QueenOfBud6969

I am new to having a fish aquairum, I just set one up Aug, 1st. I now have 6 platy's, 4 neon teteras, 1 placostamus, and 2 algee eaters and 2 ghost shrimp. When i set my tank up i had 10 platy's and 7 neon's along with the others, The pet store i got my fish from said all i needed to pureify the water was Prime Seachem. about the middle of Sept, i noticed that some of my fish had white spots all over them, and white fuzz looking stuff on the bottom of my tank. I explaned it to the fish store and he said it was ICH. He gave me this stuff called Methylene Blue. I treated the tank like he said but i now have a baby neon that has the spots.I did take the neon out of the tank and away from the other fish. Is their something else i can do? I would also like to know how much do i feed them and how offten. The man at the fish store said every other day, and to keep the light off them.

Shawnie

welcome to fishlore!!!!!!

first off, you have to make sure the tank is cycled....which heres a link to explain that
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm its a ton of reading, but its something every tank needs to get off to a good start and the fish to live

at this point, I would see if you can find an API liquid master test kit and find out where your cycle is...you want to test for ammonia/nitrites/nitrates....ammonia/nitrites can kill fish fast and should always be 0 with your nitrates being under 20......finding that out is most important right now..and dont rely on the fish store as they already have given you some advice that is very scarry...methylene blue isnt for ich ....and if used too much, can kill fish very fast also....as well as prime is great for helping cycle the tank, it wont cycle it on its own..so trusting that store is going to be hard ....

once you have the kit, you will know where the tank stands....for now, do daily 30-40% water change using the prime...the prime will detox any ammonia/nitrites for 24 hours until your next water change.....and turn up the temps to 83-85f on the thermometer....the higher temps will kill the ich cycle but has to be left there for 2 weeks....do 2 gravel vacs a week to clean out the gravel on the bottom as ich spores will fall into it....keep the temps as close to the 83-85f as you can coming out of the tap when you refill it....using a thermometer in the bucket will help.....adding an extra bubble rock will help as warmer water has less oxygen and will keep the fish feeling ok with the higher temps....

feed only one time a day, just enough to let them get their fill in 2-3 minutes..usually a good pinch of food will do..the white on the bottom could be left over food decaying

I know thats a ton of information to have thrown at you at once, but its important to help you be able to enjoy the fish and keep them safe...

aquarist48

Hello QueenofBud and Welcome to Fish Lore. Sorry to hear you're having fish problems. As for the ICH...raise the temperature in your tank to 84 degrees and leave it there for two weeks. Don't use any chemicals to treat this. Replace the fish that you've removed that had the white spots. If one fish is infected then the entire tank is infected. ICH cannot reproduce in temperatures over 82 degrees and will die off. You'll need to vacuum the gravel/substrate twice each week to remove the spores that fall off the fish and into the gravel/substrate. An air stone/supply line is needed as warmer water requires more oxygen.

I feed my fish twice a day. Every 12 hours. I feed enough to make sure everyone gets a bite or two. A fishes stomach is only the size of one of it's eyes.

Here is a link to the aquarium nitrogen cycle that is crucial to fish keeping:
The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle
If you have any questions about it please don't hesitate to ask.
Also another good link concerning your pH:
Properly Maintaining the pH in a Freshwater Aquarium - Rate My Fish Tank

You really need to know the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH readings mentioned in The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle. What is most recommended is the API (liquid) Master Test Kit. Much more accurate than test strips.

I know this is a lot of information. It will help to keep your fish alive by knowing it.
Wishing you and your fish the best. Enjoy the site.
Ken

Melissawater

Don't feel bad I had/have the same problem and didn't know much when I started my tank ; as well as getting bad info. Don't be afraid to ask any question, the members here are great helpers!

bolivianbaby

Welcome to Fishlore! Great advice above.

Meenu

Hi, welcome to Fishlore. I'm a newbie too.

I was just wondering, what kind of plecostamus do you have? I almost bought one until I found out how big they get! I have a tank about the same size as yours.

I found out about cycling the hard way - you ask at the fishstore and they tell you it's nothing to worry about. Wrong! Good luck. I feel like we are lucky to have stumbled upon this awesome website. They peeps here are a great resource!!

Diva51

I am a newbie also. Is 80 degrees to warm to keep my tank at permantly and is this warm enough to discourage any more ich?

Shawnie

78-80 is fine for temps depending on what you are going to stock it with ....and as far as the ich issue, ive given some advice in your own thread about that New Tank Recovering from Ich and im sure other members will help also