My luck finally ran out (ich)

[Snagrio]

For the past couple months I've been quarantining every new batch of fish I get in for my main tank and have been problem-free, but this final batch dealt me a bad hand with the hatchets I just bought yesterday. Note the one in the middle with the white dots. 99% sure that's ich.


I bought MetroPlex a little while ago in anticipation, but I'm double checking here to affirm what I need to do. It says to use two measures (two of the little spoon provided). Do I add that directly to the tank or dilute it first? Should I also raise the tank temperature? It's currently in the mid 70's, iirc it should go up to 80 or so to help kill off the parasites. And does aquarium salt do anything?

 

[fishorama]

Higher heat can speed up the life cycle of ich but it doesn't really kill it...unless you go higher than most fish can tolerate...& then there's resistant ich...I haven't used Metroplex for ich so I'm not sure if that's the best way to go...I'm an old school dye person from many, many yeras ago. Dyes or salt (table salt) or maybe Metroplex CAN work. I would dissolve any in a small amount of tank water before adding to the tank.

It helps to vacuum the QT tank often & redose to remove as many trophants as you can (? brain fart..sorry, maybe wrong stage). Basically it's on the fish, falls off to the substrate & then becomes free swimming in the water column...& then reattaches to the fish. Most meds only work in the free swimming water column stage but WCs help in the substrate stage & free swimming too.

Don't goof around, ich is treatable...but if you don't do SOMETHING very soon it can be fatal. It will come back worse each cycle.

Aquarium salt is useless, use table salt (iodized or not, either is fine)

Choose 1 treatment & stick to it! It takes 10-14 days AFTER the ich is gone from the fish of continued treatments. It's not the end of the world unless you don't follow through...you can do it!

See, isn't it worth even 1 disease outbreak to convince you & everyone else QT is invaluable?

Do NOT get any more fish until the ich is gone. STOP & treat it right now!

How much more bossy can I be?

 

[Wyomingite]

That sure looks like ich. Since they're in a quarantine tank, add it directly to the tank. Definitely raise the temp to about 80. The parasite is only destroyed by the medication during the free swimming stage (called a tomite) when the parasite is looking for a host. Raising the temp doesn't kill off the parasites directly, but it speeds up the life cycle of the ich so that the vulnerable stage occurs more frequently and is exposed to the medication faster, reducing the treatment time.

I'm not familiar with MetroPlex. Check the label to see if there are any special directions. For example, I use Nox-Ich. I don't have a bottle on hand, I haven't needed it for years and I threw my last bottle away after it expired, but if I remember right it said remove carbon filtration, don't use with inverts, and to use a half dose with scale-less fish. Metroplex may have similar directions. Follow the directions and you shouldn't have any issues.

WYite

 

[Snagrio]

Started to raise the temperature. Have to watch to closely though as the heater is meant for bigger tanks (the store didn't have anything smaller beyond SUPER small ones for 4 gallon setups or less) so whatever temperature I want has to be set at a few degrees lower on the heater itself. Also added the medication. Directions say to add one spoon every two days.

That sure looks like ich. Since they're in a quarantine tank, add it directly to the tank. Definitely raise the temp to about 80. The parasite is only destroyed by the medication during the free swimming stage (called a tomite) when the parasite is looking for a host. Raising the temp doesn't kill off the parasites directly, but it speeds up the life cycle of the ich so that the vulnerable stage occurs more frequently and is exposed to the medication faster, reducing the treatment time.

I'm not familiar with MetroPlex. Check the label to see if there are any special directions. For example, I use Nox-Ich. I don't have a bottle on hand, I haven't needed it for years and I threw my last bottle away after it expired, but if I remember right it said remove carbon filtration, don't use with inverts, and to use a half dose with scale-less fish. Metroplex may have similar directions. Follow the directions and you shouldn't have any issues.

WYite

There's no carbon filtration and no inverts so we're good there.

Higher heat can speed up the life cycle of ich but it doesn't really kill it...unless you go higher than most fish can tolerate...& then there's resistant ich...I haven't used Metroplex for ich so I'm not sure if that's the best way to go...I'm an old school dye person from many, many yeras ago. Dyes or salt (table salt) or maybe Metroplex CAN work. I would dissolve any in a small amount of tank water before adding to the tank.

It helps to vacuum the QT tank often & redose to remove as many trophants as you can (? brain fart..sorry, maybe wrong stage). Basically it's on the fish, falls off to the substrate & then becomes free swimming in the water column...& then reattaches to the fish. Most meds only work in the free swimming water column stage but WCs help in the substrate stage & free swimming too.

Don't goof around, ich is treatable...but if you don't do SOMETHING very soon it can be fatal. It will come back worse each cycle.

Aquarium salt is useless, use table salt (iodized or not, either is fine)

Choose 1 treatment & stick to it! It takes 10-14 days AFTER the ich is gone from the fish of continued treatments. It's not the end of the world unless you don't follow through...you can do it!

See, isn't it worth even 1 disease outbreak to convince you & everyone else QT is invaluable?

Do NOT get any more fish until the ich is gone. STOP & treat it right now!

How much more bossy can I be?

Going to have to vaccum a lot even if there wasn't ich because the farlowellas in the tank with them are apparently worse waste factories than even my bristlenoses. Poop. Everywhere.

And I did say these were the last fish to be added to the main tank, so after there's nothing else coming after them.

 

[fishorama]

Well, I haven't kept farlos, BNs are poop factories enough. Are the farlos in the QT with the ich hatchets?...Might have to keep them in mind with an ich tx...just 1 more thing to keep up the ich treatment...sorry, I don't know...

 

[Snagrio]

Unfortunately yes. I don't think they'll be bothered by the treatments though? Hopefully?

 

[Snagrio]

Did a water change late last night because the farlos in the QT with the hatchets are extremely messy (see thread where I introduced them to see why), and had the temperature slowly rise until it rested at 82-83. Added a bit more of the MetroPlex medication after the water change since most of it would've been lost from the replacement as well.

Due to the medication needing to be reapplied every two days, I'll do water changes as frequently so I can vacuum clean the bottom every time to target the toment stage and remove as much of it as I can.

 

[Sprinkle]

Unfortunately yes. I don't think they'll be bothered by the treatments though? Hopefully?

Shouldnt be. If they are, then sorry.

 

[Snagrio]

I've decided to just utilize the heat method. Apparently MetroPlex only really works if ingested, i.e. mixed in with some sort of paste food. And considering how hatchets are a pain in the rear end to feed (if it's not on or just below the surface, it suddenly ceases to exist as far as they're concerned), yeah, that's not happening.

 

[Sprinkle]

Never had them so got no foggiest idea :/
Edited to add, I never had ICH either.