I have posted under Cichlid thread.......Need help still...

[sunnyside]

I am treating my tank for Ich and it has been 3 days now with elevated temps and salt added. I keep losing fish. I have lost two neon tetras now and 2 guppies. A couple more arent looking good. What can I do to keep them alive while still treating the tank?

[budrecki]

Need more info.


tank size
how many fish/what kind
water conditions
temp
how much salt
how often do you do water changes/how much

[Sully]

Increase surface agitation to facilitate gas exchange. will help to keep dissolved oxygen level as high as possible. Elevating heat reduces the amount of oxygen water can hold.

Perform thorough gravel vacs. This removes some of the ich (that at the tomont stage of development). Water changes will also help to siphon out some of the ich at the Theront stage. That will help minimize population of parasites attempting to burrow into fish and then reproduce (the encycted stage you see as white specs is the Trophont).

Ich can be directly attacked Theront phase--and very breifly as it leaves the Trophont phase and enters the Tomont stage.

With small and juvenile fish I disagree with the theory of turning up the heat to speed the life cycle of the parasite. Wounds left by the ich parasite will ooze and create osmoregulatory issues not seen in larger, more hardy, and adult fish. The life cycle of the ich is moving along quite smartly at 78º-80º F. Not sure the benefit of the additional heat is worth the stress created for the fish. Yes, the salinity of the water increases. Reducing the problem--just does not eliminate it.

I would also utilize ich guard II in this instance. But, I am a proponent of using medications to treat the ich parasite.

[budrecki]

Please read the ICH sticky


http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39759

[sunnyside]

I have a 29G with fake plants, about 4 guppies left, 3 different types of neon tetras, a suckermouth catfish, a buffalo head cichlid, and a molly.

i turned heat up to 83 and added 1 tsp salt per gallon of water. surface agitation is turned up as high as it can go and I have inserted a bubble disk for more airation.