Several Newbie questions..

ezlope

ezlope

AC Members
Oct 17, 2008
25
0
0
Do I take the fish out when I do a % water change?
Do I take the fish out when I vacc the bottom of the tank?
Should I only vacc the tank when I do the water change?
How often should I change the filter?

My blue betta appears to have ICK (teeny white spots in his side)..whats the BEST Ick treatment?
Will Sea Salt work or just stick with an over the counter bottle of something?
Once I take him out do I need to treat the big tank that he came out of or was the ICK isolated to just him?
This is so frustrating..he was fine for a year in his 5 gal tank...I thought he would enjoy having more room but it just appears to have stressed him out.:headshake2:

Thanks & any :1zhelp: is appreciated!
 
Hi ezlope, welcome to AC.

No you can leave the fish in the tank when you do a water change, and while you vacc. Just be careful not to let him get too near the suction. Generally you will only need to vacc during a water change, provided that you do weekly water changes. Personally I use lava rock as a media so I do not change it. Do you use charcoal?


Since he is in a 5 gal tank I would just treat the whole tank with him in there. You will want to treat with salt, however not sea salt. Use regular table salt. Use 2 tsp. per gal. You will want to dissolve the the salt first than add slowly to the tank as not to shock the fish.

Here is a link to an article here in case you want/need more info about Ich.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88601&highlight=Ich

Hope this is helpful.
 
So if I buy a lava rock then I wont have to do a weekly change.. just a monthly???
 
Do I take the fish out when I vacc the bottom of the tank?Nope, leave him in
Should I only vacc the tank when I do the water change? That depends, do you often see uneaten food? I vac any uneaten food about an hour after feeding. I also vac everytime I do a water change (at least once a week)
How often should I change the filter?I only change the filter media if it is falling apart. If I notice its really cruddy, I rinse it in the used tank water during a water change. The only media you really would need to replace regularly is chemical (i.e. charcoal). Even with the premade cartridges containing carbon, you can just rinse them rather then replace them though the carbon loses its efficacy.

My blue betta appears to have ICK (teeny white spots in his side)..whats the BEST Ick treatment? Heat and salt, as mentioned above, is safest and very effective.
Will Sea Salt work or just stick with an over the counter bottle of something?I just use table salt, 2 teaspoons per gallon dissolved first and added gradually to the tank.
Once I take him out do I need to treat the big tank that he came out of or was the ICK isolated to just him?I would treat him in his 5g tank as if its ich, its in the tank as well.
Click to expand...

So you have had him for a year and he just got ich? Are you certain its ich? Is he scratching on decor?
 
Hes got tiny white dots on him.. it almost looks like debris.
I havent noticed him scratching yet.. I just saw the dots last night.
He went from a 5 gallon home to a 35 gal..but hes been in there for 3 weeks now.. I think adding the other fish (last week) may have stressed him out. But salt is a cheap enough fix & not something I have to stock up on... I can just walk to the kitchen.

So I DO need to buy

Charc for the filter
A vacc to suck up the yuk
Lava Rock (tell me what the lava rock does to cut back on the water changes)

What else should I keep on hand???
 
No lava rock doesn't cut back on water changes you still have to do them weekly. It will however cut back on needing to buy charcoal.
 
Ok I gotcha on the lava rock...had to read your post again... dizbeam moment on my part.

Any suggestions on the best vacc to buy??
 
That depends on if you want to use buckets or not. You could get a python no spill vac to hook to your sink which many prefer. In my smaller tanks, i just use buckets. Any gravel vac will do.
Also, you do not need charcoal, I only use it in one of my 18 or so tanks. The ich was probably introduced with the new fish so treating the whole tank is the best idea. Please let us know if you need any more guidance :)
 
I prefer the buckets (my girfriend is gonna die when I do this..neatfreak). OR both the tanks are right beside a window.. I could just chug the old stuff out the window & in the yard :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom