Ich Problem With Catfish

[jewelsfish]

:rant: I am having a problem treating Ich in my 73 gallon tank with 3 Pictus Catfish (only 1 left now), 1 Pangasius Catfish 2 plecos and 2 silvertip sharks. I am using Maricade with the Analine Green, I have raised the temp to 80 degrees and also added 1 tablespoon of salt for every 5 gallons of water. I am performing 25% water changes daily before new medication. I have lost 3 pictus catfish already, they would swim vertically and are very pale in color, also have some red irritations around the gills, belly and fins, and very lethargic and no appetite. My Pangasius Catfish is showing the same signs. What could this be? I was told Maricade was safe for scaleless fish and I am not overdosing the salt, please help. I feel like my whole tank is going to get wiped out. Should I be using an antibiotic too?

Also, how long do I treat for Ich? When it is gone, is is really gone? Is it true I must take out my fish and disinfect the entire tank to get rid of Ich 100% ? Please help! :bowing:

 

[OrionGirl]

The irritation is likely the result of ich--but you need to monitor the tank for ammonia/nitrites spikes, as these can be lethal to fish already compromised by the ich parasite.

For treatment--I prefer to use just heat and salt--mixing treatments can cause problems for the fish, further stress, and potentially damage the bio-filter. Adding an antibiotic to the mix will likely take out the beneficial bacteria as well--no help there. With sensitive fish, I've successfully treated with heat and salt, even fish supposedly sensitive to salt like cories and FW dwarf puffers. Frequent water changes, cleaning the substrate each time, are good, and will help the fish survive by removing any water pollutants. More the better--daily, even.

In terms of treating ich--no, you need not empty the tank. The parasite is introduced through and infected fish--usually one with a subclinical infection, confined to the gills where it can't be seen easily. A single parasite inside the fish forms a cyst, drops off, and when this cyst hatches, it releases hundreds of tomites looking for a host. This is how it gets in--how you get it out is by treating for the full course of the parasites life cycle--up to 10 days. A treatment of at least 4 weeks, with at least 2 of those weeks showing no sign of infection, will ensure that you have killed all the tomites (the tomite phase is the only one we can treat; cysts and in-host phases aren't killed by medications) and rid your tank of the parasite. Because fish typically can fend off the tomites, I would suspect a stress event in your tank lowered their immune systems, allowing the parasite to develop to this point.

 

[jewelsfish]

Thank you so much for the input. I forgot to add the reason why I think the Ich came about. I ordered a Hairy Tiger Pleco from a website, I did not quarantine the fish and it died the next day. The Ich showed up on both of silvertip sharks 5 days later. Other than that, there was an ornamental change in the tank, I added some new rocks.

Question, if a fish is truely suffering like my Pictus Catfish looks like he is, is there a humane way to destroy him or do I just let nature take its course? It is just terrible to watch.

 

[daveedka]

PIctus are very sensative to ich meds, I would highly reccomend getting the meds out of the tank. They don't seem to be as sensative to salt, but either way they are highly succeptable to ich, and seemingly difficult to cure. I have had success with heat and salt, all other methods have proven fatal to my pictus cats in the past. I would at least remove the meds before I gave up on the fish, he may perk up a bit when he gets away from the irritating medication.

As far as euthanzation, there are many hotly debated methods, run a search here and you will find many threads. basically the best suggestion I've seen is clove oil (not in the tank !!!!) just mix with water in a seperate container, and add the fish. The fish will go to sleep, and a little more clove oil will make it permanent. For exact quantities to mix you willl have to check the other threads, The only other alternatives that I would reccomend are a little more difficult to stomach although they are fast and painless for the fish (i.e. smashing or cutting)
dave

 

[saltydog]

Smashing? D? come on!

 

[daveedka]

Smashing? D? come on!

Obviously. The fact is that fast and painless is the most important thing. Many people automatically consider these methiods inhumane because they are messy but plain and simple the fish never knows what happened, and they never feel any pain. Far to many people look past the simple truth and try to make something out of it that isn't there. The only time these methods aren't highly effective and sure is when the hobbyist is unable to preform them. That is not something to be ashamed of, some folks can some can't but it doesn't change the fact that it is quick and therefore painless. I catch a lot of flak from time to time over this suggestion. But it is one of the best as far as the amount of discomfort it causes your fish. Clove oil is still the best reccomendation I have heard, but fortunately I haven't needed it since I heard of it.
Dave