I recently purchaced a rubber lip pleco from petsmart and in a couple of days little white spots started showing on it in just about a week my spoted cory had them and something on his fins that looked like velvet.now it is visable on my glolights one has died along with the cory and rainbow shark.it's a 55gal. fully planted tank so salt or anything else I know of is out of the question.I was wondering if when they alldie off which they most certainly will ifI add a uv sterilizer would that prevent from coming back and not getting anything ele from PETSMART if so what size would be best 9-18w,and how long wait to restock to make sure it's gone. second time this has happend.:help:
HELP!!
- Thread starter sancro2
- Start date
There are other options than letting all of your fish die off. I'm sure, even with a sterilizer, that this won't be the last battle with Ich that you have in your lifetime if you continue keeping fish. For a 55gal tank I think the 9watt would work fine though.
If your fish are still alive, try moving them to smaller quarantine tanks (even plastic totes / rubbermaid containers) and treating them with one of the many ich products on the market like Rid-Ich, IchAway, etc.. even if they can't tolerate it at full dosage, try a half dose based on water volume. It may also be worth keeping some quinine sulfate on hand, it isn't normally stocked in most pet stores but is available online various places (LIKE HERE). It's not cheap, but it's well tolerated even by sensitive fish and works against some of the newer malachite green resistant strains of Ich. It won't hurt your plants but is however still toxic to invertebrates.
As far as how long to wait before restocking, I'd say a week. In the mean time "feed" your tank with fish food daily to maintain the cycle (the food will decompose and feed the beneficial bacteria)
Just my $0.02
If your fish are still alive, try moving them to smaller quarantine tanks (even plastic totes / rubbermaid containers) and treating them with one of the many ich products on the market like Rid-Ich, IchAway, etc.. even if they can't tolerate it at full dosage, try a half dose based on water volume. It may also be worth keeping some quinine sulfate on hand, it isn't normally stocked in most pet stores but is available online various places (LIKE HERE). It's not cheap, but it's well tolerated even by sensitive fish and works against some of the newer malachite green resistant strains of Ich. It won't hurt your plants but is however still toxic to invertebrates.
As far as how long to wait before restocking, I'd say a week. In the mean time "feed" your tank with fish food daily to maintain the cycle (the food will decompose and feed the beneficial bacteria)
Just my $0.02
GoldLenny
Senior Member? Do I get a 5% disc.?
Can't you remove the fish to a temporary H-tank (a 10G tank or even a Sterilite type plastic container) and treat the fish in there?
I wouldn't worry about the tank too much. I'm sure there is enough detritus in the gravel and in the filter media that will continue to decay providing a source of ammonia to keep it cycled while you treat the fish for a week or two. Further, since it's planted, cycling isn't as much of an issue as the plants will utilize nitrogenous compounds whether ammonia, nitrite or nitrate.
The UV sterilizer won't really help unless you had enough of them to make sure every bit of water in the tank got sucked through them. Look at how stuff floats by your filter intakes without ever getting sucked in. The free swimming Ich parasites would do the same or drop down into the gravel until they find a fish host to start their life cycle over again.
I wouldn't worry about the tank too much. I'm sure there is enough detritus in the gravel and in the filter media that will continue to decay providing a source of ammonia to keep it cycled while you treat the fish for a week or two. Further, since it's planted, cycling isn't as much of an issue as the plants will utilize nitrogenous compounds whether ammonia, nitrite or nitrate.
The UV sterilizer won't really help unless you had enough of them to make sure every bit of water in the tank got sucked through them. Look at how stuff floats by your filter intakes without ever getting sucked in. The free swimming Ich parasites would do the same or drop down into the gravel until they find a fish host to start their life cycle over again.
sancro, deepest regrets over what's happening to your fish. You really need to set up a quarantine tank for new fish, especially if this has happened twice now. It doesn't matter if its Petco or some other store or an LFS or even a trade with somebody on here, all fish can carry ich and even worse diseases.
Best to keep them isolated for at least a few days, better yet a week, before putting them in their final home with existing stock. If they're carrying disease or parasites that weren't visible on purchase this will give it time to show up. And it's much easier,not to mention cheaper, to treat in a smaller volume of water. Less dosing of medication, and complete control over temperature and other factors without any concern about the effects it might have on your other stock.
There are itty-bitty tanks, 1 g or so, you can get cheap. Or even a plastic tub as mentioned upthread. Keep it cycled and use it for plant growout in between new fish additions. Doesn't take up much space and is invaluable in situations like this. just a suggestion.
Best to keep them isolated for at least a few days, better yet a week, before putting them in their final home with existing stock. If they're carrying disease or parasites that weren't visible on purchase this will give it time to show up. And it's much easier,not to mention cheaper, to treat in a smaller volume of water. Less dosing of medication, and complete control over temperature and other factors without any concern about the effects it might have on your other stock.
There are itty-bitty tanks, 1 g or so, you can get cheap. Or even a plastic tub as mentioned upthread. Keep it cycled and use it for plant growout in between new fish additions. Doesn't take up much space and is invaluable in situations like this. just a suggestion.
Salt nor Temperature levels prescribed in the Salt/Temp method will harm your fish.
So start treating instead of letting your fish die!
UV will only help kill things that flow through it, not things that are stuck to a fish or your tanks surfaces.
Quarantine tanks are essential to a healthy and happy tank. I suggest you read up on them.
So start treating instead of letting your fish die!
UV will only help kill things that flow through it, not things that are stuck to a fish or your tanks surfaces.
Quarantine tanks are essential to a healthy and happy tank. I suggest you read up on them.