Ich Treatment Questions

T

TradeWinds

Small Fish
#1
Jul 19, 2005
47
0
0
Southern California
#1
I think two of my black neon tetras may have developed ich. I have read that certain medications may interfere with the biological cycle. Since I am not even a week into cycling my tank, this concerns me. I'm wondering how these medications interfere with the biological cycle, and what types do this?

I'm going to wait a few days before I buy any stuff to treat it, because: 1) it may not even be Ich, maybe it's nothing and it'll go away. If it is ich I caught it just at it's start. There are only 2-3 spots on each fish. 2)I don't know what the effects of the meds are exactly

Thanks
 

T

TradeWinds

Small Fish
#3
Jul 19, 2005
47
0
0
Southern California
#3
twoluvcats said:
you are good to wait...ich ahs always been a 'cycling disease' for me. If they do start to get heavily spotted, i would go with the salt/heat method over any meds...it won't inhibit your cycle...and the heat may actually speed it up.

Here's a great article on treating/understanding ich: http://cichlid-forum.com/articles/ich.php
Click to expand...
After reading that article, I would be surprised if it was ich, as the majority of ich strains can't reproduce above 85 according to that article. I think that's my tank's temperature now (and it's been cooling down for a few hours, in the middle of a heat wave and I have no a/c). I guess I'll wait and see, maybe I'll go get some aquarium salt and start using that just to be sure.

Question about the salt though. After I stop using it, how long would it take to dissipate?
 

T

TradeWinds

Small Fish
#6
Jul 19, 2005
47
0
0
Southern California
#6
Started treatment today with a copper based product called Aqua-Sol, which seems would be more effective than salt and heat.I will also be raising the temp to 87-88. Has anyone used Aqua-Sol before? When are you supposed to repeat the dosage? The directions could be better...

When will I start seeing results? My poor black neons spend lots of time getting "massaged" by the bubbles coming out of my lift tubes now.
 

FroggyFox

FroggyFox

Forum Manager
Moderator
#7
May 16, 2003
8,589
10
38
42
Colorado
#7
Generally its not a good idea to mix the salt/heat and a medication...pick one or the other. With your fish going through a cycle at the same time thats just too much for them to deal with.

Generally with any medications follow the directions to the letter, and do a double treatment (with a large water change in between). Ich is only visible in one stage of its life...and only vunerable to be killed in a stage that you can't see it...so you shouldn't stop treatment just because the white spots go away.

I've never used the product that you described...I'm sure its ok that you're using a copper based med since you only have fish in the tank...but many people can't use them because the copper will kill any other critters you have in there (shrimp, snails etc) If you have carbon in your filter be sure to take it out while medicating or it will just take the meds out of the water.
 

T

TradeWinds

Small Fish
#11
Jul 19, 2005
47
0
0
Southern California
#11
Okay, I went to the company's website and found real directions, wonder why they couldn't put them on the bottle? It says treat daily, and I'm going to do daily water changes because I feel uneasy about putting that much chemical junk in with no water changes. It also says to raise the temp to 85. My fish do seem a little better this morning. Their coloring has returned. And I got my first trace of nitrites while testing today. Woohoo!

Here's the website:
http://www.aq-products.com/Catalog/DIRECTIONS/Dosing ASInstructions.htm
 

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