I suggest getting another tank of the same size to move your two goldfish into. The other fish should be fine in the original tank, minus the bala sharks. I think the only real choice if you want to give them a good and full life, is to return them or get a really big tank. I am sorry for this.

This advice is not overly comprehensive or full but it is a starting place for you to do some research. Now for the disease.

Raise the temperature way up- like 84 degrees or so if I remember. This is a good way to help stop the spread of it. Do a lot of googling and searching on this forum, as there are a million and one ways to cure it (I have never had to cure it so I couldn't even tell you how I do it) but find one that seems legitimate and try it.

I hope your tank pulls through and so do you. As I said, take a deep breath and just be ready to work through this. Be patient and try your best, and your tank should pull through.