kcarmartinez

HO Hum, This new tank is getting to me.
I didn't quarantine my new Tetras because they are the first inhabitants. I am thinking now I should have started them in a non-planted QT tank anyway. I raised the temp and now the plants are suffering.
So here is the deal. I noticed the ICH spots two days ago on a couple of my 9 neons, but at most 3 spots on one fish. I raised the temp which is normally around 80*F. I also started treating with Rid-Ich. By yesterday I had the temp up to 88*F and no spots. Did my waterchange/treatment and I was wondering how long I can go with my temp up that high. I also noticed white fuzz on my glass and thermometer and I am worrying I am killing all the good bacteria... and creating a bacterial bloom.
So today my temp has been at 88*F and I see MORE spots. It is still not BAD but it is worse than it was two days ago. So how did I get another infestation with temps at 88*!!!! I thought after 86 they weren't supposed to reproduce? After I did my waterchange/treatment I lowered the temp to 86. The tetras didn't seem to mind the high temp, but my plants did. Or maybe it is the increase in the oxygen that is making my plants suffer? So what do do?
I heard no salt for tetras and plants, no copper for plants.
So lets be optimistic and say these spots go away and stay away for the three days Rid-Ich says to continue the "treatments." What temp should I keep it at for the two weeks and how often should I do my gravel vacuuming (everyday as if I was using Rid-Ich or less frequent.) And is there anything I can do to get the spots OFF the fish or is that just a waiting game?
There is SO much information out on the web. And everyone has there own opinions. I am worried that I am in trouble if I have Ich that can attach to a host at 88*F! Or maybe just because of the stage it was in?

eiginh

That's weird you still have ich at 88* did you leave it like that for two weeks? Btw are you using carbon media in your filter? You should be leaving the temp up to 84* I'm surprised your fish is thriving in that high of a temp. What kind of temperature measurement are you using?

aquarist48

Hello KC. So sorry to hear you're dealing with ICH! A lot of times ICH gets worse before it gets better even after treatment and raising the temperatures. 88 is a bit high. 84 or 85 degrees will usually do it. The temperatures need to be left high for 2 weeks. Do 2 gravel vacuums each week to remove the spores that fall off the fish and into the substrate. Do not attempt to remove the ICH from the fish yourself. The high temperatures interrupts the life cycle of the ICH. Even after raising your temperatures the ICH that is in the tank will attach to the fish. I see you have stated that you've increased the air supply which is good because warmer waters need more oxygen.

Rid Ich...I don't know what this chemical is going to do to your plants or to your cycle. Keep an eye on your readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Fresh activated carbon should remove the Rid Ich (check the label on the bottle, I believe it states that you need to remove the carbon while using the chemical) I don't recommend chemicals to remove ICH.

The white fuzz you are seeing is probably white hair algae and will eventually go away on it's own. You can wipe it off but chances are it will return until it runs its course.

Best wishes for a full speedy recovery!
Ken

kcarmartinez

Ugh, so today we have changed from white spots to what I believe is columanris. Doing some research I think the temp increase was too much and not a good idea. Now I am not sure what to do. I am very seriously thinking about moving them to a tank with no substrate that I can clean real easy, but I am worrying about moving them might just be more stress. Some plants are looking bad and my java moss is a mess. Is there something I can safely add to my tank to treat the columnaris so I wouldn't have to re-cycle it and not kill my plants.
So you think I should stop treating with Rid-Ich even though I already started?
And should I put the carbon filer back in to get rid of the meds?

The temp was at 88* for about a day, my heater is set at 82 but it has ALWAYS been off with every thermometer I have used. And I use the glass ones that suction to the tank. No carbon has been in the tank while treating with Rid-Ich.

AlyeskaGirl

Hello, I am sorry you are having problems. You've gotten some good advice.
So, is it ICH or Columnaris or both? What are the signs that you believe it's Columnaris? Treatment for Columnaris is to keep the fish in the lowest temp they can take and pH below 7. Click on the link below to give you a list of diseases, ICH and Columnaris are listed. Good luck!

http://www.fishyportal.com/cgi-bin/p...=&name=&email=

kcarmartinez

It started with ich, white salty looking dots, only a couple. Today it is different, so I think I have developed a secondary infection because of the stress on the fish. The ends of their tails/fins are white (but not dots), a couple have a white growth on their eyes. One has died and I can't find another. :-( Though I could just be miscounting because they like to move. Some are acting very shy and one is starting to swim on it's side. I am so torn whether to move these fish because of pH or temp shock. I have elevated temps to cure the ich, but need low temps to cure Columnaris!!!

humboldtfishfreak

I too have the same type of tank conditions as you - planted with shrimp, corys and loaches. I can't use salt, raised temps or chemicals so when ich broke out I used Kordon 100% organic ich attack. Worked fantastic and everyone and plants survived.

eiginh

How often do you do water changes?

kcarmartinez

I have lost at least two, and I started treating with Maracyn/Maracyn 2. I can see a couple that are looking a little bit better today, but most are hiding. I am finding the demenstions of this tank to be exasperating because it looks like there are more fish, but it is the same fish from a different angle. Hopefully the anti-biotic will work and if it kills the bacteria I am going to use a cartridge from another tank to build it back up. It says it won't but can you really trust that? I am keeping the temp at 84*F.
This tank has had LOTS of water changes. Since I added the fish two weeks ago there have only been a couple days that I have not done a 20-25% change. I normally do them about every week, but I lost a Neon a couple days after I got it to what I believe was neon tetra Disease and I was trying to make sure I kept the others from meeting the same fate. I quarantined him as soon as I noticed he was fading on the top. I read about using Paraguard to try to keep the other fish from getting it (because once they have it there is no cure) and the local pet stores did not have it. The lady at a LFS gave me Rid-Ich instead and said it would be great as a preventative. Rid-Ich requires daily water changes before you put in the meds. I used it for a couple of days and the fish seemed fine so I stopped. I wonder if that is why it wasn't working when I needed it. And I probably brought the ich on because I know I overfed them the day before they came down with ich.
Right now I am just hoping not to loose all my fish. I have never had much luck with treating sick fish.

Edit: Found the missing fish, he had already passed. Down to six now. :-(