Lily

Hi there! I have a 12 gallon aquarium with 5 harlequin rasboras, three cherry barbs, 3 red phantom tetras and one small albino whiptail catfish. I added the tetras to the tank 2 weeks ago and I got a new plant last week. Two of the tetras have tiny (I almost can't see them) white spots, about 3 each. Is it ICH? I have some Quick Cure - should I use it now or wait? Is it safe for my catfish? I just tested my water and it is pH 7.4, ammonia 0 PPM, nitrates 0 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm, temp 78. I did a quarter water change today (regular maintenance). Thank you so much!

kribensis keeper

if it looks like salt and there fins appear to be eaten away most likely to be ich search ich up and see what you can find. If it does not look like salt it could be white spot

Lucy

Sometimes debris can get caught on a fish, next thing you know, it just falls off or he could have scratched him self on something. Keeping the water really clean along with some extra stress coat will help with if thats the case.

There are pics of fish with ich on this page:
JBL - Online Hospital

If you're sure it's ich, you can slowly raise the temp to 84F, increase aeration to make up for less oxygen in the warmer water.
Leave it there for at least 2 weeks. Do frequent water changes and gravel vacs to pick up all the ich spores.

Good luck.

Lily

Thank you, this is extremely helpful. I did give a 1/2 dose of Quick Cure and I will raise the water temp and make sure the water and gravel are very clean. I think it is ich because two of the fish have it, very, very small, though. My only concern is whether the Quick Cure is harmful to my little catfish.

aquarist48

Hello Lily. Sorry to hear your fish are ill. By raising your temperature over 82 degrees eliminates the need for the ICH medication. ICH cannot survive in temperatures over 82. As Lucy mentioned leave the temperature at 84 for 2 weeks, do a gravel vacuum twice a week to remove the ICH spores that fall off the fish and into the gravel. Additional air supply will help as warmer waters increase the need for more oxygen.
Best of luck and keep us posted.
Ken

Lily

Is the 84 temperature safe for my rasboras, cherry barbs, tetras and catfish? I have an eclipse system aquarium with the biowheel and filter in the hood so I don't believe I can increase the air supply. I will increase the temp and vaccuum today if you believe it is safe. My two infected tetras still have the white spots on them; so far no other fish seem to have them. Thank you guys SO MUCH for your help - my fish and I really appreciate it!

Lucy

As long as you increase aeration, the other fish should be fine. If you don't, you may find them panting at the bottom.
You can buy an air pump and air stone, they're fairly inexpensive.

I'm glad only 2 fish have ich, but it is highly contagious.
Good luck!

Lily

I didn't know I could buy an extra air pump. You never know what you don't know. I love this site and you guys are such a huge help. I will do that today. Thank you so much! I will keep you posted.

sirdarksol

This doesn't seem right for a tank as heavily stocked as yours. To have zero nitrates, ammonia, and nitrites would mean that the fish aren't producing any waste at all. There should be some reading in nitrates.
Are you using the liquid reagents test or are you using the test strips? With the test strips it's important to make sure they aren't too old and that you follow the directions precisely on how long to dip them, when to read which tests, etc...
With the liquid reagents, make sure that you really shake both of the bottles. One of them (can't remember which, if someone could remind me) crystallizes, and needs to be shaken really hard. I usually smack it against my hand for about a minute.

I bring this up because ich usually follows some other issue in an aquarium, and it's important to find out what issue that is so that you can avoid it in the future. High nitrate is a common cause, so that's often the first place to check.

Good luck with your fish, keep us updated, and ask any questions you come up with.

Lily

I am using the master test kit by, I believe, Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, the one with the bottles of liquids. I do believe the water readings are correct, since I typically test and then bring water in for testing to my LFS (Old Town Aquarium in Chicago) and they confirm. I just added the three tetras and the catfish 2 weeks ago. There was a period during my last gravel washing where I got distracted and let the temp drop. Could that could have LED to my problem? I'm kicking myself for it. I am a fanatic about keeping good water conditions for my fish. I just believe if you adopt a living creature, you have a duty to do your best for them.

I think it's the nitrate that has the two bottles (I'm at work so I can't confirm), and the second one you add, you have to shake for 30 seconds before you add the drops, and then shake the test tube for a minute. I did. I really appreciate your thoughts, since you never know and I can use all the help and advice I can get.

sirdarksol

API test kit is good. One of the best, and the most suggested around here, so that's good. Yep, it's the second bottle that needs to be shaken really, really hard. Folks here have shaken the bottle for a minute and gotten a false negative on their test. The crystals are really stubborn. API has confirmed that this could cause a false negative on a reading. Banging it on a table, against your hand, or against the floor is the best way to break the crystals up.
Short of a very lightly stocked, heavily planted tank, zero nitrates, zero nitrites, and zero ammonia in an established aquarium is an impossibility. Fish produce waste. There is no outlet for that waste, other than water changes. When somebody gets a reading of zero on all of their waste levels, that has always meant a false reading on one of them (usually the nitrates, as it's the only one where the chemicals don't like to play nice).

That being said, it's not necessarily that the nitrates are the problem (it's just something you want to look into. Anytime something apparently impossible happens, it's good to look to see why it seems that way). The temp dropping suddenly could have stressed one or more of the fish to the point that ich parasites (possibly brought in with the new additions) could have taken root on a couple of the fish. The stress of the move could have done so, as well.

Lily

Great, I really appreciate the tip about the nitrate bottle. I have only been shaking it for 30 seconds and probably not vigorously enough. Of course I want to get the right readings, otherwise why test? When I get home tonight I will install the additional air pump and increase the temp. I can't thank you enough for your detailed answers - even answering questions I didn't think to ask. I just bought the two fish who have the ich, but my rasboras and cherry barbs are old friends and I would hate to lose any of them. My cherry barbs are babies who were born in my aquarium! I will keep you posted.

sirdarksol

Sounds good.
Ich is easily dealt with by the methods described by the folks above. Your fish should do fine.
If it hasn't been mentioned, raise the temp slowly (a couple of degrees a day) to give the fish a chance to adapt.

Lily

I just wanted to let you wonderful people know that the two fish look better this morning, one fish has no white spots that I can see and the other has fewer, and the other fish look fine. Hopefully I will have even better news tomorrow. I'll continue with the more frequent gravel washing and the higher temp for 2 weeks. Talk to you soon!

sirdarksol

Awesome. That's great news.

Lily

Even better news! I got back from work today and there is no ich on any fish (that I can see). I will continue with the temp and gravel washing but it looks great. I can't thank you enough.

aquarist48

Yeah!!!!!!!!!! Glad to hear your fish are doing better. Hopefully after these 2 weeks you won't see it again. Best of luck!
Ken

Lily

Here is a picture of my happy, ichless red phantom tetras. Thanks again so much to everyone who helped us!

Attached Images

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