View Full Version : Devastation
Steve B
05-02-2003, 7:31 PM
The population (primarily tetras and cories) of my 55 gallon tank is currently undergoing a severe attack of ich. So far I have lost about 15 of my 22 fish, basically all of my tetras. The infection started (or at least I noticed it) last weekend. At that time I used Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Super Ich Cure which did nothing. Last night, after consulting with the LFS I bought Aquari-Sol which they had recommended. I still lost some fish today so I am not sure if the Aquari-Sol is going to work, though I admit it is still too soon to tell.
Given the devastation occurring in the tank my questions really concern the future. Namely, what is a good product for getting rid of an ich infection? Secondly assuming that some of my cories survive, how do I know if the parasite has been destroyed and it is safe to restock the tank? If I lose everything do you think that my best course would be to break down the tank clean it out using a mild bleach solution and then begin the fishless cycling process all over again or treat the tank with a recommended medication and then restock the tank?
This is depressing, some of these fish I have had for over 5 yrs.
Sumpin'fishy
05-02-2003, 7:56 PM
This post is a couple lines below yours:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=10248
HTH
Did you remove the carbon? If you leave the filter pads in the tank it will pull out all of the medicine. Also try raising the temp. I have only had ich once and I raised the temp to 84, removed the carbon and used the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals (thats the one with the fish in the lab coat right?) product and everything cleared up in three days. I lowered the temp and haven't seen it since, that was about a year ago. Check out www.skepticalaquarist.com for more info on ick. (Sorry I don't know how to create a link, you'll have to go the old fashioned way)
K_S_W_I_S_S
05-02-2003, 8:27 PM
if you raise the temp it will speed up the life cycle of the ich. and if you do lose all of your fish, all you would have to do is let the tank stay empty for a week or two (not sure exactly how long) and the ich will die off because they need a host and cant survive without a host... i think i heard salt hepls too... but im nbot sure if a little bit of salt is ok for your fish
Yes raise the temp and use Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. It worked for me around two days.
Diz
Steve B
05-03-2003, 10:40 AM
Thanks for the input. It looks like I am going to lose all of the tetras as I saw the remaining fish now have white spots. The carbon was removed before treatment. I had used the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals product before (yes the one with the fish in the lab coat) when I had an outbreak of ich before and it worked fine. In fact I don't recall raising the temperature at that time. I do know that by raising the temperature you speed up the life cycle of the ich.
Anyway it appears that I will be starting over again.
K_S_W_I_S_S - If I leave the tank empty for one to two weeks what happens to the bacteria . . . no ammonia, no nitrites and no nitrates? What do they eat to survive? If I add fish at the end of two weeks won't the tank start cycling again since I assume there would be a bacteria die off?
125gJoe
05-03-2003, 10:46 AM
http://gordon.sourcecod.com/images/flagicons/american_flag.gif
Steve B, what do you think caused the Ich outbreak?? :confused:
wetmanNY
05-03-2003, 12:29 PM
Ichthyophthirius multifiliis caused the outbreak. When was the most recent fish added to the system?
The bacterial communities won't die. They'll stop multiplying perhaps. If you feel sorry for them, add a pinch of fish food. The community that breaks it down gives off ammonia for the nitrifiers. (Don't add household ammonia-- too strong.)
But you don't have to do a thing. At aquarium temperatures in the seventies, Ich won't last a full week without hosts.
125gJoe
05-03-2003, 5:08 PM
http://gordon.sourcecod.com/images/flagicons/american_flag.gif
Ichthyophthirius multifiliis is the parasite.....not the cause of the outbreak.
Steve B, any idea what could have caused the outbreak? Did the fish get stressed somehow? Differing water temps during water changes? New fish...? I'm just curious..
From Wetman:
(Don't add household ammonia-- too strong.) If the tank is empty, why would this be different than cycling? Maybe bring the ammonia level up to 2ppm as oppposed to 5ppm.
TETRALADY
05-03-2003, 5:39 PM
Hi Steve B,
Unfortunately, I'm going through the same thing. You may find the following article very helpful:
Ichthyophthirius Multifiliis (White Spot) Infections in Fish (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/BODY_FA006)
Tetra's are extremely sensitive to Malachite Green. The active ingredient in Ick Guard II is Formalin which is much safer for Tetra's. Also water changes are very important . Every time you dose your tank it's recommended you perform a 25% water change.
As I mentioned I'm going through the same thing so far I've only lost one tetra following the above adivce.
Steve B
05-03-2003, 6:37 PM
The last time I added fish was about three or four weeks ago, two panda cories. I cannot think of anything that I did different over the past month. Just my normal weekly water changes (about 25%). Pulled out my plants (artificial - silk) and washed them off. Water temperature has been pretty consistent around 78 degrees. During one water change it did drop down to about 74 - 75 degrees. This has happened before without any adverse effects.
The only thing I can think of that may have caused this outbreak is the addition of the two pandas but wouldn't I have seen the outbreak before now.