Ich (again!!!!)

[KianMan]

Hey guys! is it okay to add a teaspoon of non iodised rock sea salt to my 5 gallon hospital tank instead of fancy aquarium salt? I can't really buy any aquarium salt because it isn't easily available in India. will rock salt do? please help!

 

[Flyfisha]

My understanding is most of the aquarium salts sold are non iodised rock salt in a fancy package . Some of the blue aquarium salt has a little methane ( meth) blue added that’s all .

 

[KianMan]

My understanding is most of the aquarium salts sold are non iodised rock salt in a fancy package . Some of the blue aquarium salt has a little methane ( meth) blue added that’s all .

not being rude but is that a yes? (I totally respect u and I mean no offence at all )

 

[Flyfisha]

That’s a yes

 

[KianMan]

Thanks sooo much

 

[Ouse]

Do you know why ich showed up again? It’s important to get to the bottom of why it’s happened multiple times now as a preventative measure.

 

[KianMan]

the only thing I can say is that its because of the temperature. they are koi in an outdoor tank :| and there's no heater in it :| Should I add a heater and if yes how do I keep the temp stable considering that its in my balcony? ive never had an aquarium heater before so I don't really know how to work it :|

 

[Ouse]

Koi are temperate water fish and don’t require heating equipment. India has mostly a tropical climate, so a heater isn’t necessary for koi there at all.

Have you got a thermometer?

 

[KianMan]

Koi are temperate water fish and don’t require heating equipment. India has mostly a tropical climate, so a heater isn’t necessary for koi there at all.

Have you got a thermometer?

nope :| it becomes pretty cold in the nights if its the rainy season which it is now.

 

[Ghostly]

how is it working? and as others have already said it is perfectly safe to use! (I used it when I ran out of aquarium salt and couldn't get any)

 

[KianMan]

its worked pretty awesome!! I took him out for observation and I couldn't see the white spots so that's great. but I noticed that there was a spot of like ruffled scales. like when a bird shakes to dry itself the feathers get all ruffled. is this a bad sign? and I also noticed a bit of redness around the fins. I did a water change yesterdays and added more salt. there's some duckweed and hornwort in there so im guessing the ammonia is sorted although he (or should I say it) ate all the leaves of the hornwort. but I think it should be okay. pls give ur shots and views

 

[KianMan]

are the ruffled scales okay? can I add him back to the community tank?

 

[Ghostly]

are the ruffled scales okay? can I add him back to the community tank?

sorry I don't know much about koi, but it looks like they can have dropsy so could be that.... maybe a picture would help. and are the raised ruffled scales in one spot or all over his body?


also could be a fungal infection.

 

[KianMan]

its just in one spot. should I add Indian almond leaves? they are known to hv anti fungal and antibacterial properties. is dropsy contagious? ill share a pic

 

[Ghostly]

its just in one spot. should I add Indian almond leaves? they are known to hv anti fungal and antibacterial properties. is dropsy contagious? ill share a pic

thanks, I think a picture will help confirm whatever it is. and I agree Indian almond leaves would help for tropical fish but I don't know about koi since they are cold water.... and dropsy is not contagious since it is not a disease itself but more the effects of one. I would still keep him in quarantine until we know what he has though.

 

[KianMan]

hey guys. I got caught up with some work and forgot to post these pics for y'all to see. I only put him in this glass shoe box for inspection purposes( it wasn't a shoe box just saying how small it is. apparently its a betta tank. ive never kept one in it tho) does he look good enough to add him back to the community tank?
ps- I took it vertical idk why it came like this
he didn't regain his colouring here because I didn't let him stay in this thing too long. he's got a bit more black spots( natural coloration)

 

[KianMan]

Hey guys. im gonna add this guy back to the community tank. everything seems to be okay with him (check out the pics above^) lemme know.

 

[Ouse]

His buoyancy still seems compromised. Dunno.

Also, something I’m wondering: how big is the main tank?

 

[KianMan]

His buoyancy still seems compromised. Dunno.

Also, something I’m wondering: how big is the main tank?

the main tank is a 2ft 20 gal
what can I do about his buoyancy?

 

[Ouse]

That tank is nowhere near large enough to house koi. Eventually, they’ll grow larger than the length of the tank, but will likely be stunted before then.

About the buoyancy, well, there’s not much you can do. Using peas to cure it is more of a myth than a proper practice.

There’s no such thing as “swim bladder disease” no matter what people tell you. Buoyancy issues are present as a symptom of an infection.

You might want to do frequent water changes to keep on top of water quality and keep the bacterial load of the water down. That’s all you can really do.