Ich breakout

jdheff1982

No you're not! I'm Sparticus!
Aug 17, 2002
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Wichita, KS
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I brought home a new clown pleco Saturday. I woke up this evening (3rd shift) to find him dead and the tetras with ich. I flushed the pleco and removed all decor. I changed close to 50% of the water. I also turned up the heat to 80 degrees F. I have added melafix also. Is there anything else I can do or have I done enough??? Thanks!
 
heat and a couple teaspoons of salt per gallon does the trick quite well, and for the most part is the preffered method of most. You may also consider going out to your LFS and purchasing some ich treatment such as "Aquari-Sol" that is copper sulphate based. Becarful however, not to use this if you have any invertabrates (snails, shrimp etc.) as it will kill any invertabrates in your tank.
 
Thanks for the help. I just happened to have aquarium salt and added 8 teaspoons to the tank. Do I need to repeat daily or is one dose good enough?? Thanks!
 
one does should probably do it. You don't want to dose every day or you'll end up with a saltwater tank in a few days! Try a dose of about 2 teaspoons per gallon that should work (including what you already have in your tank) give it a weeks or so after the ich is visably gone and do a big water change (30% or so).
 
Thanks!! That was easy!! Now it's just the waiting game. Thanks for the help an quick reply. I have forgotten how good the ppl are here!!

EDIT: Do you think it was ok for me to remove the decor??? I'm gonna clean them anyhow. Just thought I'd ask.
 
yeah it is fine to remove your decorations. I don't know if it will help all that much, but now that you have them out give them a good cleaning and put them back in. It doesn't harm anything to take them out. you might also help your fish if you put a slime coat additive in the tank to ward off the ich, just another though, but not nessesary.
 
I don't know what ishappening now. I woke up this afternoon to find a julii dead. Yesterday, when I noticed the ich, I put in a full dose of Melafix and a full dose of Aquarium salt. The ich is gone, but I don't understand why the cory died????? Am I dosing too much??? Thanks!
 
Cories can be sensitive to salt. I've never used salt in my community tank, and I honestly don't know if it would kill them or not, but you might consider a water change to lower the salt concentration some. I'm pretty sure I've used melafix at full concentration with my cories and it's been okay.

Good luck,

Melissa

Edited to add: I'm not sure Melafix does anything against ich. I've only used it for wound healing type things. I know it's natural and safer than most medications and it probably won't hurt, but if it isn't useful, then it may be better not to add it.
 
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Thanks! I just took a couple readings and here is what I have>

Ammonia = 0.5 -> 1.0ppm
Nitrite = 0ppm
Nitrate = 0 -> 5ppm

Would the dead cory I pulled have caused the ammonia to elevate? My tank could be cycling again. It doesn't have the bacteria cloud like a new tank does. I dunno what to do. I have very limited time and I just changed my water yesterday after I found out about the ich. Thanks.
 
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