# Can't tell if i have ich or not.



## jbrianchamberlin (Aug 31, 2009)

Maybe I jumped the gun on treating my tank. I just know I've been trying hard to get the tannins out of my tank and just when it started looking clear, I had to begin treating the water for ick and yep, the medication is an ugly brownish yellow color. So now my tank is yellow again. =( I still have a couple of days to do the treatment but now I'm wondering if they ever had ich to begin with. I noticed 2 small white dots on one of my cardinals tail fins... almost looked like little tiny bubbles... I think they're still there but none of the other fish has symptoms. Should I finish with the treatment or do a water change now?


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## Shotgun (Mar 1, 2009)

Well if it was ich, then it would look like your fish was sprinkled with table salt. Here is a good picture:

http://www.my-tropical-fish.com/images/ich.gif

Tiny air bubbles can actually cling to the mouth or fins of some fish. It occasionally happens to my angels. This is usually nothing to worry about. It sometimes shows that you have good aeration. If I were you, then I would check the fish out within the next day or so. If it falls off, it was probably just an airbubble. Then do a water change if it falls off.


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## jbrianchamberlin (Aug 31, 2009)

Oh that poor loach! 

Nah, it didn't look anything like that. One little cardinal had 2 little spots on his back fin..that was it.


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## Shotgun (Mar 1, 2009)

Well then I would moniter the fish for the next day or so. QTing him wouldnt be a bad idea either...


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

They do not always have more than one or two spots if you catch it early enough, I would finish treating but the way I treat is to raise the temperature of the tank to above 82 degrees (28 Celsius) and leave it there for a full 14 days. That makes the parasite leave the fish's body and die. After that period you can clean the tank and do a good gravel cleaning and water change and then slowly lower the temp down to no less than 78 degrees and it will keep your fish parasite free probably. Ich is a cool water disease and attacks fish that are weakened while in a cool tank or water that is a bit too cool for them.

The fish has compromised health and if the parasite is what is going after it, quarantine will not do much good as the whole tank is affected whether they show it or not.

I would treat that tank in that case and when the treatment is complete then do the large water change (not more than 50%) and the gravel maintenance and it will help to remove whatever is still in the tank.

Rose


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