VenomGrass

Hey Guys,
Looked in my tank before. And notices slight white dots over the tails and bodys of most my fish. Please clarify if this is ick; I'm so worried. what do I do?
Also I don't have a test kit and the tank contains:
x4 Platies
x6 neon tetra
x1 Rainbow Albino Shark

Pics:


If this is ICH how do I get rid of it I don't want little things to die.

kcarmartinez

I think it might be Ich but it is hard to see in the pictures.
Treatment for Ick is slowly raising the temp to about 84*F and doing lots of water changes. Some say you can give them a "salt bath" to help burst the Ich sacks but I don't really know the procedure on this and I am pretty sure neons will not do good with salt.
Don't forget when you raise the temp in the water you need to add more oxygen to it as well.

Lucy

Welcome to FishLore
I'm really sorry your fish aren't well.
I can't really tell from the pic if it's ich. Does it look like grains of salt?
Is the tank cycled? What are your your readings for ammonia nitrate and nitrites?

Edit: Along with the advice that kcarmartinez gave, your rainbow shark will not do well with salt.
Akso, the tank is too small for your rainbow, he can grow to be 6"
If it is ich, keep the temp raised for at least 2 weeks. Do water changes and gravel vacs to pick up all the ich spores.

Meenu

Are you still using the stresszyme?

eiginh

Does it look like grains of salt on your fish or does it look like little cottons? If it's grainy like salt then they might be Ich and if it's cottony they might be fungus. If it is Ich, follow what martinez said but do not add salt, as salt only produces more slime coat by irritating the fish's slime coat. Thoroughly gravel vac the substrate for spores. Raise your temp by 2 degrees daily until 84* is reached then leave it for 2 weeks and check for improvements.

Another hint that it might be ich is if your fish are rubbing themselves against decor/substrate/wall.

aquarist48

Hello Venom. Sorry to hear that you're dealing with ill fish. Here is a link (warning: GRAPHIC PHOTOS of fish disease) If your fish looks like it has been sprinkled with salt then chances are it is ICH. The first few photos are of ICH.
JBL - Online Hospital

Raise your tank temperature slowly to 84 degrees and leave it there for a full two weeks. Sometimes ICH will get worse before it gets better. Add an air stone if you aren't currently using one as warmer waters require more oxygen. Do 2 gravel vacuums each week to remove the ICH spores that fall off the fish and into the substrate. I do not recommend using salt! Leave the temperatures raised for the full 2 weeks even if the fish appear to be ICH free.

Best of luck and keep us posted.
Ken

VenomGrass

Hey There,
Quite graphical that was but very informative. The little specs do look like grains of salt. I'am currently turning up the temperature and building towards 82F.

Is there any products on the market good for getting rid of the problem or preventing it in future; Also where did the virus/cysts come from in the first place?

Thanks for all the kind replies!
Venom

VenomGrass

Yeah on a weekly basis; according to the bottle. Should I not?
Thanks

Lucy

Shoot for 84F, I don't think 82F is high enough to kill ich.
There are meds you can use, but not sure if they'd be safe for your shark.

When fish are stressed, whether it be incompatible tank mates, going through the cycle, too small of a tank, they become susceptible to illness. Same as you are I with a cold, when our resistance is down.
The parasite could have already been present, just waiting for the right conditions to take hold.

Personally, I'd go for a more natural remedy like raising the temps than a medication.
Your fish are already ill and meds can be hard on them.

VenomGrass

Thanks lucy. What temperature would be the highest my tank could go to without harminf the fish. I always tried to keep around 77F and ill aim for 84F thanks again.

Meenu

Stress Zyme doesn't contain aquatic bacteria. When you stop using it, your tank can crash, since it won't be properly cycled. Honestly, I'd keep using it until this ich's been taken care of, but yeah, after that I'd stop using it so that the proper bacteria can colonize.

Maybe someone else will have different advice on this, I just think you have enough on your plate trying to get rid of the ich without having to worry about a sudden ammonia spike.



as far as ich, I don't have enough experience to advise you, but I can tell you that during the time I've been on this forum, advice from Lucy and others has gotten MANY people through ich battles successfully and without medications.

Lucy

Normally around 78 is fine.
I'm not sure about the highest, 84F for at least 2 weeks is fine when dealing with ich. Make sure you add an extra airstone.

edit: Meenu is right about the stress zyme. It doesn't really help with your cycle. Just one of those products they claim will help.

harpua2002

Ich can sometimes survive temps of 84. I always go up to 86-88 and leave it there for 2 weeks after I see the last sign of ich. Ich treatment is the only time I recommend using salt, as the salt helps to kill the ich in its free swimming stage. For sensitive fish, I'd use a half dose.

VenomGrass

Is there a better product to get my aquatic bacteria going and stable. The woman in the pet shop told me it is the right stuff and will get the tank cycled instantly. I now know I should have properly cycled. I just took someones word when I shouldn't have and now feel bad on the fish

I cant just take them out of the tank so need advice on how to get the bacteria thriving after I deal with the ich problem.

Really really appreciate all advice!
Thank You all so much.
Venom (Daniel)

Meenu

Tetra Safe Start is the only one. Don't listen to the pet store people... they make more money if you buy a weekly addition product.

If you can getyour hands on TSS, that would be good. But you don't want to add it until the stress zyme is gone. Follow the instructions on the bottle carefully.

VenomGrass

Thanks. So what prodedure should I take? eg remove water then put it in or start from scratch etc.

Lucy

Thanks for the info harpua2002, interesting to known the temp should be higher than 84F. I've read about heat resistance ich.

VenomGrass,
If you decide to use TetraSafeStart this sticky will help you:
Q & A With Tetra about Tetra SafeStart

However, it would be a good idea to get rid of the ich before using TSS.
During the heat ich treatment you'll want to do water changes and gravel vacs.
However, with TSS, you won't change the water or gravel vac for 2 weeks according to Tetra.

VenomGrass

Thanks Lucy /
Quick question; sorry to bother you again.
What percentage water change is it?

Also when healthy what percentage water change would you do and how often.
Thanks, Daniel

Lucy

No need to apologize, ask as many questions as you need

If your tank isn't cycled, 50% daily water changes as long as your pH is the same from tap to tank. Until the tank is cycled.
If there's a big difference in pH, 2 25% changes a day so you don't shock the fish.

After it's cycled, usually 20-25% weekly with gravel vacs are fine depending on your stock. If you're overstocked you might need to do changes 2x a week. You'll better be able to judge once the cycle is done.

VenomGrass

Thanks your very nice!

So 50% water changed for around 2 week along with 82-84F temperature.
Thenafter this and ich has cleared begin using TSS?

(So stop using stress zyme from now onwards?)

Meenu

when you stop using the stresszyme, you're going to get an ammonia spike, dan. This is probably controversial, but I say keep using it until the ich is gone. I just think your fish have enough stress on them from the ich right now, and don't need an ammonia problem too.

once the ich is gone, a couple of good water changes over a few days to rid the tank of the stress zyme will help prepare the tank for the addition of TSS. But I still say get your ich controlled first. 2 weeks of raised temps and thorough gravel vacs.

VenomGrass

Rightyo You have been very helpful. I would pay for advice like this!
I will get on the the temp changes and gravel vacs daily. Im happy that temp and gravel vacs alone can sort the problem. (when doing a gravel vac how much water should be removed? just as much as it takes)

Lucy

Just pass on what works for you and what you learn!

As said above, if your tank isn't cycled, daily water changes of 50%.
If it's cycled just do a couple extra 25%'s for 2 weeks to help get rid of the ich spores.

Best of Luck!!

harpua2002

82 definitely isn't high enough to kill ich, and 84 is questionable IMO.

VenomGrass

Cheers