I have a red tail shark, a hammer blue crayfish, and a ghost fish in a 29g. I recently got two baby clown loaches and after a few days they got ick. I read not to use salts for scaleless fish or inverts. I am using increased temp, and ick clear. Any info would be appreciated.
ick...help
- Thread starter sloshy
- Start date
The salt treament is fine with scaleless fish and inverts. I've used it on skunk loaches with ghost shrimp and snails in the tank. The only deaths were the ich parasites. Read the Ich Article and all will be revealed.
question
okay so i did a 1/2 treatment of ick clear yesterday, a 25% water change/vacuum today, a treatment of ick clear today, raised my temp to 85 this afternoon, and slowly put in 1 teaspoon for each 29g. i just fed and as of yet everything seems alright. i'm going to leave the half dose of meds in until tomm. evening, then add another teaspoon of salt for each g.. i was wondering if since only my loaches are infected, the other fish aren't as succeptable to the med/salt as the sick ones?
okay so i did a 1/2 treatment of ick clear yesterday, a 25% water change/vacuum today, a treatment of ick clear today, raised my temp to 85 this afternoon, and slowly put in 1 teaspoon for each 29g. i just fed and as of yet everything seems alright. i'm going to leave the half dose of meds in until tomm. evening, then add another teaspoon of salt for each g.. i was wondering if since only my loaches are infected, the other fish aren't as succeptable to the med/salt as the sick ones?
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update
Well I've lost two tetras, and a locahata botia. My ghost knife does not look good and is not eating. My lobster is wigging out and chasing all my fish, which he's never done before. Live and learn- I'm getting a quarintine tank asap. I will put the charcole back in tonight to remove the meds, do a 25% water change and re up the salt. My water temp is 85. I posistioned my magnum outtake to provide as much O2 as possible.
Well I've lost two tetras, and a locahata botia. My ghost knife does not look good and is not eating. My lobster is wigging out and chasing all my fish, which he's never done before. Live and learn- I'm getting a quarintine tank asap. I will put the charcole back in tonight to remove the meds, do a 25% water change and re up the salt. My water temp is 85. I posistioned my magnum outtake to provide as much O2 as possible.
I've used this in the past with great results http://www.petsolutions.com/Metronidazole-I-10108010-I-C-100058-C-.aspx
I think you should read the label on the meds you are using and research each of the ingredients and what types of fish they can safely be used for.
Some fish are sensitive to certain types of chemicals and it can stress them out to the point where they have no defense against the disease or parasite they are being treated for. They die, usually needlessly.
I recently looked up Maracide, commonly used by a lot of people for pretty much everything. Maracide contains aniline green, which is malachite green. Malachite green is toxic to catfish, loaches and tetras. It's also not safe for dwarf cichlids, gouramis, livebearers and barbs. Maracide doesn't have those warnings on their bottles, but it's on the Malachite Green bottle. Perhaps there is very little malachite green in there and they feel they don't have to mention it. Perhaps they listed it as aniline green so that people won't realize it's malachite green. Dunno.
IMHO nothing should go in the water unless you fully understand what the reactions that medication will cause in each type of fish in your tank.
Roan
Some fish are sensitive to certain types of chemicals and it can stress them out to the point where they have no defense against the disease or parasite they are being treated for. They die, usually needlessly.
I recently looked up Maracide, commonly used by a lot of people for pretty much everything. Maracide contains aniline green, which is malachite green. Malachite green is toxic to catfish, loaches and tetras. It's also not safe for dwarf cichlids, gouramis, livebearers and barbs. Maracide doesn't have those warnings on their bottles, but it's on the Malachite Green bottle. Perhaps there is very little malachite green in there and they feel they don't have to mention it. Perhaps they listed it as aniline green so that people won't realize it's malachite green. Dunno.
IMHO nothing should go in the water unless you fully understand what the reactions that medication will cause in each type of fish in your tank.
Roan
still goin...
I've been putting ick clear in at half dose which contains victoria green and acriflavin. I looked long and hard but could not find anything on victoria green. I am praying that no more fish die. I will take the med. out tonight and just use salt for the remainder. My complete tank list is- 2 drawf gouramis, 1 red tail shary, 1 albino rainbow catfish, 3 cories, 2 loaches, 4 neon tetras, 1 ghost knife and 1 blue crayfish. They are all babies and I will be moving them to a 55 soon.
I've been putting ick clear in at half dose which contains victoria green and acriflavin. I looked long and hard but could not find anything on victoria green. I am praying that no more fish die. I will take the med. out tonight and just use salt for the remainder. My complete tank list is- 2 drawf gouramis, 1 red tail shary, 1 albino rainbow catfish, 3 cories, 2 loaches, 4 neon tetras, 1 ghost knife and 1 blue crayfish. They are all babies and I will be moving them to a 55 soon.
Yah, Victoria Green is just another name for malachite green. They also use: Acryl Brilliant Green; Aniline Green; China Green; Fast Green; Victoria Green; CI#42000.
http://www.conncoll.edu/offices/envhealth/MSDS/chemistry/M/Malachite-Green-Chloride.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malachite_green
also, I've read in a couple of places now that malachite green becomes more toxic at higher temperatures. I haven't narrowed down what they mean by "higher" nor really confirmed it, but if it's true then that might explain why some people lose a lot of fish when they use it alone or combine it with salt treatments for ich.
Roan
added this later on:
Wow, here's a huge list of synomyms and trade names:
http://hazard.com/msds/tox/f/q9/q437.html
Had to add this from The Krib -- dunno why they even put that stuff in there. It's for bacteria and fungus, not ich:
http://www.thekrib.com/Chemistry/malachite-green.html
The ich ingredient is the acriflavin, which you can just buy as acriflavin:
http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?cm_pla=unknown&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023693&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302030134&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441806025&bmUID=1134418082521
BUT -- read the bottle before you buy and heed any warnings.
http://www.conncoll.edu/offices/envhealth/MSDS/chemistry/M/Malachite-Green-Chloride.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malachite_green
also, I've read in a couple of places now that malachite green becomes more toxic at higher temperatures. I haven't narrowed down what they mean by "higher" nor really confirmed it, but if it's true then that might explain why some people lose a lot of fish when they use it alone or combine it with salt treatments for ich.
Roan
added this later on:
Wow, here's a huge list of synomyms and trade names:
http://hazard.com/msds/tox/f/q9/q437.html
Had to add this from The Krib -- dunno why they even put that stuff in there. It's for bacteria and fungus, not ich:
http://www.thekrib.com/Chemistry/malachite-green.html
The ich ingredient is the acriflavin, which you can just buy as acriflavin:
http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?cm_pla=unknown&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023693&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302030134&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441806025&bmUID=1134418082521
BUT -- read the bottle before you buy and heed any warnings.
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When my red-finned shark got ich I used the salt treatment as per the AC sticky article and my red-finned shark tolerated it just fine. No more Ich!
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39759
N.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39759
N.
update
Well I'm pissed, but you reap what you sew. My ghost was in my crayfish's mouth when I got home, and upon a close exam. of my other fish I saw that the top dorsal fin on my red tail is missing. The only thing that could've done that was my cray. I got so mad I killed my cray which I paid 32.99 plus shipping from liveaquaria.com. My ghost cost 22, so together that's over 50. I will never own a cray again. I WILL NEVER GO WITHOUT A QUARANTINE TANK AGAIN! My tank has ick or I would have given the cray away. All this because of two $3 loaches. I also lost another neon tetra. I'm so let down -after all the money, time and effort I'm losing my breath. I will continue with the salt/high temp. for four more days. Thanks to everyone who answered.
Well I'm pissed, but you reap what you sew. My ghost was in my crayfish's mouth when I got home, and upon a close exam. of my other fish I saw that the top dorsal fin on my red tail is missing. The only thing that could've done that was my cray. I got so mad I killed my cray which I paid 32.99 plus shipping from liveaquaria.com. My ghost cost 22, so together that's over 50. I will never own a cray again. I WILL NEVER GO WITHOUT A QUARANTINE TANK AGAIN! My tank has ick or I would have given the cray away. All this because of two $3 loaches. I also lost another neon tetra. I'm so let down -after all the money, time and effort I'm losing my breath. I will continue with the salt/high temp. for four more days. Thanks to everyone who answered.