Hi I have a 29 gal. tank with 2 neons, 1 zebra danio, algea eater, a sick clown loach, and 5 tetras. I just done a 50% water change cause the filter was nasty and didnt know till fish started to die, and now after 4 days my loach is covered in ich. He hides pretty much all the time so I didnt catch it fast. I put Copper Safe in the water and raised the temp. from 79 to 85. What else can I do? Also is any of these fish invertibrates? I hope not cause Im suppose to remove them from the tank. Ive had this loach for 2 yrs and this is the first time its ever been sick. Please help me its our fav. fish. Also one of my neon tetras has dark places on it and its color is now dull. It is about 2yrs old also. Does this happen with age or is it sick too? Im not use to sick fish so I havent a clue on what to do. Thanks so much for trying to help me save my baby.
Need help quick! Please!!!
- Thread starter trkyhunter91
- Start date
well i think it would be best to quarantine the loach so the ich doesn't spread to the other fish. it may still be contagious even while being treated. the neon tetra could either have its own weird version of ich or it could be the neon tetra disease occuring only in tetras. if so i would think it best to quarantine it also, if it does have the disease it might not make it but that is only something i read and some sites do give out false info but just to be sure move the clown loach and tetra to different tanks to avoid an outbreak.
Hi thanks for the advice. Should I put them together. I only have a 1 gallon tank thats not got any fish in it. Do you think that will be ok or will that just make my loach worse since they like room? My tetra seems to be fine just isnt pretty anymore. No other signs of illness. Does that tetra disease spread to the other tetras? Thanks again. Shannon
well if it's the only thing you have and can't go out and get another then that will have to do, and i don't know if puttin them together would work, because if the tetra only had that tetra disease then it'd get ich and surely die. and i've read that the neon tetra disease spreads among tetras if not taken care of properly it can spread to all the fish in your aquarium. i am reading that a symptom is color loss and that the disease is contracted by "The disease cycle begins when parasitic spores enter the fish after it consumes infected material, such as the bodies of dead fish, or live food such as tubifex, which may serve as intermediate hosts"
# Symptoms:
#Restlessness
# Fish begins to lose coloration
# As cysts develop, body may become lumpy
# Fish has difficulty swimming
# In advanced cases spine may become curved
# Secondary infections such as fin rot and bloating
"During the initial stages, the only symptom may be restlessness, particularly at night. Often the first thing an owner will notice is that the affected fish no longer school with the others. Eventually swimming becomes more erratic, and it becomes quite obvious that the fish is not well." i'll just give you the link lol sorry bout that http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/neondisease.htm
# Symptoms:
#Restlessness
# Fish begins to lose coloration
# As cysts develop, body may become lumpy
# Fish has difficulty swimming
# In advanced cases spine may become curved
# Secondary infections such as fin rot and bloating
"During the initial stages, the only symptom may be restlessness, particularly at night. Often the first thing an owner will notice is that the affected fish no longer school with the others. Eventually swimming becomes more erratic, and it becomes quite obvious that the fish is not well." i'll just give you the link lol sorry bout that http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/neondisease.htm
29 gallons is too small for a cloan loach. It is likely that stress from being in a tank that is too small for him to grow correctly has lowered his immune system.
From what I understand clown loaches also need to be with other clown loaches and do not do well solitary.
According to most here, the salt and heat method works best for ich.
In any case if your fish does recover you should look into gettign a much larger tank, and some clown loach buddies for him.
From what I understand clown loaches also need to be with other clown loaches and do not do well solitary.
According to most here, the salt and heat method works best for ich.
In any case if your fish does recover you should look into gettign a much larger tank, and some clown loach buddies for him.
You have to treat the TANK for ich, not just the fish. Moving the clown won't solve the problem except make it so you have two tanks to treat instead of one.
Contrary to its name, Coppersafe isn't safe to use. Copper is toxic to all animals, especially invertebrates, and you can never be sure you have removed it all from your tank.
Read up on ich here:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39759
Do the Coppersafe instructions tell you to raise the temperature of the water? If it doesn't, then don't do it. Some medications become more toxic at higher temperatures.
As for the neon, he could be reacting to the copper you put in the water.
IMO change out the water and use the salt + heat method as outlined in the article.
Roan
Contrary to its name, Coppersafe isn't safe to use. Copper is toxic to all animals, especially invertebrates, and you can never be sure you have removed it all from your tank.
Read up on ich here:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39759
Do the Coppersafe instructions tell you to raise the temperature of the water? If it doesn't, then don't do it. Some medications become more toxic at higher temperatures.
As for the neon, he could be reacting to the copper you put in the water.
IMO change out the water and use the salt + heat method as outlined in the article.
Roan
I thought that loaches were particularly sensitive to copper based meds, it could be that it's doing more harm than good. I would go with Roan's advice re water change and salt treatment, also you could put some carbon in your filter to try to get rid of the copper medication.
Ive used heat/salt on zebra, yoyo, and horseface loaches with no problems. It is the best and fastest way to rid the tank of ich.