Tetras with ich please help

2 of my original 6 tetras have just started showing white spots, I’ve just recently added 4 more and while adding I saw the worst infected fish and accidentally caught a slightly infected fish during the chase. How do I treat this (need betta fish safe medicines) also does anyone know if mystery snails can get ich?

(None of the other fish are showing white spots, I still want to treat to whole tank just in case. Original fish have been with betta for over a week now and I want to make sure no one else gets it).

 

HI there, first off, do the spots look like grains of salt?

Mystery snails cannot get ich.

If it is ich, get a ich medication with machalite green and/or formalin.. It should do the trick.

 

HI there, first off, do the spots look like grains of salt?

Mystery snails cannot get ich.

If it is ich, get a ich medication with machalite green and/or formalin.. It should do the trick.

Sortof, let me post a picture

 

HI there, first off, do the spots look like grains of salt?

Mystery snails cannot get ich.

If it is ich, get a ich medication with machalite green and/or formalin.. It should do the trick.

Couldnt get a clear picture of my fish so I googled, this is the closest thing I could find. The dots are a little smaller but my tetras aren’t full grown.

 

Ok, if the spots are really like that treatment should start ASAP. I reccomend the med method, most reliable. Go to your LFS and get a bottle of Ich meds, anything with machalite green.

 

Ok, if the spots are really like that treatment should start ASAP. I reccomend the med method, most reliable. Go to your LFS and get a bottle of Ich meds, anything with machalite green.

Would Melafix or Garlic Xtreme work? I heard that the copper in certain ich medications can harm and even kill mystery snails.

 

You are right to treat the whole tank. Ich is pretty much always in the water, it is an infection that only shows when there is something else wrong with the fish, usually stress. Some fish are more or less prone to the issue. The best and safest treatment is heat and water changes.

Heat your tank gradually to 86°F this will speed up the life cycle of the parasites. Do a daily vacuum of all of the substrate to get rid of the ich there. Keep this up for a week or two after you see the end of the outbreak. then slowly bring the temp back to normal. Add new water at the 86°F temp. The more fresh water the less ich spores floating around.

There are medicines that can be added, but some of these are hard on Scaleless fish like corys and loaches. An example is Malachite green. I believe this is also harder on tetras IIRC. Make sure to remove teh carbon filter before using any medecine and make sure that it is invert (snail) safe before using it.

I don't think that the mystery snails are susceptible to ICH.

 

Couldnt get a clear picture of my fish so I googled, this is the closest thing I could find. The dots are a little smaller but my tetras aren’t full grown.

Malachite green is hard on tetras. Use as directed on the bottle.

Melafix is bad for Labrynth fish such as Bettas and gouramis. I try not to ever use on them Bettafix is a watered down version that is said to be safer.

 

Melafix or any fix med will not do anything for ich, the only way is for the med treatment or heat treatment. I don't recommend the heat treatment because it can be unreliable alot.

 

You are right to treat the whole tank. Ich is pretty much always in the water, it is an infection that only shows when there is something else wrong with the fish, usually stress. Some fish are more or less prone to the issue. The best and safest treatment is heat and water changes.

Heat your tank gradually to 86°F this will speed up the life cycle of the parasites. Do a daily vacuum of all of the substrate to get rid of the ich there. Keep this up for a week or two after you see the end of the outbreak. then slowly bring the temp back to normal. Add new water at the 86°F temp. The more fresh water the less ich spores floating around.

There are medicines that can be added, but some of these are hard on Scaleless fish like corys and loaches. An example is Malachite green. I believe this is also harder on tetras IIRC. Make sure to remove teh carbon filter before using any medecine and make sure that it is invert (snail) safe before using it.

I don't think that the mystery snails are susceptible to ICH.

Would I be able to do 3 gallon water changes every couple of days and see some change? My state is currently in a state of panic because corona just reached us. My fish are used to spring water that I normally buy at the stores (not the dechlorinated tap water). I have some right now to last me a few days but stores are sold out right now.

 

Replace what you vacuum out. I honestly never use bottled water for me let alone my fish. I have used RO water in the past, but it was too much of a fight.

 

I am going with the natural method first since it's the safest for my mystery snails and their babies. So far only the 2 tetras are showing spots. All my tetras are showing healthy appetites. However my betta just started flashing against the plants, this started after I slowly raised the temperature to 86F so I'm not sure if he's stressed from the temperature rise or he's beginning to contract ICH? No white spots on him yet.

 

Make sure to add extra air due to the warmer water. He will likely be flashing due to Ich. The white spots don't appear for some days after infection. The spots are not the actual parasite but the fish's reaction to it around the infection area. Temps of 86+ plus don't kill the Ich, they stop it from reproducing (hopefully). So the issue may appear to get worse for a while as the Ich that are already attached to the fish become visible and the Ich already in the water column find their hosts.

 

Also watch out for ammonia spikes as ammonia in the water becomes more toxic at higher temperatures. The warm water won't cause any changes in the cycle, just watch for it in case.

 

Finally got a picture of one of the tetras with ICH. It’s still only the two that have white spots but I’m seeing others flashing (could only count 9 of my 10 tetras at feeding time but they’re fast buggers). The two with white spots both look similar (same amount of spots-ish). Tank has been staying at 85.6F-87F during the day and night.

 

If you're treating only with temperature don't let it drop below 86F at all. In fact I recommend keeping it at 88F if your fish are ok with that.

 

If you're treating only with temperature don't let it drop below 86F at all. In fact I recommend keeping it at 88F if your fish are ok with that.

I'll try not to let it drop but I'm not sure if they'd be ok at 88. Both my glowlight tetras and mystery snails are supposed to have a temp between 77-82. My Betta would be fine but I'm scared to raise the set temp anymore.

 

Update: The temp has not dropped below 86 again (from what I’ve seen). One of the tetras with ICH spots has been swimming around but no longer eating for the past couple of days, stomach is beginning to concave. Other tetra with ICH spots has not been seen for the same amount of time, worried it’s dead or dying. Everybody else is doing fine. Swimming normally, acting normally. After making sure ghost shrimp can’t get ICH I got 5 to keep food waste under control (I try not to over feed but it still happens occasionally - if there isn’t enough food waste I’m sure they’ll get bits of what I feed my mystery’s)

Update: The missing tetra was found dead this morning. The other tetra that had visible signs is now free of the spots with his appetite back (still paler in color). I am seeing one tetra flashing but I’m hoping the worst has passed (betta is no longer flashing or showing erratic behavior). 10 days left of the heat treatment.