my fish died from ich

[chris246810]

hello all
my day started out bad when i seen my fish that had ich dyed.
i was using kick-ich for a week as by the directsion but i think it was to late. now my questino is none of the other of my fish have any dots on them so do i contuinie to use the kick-ich till the bottle is empty? how do i knwo its not in the water. to day i am doing a 20% water change also.
i aslo am going to set up a 10 qt tank today.

 

[elfdoctors]

It is very hit and miss whether kick-ich will work. Most times it will not.
When it does work it requires you to complete an entire course of treatment as it only works on one stage in the lifecycle of the parasite.
You have to assume your surviving fish are infected. Do you have a hospital/quarantine tank? The only reliable treatments for ich are hyposalinity (preferred) and copper. Neither treatment can be done with inverts, corals or live rock. Most people therefore do them in a separate tank.
I would recommend completing your treatment with kich-ich as you already paid for the bottle. Meanwhile, look into investing in a QT and get that cycling.

 

[chris246810]

what do i need to establish a qt tank? is 10 gal good enough

 

[stacyt]

A 10 gallon will work depending on the size/number of fish. With a 10 gallon however, you'll need to monitor the salinity closely, as it can fluctuated considerably throughout a day. In order to perform hypo, salinity must be kept consistant for a minimum 3 week period, in order to be effective.

 

[chris246810]

well i was thinking of putting the rest of my fish in the qt and using copper safe. is that good?

 

[elfdoctors]

Ich has a free swimming stage. Your display needs to be fishless for a month otherwise your fish will only get reinfected after treatment.
Coppersafe is an acceptable form of copper. Copper, however, is moderately toxic to fish. You should consider hyposalinity as this is safer for your fish.
Will all your fish survive in a 10 gallon tank without overcrowding? Is the tank cycled?

 

[chris246810]

i havent even picked up the tank yet i am gettin gthe qt tank tomorrow moring. hopefully it cycles in a day or so. i only have 4 fish now :-( 2 blue damels and 2 clown fish about 1 inch big each. i also have some crabs and 2 star fish. umm i have started treting my display tank with kick-ich its ok to use copper safe on the fish after i move them in to qt? also i was wondering can i use the filter taht comes with a 10 gal starter kit? its the normal filter that uses black carbon,and stays inside the tank i think its a small box.

 

[beth]

chris, I'm assuming you have LR in your tank?
Please take a look at the FAQ Thead and the topic on QT. There is some info there on kickstarting a QT. Be sure to use 100% water from your display, as long as that water is good quality.

 

[chris246810]

yes i have live rock in my disply. i was going to do a water change tomorrow. so the water i cyphen out of the main take i can put some in the qt tank to fill it up? then just throw the rest out. that wouldn't be a bad idea. i am not getting any sand i read the faq on fourm. i am donig to paint the bottom black as soon as i get it i am donig to spray paint it. so i wont even need to cycle it your saying if i use the water from my main tank?

 

[beth]

Use 100% water from the display. Think of it as a large water change for the display. Also, use a couple of cups of sand from the display to kickstart the QT. Also, it would be a good idea in this situation to throw in a couple of small pieces of "sacrificial" live rock. Since your QT is new, you need to seed it as best you can to get the biofilter going. Note, if you medicate the QT, then you can not return the LR to the display. However, you can re-use it in the display if you do hyposalinity on your fish. Better to loose a couple of pieces rock then your fish, that is why I term it "sacrificial".

 

[chris246810]

ok i will read up on hyposalinity. thank you for your help and information. i cna use the small filter that comes with the package? square filther. so i dont need to start a cycle also since i am taken water from my other tank right?

 

[beth]

All of these suggestions on seeding a new QT gives the QT a kick-start. Don't think that just because you follow this, that your QT will be well established. These things will give your QT a good headstart. The QT will still be NEW and will still need your viligence and constant attention if you put fish in it at this time. Be sure to have test kits ready to keep close attention to water quality.
You are only seeding the QT. A well established tank has millions of bacteria colonies on every surface, including glass, equiptment, substrate, rock, everything. Obviously, even with everything you are doing to "kickstart" your QT, it is still only beginning to establish the biological filter you need.