# Ich infection..?



## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

Good Evening!!

I have a tank 68 L [60x30x35h].
with the following inhabitans:
2 Hoplo
3 Corydoras Albino..2..one died [he had a red spot inside under his inferior flipper..the redness appeared also inside his tail..might have been a nitrate problem..I put solution for stabilizing nitrate amonia ph and water durity and made a 50% water change]
4 Neoni
4 Zebra
2 Apple Snail
2 Neritina Zebra Snails
2 Filligera
2 Platy
4 Guppy

Initially I had a 30L tank but I have overpopulated it and hence i bought a new and bigger one.

This tank I posess since the 18th January.
I have put the fish inside from the old tank with almost all their water,a new 1000L/h filter [i have dampened his strength with a sponge].I have also put in side the 200L/h old filter.
I also have 3 Plants : Anubias congensis, Alternathera reineckii, and another plant..I forgot the name..irrelevant it almsot died due to moving it alot..also i got a furball..moss like.
heater has 75W.Neonul has 15W [8h/day functioning] Water temp is 26 C.I used Ferropol from JBL,Easy Life Easy Start, Declorificator JBL and from tetra Easy Balance.
I am feeding them twice a day with TetraMin food.[flakes not granules]

After I bought the new tank I visited a big pet store from where I have bought two fishes.[platty female and a guppy green cobra male ]
On the 21th January I returned to the store to buy another plant when I saw taht several tanks had a label under them "TREATMENT"..inside the fishes were looking stricken..full of ich spots..
There were other tanks also without the label but I could recognize the severe ich on the fishes..So I did not buy anything anymore..but looking carefully I noticed that the platy fish I bought from on the 18th was from the same tank with TREATMENT...

All the fishes are active and eating like crazy ..the cory died yesterday [24th] might have been because the tank might have not cycled..but what scares me now is that the platy female is hiding behind the castle and stays there floating mid air...[not on the ground ,above..she doesn t move..I mean she surely puts some effort in standing still in the water.It seems to me that she has like a fine white veil above her back half on both sides..seems like she has some small white spot..not sure if I confuse or not..but she also didin t eat properly today.

How to treat?What to do ?
The guys from anotehr pet shop gave me Malachite Green, a 30ml bottle with a beta fish on it...they told me to dosage it as said in the tank..1ml per 10 ml water..as I ve read on the internet it is kinda lethal to snails..
Please help me get rid of the bacteria with less casualties...
[I am a beginner,the 30L tank I had since 26th december,so almost 1 month]

thank you in advance


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## freshwater77 (May 24, 2011)

I've had several ich infestations over the years I've kept freshwater tanks. Malachite green will work, it will kill snails, and it will probably turn your silicone seals slightly green. The key is to be consistent and use for the entire dosage requirement. Ich works in a life cycle; the key is to kill the newly hatched ich (that will happen again after you see the white spots start to manifest). What you can also do is raise the water temperature a few degrees and, depending on your fish's salinity tolerances, increase salinity SLIGHTLY. Honestly, treating ich is a very time consuming, very tedious process. One proven way to treat ich/ick is a way I've used, but I did NOT have corys at the time. You could put them into a quarantine tank and treat them separately from the main tank, but don't add them back in until after about 2-3 weeks of continuous treatment. No point in rushing just to reinfest the tank. Best of luck and let us know how it goes!!


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## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

What if I take the snails out,put them in a separate tank..
and put the malachite in half dosage in the full tank ..half dosage beacuse cory?

after how much time can I put the snails back? so taht if they carry ich it dies?
i will put the snails alone with no water in another tank,no water from the old tank

also,do I need to remove the sponge inside the filter?


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## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

Can I mvoe the snails in another tank ? after how much time can I put them back so that they 1) don t die 2) don t bring back the Ichfection?
Will my plants survive the malachite green?
Could I maybe put half the dosage because the corys?
Do i need to remove the sponge inside the filter?


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## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

how about the salt method? does my fish tolerate salt ?do the snails tolerate salt?plants? how much ? for how many days?

also malachite green for how many days?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

sunkeeper said:


> Can I mvoe the snails in another tank ? after how much time can I put them back so that they 1) don t die 2) don t bring back the Ichfection?
> Will my plants survive the malachite green?
> Could I maybe put half the dosage because the corys?
> Do i need to remove the sponge inside the filter?


Move snails to another tank(NO FISH).They stay there 3-4 weeks.They will be ich free.
Don't worry about your plants if you care about your fish.
Start at 1/2 dose and change water daily.Add new med (your MG) for amount removed/replaced.I like 25% during treatments, most meds recommend 50% water change before starting.
If on day 3 all fish seem fine bring mg up to full dose when changing water.
Treat for 7-10 days(at least 3-4) after last visable spots(AT LEAST).
Leave sponge in filter.If meds mess with filter the water changes will be your safety net.
Know your enemy!
Ich | The Skeptical Aquarist
Read the link!
You said you were new almost pleading for a nice response(I felt soft).
You're still overstocked IMO unless you start changing water like a pro!


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## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

First of all a great thank you !
I am commencing now operation : save fish..

By overstocked you mean ,I have too much fish?

I moved the snials to a separate tank..has a temp of 24..and a heater.i ve put some fish food should be enough right?or do I need to feed the snails smth else?

i ve put half dosage in my tank, 3 ml .removed decorations and snails. raised temp to 28 Celsius.turned neon off.now we wait...

tomorrow I should change 25 % of water then add dosage equal to removed water?
anything else I should do ?

again a million thank you Sir!


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## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

Update : The female platty died..
the rest of the fish are ok.so are the snails


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## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

http://61943.static.securearea.eu/Files/2/61000/61943/ProductPhotos/Medium/153388495.jpg 

should I use this isntead of MG?? a friend gave it to me


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

What is the active ingredient in med?
MG and formalin are the most recommended for ich.


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## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

It does not say..wow

My friend use it in a bowl of 7 L containing a betta and it cleared from spots in 2 days...
guess i ll use it and still keep the snails isolated..


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Takes more then 2 days to kill ich.
Make sure you read the link so it(the ich) doesn't fool you.
When it is off fish it is in the substrate of tank and multiplying!


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## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

ah yes ! I ve read..
He ment that the ich dissapeared from the betta fish


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## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

How should I take care of the snails? they are in a tank with sand a heater and water..i ve put some fish food..how do I feed them ?They look so desolated..like they are crossing the red sea while moses keeps the water up..


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Just let them be.
Make sure not to overfeed them.
Ich can survive on fish only so it will not live on the snails ,BUT they need to kept away from fish long enough to be SURE the ich is dead.
2-3 weeks IMO.


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## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

the corys are still ok but they seem to redden under their heads and gils..maybe they do not like the MG? ive put like half dosage..changed water also


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## Dreamweaver (Jan 26, 2015)

When I treated ich I used Kordons rid ich plus. I cranked my temp to 86 degrees and increased the flow on my bubbler (due to increased temps creates a low O2 levels). I dosed at half dosage because I had loach at the time and medicated every 24 hours. Then between each treatment I performed PWC. Also lights out, I only turned them on to feed. Repeat 3-4 days after last signs seen.


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## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

what about the corydoras albino ?


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## Dreamweaver (Jan 26, 2015)

The corydora should be treated in the same fashion


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## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

Okay so I got Anti spot from Easy LIFE (R)

It says Turmn off lamp and oxydator.Remove active carbon synthetic resin and any other absorbent materials present from the filter.Ventilate well during treatment.

60 drops per 00 liters every 2 to 3 days until symnptoms have dissapeared.

what is an oxydator? in my langauge it is reffered as air filter..does it reffer to my air pump ?should i keep it off for days?and for how many days should I treat? i can t see any symptoms but i m sure ich is still there after 2 days of MG.
AfTER THE COURSE OF TREATMENT REFRESH WATER.

does it reffer to changing water after dosing the thing in like 1h or so ,or after 1 days or after whole treatment is over?


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## Farm (Nov 17, 2014)

I cannot comment on that medication as I have never used it. I recommend the increased temperature and AQ salt method only as that is just my opinion, however, their are many good products I am sure on the market. I would contact the 800 number most likely provided on the paperwork inside your medicine packet. One other thing. Corydora are a scaless fish, as are Pleco (they are armored not scaled), and a general rule is to reduce your treatment by half when they are in the tank. Oxygenation is very important while treatment is being done. Contact the med manufacturer for fish safety. Just my opinion.


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## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

so far everything ok.the corys "seem"sometimes a bit deranged but they are ok so are the rest of the fish.i ve dosed the solution only once..today being the second time. weirdly after dosing the solution the algae grew so big in a few days that it iso long it can wave...might be the solution?


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## Farm (Nov 17, 2014)

Honestly, I hate chemicals! I just do and that is one of the reasons. Whatever is in your packet most likely is feeding the algae. It always needs its nutrients right? Hope those cory are doing well? All the fish I just happen to have a soft spot for the cory! Good luck.


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## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

so far everyone s good...i treated them twice ,today being the third time and i am thinking of treating another and last time in 2 days from today.
what do you think ? The medicine say streat until spots dissapear ..but i can t see any spots after the first treatment [i treated first time on wednesday 28 january then on saturday and today [tuesday] is the next treatment.the snails are still in quarantine in another tank..i ll keep them there three weeks alone until re-introducing them


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## Farm (Nov 17, 2014)

I would complete the course as you are thinking. Have you been vacuuming the pustules from the gravel base at all? Did they instruct that with the meds? It is very difficult to assist as we have so many different types of meds available these days! If it seems to be working as directed stay the course. I would definitely keep my eyes peeled for several weeks on that tank though. I am learning as you go here because this treatment has just seemed (knock on wood and glass) very non difficult! Do they direct a thorough tank cleaning, filter maintenance??? When dosing completed? Happy all your fish looking good. Snails cannot contract the ich but they are so very sensitive to all the meds I do agree with the three week quarantine for their safety. Once you have seen no sign of returning ich after the two to three week window you can consider your tank healthy again.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Treat for 5-7 days after last spot is seen(look very hard).


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## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

First I ve put the dosage for the full tank.the 3rd day after I ve changed 20 L of water,and put the dosage of the changed water.I vacuumed with the triangular vacuum cleaner the gravel and stirred it also.the 3rd day after same treatment (today).It says treat until spots dissapear..I removed the filter sponge before treating [i ve treated before the Easy Life White spot treatment two times with malachite Green.
I am planning to redo the 20l swap + vacuum another time in 3 days.should I do more times ?

After the first treatment with white spot i haven t seen any white spots...the platy female that died had some small spots and more like a veil of white material,like the thing on the bride s head.. on her lower half on both sides..the platy died before i started white spot treatment...so i think I just dosed once the malachite green but she was already looking bad..


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## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

One neon tetra really freaks me out. Since like 2 or 3 weeks he seems to have some white places on his lower half and upper flipper ..they look like some discolorations in the red of his body..or they seem to look like a pimple of white.
I guess it s how it looks like? it sb ehvaior is normal and i guess if it was ich it ate him in 3 weeks?


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## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

I was having a Female Guppy which never gave birth in my aquarium. She started to get fatter and fatter at her stomach..the scales seemed like they have risen and stood diagonally.. and she swam only vertically..I presumed she had a lot of frys[sicne they vary from 3 to 34]..she was eating normally but stood like this all day..around 14 i went out and i returned at 18 and she was dead..stuck inside an ornamental castle in one of the towers [no idea how,she should have fallen]I looked carefully ,nothing moved inside..the frys might have been dead..i tried pressing with a cotton ear bud and her whole stomach seemed like a pudding. she had a yellow coloration somewhere on her stomach and a bit on her anus.No signs of any white spots.

Any Idea concerning the cause of death ?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

look into dropsy.
It is more an indication then a disease,but usually indicates some bacterial issue I believe.Usaully too late for recovery if you see the "pineconing"as that indicates kindney damage already.


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## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

well no signs of dropsy in any other fish..
but the male platy has a red larger spot under his upper swimmer...no idea how and why seems like some kind of bleeding...I ve got no idea what happens to my fish they just die all of different causes...
I changed yesterday almost half of the water ,26 L
i ve put the last time white spot solution..probably i ll put 1 more time salt.
the fish was reddish before i swapped and put another med..he acts fine and eats normally ..seems to me since yesterday the bleeding dissipated a bit.help?...

and 10000 thank you to you guys for helping me so much and everytime i ask..:fish-in-bowl:


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## Farm (Nov 17, 2014)

You are having many problems in that tank. Are your treatments for the ich over with? You still need to continue vacuuming that gravel and doing the maintenance as you have been instructed. The red blotches on those fish and the one that died of the dropsy are indicating that you now have a bacterial infection going in that tank as well. I am thinking you have introduced quite a mess into your tanks... not an enjoyable way to begin this hobby. My suggestion would be Seachem Kanaplex that you can purchase online from Pet Supplies | Dog & Cat Supplies, Pet Meds | DrsFosterSmith.com Pet Products (that is the only place I know of but you may find it elsewhere of course) The medication itself is quite inexpensive and has a decent shelf life. It is nice to use this one as it is easily absorbed by the fish to treat internal infections so if they are not eating it is not a big deal. It is safe for the good bacteria in your filter just remove the carbon while it is working and then at the end of the treatment put the carbon back in and it is removed through the carbon. Simple directions to follow as well. Pretty easy on the fish. Treats fungus and bacteria and you will have some left over after this treatment so it may be useful for any future problems. This is just my opinion. Good luck. I would do water changes from the ich meds as you are awaiting the arrival of this med if you choose to do this.


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## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

Farm said:


> You are having many problems in that tank. Are your treatments for the ich over with? You still need to continue vacuuming that gravel and doing the maintenance as you have been instructed. The red blotches on those fish and the one that died of the dropsy are indicating that you now have a bacterial infection going in that tank as well. I am thinking you have introduced quite a mess into your tanks... not an enjoyable way to begin this hobby. My suggestion would be Seachem Kanaplex that you can purchase online from Pet Supplies | Dog & Cat Supplies, Pet Meds | DrsFosterSmith.com Pet Products (that is the only place I know of but you may find it elsewhere of course) The medication itself is quite inexpensive and has a decent shelf life. It is nice to use this one as it is easily absorbed by the fish to treat internal infections so if they are not eating it is not a big deal. It is safe for the good bacteria in your filter just remove the carbon while it is working and then at the end of the treatment put the carbon back in and it is removed through the carbon. Simple directions to follow as well. Pretty easy on the fish. Treats fungus and bacteria and you will have some left over after this treatment so it may be useful for any future problems. This is just my opinion. Good luck. I would do water changes from the ich meds as you are awaiting the arrival of this med if you choose to do this.


i ll look for seachemn kanaplex ..can u tell me what it is exactly cause I may find another similar product[[here we have JBL and Tetra and Easy Balance]
ich medication ended..i ve started the uv lamp now ..my plants leaves started to be transparent cause of the turned off lamp period...i will put the sponge back.. i got no carbon filter..but i found a way to introduce one..since the filter is big i will cut a piece of the sponge horizontally to make place for the carbon thing. in order to put the sponge back i need to clean it really good right ?it was pulled out when the medication started when the ich was certain..how often can I put salt ? i vacuumed all the gravel like crazyy during this period..


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## Farm (Nov 17, 2014)

How long did you treat the ich for? In total? How much salt do you suppose you have added to the tank? It is a little rough on plants as well. Move slowly here. You will be treating for thank for a bacterial infection but do not ignore the ich it is very insidious and can remain hidden in your substrate so lets make sure you have it taken care of. Your fish died of dropsy. You are treating for dropsy etc. basically. Not all antibiotics are equal or the same. I would stick with the Kanamyacin base of meds if possible. These are just my opinions.


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## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

I dosed 2 and a half spoons of salt first time then after 2 days and a water change another spoon of salt...i ve dosed ich med 4 times at intervals of 2 2 and 3 days...first time full dose then just for the water changed [so like 1/3 dose] and last time full dose agaimn. before the ich i dosed twice half dose of Malachite Green...i will get tomorrow the inter bacteria treatment and should i dose some salt maybe? all my fish are ok..the bleeding platy is ok and his bleed seem to be almost gone. only one fish worries me,it s a neon tetra fish who first i thought he had ich [but he would have died in 3 weeks... he seems to have some spots close to the beige color[ very light maroon] that extend ,looking like some sort of internal or external discoloration...he is acting and eating normally but ...no idea..


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## Farm (Nov 17, 2014)

Personally I would clear one med from the tank before starting another. Before beginning the new med make sure you have done a thorough vacuuming and perform at least 3 pwc's at 50%. This is not a 100% water replacement but it should have diluted the salt and ich meds enough to begin the new treatment. I feel very bad that your intro to fish comes at this price and hope that you do realize that this is not the norm. It happens on occasion and just look upon this as an education that you are getting. During the time that you are treating for the bacterial you will need to seriously watch for any return of the ich. Keep a close eye on your water parameters as well. I would not continue the use of the salt at this time once you have performed the pwc's. Salt is a powerful medication in its own right. You are doing great.


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## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

I always do proper vacuuming at water change.There is an Algae outburst currently probably from the ich med and I am cleaning the glass..also there are lot of rennecki plant swimming around..because the lack of lamp during treatment the leaves went transparent and fell off from half of the plants..anubias congensis is still ok...i will do a severe cleaning then see what s up


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## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

I ve changed half of the tank with continuus vacuuming,cleaned all the algae before ...I don t know whether it was the Ich solution or any other factor but the algae during the Ich treatment grew like crazy .After swiping them from all the tank i changed the water and absorbed with the gravel cleaner all muck and algae.There was so much algae that the filter was mainly stuck..it was really dense..took me a while to clean.
I am going now to the pet store to buy the Seachem Kanaplex or any other similar thing for bacterial infections. 
The bleeding platy seems really normal ...he does not seem to bleed anymore.
The female Guppy has a weird behavior ..she hides in the castle and stays there for most of the time..as soon as she gets out the two males are chasing her [since the other female died she is the only one..I ll buy another female Guppy I think so the chasing gets a little slower..but I won t buy any other fish until the tank is fine.Her tail seems to darken I think...I ve gone crazy since the Ich thing I watch the fishes and see everything that exists on them..and everything that doesn't...

I want to buy a small Pleco and a female Platy for the lone Platty Male..
Also is it ok if I buy small shrimps in my current setting? Won t anything eat them ?
3 Guppy ,1 Platty 2 Hoplo 2 Cory White,4 Neon ,4 Zebra ,2 Filigera.


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## sunkeeper (Jan 22, 2015)

So far so good I went to a local pet shop and did not find Seachem Kanaplex...all I found was some wide range med which I did not buy yet..I will show you what ist is before.
I ve bought 2 female Guppies so the chase finally stops..and it stopped.Also bought a female Platty for the Male and two cory panda.The store is safe so no worries all the fish I ve bought from them is fine and it s been two months [they are a small pet shop not a big one]
I also bought a moss like plant.

So far so good all fishes are ok acting normally..eating..running around.The plants seemto have recovered.
The only worry is a neon fish which has a though discoloration[multiple spots over the last month] He also seems to have a white point on him since two weeks I think. It hasn t grown larger or spread and it did not dissapear during all treatments..The fish is anyway ,behaviour like fine.
I hope he does not have Ich or so..otherwise I ll pull him out and treat him separate maybe...


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