I think I have ich, what do I do?
- Thread starter Shaunna
- Start date
After you get done treating I would just keep enough things in there to keep it cycled or you could take all the fish you have left back to where ever you got them and buy some ammonia to keep the tank cycled. So you can get every thing stable for a while
Also if you go with option two you can redecorate the tank
Also if you go with option two you can redecorate the tank
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Was your tank fully cycled? I can't believe you don't test for any of the parameters, it's the best way to know and understand what's going on in your tank! Also, are you sure you're dechlorinating correctly? Do you have chloramines or chlorine from your water treatment plant?
Almost all meds will kill shrimp, by the way, as will any ammonia in the water.
Tetras are also sensitive to meds, so this may be why they're dropping like flies.
Definitely don't put any new fish in your tank for at least a month. Ich can take a good 14 days to completely cure.
Almost all meds will kill shrimp, by the way, as will any ammonia in the water.
Tetras are also sensitive to meds, so this may be why they're dropping like flies.
Definitely don't put any new fish in your tank for at least a month. Ich can take a good 14 days to completely cure.
Just a few things.
No it won't hurt Henry to not have his "whisker" as you call it. My powder blue dwarf gourami came with only one and he's still that way just as happy as can be. You gouramis might also be reacting to the stress they're experiencing. Stress can make a fish do weird things.
Mela Fix won't hurt your tank if you get the kind that's not just for goldfish and koi. I have a bottle thats for fresh and saltwater aquariums. It's safe for most delicate spieces like: tetras, discus fry, scaleless fish, even invertabrates.(It says this on the inside of the label.) The treatment I use for ich though is called Super Ich Plus made by Aquatronics. Works great. Just follow the instructions about removing the carbon and stuff and hopefull it'll work for you.
White poop? Is it thin too? If so that's another sign of stress I'm told.
Sorry about your problems. I know how you feel. I'm having my own
Good Luck.
No it won't hurt Henry to not have his "whisker" as you call it. My powder blue dwarf gourami came with only one and he's still that way just as happy as can be. You gouramis might also be reacting to the stress they're experiencing. Stress can make a fish do weird things.
Mela Fix won't hurt your tank if you get the kind that's not just for goldfish and koi. I have a bottle thats for fresh and saltwater aquariums. It's safe for most delicate spieces like: tetras, discus fry, scaleless fish, even invertabrates.(It says this on the inside of the label.) The treatment I use for ich though is called Super Ich Plus made by Aquatronics. Works great. Just follow the instructions about removing the carbon and stuff and hopefull it'll work for you.
White poop? Is it thin too? If so that's another sign of stress I'm told.
Sorry about your problems. I know how you feel. I'm having my own
Good Luck.
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Shaunna -- First, I would stop throwing more medicine in and treat the ich like JN suggested -- salt and heat work so much better than most of those over the counter products.
Second, vacuum your tank and do it every week. The stuff you're seeing on the bottom is likely food. Get down in the gravel with the vacuum.
Third, feed your fish sparingly especially since you're still cycling your tank. Every other day should be fine. If you must feed every day, feed one or two flakes per fish (seriously) and step up your water change schedule to every 5 days at least.
Fourth, as we have suggested before, TEST your water. You gotta do it with a fish-in cycle. You see what can happen. More likely than not, those meds may have also crashed your biofilter and you may be back to square one with cycling. You also mentioned taking your filter out, that will also cause your beneficial bacteria to die. I know returning your fish isn't an option but for many people it *is* and it is a realistic choice if poor choices are to be rectified.
Your gourami may grow his fin back with good water quality and peaceful tankmates. Gouramis can be bullies and the stress may have sent them into mega-survival mode. Hopefully, with the return of calm, they will chill out but be warned, they can be little creeps also as you have seen.
What's done is done. You have fish you need to get through this. Follow the necessary steps and don't throw the pharmacy at them, it can also lead to even more stress and sickness. CLEAN WATER, NO toxins, a little salt and some heat and go from there..... Good luck!
Second, vacuum your tank and do it every week. The stuff you're seeing on the bottom is likely food. Get down in the gravel with the vacuum.
Third, feed your fish sparingly especially since you're still cycling your tank. Every other day should be fine. If you must feed every day, feed one or two flakes per fish (seriously) and step up your water change schedule to every 5 days at least.
Fourth, as we have suggested before, TEST your water. You gotta do it with a fish-in cycle. You see what can happen.
More likely than not, those meds may have also crashed your biofilter and you may be back to square one with cycling. You also mentioned taking your filter out, that will also cause your beneficial bacteria to die. I know returning your fish isn't an option but for many people it *is* and it is a realistic choice if poor choices are to be rectified.Your gourami may grow his fin back with good water quality and peaceful tankmates. Gouramis can be bullies and the stress may have sent them into mega-survival mode. Hopefully, with the return of calm, they will chill out but be warned, they can be little creeps also as you have seen.
What's done is done. You have fish you need to get through this. Follow the necessary steps and don't throw the pharmacy at them, it can also lead to even more stress and sickness. CLEAN WATER, NO toxins, a little salt and some heat and go from there..... Good luck!
Ok, well thanks for the feedback guys. I didn;t remed last night after the water chance because it seems that all the fish who were really affected are dead. I lost the black skirt last night. The other one seems fine he doesn't have anything going on like the others did. My blues never really acted sick to begin with and I think Henry is fine he is just a little stessed out by all of this.
Yes, I do dechlor correctly and yes I do have chlorine and what not in my tap water. I am almost certain that was not the cause of this. I am also pretty positive that it wasn't food I was sucking up due to the fact that I did about a 40% water change about 3 days before all this happened and I vacuum my gravel everytime. I just can't see standing there with the syphon in the tank draining water and not cleaning the gravel in the meantime. So, I don't think it was food. I don't know if this is a fungus or what but I am taking all my live plants out because it is on the bulbs and I will be removing all the fake plants and my log to clean them well. Can I let them sit in a salt bath for a bit? Will it hurt any? I have quit "throwing the pharmacy at them" I had bought that stuff and treated b/4 J posted. That is why I didn't do it that way. So, I guess the idea we had about turning the 29 into a Gourami tank is the next step. Although now we don't have to worry about moving the others. Calm down, I meant after everything has stabilized. I am not putting anything in there for a while. Sheesh!
Thank you Seleya for the 2:1 ratio on feeding. I fed them every other day when we first set up. Only recently have I switched to every day. I do believe I was feeding them too much. I fed them twice a day. That is what is says on the package of their food. So now that I know 1-2 flakes per fish is sufficient then that is what I will practice. But, like I said I don't believe that was all food b/c I had just done a w/c Thans guys.
Yes, I do dechlor correctly and yes I do have chlorine and what not in my tap water. I am almost certain that was not the cause of this. I am also pretty positive that it wasn't food I was sucking up due to the fact that I did about a 40% water change about 3 days before all this happened and I vacuum my gravel everytime. I just can't see standing there with the syphon in the tank draining water and not cleaning the gravel in the meantime. So, I don't think it was food. I don't know if this is a fungus or what but I am taking all my live plants out because it is on the bulbs and I will be removing all the fake plants and my log to clean them well. Can I let them sit in a salt bath for a bit? Will it hurt any? I have quit "throwing the pharmacy at them" I had bought that stuff and treated b/4 J posted. That is why I didn't do it that way. So, I guess the idea we had about turning the 29 into a Gourami tank is the next step. Although now we don't have to worry about moving the others. Calm down, I meant after everything has stabilized. I am not putting anything in there for a while.
Sheesh!Thank you Seleya for the 2:1 ratio on feeding. I fed them every other day when we first set up. Only recently have I switched to every day. I do believe I was feeding them too much. I fed them twice a day. That is what is says on the package of their food. So now that I know 1-2 flakes per fish is sufficient then that is what I will practice. But, like I said I don't believe that was all food b/c I had just done a w/c Thans guys.
Thats going to the extreme throwing out healthy plants. Unless you want different ones. I would ask in the plant forum as I dont really know about that one. You could do that I would soak the fakes and the decorations in a water and chlorine maybe a cup for a gallon. It wont hurt anything you just add a few more drops of de-chlor just to get the extra chlorine out when u put them back in the tank.
Well the plants have fuzzies all over them and the leaves have gotten real weird. They look like a hard wood floor with the lacquer peeling off in some spots. Do you know what I mean?
Can I do both with the fakes? Salt and then chlorine. Just to be on the safe side? Should I add a drop of bleach? Can I use the same bucket I do w/c with?
Can I do both with the fakes? Salt and then chlorine. Just to be on the safe side? Should I add a drop of bleach? Can I use the same bucket I do w/c with?
Shaunna said:
Well the plants have fuzzies all over them and the leaves have gotten real weird. They look like a hard wood floor with the lacquer peeling off in some spots. Do you know what I mean?
Can I do both with the fakes? Salt and then chlorine. Just to be on the safe side? Should I add a drop of bleach? Can I use the same bucket I do w/c with?
Can I do both with the fakes? Salt and then chlorine. Just to be on the safe side? Should I add a drop of bleach? Can I use the same bucket I do w/c with?
2. Yes, you can jst use a few mor drops of de-chlor befroe u put that water in the tank as I always add a drop more than I need to for my W/C
ok, well I will do that here in a little bit. I will post if I have any more questions as I go along. Will mprobably do it here in a couple of hours, have to go do dishes and laundry now!
Did you say yes to letting them soak in my w/c bucket? Even with the bleach. I have a 1 1/2 gallon bucket how much bleach should I add? I just remembered, I only have table salt, can I use that since I am not actually adding it to the tank itself? Then do chlorinated water with bleach, then rinse, rinse, rinse?
Did you say yes to letting them soak in my w/c bucket? Even with the bleach. I have a 1 1/2 gallon bucket how much bleach should I add? I just remembered, I only have table salt, can I use that since I am not actually adding it to the tank itself? Then do chlorinated water with bleach, then rinse, rinse, rinse?