# Sick Fish?



## justin68106 (Jan 18, 2011)

Okay, so I got home from class this morning and turned on the light to feed my fish and one of them (female Red Wag Swordtail) has bubbles all over her scales. I tried to get a picture, but it didn't turn out great. I don't know if this was just because she was hanging out underneath the bubble wall tube for awhile or if something is wrong with her.

I've had the Swordtails for about a month and just put in a Rainbow Shark and 3 Golden Barbs almost 2 weeks ago, the rest of the fish don't appear to have anything wrong with them.










Any help would be greatly appreciated!


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## justin68106 (Jan 18, 2011)

I took the fish out and got a closer look, it looks like white dots all over it, think it might be ich ;/


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## automatic-hydromatic (Oct 18, 2010)

"bubbles all over her scales" could definitely be ich

but if what you're really describing are the scales "bubbling out", that sounds like dropsy


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## justin68106 (Jan 18, 2011)

Well, I don't think it looks like the scales are bubbling out, I've got a bowl I'm going to put it in for now, to keep the other fish from getting sick, since I don't have a quarantine tank, and I'll get a picture when it's in there.

What would you recommend if it is ich? I've heard using the medications at the store are good and I've heard they're bad for the fish.

Still not great, but you can see the spots better, bowl is angled on the sides so I can't get a good side shot.


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## PolymerTim (Sep 22, 2009)

I don't have personal experience with ich, but many others on the boards here do, so hopefully they can give you more specific advice. There are options involving salt treatments and elevated temperatures.

Be careful about keeping your fish in the bowl. If you have no filtration or heating, that can be tough on a healthy fish, much less a sick one. At the very least, I would recommend changing out the water frequently (at least once daily) to keep the ammonia and nitrites from building up.


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## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

I used "jungle ick clear" on my fish when they had it and it was gone the next day.. if you use too much, it will hurt the fish. But if you use just enough to clear it, they will be ok


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## justin68106 (Jan 18, 2011)

Well, I got home and the fish I took from the tank didn't make it.  I'm still going to try the "jungle ick clear" tomorrow (have to pick it up after class) just to make sure it's all cleared up in the tank.


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## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

Sorry to hear that.. good luck with your other fish!


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

That is ich for sure. I think it was mentioned, but get the meds and treat the whole tank. You don't have to get meds if your heater can push your temp up to around 90. Just do it slowly taking about 5-6 hours to get there and hold it there for about 10 days or if some of your other fish start showing symptons then 3 days beyond the last sign. The fish you have in there will be fine with a high temp for a short period.

Ich has a cycle that goes for about 4 days. Meds cannot kill the ich protozoa while it is attached to the fish. That can only occur once it detachs and happens around the 4 day point. You should read up on ich and how to combat it.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

How long has the tank had fish in it? Was it cycled before? Have you tested for ammonia and nitrites? Your tank could be cycling still which would be the root of your problem.


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## justin68106 (Jan 18, 2011)

The tank has had fish for about a month and was cycled before I added them.


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