trinjedi

We recently moved into a new house and inherited the former owner's 5 fishtanks and fish. The one that is concerning me currently is the 40 gallon tank that contains a wide variety of freshwater fish. For the first few weeks, we were doing frequent water changes to lower the nitrite levels and get the algae under control. Our levels are down to 0 now and pH 7.8. We keep the temperature between 77-78F.

2 of my longfinned white tetras have ICH (I'm pretty sure and probably from the stress of all the cleaning) and I think that it is starting to fall off their bodies. I have been reading artcles in this forum and on other sites, and all seem to recommend treatment by increasing the water temps to 83F. There was one that even suggested 90F (for Clown Loach).

I'm a leary of doing this only because I'm not sure if all the fish can tolerate these temps for 2 weeks. Obviously, it's too late to move any of them since they all have been exposed now.

Here's the list:
1 blood parrot, 3 longfinned tetras, 5 black tetras, 5 pristella tetras, 2 albino corys, 2 aldolfoi corys, 2 albino bristlenose plecos, 5 clown loach (2 medium and 3 small), 5 mystery snails, and 4 Nerite snails.

So, is my only recourse to use chemical? I read that the clown loaches don't tolerate medications well. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated

COBettaCouple

Welcome to Fishlore.

They should be able to tolerate 83F for 2 weeks. I would recommend increasing the aeration in the tank to compensate for the lesser amount of oxygen though.

I wouldn't use meds with them, aside from an organic, herbal treatment called Ich-Attack. That will help them and is safe for all the fish. The warm water and daily 25% water changes (try to make the new water about the same temp) are the way to knock the ich out, but the Ich-Attack is something I like to add to give the fish extra help in feeling better while they're getting better. Also the substrate could use cleaning at least once a week to collect ich cysts that have fallen into it.

Lucy

Wow, 5 fish tanks and a new house, congratulations and welcome to Fish Lore.

Allie

Do exactly what COBettacouple said....high temps kill the ich parasite.

trinjedi

Thanks for the help. I hope this doesn't sound too stupid, but would it be helpful to change one of the filterpads ans wheels. The former owner said we should switch them out once a month for clean ones. The pad and wheel that are still left will continue to provide the good bacteria(?)

Also, I was going to do my water change and vacuuming now. Should I introduce the temperature change immediately or increase over a couple of days?

Do I need a heater to maintain the temp at 83 all day? I thought I saw one in the box that she left (not that I know how to use it Also, I have to figure out how to put together an air pump, too, right. Right now, the tanks are running only on the Bio wheel.

Allie

You should have it 83 for 2 weeks to be sure it keep all the ich parasites at bay and helps heal the fish. A tsp of aquarium salt for every 5gs help too.

trinjedi

Thanks, COBettaCouple and Allie for your advice! Our fish have had their first dose of Ich Attack. It took a couple of calls to area pet shops to see if they carried it. Finally, I found it at Petco I also managed to figure out how the air pump/tubes/stone worked, so we are aerated. Everyone seems to like all the new movement in the water. There just seems to be so much more activity than usual. Also, it appears that the water heater that I mentioned had never been used, so the directions were still in the box and our water temp is set at 83F. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this all works out!

Lucy, thanks for the congrats. It's been quite a busy few weeks. My oldest son just moved home after graduating from college. He actually was the one that expressed a great interest in keeping all of the fish. Somehow though, the two 40 gallon tanks in the living room turned into Mom's fish and he actually has a 50 gallon tank in his bedroom in the basement. In the end, I guess I really don't mind the care and keeping...at night when I come home from work, it's just so relaxing to sit and watch Peachfuzz and Puff-puff (parrot fish) swim around in their respective tanks along with their buddies. I've also grown attached to the antics and clicking of the Clownies...and we always have to check out where the momma and baby albino plecos are hiding out. They really aren't related, but I thought the names were better than "big and little". Oops, I'm rambling...sorry, but this has become so addictive and fun.

Has anyone ever seen a pleco throw a snail out of its cave. My husband and son actually witnessed this act at different times of the morning on two separate days. Very cool! (well maybe not for the giant snail!)

FishFolk

Happy to hear you found Ich Attack and figured out the heater and filter. Fish keeping is very addictive...I love it. Welcome to FishLore.

Once your tanks calm down, try feeding the plecos some fruits and veggies - They devour fresh fruits and veggies but don't offer anything acidic (citrus fruits, tomatoes, etc) Submerge them by rubber banding to a small rock or or tank deco. Big and little will thank you

I have never seen a pleco eviction. One of my son's tanks has plecos and kuhli loaches. The "share" their fav cave.

Keep us posted on the ich.

Darlene

Congratulations on the new house and tanks and welcome to fishlore! Everyone here has already given you great advice. Good luck.

trinjedi

The end of day 2 of the treatment - My longfins have dropped all of the spots on their bodies and only the tail fins have one or two spots. Only the medium clown loach seems to still have multiple spots, but he is quite active. So, I'm taking that as a sign that his system is still fighting off the Ich I will continue to keep you posted. Thanks again!

clinton1621

Since you have the ich figured out already... I'll just address your filter issue..... you never want to replace all the media (pads and wheels) at one time, ideally you should put the new pads in while the old ones are still in there, then after 2 to 3 weeks take the old pads out... but if you dont have room for both the old and new (like with the wheels) you should only replace one type of media at a time, either 1 wheel or 1 pad.... then in 2 to 3 weeks you can replace the other. This keeps a good level of bacteria in your system at all times

trinjedi

I think I understand...since I have 2 pads and 2 wheels in my filter I should change one pad or one wheel, leaving the remaining 3 pieces to continue the cycle...

This may open a can of worms, but remember, I inherited my fish family. Though we love watching all the fish interact (so to speak), are there too many in this tank ...

Devon

Welcome to FishLore!!

The only thing I will suggest here is to keep up with lots of gravel vacuuming until at least 2 weeks after all signs of ich vanish from your tank. Those little nasties will hide in your gravel until you're not looking... then attack your fish again. I do gravel vacuums every day when treating for ich. The ich parasite can stay in the substrate for over a month in cool water, and 7-8 days in warm (80-84F, as yours is). Best to be sure you get it all out the first time, so you don't have to deal with it again if you didn't treat for long enough.

So glad your fish are improving! Keep us updated. We love photos around here, too... Can you post some pictures of your tanks?

trinjedi

Day 6 of treatment: Only 1 longfin seems to be holding on to a couple of spots on the tailfin. I'm wondering if these are Ich or just marks left from bumping against something. They don't seem to be raised I'll keep an eye on it I'm really worried about my clown loach though. After not seeing it swim out with his buddy for 2 days, I gave his cave a shake and he finally swam out. His condition does not seem to be improving. He looks like he's covered in velvety white. It's not like the spots the other fish had, but possibly that's because he's scaleless and it's supposed to look different. I'm hoping that this isn't a sign that his future is is dismal

Lucy

Can you post a pic?

It sounds like he may have fungus.

sirdarksol

Ugh... That sounds like a fungal infection.

Let's see if anyone else can come around and give you some ideas of treatment for that (I've never dealt with a fungus).
Definitely keep treating the ich for at least two weeks. As Devon said, the stuff can hide in the gravel. After medication/high temps/the ich itself, your fish are going to be weakened, and a second wave of ich can quickly overwhelm them.

trinjedi

Unfortunately, our digital camera is in repair right now. I don't know if a phone pic will show it, but I'll try to get one of my sons to try to take one.

Should I try to separate him from the other fish? or doesn't it matter since they've all been exposed...YIKES

sirdarksol

If you've got a hospital tank, it would probably be good to get him in that. (Remember that clowns have those little switchblade-like spikes under their eyes, so try to move him in a cup rather than net him). Then you can treat him for fungus without treating the rest of the tank.
Though your other fish have been exposed, they may not succumb to the fungus. It may be that your clown was more stressed by the ich or by the treatment, thus giving the fungus a foothold on its body.

trinjedi

We have a a fish bowl that hasn't been used. Would that work? I could fill it with water from his original tank...or would that throw him into more shock...I think I'm starting to panic now...

sirdarksol

I don't mean to make you panic, though you may have to move fast.
What about this? You can get a cheap plastic tub from wal-mart, Target, or the like. They're storage totes, and they make great hospital tanks. You can get a heater to put in there (the biggest expense you're looking at, but the water needs to be heated, because you need to keep treating for ich as well as fungus.) If you've got an extra filter, that's great. You can use half of the media from your established tank to set up a nitrifying colony. If not, you'll just have to do water changes (which will likely be required when it comes to the meds anyway) to keep waste levels down.
Then get the anti-fungal meds (I think I've heard Jungle Labs' stuff is good), and begin treating the poor little guy.

And, you folks who are more knowledgeable about treating illnesses, please step in and correct me if I've suggested anything wrong. I'm half trying to get the loach in the process of healing and half just writing to keep the thread alive so it's noticed by one of you.

trinjedi

Thanks so much for your advice...I will hopefully see more later...I have to run to work now, but will give the list to my husband. How big of a tub?

sirdarksol

I'd say no smaller than 10g. If he can find a cheap 20g, that would be even better.

trinjedi

Well we found a 15 gallon tub and followed your directions. Luckily there was a spare heater and biowheel in the basement We also found the Fungus Clear by Jungle. Clowny was swimming around and now he's in the cave that we built for him out of driftwood. At one point, he was half in the cave and his tail was upright, then it went flat. I thought the worse, so I nudged him. Clowny changed positions and swam out...probably annoyed at me! Thanks again for your advice and support!

trinjedi

Clowny hung on until early Monday morning. He had stopped eating, it probably was just a matter of time. We'll sure miss his playful antics. Of course, it's different than a dog (I have 4 full grown collies) that you can hug and snuggle with. It's funny how much joy fish can give you.

Back to our original problem, we're going on week 2 of the Ich treatment. The white marks are still on 2 of the long fins tails. They look flat, not like the spots that were on their bodies last week. If the marks don't go away, should I assume that these are "scars" and discontinue treatment after Labor Day? Help?

clinton1621

Read this thread.... particularly the symptoms section

Columnaris.... need a little advice