FWIchFAQ4

Featured
Sponsor:

FAQs on Freshwater Ich, White Spot Disease 4

Characteristic "spots" on the tail of this Geophagus balzani.

Questions about specific treatments for Ich. 10/25/08
Hi We have a large tank with blood fin tetras, black widow tetra's, Gourami's, Pleco's Angel fish, Mystery (Apple) snails , Kuhli loaches, and a platy. My question is regarding which fish will not cope with treatment with Wardley's Ick away. I hear that loaches will not cope with a full dose treatment. so we will isolate the Kuhlis in another tank and half dose them, Their is a concern with the Tetra's, The blood fin's and the Black widow tetra's. Are they fine with a full dose treatment. Also the snail's are they going to be affected. Are plants going to be affected also?
thank you for your time. also if any of the other fish are not ok with the treatment please let me know.
My approach will be to remove Kuhli loaches.
Turn off the aquarium light (Treatment deteriorates in light), Raise the temperature to 27 degrees Celsius (80.6f) (To speed up life cycle of Ich (Ichthyophthirius multifilis).
Treat with appropriate dose for a week. Vacuum tank every couple of days.
Re dosing salt after vacuum (A couple handfuls for the 160 litre tank) and cross fingers that the treatment clears up the infestation and flashing.
thank you for your time, I appreciate your effort..
cheers
mike and Nicola
<Copper- and formalin-based medications are lethal to snails and shrimps. There are also some reports of certain medications being stressful/toxic to loaches and catfish. So in this instance I'd eschew standard Ick medications in favour of salt/heat treatment. See here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwich.htm
Raise the temperature to 82-86 F. Add salt to a jug of warm water at a dose of 2-3 teaspoons per gallon (12-18 grammes per 3.8 litres) of water in your aquarium. Dribble slowly into the outflow from the filter so it quickly stirs into the water. Leave for 1-2 weeks, and then lower the thermostat and do your regular water changes to gradually lower the salinity. This very low salinity is harmless to your fish and invertebrates, but will kill the free living parasites (not the white spots you can see!) breaking the cycle of re-infection. Cheers, Neale.>

Ich! help!!! 10/14/08
Dear WWM crew...
<Hi,>
i have a 55 gallon fully planted aquarium, which i have been working on since January of last year. Up until 3 days ago, everything was in order. I do a 10- 15 percent water change religiously... (AT LEAST twice a week), i feed sparingly, and i have an eheim canister filter that hasn't failed me yet. 3 days ago i noticed that my lampeye killies were dying off, one or two a day. I had a shoal of 9, but now only one is left. I also had a Prochilodus that was with me from the very beginning, and he just kicked the can this morning.
<When more than one fish dies within a few days, and especially if more than one species is affected, the FIRST thing you do is grab your test kits and check the nitrite and the pH. Why? You want to know [a] whether water quality remains good; and [b] whether the pH is stable, and therefore whether water chemistry is stable.>
I made sure the filter was properly working, i did a 50 percent water change, and then i noticed on my beautiful Congo tetras, small white spots all over! Also, it looks as if their fins are starting to deteriorate!
<Almost certainly a reaction to poor conditions. The Whitespot tends to come in with new livestock, and there's much debate about whether it can lie "dormant" in tanks for any length of time. So the question is what have you recently added to the tank? Do be aware that nets can transfer Whitespot parasites, and they can even get into tanks via plants, if those plants were in tanks with fish. On the other hand, Finrot is an opportunistic infection that appears whenever fish are stressed.>
I have had these Congos for months, and their finnage is finally stunning...to lose them now would kill me....I also noticed white salt looking spots on almost all my other fish. My threadfin rainbows are covered, and even my Endler guppies are fighting white specks on their fins. I have researched online ich treatment, but they all prescribe a medicine
which might be potentially harmful to my giant Amano shrimp, cherry shrimp, and clams... what can i do to save my fish? and keep my inverts alive as well??? please help!
<You're in the classic "Morton's Fork" that reef-keepers have to deal with. Formalin and especially copper-based medications are lethal to shrimps and most other invertebrates. Your best option is to raise the water temperature to around 28-30 C and add salt (tonic salt is fine) so that the salinity is raised to the point where the free-living theronts (which emerge from the cysts) are killed.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwich.htm
This requires a dose of 2-3 teaspoons per gallon. Don't add the salt directly: instead heat some water to about 40 degrees C, pour into a jug, and then stir in the necessary amount of salt to make a brine. Over a few hours, add this to the tank to gently raise the salinity, taking care to keep stirring the jug or adding more warm water if any salt comes out of solution. Leave the tank running at this elevated salinity for 2-3 weeks, and then turn down the heater and do a series of water changes across the next week or so to return things to normal. This low level of salinity is harmless to fish and shrimps (and, usually, plants), but will be enough to kill the Whitespot.>
best. peter
<Cheers, Neale.>

Clown Pleco Skin Patchy-ness... medication poisoning, reading 10/11/08
Hello,
<Jasmine>
Well, to start I have 9 Zebra Danio's, 10 Neon Tetra's, 6 Harlequins, 2 Cory's, a rather peaceful Siamese Fighter, and a Clown Pleco. My tank was recently infected with the Whitespot disease which killed off all 6 or my Bleeding Hearts, my other Clown Pleco, a male and female Dwarf Gourami's (I still have 1 other female Dwarf Gourami but I suspect she won't make it) and all 7 of my Emperor Tetra's. (The Emperor's where the ones to bring it into the tank.) We used Exit
<www.eshalabs.eu/pages_eu/product_engels.html?zoom=2&download=1 - >
for the Whitespot and the treatment worked on the rest that didn't die but its started to come back on the Neon's and Siamese (who is dubbed Jackie Chan ^_^).
<Good name>
We're treating the Ick again

but my main problem at the moment is my Clown Pleco. He's chocolate brown with kind-of yellow spots and stripes.. So far he hasn't been affected at all by the Ick but I've noticed he's gotten some lighter patches on his skin.
<Is affected... more by the eSHa product likely...>
They seem to be crescent shape and go down his back (though this is in a regular pattern). He's also gone very quiet (whereas before he was quite active) and isn't eating as much. He's barely moved at all day.
<Being poisoned... have you measured any ammonia, nitrite...?>
I did a water test and the results came back fine aside from the pH which showed between 5-6.
<Dangerously low... likely not well buffered either... Do you know much re alkalinity AND pH? Please see WWM re, and possibly at least mix in some source water with appreciable hardness>
I don't know if there is something wrong with the Pleco but I'm quite fond of him and am not keen on losing any more fish. ^_^;
<Then... I'd be reading... Stat>
Any help would be much appreciated.
Jasmine Law
<Read. Bob Fenner>

Re: Clown Pleco Skin Patchy-ness, Ich 10/12/08
Hello,
<Jasmine>
Many thanks for your help, it is greatly appreciated. I read on your site about raising the temperature to kill the Ick, and I've now raised it to 80 F however I am concerned about raising the temperature to the level required to kill off all stages of Ick as I know some of the fish I have, such as the Danios, tend to prefer cooler temperatures.
<Ah, yes>
Would it be ok, bearing in mind the different species I have, to raise the temperature?
<Yes... better by far than to suffer, perhaps perish from the ich itself... or more medicine exposure. If they were mine, I'd go ahead and raise the temperature to 83-84 F.. This is not too high for Danios in the short term>
What temperature do you consider tolerable for the different fish in the tank?
<For all the species you list (below) in your original email, this temporary elevation will be fine... Do take care in a couple weeks however to lower it slowly... no more than a degree per day or so>
I've done another water change. And another water test. The results came back as:
GH - 180
KH - 180
PH - 7.0
Nitrites CNO2 - 0
Nitrates - 20
<Mmm, the Nitrates are borderline high... going forward I would read re such on WWM:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwnitrates.htm
and the linked FAQs file above... and do what you can to reduce this level>
Also, in the past week I have done two 50% water changes (leaving a few days between each change) and another 25% earlier today.
<Good>
I checked the Clown Pleco and I couldn't spy any patches on him. I hope this is an improvement. Though he is still quiet and not moving as much.
Thanks again for your help.
Jasmine Law
<Bob Fenner>

Ick/Whitespot 7/22/08
Hi Guys,
I added five new baby neon tetra's to my tank recently - it seems the neon's have all developed Ick/Whitespot. I already had 6 Neon's 2 guppies and a Sailfin Molly - these all appear to be fine.
<So far at least...
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/mollies.htm
Do review the needs of Mollies, and also be warned Neons may nip the fins of fancy male Guppies.>
I have read your articles regarding ICK and just wanted to confirm your recommendation for best way to treat.
<Promptly!>
I was just going to buy meds and treat the tank with meds and regular water changes. However from reading through your site would you recommend increasing temperature and treating with Salt instead?
<Makes no odds either way. I tend to use commercial medications such as eSHa EXIT (a brand I find works well even with sensitive species like puffers) because it's easier. But if you want to use salt/temperature, go ahead.>
I have added salt before but never with the neon's only with mollies/guppies can my neon's tolerate salt? also my temp is at 80f already is it safe to increase the temp further?
<Neons should tolerate the very low salt concentration required, particularly if you build up the salinity across a few days. As for raising the temperature, I wouldn't. Temperature is about speeding up the life cycle of the parasite; in itself it isn't a "treatment" as such. The idea is that the salt only kills the free living parasite, so the sooner that phase begins, the better.>
Thanks in advance
Scott
<Cheers, Neale.>

Help! Emergency!, Ich treatment, Water Changes 6/17/08
Hey!
<Hello>
Um......I'm in a bit of a jam. My 20 gallon tank which has quite a bit of fish in there has had two guppies develop ich and I have already had to kill them.
<Why? Need to slow way down here.>
Would a water change help?
<Would help improve the environmental conditions I bet.>
If so, could you give me directions how to do it?
<All you seek is here http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwmaintindex.htm .>
Is there anything else that I could do?
<Yes, see here http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwich.htm .>
My dad Already said no to treating in because he says the treatment turns the water a dark blue and he says that its like you're actually poisoning them.

Please e-mail back! Also, I have another 10 gallon tank for my newborn fry. Could I get ich in that too?
<Yes>
Should I do a water change?
<When in doubt do a water change.>
-Sarah
<Chris>

Frustrated with Fish, FW Disease, Ich 5/14/08
I have a 55Gallon goldfish tank. It has been up and running for a few months now. The numbers are as follows Ammonia = 0 Nitrites = 0 Nitrates = 60ppm this number is due to a problem with source water, recently I switched to using spring water as recommended by my LFS. This seems to have solved that problem.
<Might want to look into an RO/DI unit, could be cheaper in the long term depending on what the spring water costs you.>
I am now battling ich. I used Maracide to treat the tank.
<Malachite green, pretty toxic stuff. There are less toxic means to fight this, see here http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwich.htm . >
I treated the tank exactly per the instructions. I also brought the temperature of the tank up to 76F to try and speed up the life cycle of the parasite. All but one of the goldfish died (there were four fancy in total). The little black moor that is left is on his way out and the strange thing about it is that the ich never actually left the bodies of the fish. Over the course of treatment of seven days the ich never dropped off the fish. The black moor has more ich on him now then when I started treating. Is there anything that can be done for him?
<Could try a formalin bath, but be wary, formalin is also fairly toxic to people, so may not be appropriate for a work environment. Don't want to get in trouble for bringing a carcinogen into a doctor's office.>
Also I cannot let the tank go fallow because it is set up at a prominent doctor’s office and it also houses two ACF's, which by the way are doing just Jim dandy. I need some help. I am getting frustrated and losing fish and my boss is losing confidence in my ability to manage the tank. Please help...
<Can be frustrating.>
Treat with an alternative medication? (After a huge water change and running carbon so as not to overdose the tank on meds.)
<I would probably try to avoid medications here since you can not QT these fish, most medications will destroy your biofilter and lead to water quality issues. I would try using salt first, "about 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons for two weeks." http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshdisease.htm .>
Is Maracide typically an effective solution?
<Yes, but it leads to poor water quality which can cause even more problems to the already weakened fish.>
How do I get the critters off of the fish so I can kill them?
<They pretty much have to cycle off themselves, most treatments attack them in their more vulnerable free swimming stage.>
When might I ever be able to have fish again?
<Without a fish host their lifecycle is about 2 weeks. Best bet here is to QT any new fish before placement in the tank to avoid these types of problems.>
Can I add fish while I medicate to ensure they do not contract the disease?

What about the ACF's they handled the Maracide well but I researched it and contacted Mardel to make sure it was safe, is an alternative medication also going to sit well with them?
<Amphibians are going to be very sensitive to any chemical you put in the water, so best bet here is to just let the tank run fishless for a month since the Ich cannot host on the frogs.>
I read that adding salt could be effective but I also read that ACF's do not tolerate salt well?
<They do not generally do well with salt. My advice here is to let the frogs run the tank for a month, then add new fish after a month long QT to make sure they do not bring in any new diseases.>
Oh and finally, I forgot there is a little butterfly loach in there as well. He seems to be fine although determining his health is tough because he isn't very active.
<If he remains in the tank, so will the Ich.>
Also I do know the benefits of a quarantine tank and I am kicking myself but my options are limited because of the fact that I am not able to make my own decisions about the tank.
<For a display tank like this a QT tank is almost mandatory, for the simple fact that can't easily break down the tank and run it fallow. I think the doctor would hopefully understand the old "ounce of prevention" saying if you explain the benefits to him/her.>
<Chris>

African Cichlids scratching 5-1-08
Malawi Cichlids With Stubborn Itch
Hi Chuck, We wrote to you back in January 2006 about an issue with our fish scratching on rocks, gravel, etc. I've included the e-mails below.
Just wondering if we could ask for your advice one more time!
I'll give you an update... After your advice we treated for Ich/ Protozoa infection on two separate occasions. The first dose didn't stop them scratching so our local fish shop recommended a second, prolonged treatment with a different brand (ie 2 treatments back to back). That proved to be a disaster; it not only failed to stop the scratching, but also killed many fish. We were left with a few P. saulosi, P. acei and some Synodontis catfish. We spoke to many fish shops and no one could help us or suggest any further treatments.
One said it could be the water conditioner or that it could just be natural behaviour. Having lost so many fish we had given up on treating them any further and just thought we'd see how things go. Over the past 2 years we've completely changed the rock, the sand, all water conditioners/hardeners/etc., tried different foods, got a bigger canister filter, put in some powerheads, added Seachem Purigen to the filter (changed monthly) and maintained good water conditions throughout. (Phew) All the fish seemed very healthy. They bred many many times (to the point that there were far too many for the tank) and even our Synodontis population tripled using the saulosi as hosts. Everything was perfect...except they were STILL scratching!
A week ago we sold all the fish except the Synodontis and bought a colony of 5 large venustus (1 male 25cm, 4 females 20cm).
Unfortunately I noticed the male scratching last night. I can't see anything visually wrong, no spots or anything. We checked the water conditions and got the following: GH = 22 deg., KH = 10 deg., pH = 8, ammonia = 0, nitrites = 0, nitrates < 5ppm (didn't register any on the test). I'm absolutely stumped and very frustrated. It seems obvious that it's a parasite... Do you have any ideas on what it could be? Is there any way of testing the fish before trying to treat them? Any natural remedies that won't kill the fish? Any non-parasite ideas?
Sorry about the long e-mail! Thanks in advance. Carl & Monica
< Ideally you take a sample of the protective slim from the skin of the fish and look at it under a microscope. Look for parasites that may be causing the irritation. If you tried the Rid-Ich, then I am surprised that it didn't work. Generally new fish are stressed and they produce lots of this protective slim. Sometimes they produce enough to overcome the parasite and the organism becomes less of a problem. To increase the slim you could add aquarium or rock salt. You don't want to add too much because the slim will coat the gills and impede respiration. Other natural remedies would be to increase the water temp to the mid 80's F. Higher temps increase the metabolism of the organism and they cannot keep this up. Think of it as giving your tank a fever to fight a cold. I would start by adding a tablespoon of salt per 5 gallons of water and raise the water temp to 83 F. If the fish act too stressed then reduce the water temp until they feel more comfortable. If the eyes are also cloudy then it could be bacterial. Try Furanace, it works well on both bacteria and funguses. Minerals and metals may also cause the irritations. You could set up a quarantine tank and fill it with treated R/O or treated distilled water. That way you are in control of the minerals/metals in the water.-Chuck>

Re: white specks 4/23/08
Hi Mike and Crew,
Thank you for the advice given so far.
The tank inhabitants are one male and three female Neolamprologus multifasciatus, chosen to suit the small tank. My current water conditions are as follows;
Ammonia - .1ppm
<Too much! Tanganyikans are notoriously sensitive to nitrogenous waste, and even Nitrate causes problems, let alone Ammonia. So, first up, review feeding and filtration. If these are basically fine, then also check you don't have ammonia in your drinking water. Sometimes as plain vanilla ammonia, sometimes as chloramine. In either case, you'll need to take remedial action by adding the appropriate conditioner to the water prior to use. All this said, if there's traces of ammonia in the drinking water, any half-decent filtration system should remove it quite quickly.>
Nitrite- 0ppm
Nitrate- 0ppm-1ppm
PH- 7.6 (not currently adding Alkaline Buffer as I've been doing twice a week 50% water changes to keep the white specks numbers down)
<Hmm... not sure you *can* safely economise on carbonate hardness in a Tanganyikan tank.>
GH-179ppm (not currently adding KH/PH Plus as I've been doing twice a week 50% water changes to keep the white specks numbers down)
KH-179ppm (as above)
<Adding a pH buffer is largely irrelevant if you're adding sufficient carbonate hardness. DIY recipes for making Rift Valley water using cheap grocery store chemicals cost pennies per gallon. A common Rift Valley salt mix is as follows. Per 5 gallons/20 litres:
1 teaspoon baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
1 tablespoon Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate)
1 teaspoon marine salt mix (sodium chloride + trace elements)
Or get a recipe from a Rift Valley cichlid book, and then act accordingly. While I agree that commercial Rift Valley salts are pricey, that doesn't mean you can economise while treating your fish. Raising the carbonate hardness should automatically take care of the pH without any further need to add chemicals.>
In my attempts to eradicate the organism I have tried an 18 day course of white spot eliminator, which had very limited effect. I then let the tank sit for two weeks before trying two courses of Parasite Eliminator, followed by water changes as directed, again with very limited results.
<Do check you have removed carbon. One of the most common reasons medication don't seem to work is that carbon was left in the system.>
As I learn more about the fish and fish keeping, I am hesitant to add more medications, instead doing twice weekly water changes to let the tank and fish recover from medications. I will try to take photo for more info but the specks don't photograph to well, as they are tiny. They could be compared to half a grain of sand size, and seem to be able to change
directions in the water as they move against the current.
<Sound like either Whitespot or Velvet; many medications treat both. Whitespot looks like salt, Velvet is smaller and looks like confectioners/icing sugar. Velvet also tends to have a slight golden sheen, hence the name. Often Velvet attacks the gills before anything else, so your fish "flash" against objects in irritation before any white spots become visible. Because Velvet attacks the gills early on, it is almost always associated with rapid or laboured breathing relative to normal.>
At present I have not seen the white spots form on the fish like any of the pictures on the net, admittedly they are small fish which makes it hard to see. Thank you again for you time and assistance any advice is much appreciated.
Kind regards,
Darren.
<Hope this helps, Neale.>

Brown knife and ich, reading 4/17/08
A few fish in my tank have ich I added a medication called quick cure wondering if it will affect my brown knife fish?
<Mmm, yes. The active ingredients (copper sulfate and formalin if memory serves) will likely kill any Apteronotid>
I would like to cure the ich without harming the Knife so what do you suggest?
<That you read: http://wetwebmedia.com/
see the Freshwater Subweb... re FW Knives, their Health/Diseases, the articles on Ich, and the active ingredients in Quick Cure. Likely simply elevating temp. will "do it" here... as you will find by reading. Bob Fenner>

Ick, FW... Discus incl. -03/27/08
Hello,
I have discus and cardinal tetra in a 44 gallon tank. The tetras have the ich white spots. As soon as I noticed them I raised the tank temperature to 82-84 removed the carbon filter and treated with Rid-Ich.
After several days and treatments the ich was still on them. I then did a 50% water change and began treating with super ich treatment. The discus appeared to be stressed so after two days put filter back in and did water change. Cardinals still have white spots but not noticeable on Discus.
What can I use to get rid of the Ich and not harm or stress the discus?
Any assistance you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Susan
<Hi Susan. There's really no magic to Ick medications, and when they don't work, it's either because the disease was misidentified (e.g., it's Velvet, not Ick) or else the medication was used improperly (e.g., wrong concentration, without removing carbon, etc.). So check these things; it's easy to make mistakes. Next up, I'd recommend trying alternate brands of medication. I've found some medications much less effective than others in some instances. I'm not a huge fan of raising the temperature when using copper/formalin medications IF the Ick problem is being dealt with early on. The standard operating temperature for Discus is around 28C/82F, and that should be ample warmth to speed the Ick life cycle to under a week. Raising the temperature makes more sense with coldwater/subtropical fish where the life cycle takes longer. Because Ick damages the gill membranes, the combo of high temperature (= low oxygen) coupled with the Ick damage can lead to breathing problems for the fish. In any case, removing carbon shouldn't be causing distress to your fish. If you have so much organic material being dumped into the aquarium that the water turns nasty within a few days, you have bigger problems than Ick! Seriously, carbon plays no particularly useful role in freshwater aquaria so I wouldn't bother with it. Do always check that "modules" in filters don't have hidden carbon sachets. Carbon exists in the hobby primarily as a way for manufacturers to extract cash from consumers, and they love to build in carbon (costs pennies) into filters to force inexperienced consumers to buy new carbon modules every month. Almost every time I've experienced or been told about Ick medication not working, it's been because there was carbon somewhere in the system. Cheers, Neale.>

Ick, planted aquaria -03/17/08
Hello Crew, Once Again I Need Some Advice.
<Overdoing the capital letters, I think!>
In The Marine Hobby 20 Years, Newbie To FW Planted Tank. My planted FW Tank Is Flourishing Beyond My expectations.
<And that's bad because...?>
5 Cardinal Tetras, 2 Pairs Fancy Guppies. 6 mo old. I Noticed 2 of the cardinals Have Ich (White Spots) How Can I effectively treat a live planted tank without any effect on the plants?
<Plain vanilla Ick medication should work fine. It was true in the old days that some medications harmed plants, but nowadays this isn't the case. Most modern formulations are fine; check the box/bottle for any notices to the contrary.>
I do have a Quarantine tank, Can I simply remove them? does the Ich Parasite remain live in the tank without fish?
<Just as with Marine Ick, if you remove the fish, the free-living parasites die after a week or two.>
Does It attach to plants?
<Free-living parasites can of course be present in the water on a plant, but the parasite cannot feed on the plant so will die if it cannot find a fish host.>
Do I need to treat Both the tank and the fish?
<Leave the fish 'in situ' and then treat the tank.>
Thanks Crew,
Grateful To The Crew In NJ..
<Cheers, Neale.>

Air Bubbles/ Ick / Help! -03/17/08
Hello,
<Ave,>
First of all, I want to thank you so much for this extensive website. It has proven multiple times to be an extremely helpful asset. I am very sorry if you have previously answered this question before.
<If we've answered it, we'll direct to the answer!>
Okay, I am living in a very small apartment. Though I had many small aquariums when I was younger, I have not had any in a very long time. What I was originally looking for was a very small desktop aquarium to put on my desk (obviously [= ). The one I purchased was the one recommended to me by the PetSmart personnel, a Top Fin Aquascene 1. It’s a triangular-shaped aquarium with dimensions 10.125”L x 7”D x 9.875”H.
<Triangular (and any other funky shaped) aquaria are bad; they're a waste of space, and hold less water than a rectangular shape would. They're also difficult to stock, because surface area is critical, and again, these have less than ideal surface area to volume ratio. If space is truly at a premium, then weird shape aquaria are the WORST choices you can make.>
I am not quite sure how many gallons it is.
<Easy: find out how many buckets of water it takes to fill. In any case, since it's A LOT smaller than 1 cubic foot (12 x 12 x 12 inches, about 8 US gallons) this comes under the heading "Too Small For Fish". Perhaps keep shrimps, plants, snails. But not fish.>
To filter, it uses an under gravel filter with an air stone.
<OK.>
I purchased the fish that the associate recommended: 3 (2 females – one looks quite pregnant and 1 male) red/orange guppies with black tails and fins (she told me they were guppies, but after some research, I think they are actually platys) and 1 albino dwarf “sucker” catfish. All fish are between 1 and 2 inches.
<Nope. None of these are acceptable for this aquarium. None. Not at all. Never. No. Nix.>
I set up the new tank with aquarium rocks and 2 aquarium plants, and within a short time (about an hour) added the fish. I asked the associate if there is anything I needed to do, and she never mentioned cycling the aquarium. I had no idea that aquariums needed to be cycled until I read something about it last night on your wonderful site. I feel so horrible for not realizing it before I put the fish in -- I am really worried about my fish.
<I'm worried too. You need to read/review fishkeeping before spending money.>
At least two of my guppies/platys have developed signs of Ich/Ick (little white cysts) and one of them is doing something that vaguely represents “humping” the water (not rubbing). I am so sorry for my crude description, but I have no idea how else to put it. My little Harvey (the male) is the one who is showing the most little white cysts. He has been off by himself underneath a plant – for a few minutes I thought he was dead. I am so worried that I did something to hurt them.
<Yes, you did do stuff wrong. Wrong tank, wrong volume of water, wrong way of setting up.>
When I started up the tank, I put some API Stress Coat into the aquarium to treat the water. I have fed them Tetra Color Tropical Flakes. Last night I put in some QuICK Cure, and put 2 drops in today instead of 1 because I am not seeing any improvement.
<Please, unless you're a vet/microbiologist with a minor in organic chemistry -- follow the instructions on the package! Don't make stuff up as you go along!>
I have also noticed an incredible amount of bubbles on the top of my aquarium. They look as though they are start from the top of the filter, although the water level is over the top of the filter. At first, I thought that the bubbles were caused by the air stone being too close to the top of the water because it had slid up, but I pushed it back down, and there has been no improvement in the amount of bubbles.
<Bubbles like CO2 coming out of solution as the water temperature changes. Quite common in small tanks.>
Are the bubbles in any way related to the ICH?
<No.>
I thought it might be connected because the bubbles completely but temporarily dispersed when I added in the Quick Cure.
<Unrelated.>
Or, and I don’t think that this is it, but are the bubbles in any way possibly related to the light? There is a small light in the aquarium. I read somewhere that guppies/platys desire a 70ish temperature, (my room stays at about 71), and since the water was quite cold and I do not have a thermometer, I have left the light on constantly since last Wednesday-ish.
(I purchased the tank on Monday evening, and it is now Saturday). Is this bad for them?
<Tropical fish should be kept at a constant 25 C/77 F. I don't care how you do that, but you DO HAVE TO DO THIS. Unless you live in the tropics, then your house will be too cold for them. They're called "tropical fish" for a reason, and not as a marketing ploy!>
I also noticed a small white membrany-looking thing inside the tube connected to the air stone (I have no other idea how to describe it.)
<Perhaps algae or fungus of some sort. Siphon out.>
Just wanted to double check that I AM supposed to leave that air filter on all the time. I turned it off last night because I was having so many bubbles that the lid was coming off the tank.
<Yes, the air pump must stay on all the time if it is driving the undergravel filter (or any other filter).>
Also, the two guppies/platies that were actually moving around were both like mesmerized by the top of the air filter (where the bubbles come out.)
<They like water current.>
I turned the light and pump off last night, and the bubbles are gone. I am afraid to turn them back on.
<As temperature goes down, the CO2 dissolves into the water. I'm sure you remember your chemistry class at school about the solubility of gases in water as it relates to temperature.>
Also, I think that the first day I overfed them, because I would watch them eat, and when it looked as though they had finished, I would add more. I couldn’t believe how much they had eaten. However, I think that some of the flakes had been swept by the filter into the top of one of the plants, because I noticed several flakes mixed in with the rocks at the bottom.
<All food should be gone within 1-2 minutes of feeding. And in such an insanely unsuitable aquarium as this, feeding more than once a day would be wrong.>
Also, should I do a water change?
<50% weekly.>
The water isn't even a week old.
<Quite right. Old water is bad water.>
Please tell me what to do! – I will do anything for them! ]=
<Buy a bigger tank. This is not negotiable. This aquarium was a stupid purchase frankly, and I'd sooner you'd asked for help before spending the money. There's no way these fish will last long in it. Take my advice: get something around the 20 gallons mark. Yes, it might look big in the store, but trust me, you will be so thankful afterwards. You can keep reasonable numbers of fish (those Corydoras are schooling fish for example and unhappy kept in groups of less than 6) and your aquarium will be about 1 million times easier to keep.>
Thank you so much in advance for your time and concern.
<Not a problem.>
Jessica
<Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Air Bubbles/ Ick / Help!
Oh, and its a 1-gallon aquarium.
<Too small for fish. Possibly cherry shrimps and snails. But that's it. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Air Bubbles/ Ick / Help! -03/17/08
Thank you for the quick reply.
<Not a problem.>
The thing is, we are not allowed to have aquariums larger than 2.5 gallons.
I agree, it is a stupid rule.
<Well there it is: if this is the rule, then fishkeeping honestly isn't an option. I'm saying this from years of option *and* from daily trying to help people with these "micro tanks". But for less experienced hobbyists unable to select the appropriate livestock and monitor/control water quality, these small aquaria are death traps for fish.>
I asked a million questions of multiple sales associates, so I am sorry if I was under the impression that I had done my research.
<Don't be too disheartened. We all make mistakes.>
I am trying my very best to take care of them.
<Good stuff!>
Please let me know what I should do.
<Apropos to what? In a tank this small I'd not be keeping fish at all. I'd perhaps go with a clump of Java moss, a few nice little Cryptocorynes, some pretty stones and sand, and then some Nerite snails and cherry shrimps. That would be relatively stable and easy to look after. Also colourful and fun to watch. But fish honestly need more space than 2.5 gallons, except perhaps a single Betta (but talk about a boring life, being a Betta stuck in a glass box that size!).>
Thank you in advance.
<Cheers, Neale.>
Thanks again for your input. I really do appreciate it. [=
<Cool. Good luck, Neale.>

Salt&heat or Meds for Ich? – 03/10/08
Hi, thanks in advance for all your help. I discovered just a few ich spots on my platies, and the different kinds of treatments I read about sound intimidating. I have aquarium salt on hand that I use regularly since they are livebearers, but I hesitate to put my fish through the high temperatures and lower oxygen. What would you suggest as safest for platies? Salt&heat,
or do I make a run to the pet store tomorrow? If salt&heat, what's the recommended course of action (how much, how long, and what temperature)?
Thanks so much. You people are awesome.
~Jen
P.S. Specs of the tank, in case it helps:
20 gal freshwater Species tank of 3 varieties of platies: total of 10 fish between 1 and 2
inches each Regular dosage of 1 Tbsp aquarium salt per 5 gallons during water changes
<Jen, to be honest I'd just use a standard copper-based Ick medication. Platies are sufficiently hardy that copper intolerance isn't really an issue. That said, you can raise the salinity to SG 1.003 (6 g/l), perhaps even SG 1.005 (9 g/l) with care, and the Platies should be fine and even without additional heat the Ick will die off quite quickly. Raise the salinity across a few days, leave it there for a couple of weeks, then bring it down again. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: cichlid question
Disease Treatment Recommendations – 03/07/08
Thanks for the info but before I got the reply, I got desperate and called the local petstore (which might I add that here in the mountains where I live good pet stores are few and far between) and she told me to use Jungle brand Ick Guard to treat for Ick. I told her that it didn't look like Ick and she said that it was the advanced stages of Ick, and insisted that I use the Jungle brand Fungus treatment along with the Ick Guard.
< Ich is a common parasite but usually shows lots of white spots. The Formalin I recommended also does a great job on ich.>
So Tuesday, I did a 50% water change... Wednesday I tested my water 10ppm nitrates, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and the pH was 7.6 I know this needs to come up but I was afraid of putting too many chemicals in the tank. I treated with the Jungle brand products and the fish still look bad, but eating well today on Thursday morning but after reading your reply today, I am afraid that I am wasting time. I have not had any deaths yet, still have 6 fish... but one of the Jewel cichlids has become anti-social and hangs out at the top of the tank about 2 inches below water line. I have no idea if its a male or female but I like to call "IT" a her because she seems so petite and girly to me.. :) but anyway, she hangs out at top just below water line and still eats but not with the enthusiasm as her tank mates. She is the one looks the worst. She is covered in black patches and is very dull in color now. After treating with the Jungle products I plan to do another water change tomorrow or this evening. So would it be ok to treat my fish again with the products you suggested even after all the chemicals I have already used?
< When I make a recommendation it is based on the info supplied by the writer and what has worked for me the best in the past. Jungle products usually have lots of salt in them. Salt increases the slime on the surface of the fish and this could be some of the improvement you are seeing. If you don't feel that the current treatment is doing any good then do a 50% water change and treat as per my suggestion.>
I am sorry to sound like such a "noob" but I really want to prove my husband wrong, he said that I need to flush my fish and raise guppies. Not only is this a mission to save my beautiful fish, it has become a mission to prove I CAN survive fish other than goldfish and guppies.
As for the rock salt you suggested isn't just regular non-iodized salt? Like table salt? Sodium chloride?
< You can use rock salt or aquarium salt.-Chuck>

Re: cichlid question
Cichlids With Ich Treatment 3/9/08
OK, so far so good! Fish are still alive! They are looking much better with just the salt that you recommended. I am having a hard time finding the Formalin, pet store didn't have it. So, I treated with the Jungle product for Ich. I have used the Jungle medication until is all gone. I was wondering how often I should treat with the salt and should I replace my carbon in filters when doing so. Color is beginning to come back it appears on my Jewels, and their black patches have faded almost completely away. Unfortunately for me, the more petite Jewel has something going on with her eyes. They don't appear to be bulging out really but more like growing light fuzz or fur? She doesn't seem to be blind, both Jewels still occasionally "scratch" the head/gill area of their bodies as well. The only new symptom is the eye thing at this point.
< The white fuzz is a fungal infection.>
My tank tests are pH 8.4 , ammonia 0, nitrates are 10 ppm, nitrites 0. water temp is 78/79ish. I don't have any carbon in the filters at the moment and have been relying on 50% water changes about every 2-4 days during this sick time.
Also, I have a spotted cichlid, reminds me of a leopards spots, that has done amazing through all of this. He has never lost any color or shown signs of any sickness. I was wondering if I should purchase a smaller tank just for him and stop medicating him if he doesn't look or act sick. I know you all are so busy and I hate to bother you with my fish problems since I am sure you get tired of answering the same questions time and time again. I have really tired to search the web for answers as well as your site. It is just hard to read so much information and think well that fits, oh no wait that one fits and so on. I am so unsure of what I am doing at this point, I just find it more comforting to actually discuss it with someone if possible. Thank you again for your time.
< Look for Rid-Ich at the local store. If you cannot find it then look at DrsFosterSmith.com for either Formalin or Rid-Ich from Kordon. The disease may have caused a secondary bacterial infection. This can be treated with Nitrofurazone. This medication is also somewhat successful against fungal infections.-Chuck>

Ick problems with goldfish 3/5/08
Hello,
I have a fantail goldfish that got Ich about a week ago and I have been treating her with Maracide using the directions on the bottle. She did not appear to get any better after the week the bottle advised for treatment, so i bought a heater after reading a website that suggested to do so and also got pure NaCl to create a .3% salt solution in the tank. I have the heater set on about 81 degrees, and i was wondering how long it will take for the Ich to all die, and especially wondering if there is anything I am doing wrong?
Thank you,
Lindsay
<Lindsay, do make sure you have removed carbon from the filter. A very common mistake people make is to leave carbon in the filter, and this simply absorbs any medication before it does any good. You don't really need carbon anyway, so you may as well leave it out completely. Do also remember it takes a while to work: the medication *doesn't* kill the visible parasites on the fish, but the next generation parasites they produce once they leave the host. In a coldwater tank this can take a good couple of weeks. Heating the water speeds things up, and you should see results within 3-5 days. If these aren't the issues here, get back in touch. Cheers, Neale.>

why?... Ongoing re ich, Pim... 2/1/08
Hello Neale,
I am now on day three of the treatment for my pictus catfish. Both white spots I saw on one of the pictus are gone - today as I was looking at her I noticed that both of the pictus' tails are slightly frayed. I know they weren't like this before. What is causing this? They hardly ever fight, and they seem to always be swimming together. Is this another infection?
Thanks, Neervana.
<Frayed fins are normally a sign of Finrot and/or Fungus. Whitespot/Ick can trigger these problems -- when the cysts burst and the whitespot parasite swims out (to reproduce and then infect more fish) it leaves behind a hole, and bacteria can get into the hole and cause an infection. Alternatively, you may have some problems with water quality, because Finrot and Fungus are both related to water quality nine times out of ten. In any case: check the nitrite, to make sure the aquarium is healthy. When the Whitespot medication is done, do a 50% water change, and then start a treatment for Finrot and Fungus. I recommend eSHa 2000 because it treats both equally well, but you can find alternative brands if you want to. Damaged fins are -- up to a point -- low priority complaints, so don't fret too much. Yes, you must treat them, but they will heal nicely once you have added the medication. In the wild fish damage their fins all the time. It is really only in the bacteria-laden water in a fish tank that fin damage becomes potentially lethal. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: why? Doesn't Neale suggest a good FW tome? 2/1/08
Hi Neale,
So now I'm on day 4 - which is the one where I don't add any medication (Protozin). My tank is starting to smell, and I really don't like it. Also, the water is getting a bit dirty - when is the earliest day I can change the water, day 6 or 7 perhaps?
Also, I don't know where to get eSHa 2000 from, my LFS don't have it.
Thanks,
Neervana.
<In four days after a water change, your aquarium SHOULD NOT smell! If it smells, then you are doing one (or more) of the following:
- Feeding the fish too much, so that leftover food is rotting.
- Not removing uneaten food (see above).
- Keeping too many fish in too small a tank.
- Not providing adequate filtration for the sorts of fish being kept.
Aquaria in good condition DO NOT SMELL!!!
Cheers, Neale.>

Re: why? 2/1/08
Hi Neale,
Yes, I have not vacuumed my gravel since the start of last week. Now what should I do? When I went to the LFS the lady said that since my tank came with an in-built filtration/oxygen system I don't need any other equipment added to it. I only have two pictus catfish in my tank, so I think it's ok for the meantime for them. So should I vacuum the gravel then? But I thought this could dilute the medicine?
Thanks, Neervana.
<Vacuuming the gravel is really neither here nor there when it comes to water quality, unless you are keeping very large, messy fish that produces lots of faeces. For Pimelodus pictus, you should be able to go for several weeks without needing to clean the gravel. The only way the gravel would become filthy enough to smell would be if your were putting in masses too much food. Which you're not, I hope. For two Pimelodus pictus, half a cube of wet frozen bloodworms should be adequate. If you're using dried food, then a pinch about the size of your little finger's nail. I'm past remembering what sort of tank we're talking about. How big is the aquarium? On the filter, look at the pump, and less if it has a gallons-per-hour (gph) or litres-per-hour (lph) rating -- it should do. Also what temperature is the aquarium? Cheers, Neale.>

Re: why? Pim., ich... 2/3/08
Hi Neale,
The tank is 10 gallons (which I know is too small for these fish, but I am currently saving for a bigger one to move them into, which would be around two months' time) then I would use the tank I already have as a quarantine tank.
<Hmm... a 10 gallon tank isn't really suitable for these fish, even for a while. Do check the nitrite level, and I'm guessing you'll find it isn't zero. This is a bad thing.>
I put the temperature up to 30 degrees - it used to be 26 before, but I raised the temperature to 30, because the lady in the LFS told me to do that.
<This is indeed correct *while* treating for whitespot/ick. But once the whitespot is dealt with, reduce the temperature to around 25. These are not fish that live in very warm water. More heat = less oxygen, and that'll make the fish less happy and the bacteria less efficient.>
I also noticed that it's only when I first added the Protozin that there was a weird smell coming out from the tank and that it went after a couple of hours. Every time I add the medicine the tank smells. I also wanted to mention that when I raised the temperature, I did it in one go - when I was reading some of the messages people had put online they all advised each other on raising it one degree a day - I didn't do that, I only did it all at once because I didn't know. Could this be why it smells?
<No.>
I have not done the water change yet, so do you think I should wait until day 6?
<If you can, wait. But if the fish clearly look ill, then you have to do a water change of 50%.>
My two pictuses are starting to look a bit sick as in their fins are turning opaque a bit and do look a bit ragged.
<That's likely Finrot.>
Also, when I feed them I feed them about a little less then half a cube of blood worms, a pellet each (tetra ones) and about half a pack of jellied daphnia. I feed them a different thing each day like you said, but perhaps it is too much for them.
<Too much. Stop feeding them completely while they are sick. Once they are healthy, switch to feeding once every two days, and even then only a small quantity of food. As I said earlier, about the same amount as would fit on the fingernail on your little finger.>
What do you think I should do?
Thanking you, Neervana.
<Cheers, Neale.>
Hi Neale,
I have a 200 gallon tank I could move them into once they are healthy - but I have two Bala sharks already in this tank who are perfectly healthy...
<Don't mix sick fish with healthy fish.>
so I don't know if it's wise to move them in now, as the Bala sharks might catch the white spot?
<Perfectly possible.>
Anyway, should I do a water change now? Thing is, I did a water change every week since I got them, the did two water changes before I put the medicine in. They really don't look well at all, so I should do the water change now and then continue with the Protozin and feed them a little every two days until they look healthy again?
<Do the water change, and don't feed the fish for the next few days and see if the water clears up.>
Thanks , Neervana.
<Cheers, Neale.>
Hi Neale,
I was wondering about something, thought I would just ask you quickly. This tank was new and the pictuses are the first two fish to live in it - so how did they catch white spot?
<Likely had it at the store. This is why we quarantine fish, to keep diseases from getting into our home aquaria.>
I did read online that apparently it's bad to mix the water that your fish comes in with the water in the tank, as it may contain white spot, because some of the fish in a few tanks in that fish shop are dead on the gravel.
<Indeed, you should put the new fish into a bucket with the water from the bag. Then add a few cups of water from the fish tank over the next 30 minutes. Then lift the fish out and put it into the tank. Ideally, you're putting it into a quarantine tank. This doesn't stop whitespot if the fish are already infected, but it does reduce do something to help keep out the motile whitespot parasites (which swim in the water looking for hosts).
But the tank these two fish were in did not seem like it had any unhealthy fish.
<Most aquarium stores have water that flows between multiple tanks and one big filter. So even if one tank seems devoid of sick fish, that doesn't guarantee anything. The better stores will use UV to reduce the chances of diseases moving about, but this isn't an 100% fix.>
Do you know how it could have happened?
<Not exactly, but I can guess. The fish had whitespot when you bought them. After a few days the cysts matured and you saw the spots. In the meanwhile, a combination of the whitespot itself damaging the skin together with poor water quality/overcrowding has led to Finrot.>
Also, I did not vacuum the gravel today I just took a small bucket and took water straight out of the tank, that does not matter does it?
<That's fine for a water change. Under normal circumstances, the gravel doesn't need to be cleaned every week. Once a month is fine, perhaps less if the tank has lots of plants and is otherwise well maintained.>
I mean I have just ordered a gravel vacuum and waiting for it to come, that's why I can't clean the gravel.

But I assume that it's not important to vacuum the gravel if it hardly shows any dirt on it?
<Visible dirt doesn't directly harm fish. Dirty tanks tend to be poorly maintained tanks, but in itself silt is harmless. Check out the "wild" and you'll see a lot of silt! Fish get harmed by the invisible things -- nitrite, ammonia.>
I mean mine does not look like there is any mess on it. I am expecting to vacuum the gravel next week. Should I continue with the Protozin just the same because I did the water change, does that mean the concentration has been diluted now? I am on the fourth day now, and you said I should put the next dosage on day 6. Then water change on day 8. Proceed with this?
<Precisely; carry on as if you had NOT done a water change.>
Thanks and sorry for pestering you so much, but I just want to be sure.
Neervana
>
A lot of these questions are fundamental to the hobby, and having a nice book with the facts laid out fair and square will be very helpful. Visit your local public library and test drive a few tropical fish books. When you've found one you like, BUY IT! Trust me, compared to anything else you will get in the hobby, a good aquarium book is BY FAR the best use of your cash. Cheers, Neale.>

My new tank, poor FW mix of lvstk., ich 1/31/08
hi,
Currently I have 55G tank which contains four 2inch gold fish , six 2inch Koi carp , two 4inch Koi carp , six 2inch angels and one 25cm Pleco. I know it's a small tank ,that's why I am building a new 200G tank.
<Very good.>
I am thinking about buying 2 red bellied piranha. Is that a good idea?.
<To mix with these fish? Absolutely not. In addition, most of the common piranhas in the trade, including Pygocentrus nattereri (the Red-bellied Piranha), are essentially solitary fish in aquaria. Their social behaviour in the wild is extremely complex and difficult to replicate in captivity. Juveniles may school together, but adults only form schools under certain conditions, and when mature the males are territorial and ultimately guard nests and eggs. Unless kept in BIG aquaria where there are AT LEAST SIX specimens, piranhas simply don't work in groups. The dominant male systematically harasses and eventually kills the other fish. The flip side to this is that single piranhas are nervous and scared of their own shadows! They are very VERY boring pets.>
Is there any kind of fish that I can add with the piranha's?
<None.>
Right now I have one more problem , one of my Koi carp is scratching ,what should I do .
<Likely Whitespot/Ick and should be treated accordingly.>
Is it necessary to remove live plants before adding any medicine into the system?.
<Not normally, no.>
One of my Koi carp has full red body with small white patches in the middle, is that what u call white spot disease.
<Sounds like it.>
And last I want u to suggest a suitable filter for my new 200G tank (please mention the company name also)
<The ideal filter will vary. If the tank contains just fish and no plants (or maybe floating plants or plants attached to wood) then an undergravel filter can work very well. Use at least two powerheads to get a gravel bed this size working properly. Alternatively, you can use one or more external canister filters. These work better with tanks that contain plants. In either case, the brand of filter doesn't matter much, though some brands, notably Eheim, have a good reputation for reliability and value over the long term. The main thing is turnover. For large fish like yours, you want the powerheads or filter pumps to produce at least 6 times the volume of the tank in turnover per hour. So in your case, the pumps should add up to 6 x 200 = 1200 gallons per hour.>
thanks a lot Mathew
<Cheers, Neale.>

Ich or designs??? FW, reading – 1/26/08
Hi, I need just one second of your time.
<A bit more than this>
I have a jewel cichlid that is still under 3 inches and it has dots all over his body. I am not sure if this is his design or if it is a disease like ich. Can you please help me out. The spots are all over the body even on the fin. If it is on the fin, does it means it is definitely ich or velvet? Also, is it safe to use medication even if I am not 100 percent sure if it is a disease? Thanks guys.
~Mikey
<... read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwich.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

hi? Child? No info., en media res... FW Ich... reading – 1/26/08
Hello Again
<... where is the prev. corr.?>
I was worried, so I look every where and I found out it might be Ich and was wondering what's the bets way to be sure they got it and to treat them for it. The Water Temp is 24'C and the ph is 7. I would like To Know How much to feed them each day Because This is my first Aquarium And I Have 2 Loaches And 1 Ghost Knife Fish. Thank you Again Chris
<... the loaches and Knife are "special cases" where Ich is concerned. Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwich.htm
and the linked files above, carefully... Bob Fenner>

Devastating Ich outbreak, 2 fish down, please help. Goldfish 12/28/07
Hello there,
<Ave!>
Please help, we've had a dreadful week.
<Oh?>
On Dec 21st our beloved goldfish (Jasper the black moor, Oscar the comet, and Daphne the Oranda) developed what we believe to be ich. Lots of tiny spots that attract tiny oxygen bubbles, particularly around the gills and under the chin, but also on the body. Dorsal fins went flaccid, and the fish seemed itchy and weak. They continued to feed well, but otherwise a very distressing turnaround for otherwise healthy, happy fish. No obvious reason for the outbreak -water quality good, no new plants, stock or live food in the last 6 weeks, no changes we can think of.
<Hmm... as you realise already, Ick tends to follow on from specific things rather than coming out of the blue. But it may happen.>
We immediately did a water change (around 40%) and started treating with Interpet Anti-Whitespot (formaldehyde and malachite green oxalate). As our tank tends to be a bit on the warm side anyway (the built-in light and filter warm the surface, but the fishies are happy with it), we couldn't really raise the temperature much, but we turned on a second pump for extra aeration (we are in the process of switching from the old one to the new one as the motor is dying so have both in the tank to get the cycling right) but neither of them are carbon or zeolite, so no contraindication for the medication.
<In terms of conditions, all sounds good. I will admit though that I've not found Interpet Anti-Whitespot completely effective in all situations. I prefer to use eSHa EXIT, an alternative product widely sold in the UK and Europe. For whatever reason, it seems to deal with the "super" whitespot strain rather more effectively than Interpet Anti-Whitespot. You may also be dealing with Velvet rather than Ick/Whitespot. Here's the difference: Whitespot cysts look like salt grains, but Velvet cysts are more like icing sugar. Velvet also sometimes has a yellowy or golden sheen rather than plain white and is almost always associated with heavy or rapid breathing. Interpet Anti-Whitespot doesn't treat Velvet, but eSHa EXIT does, which is another reason I prefer it. It is also cheaper!>
In the early hours of December 24th our little black moor died. It was a horrible death, covered in spots (little bubbles you could see clearer with the lights off), and total paralysis as his fins clamped. We were devastated, but it seemed the other two were perking up. We redosed (I think we did a 25% water change at some point during this process to date, which may have been a mistake, but we were responding to the fish looking distressed, and getting so much conflicting advice looking online) and waited. Throughout the day the other two improved, but just before bed I thought I saw more spots on the comet's back. By Christmas morning he was dead.
<Hmm... does sound more like Velvet than Ick. Because Velvet attacks the gills before anything else, by the time you see any cysts on the body, fatal damage may have been done to the gills already. Ick doesn't normally kill fish very quickly, so while it certainly is fatal in the long term, you should have a safe zone of a couple of weeks to spot and treat the disease reliably.>
Daphne, our remaining baby, has been up and down since. On Boxing Day she looked a bit better, yesterday morning she had a massive reinfection, with lots of the tiny spots/bubbles all over her face and gills. We again changed water (50%) and redosed, and by evening the spots were gone, and she looked much better, if slightly puffy and discoloured around the gills and dorsal fin. This morning the puffiness on the gills looked like a large blister, and in the last hour one has filled with blood. She was having trouble swimming against the current of 2 pumps, so turned one off so she can move more easily, but is swimming in circles close to the surface and is not well at all. We're desperate to save her, but don't know what to do.
She's still feeding fine (they've always had a varied diet, peas, frozen daphnia, pellets, flakes, cucumber, p etc), but she's been doing long white stringy poos for a couple of days (seem to have firmed up a bit today actually).
<May be unrelated; her diet sounds excellent.>
We're about to do start doing salt baths -we were going to start this earlier, but what with the chemicals in the water we didn't want to distress her more. We were thinking of doing a 100% water change tomorrow and start again using a different medicine, as this clearly hasn't been effective -what do you think?
<Yes; for now, assume it might be either Velvet or Ick, and use a medication that treats both equally well. eSHa EXIT is one such brand, and there may be others.>
Other than the huge amounts of formaldehyde and malachite in the water, the pH and nitrates have stayed constant, and no nitrate. Not able to test ammonia till tonight as we picked up the wrong kit and the shops have been closed, but with the water changes and everything else being the same I'm not overly worried.
<Medications shouldn't harm to filter, so assuming you're keeping up with water changes, all should be fine there.>
Please help us save Daphne, we really couldn't bear to lose her now. Many
thanks for your time on this, and happy holidays.
Sara and Jonn (London, England)
<Hope this helps, Neale.>

Re: Devastating Ich outbreak, 2 fish down, please help. 12/28/07
Hello Neale, thanks so much for the quick reply.
<No problems.>
Will do some med shopping in the morning. We considered that it might be something other than ick, but that was the closest symptom match, and it looks more white spotty and velvety.... hard to say, but happy to go on to a treatment that will kill both.
<My thoughts exactly.>
She seems to have responded well to the salt bath (30mins at 0.3%) so was thinking of doing that again every 6 hours or so. What do you think? Also, our big concern right now is the big blood blister that accounts for most of her right gill -can't find many accounts of this.
<Hmm... likely a secondary infection. Salt water dips will certainly help. Goldfish have a high salt tolerance and generally respond well to this sort of therapy. Having said that, if the blister doesn't clear up, then do use a general purpose Finrot/fungus medication. Again, I've found the eSHa variety, eSHa 2000, to be cheap and effective against a wide variety of infections.>
Is this a sign of final throws of a infestation, or is this the sort of thing that looks worse than it is (it looks dreadful)?
<When Ick or Velvet cysts "burst", they release free living "spores" that eventually multiply up to form the next generation of parasites. In breaking the skin, this bursting of the cysts can allow secondary infections to develop because the integument between the fish and the water is broken. In this instance, if the blister isn't obviously clearing up, I'd break the habit of a lifetime and use both eSHa 2000 and eSHa EXIT at the same time. According to the manufacturer, they are safe to use together.
http://www.eshalabs.com/exit.htm
Such a combo should fix just about anything.>
Thanks so much for the back-up on this, is so hard to know if we're doing the right thing. xxx
<Treat quickly, and be careful to follow the instructions, and you should be fine. Cheers, Neale.>

Ich not going away:(, FW... 12/25/07
Hello bob, my 4 Neons just got ich and I have read your articles. I raised the temperature to 84 degrees Fahrenheit, I added one teaspoon of salt for every five gallons of water and I am currently using Mardel CopperSafe medication. The ich just isn't going away. I think it is getting a little better, but I want it to be completely gone because it is going to be a gift for my cousin. Am I doing anything wrong? I recently did a 50 percent water change and cleaned the gravel. Also, for the Mardel CopperSafe medication, how often should I use it. It says to treat for one month but I do not know how often I should use it. Please give me some advice. Last, is there anything else I can do to rid the ich? Is Mardel CopperSafe medication good? Thanks so much for your help and your time.
<A few thoughts. Firstly, do make 100% sure you have removed carbon from the filter. Lots of people forget about this. Personally, I consider carbon a waste of space in the average freshwater community tank, but some people still use the stuff. In any case, carbon removes medications from the water, so your fish won't get better. I'd tend not to use salt/temperature in situations where copper-based Ick medications are viable, as is the case with Neon tetras. I'm not familiar with CopperSafe but I have encountered situations where one brand of anti-Ick medication didn't work, but a second brand did. So try switching to an alternate brand. I happen to find the eSHa EXIT anti-Ick medication highly effective and safe with even sensitive species, so if you're in Europe or someplace where eSHa products are sold, that's worth trying. Do also remember you can't do water changes while treating the fish: the concentration of medication must remain constant throughout the course. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: ich not going away:( 12/25/07
Hello again, The Mardel CopperSafe medication says that it treats the water for one month, so am I not suppose to do a water change for one whole month? Please write back. Thanks again.
<No, do regular weekly water changes of 50% as per normal. There's no point treating the whitespot if the fish end up dying from nitrate poisoning or acidosis. Cheers, Neale.>

Freshwater Ich and UV Sterilizer 12/25/07
Thank you so much for being here and available. I've done many searches on your site over the past few months an have learned an incredible amount. Now I have a problem and would like advice.
<Okeley dokely.>
I have been back in the hobby since last April, after some years away. This time I've been very scientific, reading and studying and actually understanding the why as well as the what. I currently have a 10 gallon non-CO2 planted tank (set up last May) and 10 gallon mixed reef (set up last August), both very successful and I am setting up a 46 gallon planted tank. The big tank is my problem.
<Hmm...?>
OK, I took a chance and screwed it up. I cycled the tank with mulm from my old tank, and the levels dropped very quickly. I stocked it with fish from one, usually very good, LFS. Cardinals, Corys, hatchet fish, pearl Gouramis, cherry barbs, 6 very expensive guppies from a breeder in California. I figured I'd stock it very quickly and then stop, no more fish or anything, and I'd be great.
<Mulm doesn't really carry a huge amount of filter bacteria: bacteria are mostly where there's rapid water flow, because they're super-demanding of oxygen. Gravel from a tank with an undergravel filter is excellent, but otherwise old sponges from a mature aquarium are best.>
A couple of the hatchet fish developed ich after about 6 days in the tank. I noticed a spot last Wednesday, hoped against hope it would be nothing. It spread to other fish. Last Friday morning it was apparent I had a serious emergency. I have no way to quarantine 30 fish. I'm going to be out of town the first week of January.
<Hatchets are very sensitive fish at the best of times, and I'd not add them to an immature tank, no matter how "cycled" I thought it was. In any case, whitespot shouldn't be deadly in the very short term, and adding suitable medication should at least slow things down, even if you're able to do all the doses required to kill the infection.>
I had a major panic attack, did some research on-line and started calling around town. One LFS "could probably get me a UV sterilizer by next Thursday." The other LFS had one they recommend in stock.
(I've dealt with both stores before, they're both pretty good.) After discussing install options, I bought an inline UV sterilizer, a sump, and a pressurized CO2 setup as well. I figured since he was coming out anyway, we'd do everything I'd been thinking about. We had it installed by 5pm last Friday.
<UV filters don't 100% kill whitespot (or any other type of waterborne parasite). They certainly help, but wouldn't be my first line of attack. Elevating the temperature plus adding salt, or treating with anti-Whitespot, would be better.>
I bought some Ich treatment that he recommended, just in case, but I really don't like dumping chemicals in the tank if I don't have to. I was hoping the sterilizer would handle it.
<Nope.>
http://www.uskoi.com/ich-x.htm
The hatchet fish started showing multiple spots Saturday evening. The cardinals have some spots, the Gouramis have some spots. Nobody was in great discomfort. This morning (Monday) the (VERY expensive) guppies aren't showing any spots that I can see but the girls are hanging out on the top a lot more than they have been since the arrived last week. :-(
<Whitespot irritates the gills, and over time leads to something akin to suffocation.>
To recap - I bought the hatchet fish a week ago Saturday. I saw my first speck Wed afternoon. Friday afternoon the hatchet fish had several spots and I had an obvious problem. We installed the UV filter Friday by 5pm, and turned the flow down on the pump as low as we could get it. There is flow but quite minimal. (Recommended to kill parasites.)
<Sounds an odd recommendation. Most UV filters I've seen added to tanks use normal water flow from an external filter or whatever. Is this a separate pump just for the UV device?>
I keep the tank temp set at 78F, I noticed this morning that it's at 80F. Possibly because I keep the room very warm. The CO2 is one during daylight hours. I do not believe it is gassing the fish out, in fact I may turn it up a bit when & if I solve the Ich problem. The plants are pearling nicely.
<There is a balance that needs to be struck between the CO2 the plants want and the stress high CO2 levels cause fish. But that's unlikely the issue right now.>
I did a 15 gallon water change yesterday afternoon (Sunday). I am assuming the spots that are showing up now are parasites that were already attached on Friday. I am assuming that the UV filter is going to drastically reduce the free-floating stage and I should start seeing a reduction soon. I can do another water change this afternoon, and probably another one tomorrow. I have to pack all my
water from town, my well is too salty for plants or fish.
<The feeding stages on the fish will need to mature and hatch before the UV filter can do anything. Warm water speeds this up.>
But I'm worried. <huge sigh> I'm really stressing out. :-(
<Not much you can right now beyond treating the tank. I'd not hold much store by UV alone at all, though I'm open to correction here.>
Am I on the right track here, with the UV sterilizer? When should I start dumping chemicals, or should I at all? What chemicals? I'm freaking out this morning because the female guppies are looking a bit too quiet. (The males are being typical guys. <g>) What type of time-line should I expect with this blasted parasite?
<The life cycle of whitespot is 2-3 days at tropical temperatures, so in theory you should see improvement quite quickly.>
SueP
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Freshwater Ich and UV Sterilizer 12/25/07
Thanks!
<You're welcome.>
OK, I'll do another water change this evening & add the meds. I understand that salt will kill the plants? Should I turn the temp up?
<Salt at the doses required to treat Ick will not harm your plants; nor will elevating the temperature.>
The UV sterilizer is in-line with the canister filter. Both are large enough to handle the tank. The sterilizer suggests doing 2 tank
turnovers an hour for parasites. Higher flow will kill algae but they want the water to spend time next to the light to kill parasites.
<Ah, that does make some sense. But my worry here would be reducing the water flow through the canister filter. Canister filters have HUGE oxygen demands, and slow water flow switches the highly aerobic bio-filtration bacteria into a dormant mode, which you obviously don't want. I'd personally prefer better water quality with less effective UV filtration than the other way around. UV is "icing on the cake", but water quality is the essential "meat-and-potatoes" of fishkeeping (if I can mix my metaphors!). Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Freshwater Ich and UV Sterilizer 12/25/07
Update - I just dumped 4 tsps of Ich-X in the tank. I'll do a water change tonight and treat again if things look worse.
<Hmm... don't do water changes while treating -- for hopefully obvious reasons, if you suddenly dilute the concentration of medication, the medication will lose its efficacy. So hold off water changes until your have completed the ENTIRE course of medication, which may be multiple doses across several days.>
And I did add the filter media from the old tank as well, when I started this one. We tested and the cycle seems to have completed
within a week. I hope the meds don't mess it up now, but I'm more worried about the fish.
<No, modern fish medications are almost universally safe with filter bacteria.>
FWIW - the guppies look a bit better and the female Gourami was offering to lay on her side and breed a few minutes ago.
<Very good. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Freshwater Ich and UV Sterilizer 12/25/07
The Ich medicine bottle suggests doing a 30% water change just before every dose. I assume it's to remove as many free-swimming parasites as possible. Realistically, I'm not able to do the water changes that often.
<Hmm... regardless of the reason, always follow PRECISELY the instructions on the packaging. Failure to do this can lead to a variety of problems, including failure to adequately treat the disease.>
Today I had the water but it's taking forever and ever for my heater to get it up to temp, so I just dumped the meds in the tank and left the new water heating. I may use it tomorrow, but esp. after hearing your opinion, I may let it go another day or two dosing without water changes.
<Provided you use water conditioners, there's no harm in using a mix of hot and cold water to get the warmish water you need.>
I'll turn the flow up on the canister filter
when I change the water and can tell how hard it's moving.
<OK.>
I still have a few visible Ich spots but everybody seems comfortable and active. Occasional flashing but not constant.
<Good. Do remember the medication stops re-infection, it has no effect on the current (visible) generation of white spot parasites.>
The female Gourami has a ding on her side but I suspect she banged a scale when she was being chased by the male. I'm watching it, I'm feeling rather paranoid at the moment <wry g>, but so doesn't look in distress and it doesn't look fuzzy or anything.
<Are these Dwarf Gouramis (Colisa lalia)? These are very commonly infected with a viral disease that is untreatable and highly infectious. An early symptom is small blisters on the body. Infected fish should be painlessly destroyed and Dwarf Gouramis never, ever added to the tank unless it is autoclaved. I'm not kidding about this... as far as I'm concerned, people shouldn't buy this species unless they got them from a local breeder.>
Thank you so much for your help! Hope you had/have a really wonderful
Christmas!
<Thanks, Christmas was swell. All the best, Neale.>

Re: Freshwater Ich and UV Sterilizer 12/26/07
No these are Pearl Gouramis. I didn't know that about Dwarfs, what a shame. And I've been admiring them for months, wanting to buy a pair.
Guess I won't... :-(
<Pearl Gouramis are excellent fish; generally peaceful, long-lived (7+ years) and hardy. Dwarf Gouramis are a total waste of time/money.>
Did a 15 gallon water change at noon today and added the third dose of meds. Everybody looks good, the hatchet fish still have a few spots but the visible spots are definitely clearing upon everybody else.
<Sounds good.>
One of the guppies is having babies, I hope they make it to the thick plants. Nobody in the tank looks particularly voracious, and historically I've had more problems with overpopulation than with babies surviving. But these are pretty special guppies, so I'm hoping! :-)
<Hatchet fish will eat them given the chance, but as you have lots of plants, you might luck out. By all means confine the babies to a floating breeding trap for a few weeks if you want.>
I turned the flow on the filter up and the guppies are surfing the current. :-)
<Ha! Sounds as if you have everything in hand. Cheers, Neale.>

Ich, FW, Botia macracantha... no reading 12/12/07
Hi, I have a clown loach that recently got ich.
<... this is a social species. Should be kept in a shoal...>
But I am not entirely sure. He has like white air bubbles on his tail and on his fin.
<Mmmm, could you send along a pic?>
Is this ick or not? Also, is there a very accurate and easy way to tell if your fish is healing from ick? Last, how much salt should I use and how often? I have a fifty gallon freshwater tank. Thanks for all your help.
~concerned owner...
Oh, and how do I feed frozen bloodworms to my bottom feeders? Thanks once again
<How is it you managed to skip over our instructions for writing us w/o reviewing what is posted? Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwich.htm
and here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/clnlchfdg.htm
and the linked files above. There is just too much that is necessary, related to your general questions to answer succinctly. What you need to know en toto is posted. Go and read it. Bob Fenner>

I think our tank has Ich! -11/27/2007
Hi Crew-
<Emily>
I think our 75 Gallon Freshwater tank has ich! I think 2 new sail fin tetras which we bought 1 week ago (which we did not quarantine) brought it in.
<Happens... more so during this time of year when temperature changes chill newcomers in transit...>
They both have 2 or 3 little white bubbles on their fins and body. 1 Angel fish also has 1 white bubble on its fin. Is this ich?
<A bubble... have you read much re FW ich? Looks more like salt grains>
I am quite a novice when it comes to fish. I'm still learning. I have several different fish: 5 red eyed tetras, 2 sail fin tetras, 2 angel fish, 1 spotted leaf fish, 1 Pleco, 1 Farlowella twig, 1 Black ghost knife, and 1 temperamental fire eel.
<Quite a mix>
I don't know what to treat the tank with because of our variety of fish.
<You are right to be cautious... likely temperature manipulation alone is the route I would go here>
I read through your articles about ich but I was concerned that some of the treatments might harm the eel or the ghost knife.
<You are correct>
(On top of this our fire eel is still healing from pop eye- what bad luck we've had.) We also have quite the assortment of live plants. Do I really have to remove all of them from the tank to treat the ich?
<IF you are to treat the system with harsh chemicals (metals, dyes) yes>
We also don't have a good QT tank set up. Can we just treat
the 75?
<Might be expedient... just the elevated temp.>
What do you recommend? We just got finished treating a really stubborn case of pop eye too.
<Mmm, very important... What, how did you treat? This alone may be the source of the "bubbles"... NOT ich. Otherwise the treatment may have weakened your stock to such a degree that they will not easily suffer further manipulation>
I am just SOO frustrated with our new hobby. I hope you can help us.
<Take y/our time here... I/we need to know much more re your set-up, history... For now I would nudge up your water temperature... to the low eighties F... this should harm nothing... and may expedite the life cycle, removal of this observed phenomenon's leaving... whether its parasitic or no>
Thanks so much,
Emily
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Ammonia test strip question - 11/20/07
Hi Crew,
<Leah,>
I saw one white spot on the tail of one clown loach. Unable to decide if it was ich, I decided to be proactive and treat with Rid-Ich+. The spot was gone within 24 hours, and no other fish developed any other spots, and no one seemed itchy or otherwise uncomfortable. I began to wonder if the original spot had been ich at all, but I intended to treat for a week to be safe. I removed my carbon filter, did a daily 25% water change and used a half dose of Rid-Ich+, although I later read conflicting reports online over whether half doses are effective.
<Depends. Sometimes half-doses work acceptably well, without putting sensitive fish at risk. More often though, the salt plus heat method works better and more safely for treating Ick on Clown loaches, Mormyridae, etc.>
I treated through day 5. Today was supposed to be day 6 of treatment, but I noticed that my Mardel ammonia test strip had gone from plain yellow (0.0 ammonia) to a kind of off-yellow. It's hard to describe, and it does not match any of the other colors on the test strip, which grow from pale green to dark blue-green. It looks for all the world as if the Rid-Ich+ has slightly stained the test strip. Is this likely?
<Certainly possible. If the nitrite level is zero, I'd assume that's the problem here. If the nitrite isn't zero, then perhaps there's something else going on.>
How reliable are these strips, compared to other kinds of tests? After 5 days of half doses of Rid-Ich+, do you think I've harmed my good bacteria?
<No.>
This morning I did a 40% water change with dechlorinated water, and no meds. I also replaced my carbon filter. When I return
home this afternoon, I will put in a new ammonia test strip and see if it stays yellow. (I'm waiting until the afternoon because I don't want any remaining meds to stain the new one.) Do you think I should take any other actions?
<Not really, no.>
I have an ammonia locking agent, and something called stress-zyme that is supposed to help replace good bacteria.
<You shouldn't need either of these things in a stable aquarium. Traces of ammonia in your tap water should be removed by any decent dechlorinator, and the ammonia produced by your fish gets used by the filter bacteria. Bacteria supplements are, in my opinion, more about selling stuff to hobbyists that actually doing anything useful.>
Unfortunately I will be unable to observe the tank again until the
afternoon, but I can check my email and drop by the pet store on the
way home if you recommend buying a different test kit.
Thank you very much,
Leah
<Hope this helps, Neale.>

Black Ghost Knifefish and Ich 10/24/07
<Hi Jillian, Pufferpunk here>
I am at a loss as to how to treat my two BGK fish. They live together in a large tank along with two Raphael catfish and an Oto whom they surprisingly do not bother. Recently I noticed a few small white spot (suspecting ich) on one of the BGK, and am wondering what is the best course of action for treatment. Firstly, should I isolate the infected fish or treat the tank as a whole since all fish have now been exposed?

Secondly, what it the highest temperature that BKNs will tolerate, as my usual treatment for ich is to up the temperature to 82-84 F and add 2Tbs of salt per 10g of aquarium water?
<MT BGK lives in a discus tank with a normal temperature of 86. Since these are soft water fish, I'd start with 1 tbsp salt/10g.>
This leads me to my third question, is it better to treat the BGK with this salt treatment or to use a product like RidIch at 1/2 strength?
<I wouldn't use meds on scaleless fish. Before starting treatment you should do at least a 50% water change and vacuuming of your tank. I also suggest doing 50% water changes every other day of treatment, (again vacuuming the substrate) to reduce the number of parasites in the water. I do not like to use medication with scaleless fish, except in cases of heavy infestation. Melafix is helpful to treat any damage done to the puffer’s skin from the parasite. If you run into any secondary bacterial problems, Pimafix may also be used. By the 2nd day of treatment, you can raise the salt to1 tablespoon per 5 gallons of aquarium water (remember you already have 1 tbsp/10g in there, so adjust for that), while gradually raising the temperature to 86 degrees F. Continue with this for a period of one month, adding back 1 tablespoon of salt for every 5 gallons of aquarium water that you remove during water changes. One thing to remember with high temperatures is that there is less dissolved oxygen available in warm water than there is in water at cooler temperatures, therefore it is recommended to run an additional airstone to oxygenate the water.>
I am a little attached to these fish and would like to see them make it through this. Thank you in advance for the advise.
<It sounds like you have caught the disease early & your fish should be fine. ~PP>
-Jillian Scharfstein

Ich elephant nose 10/23/07
I have had my elephant nose Approximately 8 months. He has been happy and healthy. He has developed tiny white spots on his pectoral fins and anal fin that look like ich. Is there any medicine I can treat him with that won't kill him?
Thank You
Karen
<Hello Karen. With Mormyridae, the things to avoid specifically are Formalin and Copper, both of which are widely used in anti-Ick medications. So you need to treat Mormyridae in the same basic way as, say, Clown Loaches (see here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/clnlchdis.htm ). Anyway, the basic trick is this: raise the temperature to 30 degrees C (around 86 F). Oxygen level goes down as temperature goes up, so you need to compensate for that. Add additional aeration if you can, but failing that, adjust the water level and/or filter so there is lots of splashing and circulation. Now make up a brine solution in a jug, with about 2-3 grammes of aquarium salt (not marine salt) per litre of water in the aquarium (in other words, a salinity of 2-3 PPT). There's almost exactly 6 grammes of salt per teaspoon, so estimating how much you need should not be too difficult. Stir the salt into the water thoroughly until dissolved, and then slowly add the brine a little at a time into the outflow of the filter so that it quickly disperses around the tank. After a few days the parasites on your fish will mature and die, but the mobile parasite larvae will not be able to re-infect your fish, and the disease will go away. This takes quite a few days, but it does work. Increasing the salt concentration to as much as 6 grammes per litre of water can be used to deal with stubborn infections, but the higher the salinity, the more gently you need to adjust your fish to it, and the higher the degree of osmotic stress placed on the fish. Conversely, once you're done treating the fish, do a series of relatively small water changes over the next few days to gradually bring the salinity down to zero. As ever, do establish why the Ick became a problem. It doesn't come from nowhere, and is either brought in by unquarantined fish or else provoked into action by stress or lapses in water quality. With Mormyridae, prevention is FAR better than cure. Good luck, Neale.>

Ich on my fish – 10/09/07
I have a 56 gal tank all properties are in range except now I have 2 fish with ich. My fish are comprised of a Dinosaur, brown knife, black ghost knife, Bala shark, Albino Rainbow shark, black rainbow shark, 2 snails, a bamboo shrimp, 2 iridescent sharks, a Gourami, 2 rubbermouth Pleco. The Bala and brown knife have ich. I have raised the temp to 83 and would like to use Epsom salt in the tank. what else should I do, I have seen the information on the site and have decided to go with the salt but wish to make sure I am doing things right.
<No idea what sort of fish a "Dinosaur" is. And your mix of fish is, as we say in England, "courageous" (i.e., unlikely to work out). But regardless, Epsom salt isn't the way forward in my opinion. You need marine salt mix (ideally) or at least some sort of non-iodised table salt. You gradually raise the salinity of the tank to 1 gramme of salt per litre of water. DO NOT add salt directly to the aquarium! Take some water out, add the salt, and then slowly dribble in back into the tank. You need to run the tank at 1 PPT salinity for around 7-10 days, and then gradually lower the salinity to zero. There's more here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwich.htm . Personally, I'd simply use an anti-ick/whitespot medication safe with the species of fish you are keeping. I find 'eSHa Exit' to be very effective and (in my experience) safe with sensitive species such as catfish and puffers. It's a Dutch medication widely sold in Europe. Follow the instructions to the letter, and make absolutely sure there's no carbon in the filter. The shrimp will, of course, need to be removed to another tank until the course of medication is finished and you have done at least two 50% water changes to rinse out the medication. Cheers, Neale>

Tetras with Ich – 09/17/07
Dear crew,
<<Hello, Evan. Tom with you.>>
I have a 10 gallon tank with 4 Glowlight tetras and 3 neon tetras (I had 5 Neons originally but 2 died soon after arriving home from the LFS). That raises a question; one of the dead Neons was completely colorless when I found it. Could the cause of death been NTD?
<<Could be, Evan, but not very likely. Your other Neon Tetras would have almost certainly contracted NTD by now and I can’t guarantee that the Glowlights wouldn’t have been affected, as well.>>
If so: how long before any of my other fish exhibit symptoms? It’s been over 2 weeks and I haven’t noticed the fish acting sick.
<<They’d have shown signs by now, Evan.>>
Sorry for the digression, back to my original question.
<<No problem.>>
My tank has 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrites and less than 20 ppm Nitrates, temp 84F, pH 7.8.
<<The pH levels are high for the Neons in particular, Evan. Not necessarily a problem but might account for some stress in these fish.>>
10 days ago I noticed the start of ich on a couple of the Glowlights and I started a treatment of Aquarium Pharmaceuticals’ Super Ick Cure (Benzaldehyde Green and Povidone/Colloid mixture). I have been treating at half dose but following Doug Thamm’s recommendations found here:
http://fins.actwin.com/articles/disease/ick2.php. I have the temperature at 84F and have performed 2 full administrations (5 mL initial dose followed by 5mL more 48 hours later, followed by WC after another 48 hours, and repeat) and I am in the middle of the 3rd administration (10th day). I have done 50% WC in between each. The treatment appeared to be working as the Glowlights had lost all of their white spots.
<<Glad to hear this. Nice description of your regimen, by the way.>>
Yesterday evening I noticed one of my Neons with ich spots on its tailfin and body. Is it normal for the ich to re-emerge during treatment?
<<Not necessarily “normal” but certainly possible. Difficult to determine the resistance the parasites may have to the medication particularly at partial dosages.>>
Should I increase the dosage strength to 100% doses?
<<I wouldn’t do this unless the problem looks like it’s getting the better of you and the fish. As I alluded to earlier, your Neons prefer water that’s soft/acidic. Their preferred pH levels top out at about 7.0 which means your water is much higher in pH than they really like. This alone can contribute to diminished resistance to infestations such as Ich. Since medications also lead to stress, the least effective dosage that you can treat at will be far better in the long run.>>
Should I just continue my treatment until no spots are left?
<<Yes.>>
Should I change medication to something like Quick Cure with Malachite Green/Formaldehyde?
<<Not unless the API medication just doesn’t do the job for you. The Malachite Green is highly effective but isn’t without problems of its own. Highly toxic and has been described as a potential carcinogen. Not a treatment protocol to take lightly.>>
Besides the ich, the fish seem healthy, they are active and eat well.
<<Very good signs, Evan.>>
Thank you for your help.
-Evan
<<Happy to be of assistance to you. Good luck to you. Tom>>

FW Ich 9/12/07
I had 2 moonlight Gouramis in a 29 gallon tanks with 3 Dalmatian mollies. The Gouramis started getting tiny white spots on their fins. One developed the white spots on its body. I thought this might be ick so I moved them to a 10 gallon tank to treat with medication. The one with the spots on the body kind of jerks in the corner, the other swims fine but still has spots on the fins. How long should I treat them? Will they be okay in the 10 gallon without gravel and decorations (I have no money to buy extra things right now)?
<Hail. Yep, the white spots are whitespot/ick. It needs to be treated at once. Left alone, it becomes serious and can kill fish quite quickly. You actually treat the tank -- not the fish -- so moving fish with whitespot doesn't serve any purpose except to infect yet another tank. So, you need to treat both the 29 gallon tank and the 10 gallon tank. The medication doesn't kill the white spots you see on the fish, but the free-swimming larval stages in the water. Treat precisely and exactly as described on the bottle/package. Raising the temperature a couple of degrees often helps, too. Do not do water changes while treating the tanks (obviously this will dilute the medication). Remove carbon from the filter (carbon neutralises most medications). Cheers, Neale>

Re: FW ich 9/12/07
Thank you so much for the prompt response. I will definitely be coming to you guys for advice in the future. I have treated the 29 gallon tank and I put the moonlight Gouramis back in it so they will have a less stressful habitat. I used the Wardley, malachite green, ick treatment. I have read on other treatments that they prevent second infections, but the Wardley treatment does not say that. I also read that ick in the water can only be treated at a certain stage and that stage is a few days after the white spots fall off my fish. Will I need to treat the water again after the white spots fall off my Gouramis?
<No, the medication is usually a one time thing. Treat according to the instructions. When the parasites fall off the host, they're dead. They don't re-infect the fish. It's the (invisible to the naked eye) free swimming baby parasites they've been pumping out prior to their death that infects other fish. Sometimes, one series of medication isn't enough. There's something called "Super Whitespot" doing the rounds in the UK. No-one knows if it truly is whitespot or something else entirely. Either way, you need to do a big water change after one course of medication, and then begin a second course. That usually does the trick. This varies depending on the medication used, and some brands kill it off first time. Whitespot isn't difficult to treat, and there's no reason to get paranoid about all your fish dying. Cheers, Neale>

Salt treatment for Ich, FW... 9/2/07
Dear crew,
I have a 10 gallon FW tank with hang on bio-filter and heater. This is really my son's tank that he received as a birthday gift a month ago but as he is 2 I have been designated the caretaker. This is my first foray into fish keeping and I have been reading as much as possible to learn how best to care for the fish.
We have the following fish:
2 Neon Tetras
2 White Skirt Tetras
2 Female Platys
2 recently departed male Swordtails (died within 2 days of each other)
The Tetras have been in the tank for 1 month, I am still in the process of cycling the tank. On Tuesday my in-laws surprised (sabotaged) us with 6 new fish. I believe the 2 swordtails died due to stress/high nitrites.
(Ammonia=0, nitrite=1.0, nitrates=20 before today's water change) I have been doing water changes about twice a week to keep the Ammonia/Nitrites in check during the cycling process. Now to my problem:
It appears that I have an ich outbreak in the tank. I want to treat the Ich with high temperature and salt. I have read differing opinions on salting with tetras so I wasn't sure if a medication would be a better solution.
Also, I have been using Aqueon Water Conditioner to remove Chlorine/Chloramines from my tap water; will this nullify the effectiveness of the salt? I have read that it is necessary to remove the carbon from the filter while medicating, but is it necessary with the salt treatment? One last question, I have only fake plants/decorations in my tank, should I remove these while treating the fish?
Thank you for all of your help.
-Rusty
<Rusty, I would not recommend treating the tank with salt to kill whitespot. While it can work, it doesn't always work, and you are correct in suspecting tetras react badly to it. Neons come from mineral-poor waters and do not like salt in the water. To a lesser extent this also holds true for the white-skirt tetras (Gymnocorymbus ternetzi, notorious fin-nippers and all round nasty fish). Anyway, use a proper anti-whitespot medication of your choice for more reliable, easier to manage treatment. Naturally, you MUST remove carbon before treating the tank with medication. In fact carbon is a complete and utter waste of time in a tank like yours, where you should be doing 50% water changes weekly just to maintain stable water conditions. Given that, the ability of carbon to remove dissolved organic waste is redundant. Far better to give over the space in the filter to more biological media. Carbon is basically a con, used to get money out of inexperienced fishkeepers. It doesn't serve much purpose in the modern hobby, though decades ago it was useful because people kept fish in a different (and inferior) way. You also have the problem of a very small aquarium (totally unsuitable for swordtails and white-skirt tetras, and only marginally acceptable for platies). I'd HIGHLY recommend re-thinking your stocking with a view to getting fish likely to work well in a 10 gallon tank. For some reason you aren't keeping your schooling fish in groups. Two is unacceptable, and they will never settle down and likely die. Neons are fine fish for a 10 gallon tank, but they should be groups of 6 or more. If you wanted, I'd suggest replacing the white-skirt tetras with 6 Glowlight tetras, and together with 4 more Neons, you'd have a nice little group of fish there with eye-catching colours. If you got rid of the platies you could also add a couple or three kuhlii loaches. These are fun bottom dwellers and very pretty little fish to boot. I hope this helps, Neale>

Second bout of Ich in two years 9/2/07
Hello- We're in recovery from our second bout of Ich in the past two years. The first case was sheer ignorance, and I (and the fish, of course) owe WWM's crew a debt of thanks. Your site has the best comprehensive info on so many things we needed to know. For this recent outbreak, after exhaustively searching your site, I have only one unanswered question: Can Ich be introduced to a tank from frozen brine shrimp? Our 25 gal tank has been stable for over 18 months and then just three weeks ago the dreaded Ich appeared again. It wiped out all four of our black tetras before we could catch it, but by using your recommended salt & higher temp treatment the 2 yo-yo loaches, Pleco, 2 angel fish and 2 Danios are now symptom free. I plan on keeping the salt and temps up to complete a three week treatment, but really do not want to re-introduce the brine shrimp until I know what could have caused the recent outbreak. To my knowledge, nothing else went in the tank. FYI, the tank is a typical freshwater tropical tank, with mostly artificial plants but a few live ones. Any ideas where the recent Ich may have come from? Thank you very much, Roseann & Barry.
<Greetings. It is extremely unlikely whitespot came in with frozen or live brine shrimp. Artemia spp. live in hypersaline or temporary lagoons where nothing much other than algae lives. Certainly, there are no fishes there, which is how such primitive crustaceans as Artemia can even survive there (Artemia are not found in regular freshwater habitats or the sea). Anyway, this means that they aren't exposed to fish parasites of any kind, and why they are considered the "perfect" live food in terms of safety. Some aquarists believe whitespot lies dormant in all aquaria, and becomes a problem only where conditions allow (i.e., the fish are stressed in some way). While there's no evidence to support this that I'm aware of, it's certainly possi