salt & malachite green questions please

T

Turin Turambar

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Today I noticed that one neon tetra was scratching against the plants. Could that be the parasite (ich)? No spots, all other fish are normal.

Even if it is an ich, that means that I must treat the whole tank with the medicine or salt.

I'm worried - my tank is well planted. If I use the salt or raise the temperature for about two weeks (my current temp is 28-29 celsius), how safe it is for my plants?

Also, is there some negative reaction with malachite green and plants?
Thanks.
 
At those temps it is unlikely to be Ich. Another 0.5C and you are at temperature treatment level.

Could there have been a recent pH shift?

Salt at treatment dosage for treatment timespans will not adversely affect most plants. I don't know about the dyes, I don't use them.
 
Thanks for the fast response!

Yes, 28-29 temperature is very strange for an ich, and so far I didn' notice any spots either. But I read on these forums that when the fish "flicks" against plants/rocks it means ich?! :confused:

I don't know about recent pH fluctuations... However, I did add the peat granulates yesterday. But my KH buffer is dH4, so it's unlikely that only for one day the peat could change the pH (which is always between 7.5 and 8 - now it's 7.5).

Any suggestions?
One thing is sure: I WON'T add any medicine (and that will be salt!) until I'm absolutely sure it's the parasite.
 
Water conditions have direct effect on the slime coat and skin of the fish. My mbuna tank fish would 'flash' - rub against objects - if i did a water change with my standard pH water, instead of the slightly hardened water I normally used for them. Ditto if I water changed standard tanks with hardened water. The changes in hardness were not great in either case, but enough that the fish apparently were irritated by it. It was a brief thing in my tanks, the behavior disappearing within hours to a day.

Flashing really just means irritation. Ich is of course irritation (like mosquito bites or poison ivy), but so are many other things. To say it means Ich is a dangerous over-generalization, but you have to expect that on a web forum. We're all guilty of that.

Ich does prefer to attack the gills first (massive blood supply, superb oxygenation), so flashing may be an early symptom before external body spots with parasites are seen. But it is not necessarily a valid diagnostic tool.
 
Turin Turambar, who's father was captured by Melkor, his life cursed, homeland and family destroyed. Taken in by the elves until the curse brought strife there as well, wandered the wasteland, took up with bandits, lived with a dwarf, married his sister and was killed slaying Glaurung, the father of dragons...

Yeah, I'm a nerd...
 
Originally posted by happychem
Turin Turambar, who's father was captured by Melkor, his life cursed, homeland and family destroyed. Taken in by the elves until the curse brought strife there as well, wandered the wasteland, took up with bandits, lived with a dwarf, married his sister and was killed slaying Glaurung, the father of dragons...
Click to expand...

Yes, and that's one of my favourite stories from Tolkien and one of my favourite characters - Legend of the Turin Turambar. Very deep and emotional. In fact, I always cry when I read it in Unfinished Tales.
 
It is one of the few good stories in Unfinished Tales. Well, rather, one of the few that are complete enough to get a good read out of. It is a really good story, but man, that dude pretty much just goes from one trouble to another. Can't say it jerked any tears from me, but it sure did make me feel for the guy.
 
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