Quick Cure for Ick

[Darwinfemfish]

I've recently had one of my ghost catfish die from ick. :-( Now another one appears to have it. I purchased some Quick Cure from the lfs. My question is related to amounts. The labeling suggests half the amount of the medicine for tetras than for other fish. I have neon tetras and diamond tetras in the same tank as the cats. Should I use the half dose, or stick with the full dose?

Thanks!

 

[Lotus]

Go for half dose.

 

[Darwinfemfish]

Thanks for the advice, Lotus. I'm not sure if it's working- the infected fish hasn't died yet (the first casualty died within a few days) but he doesn't look any better, either. At least the tetras are doing well!

Anyway, I've been treating for over 10 days. Is this normal? There's no indication on the directions as to how long I should be treating. Also, should I continue to do regular water changes? I'm afraid there is some kind of build up of medication in the water that I shouldn't get rid of (or should). Thanks!

 

[baotchi]

Your infected fish still show signs of ICK after 10 days ? This is weird IMO because ICK gets off the fish usually after 3 or 4 days max.

I never used QuickCure but I read good stuff about it. I have a bottle of it here if I ever need it.

Simon

 

[Lotus]

A bad infestation of ich can take 3 weeks to cure. Follow the instructions on the meds for water changes/dosing.

 

[dss2004]

Remember to keep treating for a couple days after the last signs of ick appear. There life cycle is unusual and you should read up to understand why the treatments work they way that they do.

Take carbon out of the filter if you are using carbon currently. It takes the meds out of the water.

Good luck and keep us posted!!!

 

[Darwinfemfish]

Okay, I'm a little confused now. I looked in my tank today at feeding time, and saw that another one of my ghost catfish had passed away. When I looked for the other one I was shocked to see that the infected fish was still going strong! He really doesn't look much different. The dead fish looked just fine yesterday. What's going on?

I did take the carbon out of the filter before beginning treatment. The directions don't say anything about water changes, so I'm going to change the water tomorrow since it looked quite funky today (unless I read other wise in my research tonight).

 

[Darwinfemfish]

I just had a thought- is it possible my dwarf puffers could harbor some kind of wierd disease the community fish could get? I have, on occasion, given my community tank leftover bloodworms from the puffer tank. I usually put a little puffer tank water in a shot glass, melt the bloodworms in it, and pour it in the tank from there. If there are leftovers in the shotglass, the community tank occasionaly gets them. Looking back on this, it is probably a careless cross-contamination between my two tanks.

 

[Darwinfemfish]

I just don't know what to do- my last catfish is STILL looking bad. I feel like I'm just prolonging his suffering by treating the disease. It has been 3 weeks now! All of the other fish look just fine. Looks like I'll be picking up a new (used) tank soon to use for these fish, so when I do, I guess I'll just leave him in my old tank until he either passes on or gets better. This is so frustrating! I fell so sorry for him.

 

[timisu87]

It's ok buddy, he'll pull through for you. Perhaps you should switch the medications.

 

[Darwinfemfish]

Any suggestions for alternate meds?

 

[revfred]

I use Kordon's Rid Ich+ with great success. It goes by another name for those in the UK. Moreover, you don't have to screw around with different doses for different species or change your temperature settings. It is harmless to plants. Just follow the directions ... they are good directions too. They even recommend the frequency and timing of water changes. I use the normal dose they recommend for the first day, and then step up to the "stubborn case dosing" for the next couple of days if the fish seem to be tolerating the medication well. Be sure to carry on the treatment long enough. As Lotus says, ich is stubborn. I carry on the treatment for at least 3-5 days longer after the last of the visible signs disappear. Then reinsert the carbon to remove the medication.

 

[Darwinfemfish]

Hmmm... I wish I had seen your message before I rushed out to the Pet Store! The lfs doesn't carry anything other than Quickcure, but I got some "Ick Guard II" from the pet store. It's supposed to be gentler, so you don't have to halve the dose or anything. I also purchased some aquarium salt, as that seems to be a succesful cure for many people. Funny thing is, I swear he is looking better today. I haven't used Quickcure for a couple of days... maybe I should go back to it??? Ugh! At any rate, I was told to raise the tank temp slowly to about 84, regardless of what treatment method I use.

I'm guessing the only way to know for sure is to call the company that makes the meds, but does anyone know if it's okay to use the salt and meds? On the salt container, one of the "directions for use" options is "tropical fish treatment or with a remedy," so maybe I can use it with the quickcure or ick guard?

Anyway, thanks for all the advice and encouragment. Please keep it coming!

 

[Darwinfemfish]

Well, believe it or not, he actually looks like he might be improving!