Re: ach, ICH!

[Dick]

On Mon, 26 Jan 2004 03:09:27 GMT, Brian > wrote:

>For the first time since I started keeping fish again, after five years,
>I have ich! Having had healthy tanks all this time, I'm at a bit of a
>loss. Is it normal to have only some fish in a tank infected with ich?
>My three lemon tetras, the oldest fish in the tank, are covered with
>white spots, but the diamond tetras aren't. I've added a heater, changed
>some water, cleaned the filter, and started dosing with ich guard.
>
>As a related question, is it possible to have a fish tank and not have
>ich at all for a long, long time (until adding one fish from an infected
>tank)?
>
>B


I battled Ich in my 75 gallon tank. It is a lot of water and a lot of
fish to treat. Removing infected fish to a smaller quarantine tank is
much easier.

Ich seems to effect some species more than others. Clown Loaches and
Mollies seem more sensitive. I got 7 Clown Loaches through the
internet. They all had Ich when they arrived. Not having another
tank at the time, I treated the 75 gallons. I wasn't getting any
success on 5 of the 7. The other two looked bigger and better color.
I also noticed the Ich had not spread to the other 65 fish in the
tank. So, I removed the 5, stopped the treatment and let the tank
come back to health. (I was seeing stress in the fish and live
plants) The two made it and none of my other fish were taken.

I use Rid Ich Plus. It worked well for me the first time, but not on
the Loaches. It is useable where the fish are scaleless. A
quarantine tank does have the advantage of limiting the kind of fish
and thus increasing the treatments possible.


From what I have read, Ich is always present waiting for poor fish
health to attack.

[Geezer From Freezer]

If the ich outbreak is bad, move all fish temporarily out if possible,
remove all water from tank, remove filters and put very hot water into tank and
stand
(or bleach if possible - need everything out for this!!)

discard filter media and wash filters in hot water, replace with new filter
media and
re-cycle (with Bio-Spira to kick start). Move fishies back when recovered
(usually 30 days)

If ich outbreak is not bad, then whack temp up a little, add salt, turn lights
off and cover.

That is what I've read anyway!

[Tedd Jacobs]

"Geezer From Freezer" wrote...

> If ich outbreak is not bad, then whack temp up a little, add salt, turn lights
> off and cover.
>
> That is what I've read anyway!

i've heard of the temp and salt thing, but never the lights and cover thing.
sounds interesting enough to try if the opportunity ever presents itself though.
would you happen to remember where you read that?

[coelacanth]

"Tedd Jacobs" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Geezer From Freezer" wrote...
>
> > If ich outbreak is not bad, then whack temp up a little, add salt, turn
lights
> > off and cover.
> >
> > That is what I've read anyway!
>
> i've heard of the temp and salt thing, but never the lights and cover
thing.
> sounds interesting enough to try if the opportunity ever presents itself
though.
> would you happen to remember where you read that?
>
Blocking light will help with Velvet, which is photosynthetic.
Maybe it's just a good idea to do with all "spotty" diseases since
it can be difficult to tell ich from velvet (larger whiter spots vs
smaller yellower spots)?

-coelacanth

[Dick]

On Mon, 26 Jan 2004 11:26:50 +0000, Geezer From Freezer
> wrote:

>If the ich outbreak is bad, move all fish temporarily out if possible,
>remove all water from tank, remove filters and put very hot water into tank and
>stand
>(or bleach if possible - need everything out for this!!)
>
>discard filter media and wash filters in hot water, replace with new filter
>media and
>re-cycle (with Bio-Spira to kick start). Move fishies back when recovered
>(usually 30 days)
>
>If ich outbreak is not bad, then whack temp up a little, add salt, turn lights
>off and cover.
>
>That is what I've read anyway!


I tried the cover and darkness treatment once. Didn't stop the Ich,
but didn't seem to harm the fish or plants. I did learn to be less
fearful about not feeding for a couple of days.

[Geezer From Freezer]

Tedd Jacobs wrote:
>
> "Geezer From Freezer" wrote...
>
> > If ich outbreak is not bad, then whack temp up a little, add salt, turn lights
> > off and cover.
> >
> > That is what I've read anyway!
>
> i've heard of the temp and salt thing, but never the lights and cover thing.
> sounds interesting enough to try if the opportunity ever presents itself though.
> would you happen to remember where you read that?

Yes, on a newsgroup. Apparantly turning the lights off makes it more difficult
for the
parasite to find a host. How much truth is in that I'm unsure, but fish don't
really need
light so its worth a try.

[Geezer From Freezer]

Dick wrote:
> I tried the cover and darkness treatment once. Didn't stop the Ich,
> but didn't seem to harm the fish or plants. I did learn to be less
> fearful about not feeding for a couple of days.

I've not fed my fish for 8 days and they've been fine. They ate algae and
diatoms
and were still poohing!

[Keith J.]

I also read that ich parasites need light to reproduce, in a book on
crustacea at the local university library.

At the time I was trying to spawn crayfish in captivity, which turns out to
be easy in an outdoor pond, but nearly impossible indoors.

The book title is "Crustacean Reproduction" and it's published by the
University of Wisconsin Press. Sorry, but I don't recall the author's name.

Keith J.

"Tedd Jacobs" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Geezer From Freezer" wrote...
>
> > If ich outbreak is not bad, then whack temp up a little, add salt, turn
lights
> > off and cover.
> >
> > That is what I've read anyway!
>
> i've heard of the temp and salt thing, but never the lights and cover
thing.
> sounds interesting enough to try if the opportunity ever presents itself
though.
> would you happen to remember where you read that?
>
>

[TYNK 7]

>Subject: Re: ach, ICH!
>From: Geezer From Freezer
>Date: 1/27/2004 9:19 AM Central Standard Time
>Message-id: >
>
>
>
>Dick wrote:
>> I tried the cover and darkness treatment once. Didn't stop the Ich,
>> but didn't seem to harm the fish or plants. I did learn to be less
>> fearful about not feeding for a couple of days.
>
>I've not fed my fish for 8 days and they've been fine. They ate algae and
>diatoms
>and were still poohing!
>

Why haven't you fed for 8 days?

[Iain Miller]

"Geezer From Freezer" > wrote in message
...
> If the ich outbreak is bad, move all fish temporarily out if possible,
> remove all water from tank, remove filters and put very hot water into
tank and
> stand
> (or bleach if possible - need everything out for this!!)
>
> discard filter media and wash filters in hot water, replace with new
filter
> media and
> re-cycle (with Bio-Spira to kick start). Move fishies back when recovered
> (usually 30 days)
>
> If ich outbreak is not bad, then whack temp up a little, add salt, turn
lights
> off and cover.

> That is what I've read anyway!

Good grief (!) - a bit radical! I have always just used Waterlife Protazin
for Ich, it never fails & I've never lost a fish to it.....

I.

[Dick]

On Tue, 27 Jan 2004 15:19:45 +0000, Geezer From Freezer
> wrote:

>
>
>Dick wrote:
>> I tried the cover and darkness treatment once. Didn't stop the Ich,
>> but didn't seem to harm the fish or plants. I did learn to be less
>> fearful about not feeding for a couple of days.
>
>I've not fed my fish for 8 days and they've been fine. They ate algae and
>diatoms
>and were still poohing!


I am surprised and wouldn't have the guts to try to let them go so
long. I do have a 4 inch black angelfish that seemed to not eat for
30 days. I figure she must be eating something I didn't see. Then
one day I popped in the flakes and she came up to the top and started
eating like she hadn't eaten for days, which is true.

[Geezer From Freezer]

TYNK 7 wrote:

> Why haven't you fed for 8 days?

Holiday! Goldfish can survive upto 14 days (but that is pushing it a bit).
I let algae and diatoms grow in my tank and didn't remove them. I also had
plants
in there. I don't like holiday blocks as they foul up the water, and automatic
feeders
can go wrong. Its actually a good idea to fast goldfish every now and again for
a couple of
days to clear out there intestines, and then to feed shelled-peas which is good
for clearing
them out.