devastating case of ick

Maybe the white stuff is left over from the medicine itself?? :huh: Ich needs a living host to survive. I'm very sorry about your fish. What kind of Ich medicine did you use?

Ich treatment MUST run for a full 14 days. Just because things looked improve does not mean the problem is gone. Stopping and starting medication could have killed your fish as well. Swelling up and pineconing is also symptomatic of Dropsy. Dropsy can take out a whole tank as well. Never rush to use a trreatment until you know for sure what you are treating and then do not stop just because things look improved. You must treat according to directions for the full length of time specified.

Dropsy is not considered highly contagious to fish, however it can take out a tank if not treated properly. Quick Cure needs to run 7 days. I don't know if the directions on the small bottles say that or not. Because it contains malachite green and formalin (a form of formaldehyde) it can kill fish as well as treat them. It is not a gentle medication and using it is very risky. You need to know how to use it and when, it is used by those with advanced skills and not recommended for the novice. It's one of those medications that should be reserved for LFS and breeders as well as have better written instructions. I have a 32oz bottle of it for use at the LFS. It's right up there with using copper as a medication or treatment for risk. A safer medication is General Cure as well as the Maracyn (I, II, Pro) line. Erythromiacin is a good general antibiotic as well. For parasite treatment praziquantel or fenbendazole work great! Heat and salt works well on Ick without having to use a medication.

Ick is usually seen when the fish has been stressed like you mentioned as their resistance is down. Dropsy can occur at any time and can go through a tank pretty fast. The best thing you can do is treat tank for a full course and to keep the water clean. Quality food and a varied diet will also help your fish.

Sorry for the loss of your fish. I know it sux to lose any.

Also when treating for ich, you need to up the temperature (this speeds up the parasite's life cycle to the stage where it gets hit and killed by the medicine) and also add more aeration to the tank to make up for the higher temps: a powerhead, extra air stones, etc.

Dropsy is a symptom not a disease. Anything that causes the kidneys to shut down will cause the bloating, as can problems with the digestive tract. Treating it is a crap shoot at best and realistically a waste of time. Anytime ich hits a tank as hard as yours environmental factors need to be looked at, whether it be diet, water quality, or stress caused by an unsuitable environment. You say you used "medicine" for the ich. Each med has a different mode of action and requires different treatment length. If you're too impatient to treat for an extended period use Clout. One dose will usually do it.