It's with great regret that I tell this story and need some help. I'm about 14 months into my first fish tank, 38 gallons, planted. I've slowly been upgrading features, doing consistent weekly water changes, and doing my best.
I had a fish get swim-bladder disease and blow up like a balloon. I tried to help him but he died fairly quickly. (looked unusually big one day, scales sticking out, and after a day of research learned his liver was going.) He died the next day and I removed him from the tank. Problem was that (I don't know if this is related) a mild case of ick cropped up. I treated with medicine as directed and I thought it was entirely gone after a few days
I did a big water change, put carbon back in the tank and low and behond, two days later they all had ick again. I start medicine again and after two-three days it kills my prized angelfish and a few small cherry barbs.
Now with only a few fish left, they don't seem to have ick but the rocks do. Is this even possible? Ick on the gravel? I see these white spots everywhere now. I haven't inspected this morning but I assume I'll continue to find at least one or two ick spots on my fish. This doesn't seem to be going away at all.
So:
Can rock, plants, and gravel develop ick or am I dealing with something bigger?
I had a fish get swim-bladder disease and blow up like a balloon. I tried to help him but he died fairly quickly. (looked unusually big one day, scales sticking out, and after a day of research learned his liver was going.) He died the next day and I removed him from the tank. Problem was that (I don't know if this is related) a mild case of ick cropped up. I treated with medicine as directed and I thought it was entirely gone after a few days
I did a big water change, put carbon back in the tank and low and behond, two days later they all had ick again. I start medicine again and after two-three days it kills my prized angelfish and a few small cherry barbs.
Now with only a few fish left, they don't seem to have ick but the rocks do. Is this even possible? Ick on the gravel? I see these white spots everywhere now. I haven't inspected this morning but I assume I'll continue to find at least one or two ick spots on my fish. This doesn't seem to be going away at all.
So:
Can rock, plants, and gravel develop ick or am I dealing with something bigger?