Fish getting ich?? What to do??

G

gregatwan

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Jan 13, 2009
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We have a 55 gallon tank with gouramis, silver dollars, parrots, plecos, a red-tail shark and a bunch of barbs. We had three green barbs for a few months, and suddenly last week the other fish began really picking on them—chasing then, nipping their fins off, etc. Two of the barbs died over the last few days.

The third barb is now developing some weird growths around its eyes that look like grains of salt. It seems really frightened (understandably) but I'm worried it's got ich. It's not rubbing itself against anything, as the books describe--just hanging in one spot sort of trembling. The growths are only on its eyes.

I've resigned myself to lose the barb, but is it threatening the other fish in the tank? If so, should I quarantine it? Or put it down? I can't get any medication until late tomorrow, and I'm worried that will be too late. Or is it not ich at all but something else? Please help a newbie out!

Thanks, Greg
 
if it's just small white dots then it's probably ich, which you have to treat the whole tank since chances are good that the other ones have it too. It just hasn't shown itself yet. Stressed fish are more prone to develop itch first then the rest may soon will too.

I just've had a small ich break out a week ago too. First thing to do right away is raising temperature to 80F (or higher if your fish don't seem too stressed out). Then add CopperSafe or Rid Ich or the jungle's ich bubble thing. Just about any ich med will do, just follow the instruction but at HALF dose since you if have some scaless fish in there. The white dots will disappear in 4-7 days but keep medicate the tank for about 3-4 weeks to be sure.

btw, just QT the last barb, for a few days, just in case it might recover. I just don't like the idea of killing them off. give the poor thing a fighting chance.
 
Sounds like a stocking problem. Maybe some to the fish have grown to the point where they are getting aggressive towards the smaller barbs. I'm not convinced the problem is ich unless you saw it on the two fish that died.
 
I should also mention, for purposes of diagnosis, that the barb in question, once a nice bright green color, is now something closer to black. I've quarantined it for now, but it doesn't look long for the world. Should I add ich medication to the tank tomorrow prophylactically, or should I wait to see if other fish develop it?
 
If anything I would do the salt and heat treatment insted of the meds, just my opinon though.
 
It won't hurt to add a little salt, maybe a teaspoon per gallon for now, but I really don't think you have ich. Barring a pic, my guess is stress caused by overcrowding. How are your water parameters?
 
Thanks everyone. I quarantined the barb in my hospital tank, and he died shortly after. I guess the stress got to him. The water in my tank is pretty good, though nitrAtes are a little high. But I change it once a week. I have a total of 15 fish in the 55-gallon now, including the 2 plecos. I'm really crossing my fingers they don't get ich.
 
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