# New Tank, Ich, Treatments?



## LizD (Sep 1, 2012)

Having some issues with a new tank and hoping you all can help!

A little background: 
I have a 55 gallon tank that was cycled for over a month before fish were added. Start Zyme and Start Rite as well as a dechlorinater were added. Filter is a Marineland BioWheel 350. Marineland PowerHead is turned on a few hours a day, fish seem to enjoy the current. No live plants. Submersible heater. Light is 12hrs on, 12 hours off, natural light filtered in during the day.

9 fish were originally purchased from Petsmart 2 weeks ago today and put in the tank. 3 sunburst platies, 2 dalmatian mollies, 2 plecos, 2 dwarf gouramis. Fish are being fed Tropical Fish flakes, algae pellets and bottom feeder pellets from API. Water parameters have been tested every other day since the addition of fish and have consistently remained the same. 

Ammonia- 0
Nitrite/Nitrate- 0
Hardiness- 75
Chlorine- 0
Alkalinity- 80 moderate
PH- 6.8-7.2

On day 4, I had one platie and my dalmatian molly die. No signs of illness, both very active. Brought them both in to the store, received an exchange for another platie and another dwarf gourami. Water parameters tested = OK.

Day 2 of new additions and the new dwarf gourami starts acting weird, sitting at bottom of tank. Day 4: Dead. One pleco is discovered underneath tree branch, covered in fuzzy substance. Brought back to Petsmart, refund received, no new fish added.

3 days later, one of my original gouramis starts getting white cottony substance around mouth. Next day, he's staying at top of tank, flittering across top of water sucking up air. He is still alive. Go to Petsmart, bring the fish, they tell me its Velvet and to treat the tank for that. I do my own research amongst forums and figure out its cottonmouth. Went back to Petsmart, they tell me to treat it as a fungus, even though I've gotten contradicting information to treat it is a bacteria. To stay safe, I buy Pimafix and Melafix and begin treating the tank for both. Carbon filter taken out, 25% water change done, and this will be day 6 of treatment. 

The dalmatian molly for the past 2 days has been acting a touch weird, swimming as if his tail is paralyzed, it hangs down at a weird angle and isn't as active as he usually is. 
Last night I notice my Pleco, dalmatian molly and one platy have small white spots on them . Ich! I've read multiple treatment ideas, I have upped my temperature from an average 77 to 80 degrees, and marine salt had previously been introduced into the tank and I have added more. Water parameters tested, still the same as before, all perfect numbers. 

WHAT TO DO?! 

Should I stop treating with Pimafix/Melafix since none of my fish are displaying any symptoms (there are technically 2 days left in the recommended treatment). Should I begin medicating for Ich? If this is the case, should I do a water change before I treat and then do daily changes? The pet store has Rid-Ich but are there any other recommended medications/actions to take? I'm down to 6 fish in the tank (3 platies, 1 pleco, 1 dwarf gourami, 1 molly) and would love not to lose any more. Please help! 

This is my first go at a tank and I am trying to do this right!

Side note: I am told from a Petsmart employee that the week I purchased my fish, the filtration system in the store went down and they had a bunch of fish die as well. As of 5 days ago, the part was still not fixed. I purchased fish 3 times in that time period before I knew the situation they were having. No new fish have been added.


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

I'll probably get sued for saying this, but when you look at the active ingredients in the meds you have used, and then look at the concentrations needed for them to work, you might be better off trying magic on the tank. To me, a tank treated with either of those two meds has not been medicated.
So yes, discontinue using them. Get an ich specific med, like rid-ich.
It's not velvet, so the store has missed there. Fungus is usually a symptom of a water quality problem. Your water tests seem too good to me - but I am not a water tester, so I'll leave that to those who are.
Have you been doing regular, weekly large volume water changes as you have been going along? That could be an issue. A dead pleco that had had time to fungus (it happens easily with plecos) may have been the source of the fungus. It's possible you bought sick fish and are now seeing it all blossom out, as conditions were messed up by the dead catfish.
The molly is shimmying - again, a water quality symptom. They will do it when chilled, or if the water is too soft. If you've added salt, then the latter's been dealt with.
I don't know - it sounds like the problems found in an uncycled, new tank. I would do a 50% water change, then come in with rid-ich and warm water. At the end of the med period, hit with another 50% and then lock into 25-30% every week, without fail. I'm not sure your filter is cycled.


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## LizD (Sep 1, 2012)

I went out and purchased a new testing kit this morning, as yes, my water does seem too perfect for a newly inhabited tank! The new test showed near perfect parameters with the exception of the Nitrites, which are up to 1.0. 

I did my first 30% water change on Monday (5 days ago) right before I began treating with the Pima/Melafix. I will do a major 50% change this evening before I do the Rid-Ich. How warm would you recommend the water to be? Right now I've increased it to 81 degrees. 

Also, would leaving the power head on non-stop be beneficial to the tank or should I increase an aerating source as well? Thanks!


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

You don't need to use salt in the tank, especially with plecos. They don't tolerate salt to well. 

Showing 1.0 nitrites shows there is a big problem going on in the tank. Can you give us actual numbers for ammonia and nitrates also? It really doesn't sound like the tank is cycled, and unless you fed it an ammonia source during the first month and a half it didn't start cycling till you put the fish in. Also if you werent doing water changes weekly or by weekly your seeing the effects of that cycle.


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## NeonShark666 (Dec 13, 2010)

For your tank to cycle you need fish in it. You have just started cycling when you added fish. Put some plants in your tank and start strong filtering. Add some Female Bettas (2) and White Mountain Clouds (3) as cycling fishes. After two weeks add a Mystery Snail. Wait a month before adding more fishes. Feed lightly.


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## Tralyn (Dec 2, 2011)

I disagree with the previous post. DO NOT add bettas as a cycling fish. The white cloud minnows are okay, but some bettas don't do well in a communtity. And only 2 females is asking for trouble. You would need at least 7+ for that to work. Snails might not be a good idea either. Some can reproduce and then you have a serious infestation. I recommend platys as a cycling fish. Their hardy, colorful, and have great personalities like bettas  I have past dealt with and am currently dealing with ick. Just because you can't see it on some fish, doesn't mean it isn't there. It's like the chicken pox, you could have it a few weeks before it starts showing its spots. But unlike the chicken pox, once you have ick, it's extremely difficult to get rid of, and usually doesn't end well. At least in my experiences. When you are ready for new fish, ask the sales person about bad filtration, diseases, and deaths in their tanks in the past few weeks to a month. Also ask when the last shipment came in. If they don't know, see if they can find someone who does!


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## clep.berry (Mar 4, 2012)

Here's what I would do considering the maintenance issues that you've been having and the lack of support that you've been given.
1. go to the store with the slips and take the fish back. They knowingly sold you stressed fish.
2. Having agreed, take the fish back. (Your tank has not cycled so you either have to have lots of WC and treat for all the diseases which you shouldn't have to as a newcomer to the hobby or remove the problems for an easier start)
3. Read up on fishless cycle.
4. Perform above cycle - whoever told you your tank was cycled or perfect for fish is an ejit. Unless your tank can convert ammonia into nitrates efficiently, your tank isn't cycled.
5. during cycling, also treat your tank for Ich by raising the temperature to 32C for 5 or more days. THis may interfere with the cycle (shouldn't) and you will need to disturb the gravel a lot to make sure there aren't any cold spots where the Ich could be chilling...
6. Get better ideas for stocking that tank - 55g can be a LOT of fun with a LOT of different fish in it... And... don't buy from dodgy tanks
cb


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