Elie

I am facing an ich problem in an aquarium 55gallons containing an oscar(the only fish showing white spots),parrot,3 gouramies and pleco.I raised today the temp from 82 to 86f.Is this temp. dangerous for any of my fish? Is this sufficient to cure them or I am going to have some deaths?
Note:I am against using chemical medication.

Shawnie

Hi elie welcome to fishlore That should be fine..as well as frequent water changes of 25% a day ....hope the oscars ok

susitna-flower

HI ELIE, WELCOME TO FISHLORE!

The temperature doesn't have to be THAT high....as long as it is over 82 it will kill the ick....you have to keep it that high for 2 full weeks, and as SHAWNIE said water changes to keep the oxygen up....Good Luck

Shawnie

oops ...coulda swore that was 84f...Now that I open my eyes i see 86...heatwave lol...sowwwwy

Elie

today as i woke up I returned the temp to 82f for it would be sufficient.Other fish seem to have catched the Ich too.I noticed that when i come near the aquar. the oscar moves pretty normally but when i leave it for a while it goes down and rests on the ground.Is this the last stages of death?
my aquarium is well aerated.Dont the frequent water changes(every day)interfere in the nitrogen cycle? I heard it takes 2 days for the sick fish to die and temp needs 2 weeks to kill the disease so the fish would most likely die?
THANKS EVERYONE

Peterpiper

The water changes will not have any affect on the bacteria/cycle of the tank, as 90% of the bacteria is in the filter.
Its good that the tank is well airated as water holds less O2 as the temp goes up.
Good luck!

Elie

thanks for the info hope the oscar would survive.I am going to do 20%water changes every day.Does ich make swimming hard for the fish?because my oscar swims around normally then rests at the bottom for a while, when i come near she regains its power and becomes furious at other fish as it should be.

Elie

today, it looks like quite a few of the white spots have disappeared from my oscar.

susitna-flower

I'm glad your oscar is looking better. The key is keeping the temperature up to over 82 for the full 2 weeks, to kill all the ick parasites, or it will just re infect. The water changes are necessary, and if you get in a routien of doing them, your fish will be healthier all around. The resting on the bottom could just be that your oscar was needing that oxygen we were saying needs to be replinished with higher temperatures.

What are the results of your water tests?

Elie

I never checked my water readings.the tank has been set since more then a month now.I used to make weekly partial water changes.Now I am doing every day 20% changes.At the beginning, there were about 8 large goldfish living in the tank (they stayed there for 2 weeks then I took them out and got an oscar, 3 gouramis, a parrot and a pleco which live in my tank now ).I suppose the nitrogen cycle is good now but I am not sure.Is it necessary to check for the readings although after a month from setting the aquarium?By the way, my oscar's skin seems a little swelled-like where the ich had been.Is it dangerous?and can I do anything to solve it?thanks for any answer

Narcicius

supposition? anyway good luck with the ich, I havnen't had ich yet but I assume that it will get to me soon enough, as it usually does everyone it seems. Keep your water quality up and your fish happy to prevent a secondary sickness.

susitna-flower

You should be doing weekly testing AND water changes according to what the tests tell you. The nitrogen cycle is something that goes on all the time. As your fish grow, you have to keep track of how much waste they are putting in the tank, and if the bacteria are keeping up.

You also have a tank that is overstocked. Since most of your fish need a 55 gallon tank or larger by themselves, and all grow larger than can be measured by the 1" of adult size per gallon, your tank is most likely experiencing VERY high Nitrates, and you will only know this if you test, and do water changes to bring these down.
The Oscar alone should be in a 75 gallon tank, a common pleco gets huge and also needs a much larger tank than 55 gallons.

Oscar = 12"+
Parrot = 10"+
Gourami X3 = 12"
Pleco = 18"

This condition is why your tank is currently having an ick outbreak, and your Oscar is showing signs of stress.

Hope you can get this all worked out. I'm sure you love these fish, and only want them to be healthy. Good Luck

Elie

Thank you susitna for the info.I thought I could raise them in a 55 gallon tank until they grow larger then I had plans of getting a large enough tank for them.Cant that work?They are still small and the tank looks empty.I do love my fish and their health concerns me.I am going to get a testing kit as soon as possible.

vin

If you are against using chemical meds, you could very well lose fish....A friend of mine and the LFS swear by Tank Buddies medications because they are in the tank for a very short period of time. I think he said that you don't raise the temp because it slows the effectiveness of the medication and the guy at the LFS says that it typically takes only one dose.

I've never used it myself, so I'm only going by what I was told.