We're being attacked!!!!!!!

[H1081Dan]

By Ick. All my fish have Ick. Heres the problem. I only have aquarium salt, jungles Ick Clear, and unlimited water for changes? Is this enough? Need advice to help my little ones get better. I am broke, no $$ till next friday, April 2nd, to buy anything!

Heres what Ive done so far, 50% water change, ick clear as directed, aquarium salt as directed, removed carbon from filters, slowly raised water temp to 85. Is there anything else I can do. My Bala has 4 white spots, my columbian has 2 or 3, my pictus has about 3, and my algea eaters have 15 to 20. The fish seem fine, they dont act sick or stessed.

 

[pinballqueen]

You've done everything you can. Just keep treating the tank until they have been cleared up and have no spots for a few days. It can take a week or two to completely get rid of it. It's not an overnight thing. As long as your fish aren't stressed you should be ok.

The ich medication won't kill them as those little white crusty things... those are just one stage of the parasite's life. When the meds work is when those little things fall off and go to their free-swimming state (which you can't see with the naked eye)...

The tank temperature is just to speed the process up from when they are on your to when they are in their free-swimming state. Which is why you keep medicating AFTER the fish seem to be clear, or the cycle will start all over again if you missed some that haven't hatched out yet.

Hope this helps

 

[Dangerdoll]

I would still suggest raising the heat during this process though, right PBQ?

 

[pinballqueen]

Oh yeah, definitely

Just be sure that when the tank is clear of ich for a few days and you turn the heater down again, you do it just as gradually as you turned it up to avoid puttin your fish into shock.

 

[H1081Dan]

Originally posted by Dangerdoll
I would still suggest raising the heat during this process though, right PBQ?

Yeah I did slowly raise it to 85 from 75

 

[H1081Dan]

Man I am POED now. My favorate fish died cause of this ick crap. My pictus is no more. He was bleeding from where the fins met the body. Maybe from the medicine. This ick is crap.

 

[NY Detailer]

i know the feeling, i was pissed when my 2 clown loaches got ich and died. I liked watching them swim and do stupid stuff.

 

[H1081Dan]

Originally posted by NY Detailer
i know the feeling, i was pissed when my 2 clown loaches got ich and died. I liked watching them swim and do stupid stuff.

Yeah I know, I really bonded with my pictus. When I would sit in front of the tank and look in he would come out and look at me and swim around like a little clown. He was the fish with the most personality. I was praying he was going to be one of the survivors. This sticks The thing that has me upset is the fact that he had blood on his me must have suffered. That tears me up. I loved that fish more than any fish I bought so far. He was the only one I named. He was my "wiskers". I will go another pictus once the ick is gone, but no pictus can take the place of my wiskers. Great I am almost crying over a **** fish, how embarrassing



Also I think the Ick Clear was the cause of my pictus dying so I think I will do another water change and just use the raised temp and salt. Hopefully this will work.

 

[pinballqueen]

Unfortunately, scaleless or finely-scaled fish can often suffer from the ich treatments because they are harsh... the pictus would have been the only truly sensitive one in the bunch though, as "armored" catfish are pretty tough about the meds.

And believe me, I know about the crying over a fish thing. I do it every time I lose one. Nothing to be embarrassed about.

 

[NY Detailer]

just wondering about something.
scaled or armored, just wondering what my pleco is just incase i need to treat for ich again.
how do you treat for ich with a pleco