Sick fish
- Thread starter dipsy409
- Start date
actually, many medications WILL have a negative impact on your biofilter. i'd suggest treating for ich with salt ... you won't have to remove the carbon.
try salt at 2 teaspoons per actual gallon of water. this will give you a good solid level with a 1 tsp. per gallon buffer zone in both directions.
to add salt, mix it with some of your tank water in small volumes and add to your tank. never dump salt in directly as a solid. add ¼ tsp. per gallon once an hour for four hours. this will bring your tank to a level of 1 tsp. per gallon in four hours. then increase it to 2 tsp. per gallon in ¼ teaspoon increments every 3-4 hours. always watch the fish closely for reaction. when you reach a level above 1 tsp. per gallon, watch for signs of increased stress and if noted, slow things down and allow the fish more time to adjust.
carbon will not remove salt from the water so if you are using it you do not need to remove it as you do with meds. table salt, pickling or canning salt, kosher salt are all fine to use. the levels of iodide or flow agents are too minute to be a factor.
during this treatment, increase the tank temperature to at least 82°F. note that 86°F is usually fatal to ICH, and if your fish will tolerate this temperature this alone can kill the parasite. important note ... warmer water does not carry oxygen as well as cool water. increase oxygen concentrations in your tank during treatment by (a) lowering the tank water level to increase splash, (b) raising the spray bars above the water line, or (c) add an air pump to your system with a good bubbler.
maintain this treatment for two weeks minimum.
you can use salt with cories, catfish, sharks, loaches, tetra’s pleco’s etc., ... basically any fish can tolerate the level of salt recommended for the time involved in treatment.
will this treatment affect your plants? frankly i don't know. to be safe, consider removing them temporarily.
it's important to continue a water change regimen during treatment and i'd recommend twice a week ... but remember to replace what you remove. just add whatever your target level is to the change water. for example, if you have 2 tsp. of salt per gallon in the tank, and you change 10 gallons of water then add 20 teaspoons to the change water as it goes back in. the total level of salt in the tank will remain the same.
try salt at 2 teaspoons per actual gallon of water. this will give you a good solid level with a 1 tsp. per gallon buffer zone in both directions.
to add salt, mix it with some of your tank water in small volumes and add to your tank. never dump salt in directly as a solid. add ¼ tsp. per gallon once an hour for four hours. this will bring your tank to a level of 1 tsp. per gallon in four hours. then increase it to 2 tsp. per gallon in ¼ teaspoon increments every 3-4 hours. always watch the fish closely for reaction. when you reach a level above 1 tsp. per gallon, watch for signs of increased stress and if noted, slow things down and allow the fish more time to adjust.
carbon will not remove salt from the water so if you are using it you do not need to remove it as you do with meds. table salt, pickling or canning salt, kosher salt are all fine to use. the levels of iodide or flow agents are too minute to be a factor.
during this treatment, increase the tank temperature to at least 82°F. note that 86°F is usually fatal to ICH, and if your fish will tolerate this temperature this alone can kill the parasite. important note ... warmer water does not carry oxygen as well as cool water. increase oxygen concentrations in your tank during treatment by (a) lowering the tank water level to increase splash, (b) raising the spray bars above the water line, or (c) add an air pump to your system with a good bubbler.
maintain this treatment for two weeks minimum.
you can use salt with cories, catfish, sharks, loaches, tetra’s pleco’s etc., ... basically any fish can tolerate the level of salt recommended for the time involved in treatment.
will this treatment affect your plants? frankly i don't know. to be safe, consider removing them temporarily.
it's important to continue a water change regimen during treatment and i'd recommend twice a week ... but remember to replace what you remove. just add whatever your target level is to the change water. for example, if you have 2 tsp. of salt per gallon in the tank, and you change 10 gallons of water then add 20 teaspoons to the change water as it goes back in. the total level of salt in the tank will remain the same.
Wow-great information! Definitely sounds less harmful than using meds. The unfortunate thing is that I have ben using Nox-Ich for 3 days now, so I am worried about the state of my biofilter. Do you think it will be okay, or should I swap out the cartridge? So far all my ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels are good....fingers crossed!
Nox-Ich hasn't been manufactured for some time now ... how old is your bottle? the active ingredients are .50 salt and .50 Malachite Green. the latter unfortunately 'may' wipe out your biofilter. i'd definitely stop using it, give the tank a 24 hour rest and then start on the salt treatment i outlined above. let me know how it goes. good luck.
Stupid question-if the ammonia starts to go up, can I assume the biofilter is impacted?
The bottle reads .75% Malachite green and 99.25% inert ingredient. Whatever that means. No idea how old it is, I think I bought it around 5 years ago when I started keeping bettas. Does this stuff expire?
I'll follow your suggestions once I give the tank a rest. Thanks for the advice.
The bottle reads .75% Malachite green and 99.25% inert ingredient. Whatever that means. No idea how old it is, I think I bought it around 5 years ago when I started keeping bettas. Does this stuff expire?
I'll follow your suggestions once I give the tank a rest. Thanks for the advice.
yes .. let's hope that doesn't happen.
yes, medications can expire though most manufacturers don't bother to put a date on the package. if you refrigerate them, most are good for a year. if you keep them at room temperature, they have life of maybe 6 months. then there's the amount of time they were on the shelf before you purchased them. thus, keeping meds around the house for the "just in case my fish get sick" is not a good idea.
there's no way to know but to go ahead and (a) throw it out or (b) use it. much depends on how long it was sitting on the store shelf before you purchased it.