Ick is killing me - please help :)

jasonmarc

jasonmarc

Member
Ok - as you can see from previous posts, I've been doing hypo on my tank since 12/30. That's the day I got the salt level down to 1.009.
Here are parameters:
pH 8.1 (still working on getting it up higher)
dKH 10
Ammon & Nitrite - 0.0
Nitrate 5
SG 1.0085/1.009
temp 78
Critters list: firefish & 2 ocellaris
FO tank - no LR - it's my display tank since there were only fish in there to begin with. I do have the capability of setting up a hospital tank, but it's dry at this point.
Everything was going as expected with the hypo process - got the level down, and the firefish suddenly and dramatically became infested. Then they almost all went away. As expected. I had a wheeler's, who went through the same thing (2 spots, then covered, then nothing), but died a couple of days ago. Ocellaris never showed signs of anything.
Long way to get to my question - the firefish still has one white spot on him near his tail - and it has been there for over 2 weeks now. Like I said - he quickly lost all signs of the parasite except this one spot, which doesn't seem to want to go away (and has never changed size or shape). I know I can't keep these guys in hypo forever, and I'm concerned that if I go ahead and count the 24 days from the last sign of ick except this one, that I won't erradicate it from the tank.
Any suggestions or insight? Thanks.
 
sac10918

sac10918

Member
Hmm...Im no expert here but I thought I would post since no one else has.
I had two clowns and a bicolor blenny come down with Ick, I put them in the QT, lowered salinity, and a few days later it looked like Brook instead of ick. So, I left them in there with low salinity and I did three formaldehyde treatments (for the brook).
I left them in the QT for eight weeks. I tried to maintain the best water quality I could, but it was an uncycled QT tank that I had slapped together quickly when they got sick, so I did two water changes a day and tested levels constantly.
After eight weeks, my clown began to show signs of frayed fins, which I believe was from the not so great water quality. My display had been fish freee for long enough to get rid of the ick, so I put them back in and they are all doing great.
I would suggest keeping them in hypo for the recommended period of time, for three weeks after you see the firefishes spot disappear. That way, you can be sure that you got all the ick out since it would be terrible to have it come back. Your situation is a bit different since you are doing this in your display, so maybe Beth or Lion can give you some more advice.
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
What are you using to measure salinity? Is the spot like a grain of salt, or a bit irregular? Use a magnifying glass to look at it.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by Beth
What are you using to measure salinity? Is the spot like a grain of salt, or a bit irregular? Use a magnifying glass to look at it.
This was my thought while reading the post. Also, is the spot in the tail fin itself? It is not unusual for a fish to just have a single spot, or pinhole in the fin.
 
jasonmarc

jasonmarc

Member
Thanks for the responses... I'm using a refractometer, and I've been very diligent to make sure that I keep the level correct.
The spot looks exactly like ich - it's one of the spots that appeared when the parasite went crazy and infected the heck out of the fish. But they all have disappeared except this one. It's on the fish's body near the base of the tail (it's a firefish - but imagine a yellow tang with the spike near the tail - it's right at that area - and it appears like a grain of salt)
So you can see my confusion. Any suggestions? I'm hesitant to keep hypo any longer than I have to, since now one of my clowns is starting to swim around a little loopy

Thanks in advance, you guys are great at helping!
Jason
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Here is my suggestion. Make up a bath of water in a bucket of 1.006. Do a FW dip with slightly salty water (to not stress your fish as much) Make sure the PH and temp are identical as you would for a FW dip. You want to get this one single ich off of your fish.
 
jasonmarc

jasonmarc

Member
Thanks Sep - I'll try that this weekend - how long should he stay in the dip? And I'm assuming I wouldn't have to "re-acclimate" him back to the tank once the dip is done, with the pH and temp etc all the same, correct?
Jason
 
fishy7

fishy7

Active Member
Hi Jason,

Sorry to hear of your issue(s)

I personally do not qt any fish. I just add them to my tank. Now I do give them a 3 hour drip. I have been told to qt many times but do not feel that for me or my fish it is necessary. Here is why:
It is true, fish get ick and fish get parasites. It is near impossible not to based on the transition the fish go throught to finnaly arrive in our tanks.
This is the formula I use and I have never lost a fish.
My fish have had the following diseases: brook,parasites and ick.
1) Have excellent water. Keep up on water changes and do them as needed to keep that excellent quality. Do not do a 100% in 3 days but I am sure you get what I mean. Water quality is the most important of all things in this hobby. Poor water quality = problems!
2) Feed antiparasitic food. I personally use Thera a++ by Spectrum.
3) Make sure you have space for them to hide and keep your lights off for a day or two allowing them to chill.
4) Proper diet. Do your homework and find out what they eat in the wild and make sure you feed that specific diet to them. Tangs need green algae sheets... So I give them plenty to munch on. Also soak your in garlick.
5) Cleaner shrimp. Theses guys will clean your fish and eat the parasites.
I added a purple tang 1 week a go and he has ick. No big deal, it is almost gone and I did not add any chemicals or do anything different. My other fish do not have any signs.
I am not telling you to do it my way but just want to give you some ideas that you may use to help your fish get over the ick.

***)
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by FISHY7
Hi Jason,

Sorry to hear of your issue(s)

I personally do not qt any fish. I just add them to my tank. Now I do give them a 3 hour drip. I have been told to qt many times but do not feel that for me or my fish it is necessary. Here is why:
It is true, fish get ick and fish get parasites. It is near impossible not to based on the transition the fish go throught to finnaly arrive in our tanks.
This is the formula I use and I have never lost a fish.
My fish have had the following diseases: brook,parasites and ick.
1) Have excellent water. Keep up on water changes and do them as needed to keep that excellent quality. Do not do a 100% in 3 days but I am sure you get what I mean. Water quality is the most important of all things in this hobby. Poor water quality = problems!
2) Feed antiparasitic food. I personally use Thera a++ by Spectrum.
3) Make sure you have space for them to hide and keep your lights off for a day or two allowing them to chill.
4) Proper diet. Do your homework and find out what they eat in the wild and make sure you feed that specific diet to them. Tangs need green algae sheets... So I give them plenty to munch on. Also soak your in garlick.
5) Cleaner shrimp. Theses guys will clean your fish and eat the parasites.
I added a purple tang 1 week a go and he has ick. No big deal, it is almost gone and I did not add any chemicals or do anything different. My other fish do not have any signs.
I am not telling you to do it my way but just want to give you some ideas that you may use to help your fish get over the ick.

***)
You have been lucky so far. There is no way that there is not parasites in your tank.(original poster) If you want to fight them for the rest of your tanks life then follow this person's examples. If you want to totally eradicate the ich parasite then follow Beth's instructions on Hyposalinity in the "common treatments FAQ" at the top of this forum.
 
jasonmarc

jasonmarc

Member
Originally Posted by sepulatian
You have been lucky so far. There is no way that there is not parasites in your tank.(original poster) If you want to fight them for the rest of your tanks life then follow this person's examples. If you want to totally eradicate the ich parasite then follow Beth's instructions on Hyposalinity in the "common treatments FAQ" at the top of this forum.

Sep - I'm trying to. ANd I'm trying to take your advice - can someone please answer my question instead of infighting about how to treat?
Thanks.
 
ratboy9

ratboy9

New Member
I have been checking out your stuff here since I haven't gotten any replies to my questions. Maybe you guys will be able to help me.
My fish got a tiny white dot on each eye two days ago and I feared that it was the beginning of a nightmare. Noone responded to my questions, and the spot ended up spreading to being a spot and clouded eyes. The fish's fins started to look like when a fish's tail/fins look like when they grow back from a bad case of ich. But in my case, it looks like the reverse-the fins and tail are weakening and rotting. Their bodies look dull and cloudy colored. I thought about ti being ich, but in my experience, ich looks like dots all over the fish. ANY IDEAS? ANY SOLUTIONS?
PLEASE HELP!!!!
 
old_salt

old_salt

Member
Originally Posted by ratboy9
I have been checking out your stuff here since I haven't gotten any replies to my questions. Maybe you guys will be able to help me.
My fish got a tiny white dot on each eye two days ago and I feared that it was the beginning of a nightmare. Noone responded to my questions, and the spot ended up spreading to being a spot and clouded eyes. The fish's fins started to look like when a fish's tail/fins look like when they grow back from a bad case of ich. But in my case, it looks like the reverse-the fins and tail are weakening and rotting. Their bodies look dull and cloudy colored. I thought about ti being ich, but in my experience, ich looks like dots all over the fish. ANY IDEAS? ANY SOLUTIONS?
PLEASE HELP!!!!
What kind of fish are you talking about? Any photos?
 
nynex

nynex

New Member
sac10918...What you should have done...is a 50% water change
every week in the QT...That way the water quality would have
remained good and then QT tank would never cycle. I also have
a marineland Bio wheel on my QT tank. Also well you are medicating
in the QT...you can add PRIME from Seachem. This brings and keeps
nitrites,nitrates and ammonia at 0.
Plus you could have did a Freshwater dip with Methylene Blue before
you put them in the QT. That would have greatly helped as well. Alot
of times I know with flukes..they come right off in the Freshwater dip.
But sounds like you got them better anyway...
 
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