Hippoherder Posted October 17, 2011 Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 One of the fish i got at the Auction had ich and I didn't recognize it. I thought he was a little beaten up because he was housed with another male in the bag and probably the tank. That fish in particular was always a bit reclusive, staying at the top croner of the tank. It wasn't long until I saw other fish in my tank starting to rub against objects. although I didn't see anything on them. Very shrotly after, the original fish seemed to be covered in a whitish coat. I have noticed one or two small white spots on others but they all still seemed vigorous. So, Saturday, I went to the LFS, and I picked up some Ich medication and aquarium salt.. I am slowly raising the temp to 80 degrees. I have done one 10% water change and 2 ich treatments, as well as adding the salt. There was immediate improvement from the 'ground zero' fish. He no longer has that whitish coat, although I still see a spot. I will continuethe ich treatments once a day for a week. I am hoping it will be resolved then. The 'ground zero' fish is still not eating and is getting skinnier, although he moves around the tank more and doesn't stay at the top. If he doesn't start eating ina couple of days i will probably euthanize him. He can'[t fight a potentially leathal disease without eating and will likely just fester in the tank. Unfortunately a seperate quarantine tank isn't an option at the moment. The person at the LFS said it should be finished in a week. I hope so, although I don't know how I will know for sure. I guess i can appreciate people having a quarantine tank now. It's kind of hard to do with a 3 tank limit though. Anyways, any suggestions or insight is appreciated. Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nanmer Posted October 17, 2011 Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 I have had my share of battles with Ich! The lifecycle is 12 to 16 days, depending on the temperature. You need to keep treating until the cycle is complete to make sure there are not any cysts remaining in the sub-straight. I did not use any medication, salt and high temperature ( I went up to 83-84 degrees). I had a surprising outcome from the higher temperature, it caused my Festivum to breed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hippoherder Posted October 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 wow...so 2 and a half weeks - thanks. I guess i am going to go back and get another bottle of ich medication. The bottle says treat as much as every 8 hours but I think that may be a bit overkill with water changes and whatnot. I have sand in this tank so hoefully that will help with the substrate as everything tends to stay on the surface. I have had my share of battles with Ich! The lifecycle is 12 to 16 days, depending on the temperature. You need to keep treating until the cycle is complete to make sure there are not any cysts remaining in the sub-straight. I did not use any medication, salt and high temperature ( I went up to 83-84 degrees). I had a surprising outcome from the higher temperature, it caused my Festivum to breed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayba Posted October 17, 2011 Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 Salt and high temp (82+) is all you need. I have never wasted my money on meds for ich. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hippoherder Posted October 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 What about water changes? And will there be any negative effect on the fish to have the temps that high for an extended time besides increased metablism? How high can i go? Thanks! Salt and high temp (82+) is all you need. I have never wasted my money on meds for ich. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted October 17, 2011 Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 Dissolved Oxygen is about the only problem you may encounter, so increase aeration. You don't need to go higher than 86F. If I see it, I start out at 1tbsp per 10gall of salt and increase to about 1tbsp per 5gal total. Leave it like that for a week (so it'll be about 2 weeks w/o a WC) then do a 30-50% WC. *Edited to fix math Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hippoherder Posted October 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 (edited) 5tbsp per gallon? Wow...the box said to keep it to no more than 1 per 5 gallons. Did you learn that method from another fishkeeper/book or did you learn that through years of refining the process? I do have plants so I guess a gradual increase will be needed. Wow...50 gallon tank so that will be 250 TBSP. Looks like I am getting more salt. Thanks Dissolved Oxygen is about the only problem you may encounter, so increase aeration. You don't need to go higher than 86F. If I see it, I start out at 1tbsp per gal of salt and increase to about 5tbsp per gal total (so add 1tbdp/gal each day for 5 days). Leave it like that for a week (so it'll be about 2 weeks w/o a WC) then do a 30-50% WC. If you don't have plants, you could probably do the 5tbsp/gal right off the start, but still treat for 2 weeks. Edited October 17, 2011 by popcornshrimp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted October 17, 2011 Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 Sorry - I was mistaken. Running on empty here. I start with 1tbsp/10gal and go up to 1/5gal. You can use pickling salt or sea salt from the grocery store - typically cheaper than buying at the LFS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hippoherder Posted October 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 LOL glad i double checked I did the one TBSP per 5 gallons, have now increased to between 83- 84F, and am still adding the ich med every 24 hours. I have been doing a 10% water change after feedings and right before med application, making sure to add the TBSP of salt to the new water. The meds looks like it will last another 3 days. But everyone says high temps and the salt is all you need so I am happy. i will just continue for a couple more weeks. Thanks! Sorry - I was mistaken. Running on empty here. I start with 1tbsp/10gal and go up to 1/5gal. You can use pickling salt or sea salt from the grocery store - typically cheaper than buying at the LFS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprucegruve Posted October 17, 2011 Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 this is a little off subject,you said you have a 3 tank limit. use a 5-10gal rubbermaid bin as a quarenteen tank and a sponge filter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hippoherder Posted October 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 this is a little off subject,you said you have a 3 tank limit. use a 5-10gal rubbermaid bin as a quarenteen tank and a sponge filter LOL well, my wife has already thought of that. Anything that can hold water and a fish will be considered a tank. If I put a betta in a jar, that counts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprucegruve Posted October 18, 2011 Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 lol. good luck with the ich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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