# Yes, I know I should have been smarter then this!!



## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

Okay, got my daughter a new small Tiger Oscar yesterday. The tank that I purchased him from was up high and admittedly I just told them the fish I wanted and saw the one I wanted and they bagged it up for me without getting a good look at him because of the height. I had another good looking Oscar picked out because all of the 'Tiger' Oscars looked like they were all black but when the clerk started rooting around with the net an actual read and black Tiger Oscar was found so I told her to get me that one. So, he's here now and after sizing him up he does not seem quite as active as I expected him to (but part of that should be him being dumped into a new environment). His tail fin seems clamped and there appears to be some white spots on his sides and eyes. I'm thinking most likely Ick and possibly some eye infection as well. But from what I read the eye infections are usually just a symptom of some other problem, probably Ick. So I'm getting ready to break out some of my all natural remedies and wondering which ones to use. I'm going to up the temp a little but what should I put it up to (in Celsius please)? I don't have any aquarium salt but can get some if need be, but how much would I use. Also, I know that garlic is a good anti parasitic but is that only for internal parasites? Would it work on Ick? I also have an Ick treatment medication here as a last resort. The tank is not a planted one so using it would not be so bad. Whatever I'm going to do I have to try to get it done within a week because I only have a 1 week guarantee on the fish, so if something is going to happen I want it to happen before then.


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## danilykins (Dec 22, 2010)

Well you can do one of two things. 1) treat the ick, which you now have to treat the whole tank.. or 2) take him back and get a different one, but this wouldn't solve the ick problem for him :/

We have all been there. It happens, sometimes you don't see it until later, one reason why we are *suppose to* QT fish when we get them. I am guilty of NOT QT a fish.. thats all you really can do. Someone else please chime in and give a better answer lol


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

89-90F or 32C. Hold it there at least 3 days beyond the last sign. Just be sure it is ich. It looks like the fish has been sprinkled with sand or there are little tiny air bubbles attached to it.


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## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

I does not look like there are enough spots for him to look like he has been sprinkled with sand. 3 or four on his side and 3 or 4 on his eye. But they look like large sand granules where they are at though. There were other fish in the tank but I removed them within hours of his arrival. They were picking on the Oscar so he is alone in the tank.....well, except for the Pleco. I'm not sure if any got on the other fish before moving them. They all appear to be stuck on him so hopefully no free floating ones to attach to the the others. 

What about the salt? Should I add that too and how much??


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

You could add salt also. I would get aquarium salt and dose to twice the amount on the carton. Once it is gone you should do a water change to get rid of the higher concetration of salt. Remember that salt does not evaporate like water.


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## chris oe (Feb 27, 2009)

Each of those white dots on the fish is a parasite encysted under a layer of the fish's skin. If one of them opened up after you put him in the tank, it will have released thousands of swimmers, and easily will have infected every fish in there within the hours they were together, so even though they are not in the same tank, I would take the same measures with them that you are taking with him. 

Found a good article on the heat and salt method:

Using Heat to Treat Ich in Freshwater Tropical Fish - Article at The Age of Aquariums - Tropical Fish

Reader's Digest Version: According to this Ich doesn't infect new fish above 85 and stops reproducing at 86. Apparently it dies at 89.5 (but that's really high, some fish would die at that temp) article recommends a slow temp increase, 1C/2F per hour, so as not to shock your fish. Look up the temp range on your pleco and your Oscar and see how high they can go, don't push things too high or you will loose them. The goal is 89.5 for the first 3 - 4 days, then reduce it to 86 and hold it for an additional 6 - 7 days for a total of 10 days. During the entire period of treatment you have to increase aeration, since the higher temps = lower oxygen, increase flow rate if you can. Do daily partial water changes (25%) maybe melafix since each time the ich leaves the fish it leaves behind a little wound that can become infected. They suggest adding a micron filter. And they suggest salt at the rate of 1 teaspoon per gallon. They also say repeat salt treatment every 12 hours - that's a lot of salt. And they have instructions for a salt bath for individual sick fish. Whew. 

Caveat: There is at least one documented strain of ich that is heat resistant. If you don't see improvement within 3 - 4 days, think about another method. 

Caveat: I don't use heat and salt. The time I had ich in one of my tanks, I used the regular chemical ich treatments with success. But I know people use heat and salt and have done so with success. 

Thoughts on garlic: I don't think ich has much of anything to do with the digestive system, so garlic in the food wouldn't do much, but garlic in the water might mess with the free swimming stage of ich. It might help avoid the secondary infections to the little open wounds ich leaves behind. I don't think it would hurt. I know from cooking that garlic oxidizes pretty quick, and ich has a long treatment period, so I'd assume that a daily dose would be required to be useful, but I don't know what a reasonable amount of fresh garlic to add to a tank would be. Still, its a vegetable, I assume once it sinks the pleco would enjoy it. The active constituents in garlic are activated when fresh garlic is bruised/the garlic cells are ruptured (yes, I am an amateur herbalist, but I really only know about people). Maybe some fraction of a clove in a blender with some aged aquarium water a day? I'm sure you'll work out some useful dosing plan.


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