velvet or ick? URGENT NEED

[kadoe]

My favorite female molly has velmet (according to the book I have) so I got some Copper Safe (book said to use Copper Sulfate) so I interpreted it to the same thing (?).
The fish has like a white coat all over her including the eyes being cloudy. Now she has a large white cottony growth on her head. My fish store recommended I use Ick Cure for treating both symptoms. Before I get this, I want to make sure I'm treating with the right medicine, I don't want to loose this fish! Also, she's in a tank with about 100+ babies of different ages/sizes.

Please help ASAP!
thanks

 

[RISK2123]

i wouldnt add any meds to the tank. jsut raise the temp. to around 84 and dose with salt (tblsp per 5 gallons) being that u have fry in that tank i wouldnt want to add any meds because it may be to strong for them.

 

[kadoe]

I find this confusing because I add the salt (TBSP per 5 gallons) everytime I do water changes. 75 gal and I do water changes every week, removing six 5 gallon buckets each week. So I'm still not adding enough salt?
Thanks

 

[MissFishy]

Look on the internet for a salt treatment for ick. There are more precise directions there...but basically what you're going to do is raise the temperature...slowly to around 84, and dose the tank with salt over a 36 hr period. I believe some recommend a tsb a gallon. So in a huge 75 gal, you would add a whopping 75. If non of the other fish are showing symptoms, I would highly recommend you set up a small hospital tank with a heater and filter and follow the same treatment regimen, except on a much smaller scale. Those meds will most likely kill most of the fry and your tank will be hard to salt-treat since it is so large.

 

[RISK2123]

I find this confusing because I add the salt (TBSP per 5 gallons) everytime I do water changes. 75 gal and I do water changes every week, removing six 5 gallon buckets each week. So I'm still not adding enough salt?
Thanks

when u do water changes add however much salt as water that u take out. so if u take out 30 gallons u would add 6 tbsps. but when topping the tank off u wouldnt add any salt because water evaporates but salt doesnt. being that u have a molly in there u could add a tbsp per gallon. its not really a big deal. ur just trying to speed up the life cycle of the ick. the tbsp per 5 gallon will work just fine, but then agian im not sure if a tbsp per gallon would get rid of it quicker. i had ick in my tank once along time ago and i did the 1tbsp per 5 G and it was gone in three days. its definately gonna take longer because ur case sounds a little more severe (dont take "severe" the wrong way and get scared, i just mean you had more ick than i did). i think u should be fine in about a week or so

 

[RISK2123]

Look on the internet for a salt treatment for ick. There are more precise directions there...but basically what you're going to do is raise the temperature...slowly to around 84, and dose the tank with salt over a 36 hr period. I believe some recommend a tsb a gallon. So in a huge 75 gal, you would add a whopping 75. If non of the other fish are showing symptoms, I would highly recommend you set up a small hospital tank with a heater and filter and follow the same treatment regimen, except on a much smaller scale. Those meds will most likely kill most of the fry and your tank will be hard to salt-treat since it is so large.

only problem i can see with just treating the molly in a qt is the ick will still be in the 75 gallon. i would just keep up with regular water changes and make an investment in some salt cause ur gonna need alot.

 

[homebunnyj]

1) I agree with miss fishy about a hospital tank. I doubt your fry would do well with most any med.
2) If your fish has velvet, otherwise known as gold dust disease or rust disease, then it won't be covered with white stuff-- if you shine a flashlight on it you'll see stuff that looks like gold dust or rust-- kinda shiny and gold to brown colored. I've had a fish with velvet and it's true, if you shine a light on it, you see this stuff.
Also, ick looks like somebody salted your fish-- little white grains stuck to it.
A white film on the fish sounds more like columnaris to me.

 

[kadoe]

I've seen ick, and it is definately not that - this is a white film on the whole body that also covers the eyes. I did a 6 bucket water change to get rid of the Coppersafe as much as I could, then dosed it with E.M. for velvet and added salt as well. My fry are anywhere from 3 months old to 7 months old and pretty darned healthy. They get livebarrer flakes in the AM and brineshrimp or bloodworms in the PM, and they're fat and sassy - savages really at meal time - they literally jump in the food net!! I thought it best to dose the whole tank since I saw another fish with fuzzy white fungus on its head now too. I'll keep an eye on the tank and do a quick water change if I see anyone in distress.

 

[nobody]

In my experience a cottony growth has ment a fungus or a parasite. You might need to treat that with either meds or just water changes. Whatever these guys say to do. I had a ta do with a slimy coat over one off my fish and I treated with pimafix it's like melafix, but it is for fungus and I have fry as well and they are non-the-worse for the treatment they went through and are pretty healthy and the sick fish is alive and well too. Good luck.