I have a serious ich problem. Need help!

I'm not OD on prime. Im adding 1ml(ish) everytime I do a water change, but thats about it. I havent done the 5x dose in 3 or so days.
 
I would do more than that.

Right now, with those readings, I'd do a full capful, which is a little less than the emergency dose, but I think you need it for the ammonia and nitrite. It won't be too much, especially if you are waiting nearly 24 hours after each water change.
 
I hit it with a full cap of prime about 1.5 hours ago, and its still reading .25 as of right now...
 
The Prime won't change the reading. It doesn't remove the ammonia and nitrite, it just converts it to a safe state so that it is dextoified.

Tomorrow, when you do your water change, do about 50% with 2mL of Prime. Test the params then, and if you find detectable ammonia or nitrite of .25 or more, I would go ahead and add another 3mL to the water.

This is over the dose for a 16 gallon, but that won't be too much. Prime is really a safe product. I know many fishkeepers that regularly dose more than is the precise dose for the tank.

It's much more harmful for the fish to be in levels of ammonia and/or nitrite that show up on the liquid test, than to be in extra Prime.

You're going to get these guys through this... you're doing a good job, keep up the good work.

How does the pale Molly look this evening? Do you see visible signs of bacterial infection?
 
What does a bacterial infection look like?

The pale molly has gotten some color along its spine, but its sides are very pale still. He seems to have more energy today, hes been swimming around a lot and pecking at the plecos algae wafer.

Other than that, the mollies look like someone salted their tail. They have a bunch of semi-clear spots all over their tails, and one of the glofish has 2 spots on his tail, best as I can tell everyone else is looking fine. And of course the pleco has spots on him too...
 
Bacterial infection can present in so many ways. Sometimes there are areas of redness under the skin, as if deep under the skin, or sometimes redness that appears to be in the outer layer of the skin, with scales slightly lifted.

Sometimes you may see a dull redness to the skin, with what appears to be points, as in pus pockets, that are trying to come to a head, forming a pimple or boil. Some that rupture and some never do, though the fish may succomb to it in either case if the right antibiotic is not used.

Some bacterial infections present with areas that have a dull flat look, or gray look, to the scales, as compared to the other parts of the body, there can be areas that have lesions that have a cottony appearance, like wet cotton, sometimes you may see ulcers or eroded areas.

An infection that has gotten into the bloodstream can cause septicemia; symptoms are redness at the base of the fins, red streaks in the fins, red blotches under the skin, thin threadlike streaks in the body.

It is often difficult to know just what antibiotic would be best. If we could ID the pathogen, microscopically, we could know generally what might be best. Even then, the best method would be to test for sensitivity to an antibiotic in vitro.

It helps to be very familiar with the appearance of your fish when healthy, and scrutinize their appearance and behavior for changes every day. Sometimes the first signs will be mere changes in behavior, hiding, lurking in a corner or behind the heater, hanging out near the surface. Those can be signs of parasitic infestations as well, you just have to be observant.
 
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Nope, best as I can tell its nothing like that. All of the fish are active normal for the most part, with the exception of the molly that is lethargic. He hangs out at the top as he used to, but instead of crusing around the top, he just kind of chills, not moving much. today he was moving a bit more, but I dont see anything else like you've described. Just the spots on the fins.
 
That's good. The water changes will help their immune systems as they fight this Ich infestation. Keep watching for any other changes. Anytime you can get photos, that would be helpful.

You're fishies are in good hands.:thm:
 
I am about to do a 50% water change, and as I sit here, I notice most of my fish rubbing on things. They are rubbing on the filter, the decor, the gravel, everything... Whats that tell you?
 
My 50% water change ended up being about a 75% water change, but I got a lot of junk out, and the bonus, when I poured the water back in, there wasn't that much junk floating around, unlike the other times. The bucket was pretty nasty (I guess thats good and bad). Anyway, the fishes are now attacking the bubbles.
 
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