[DarkRevoultions]

Hello.

I currently have ick in my 10 gallon tank, it seems to be a parasitic disease, and my severums, and a few of my small angelfishes have it. My fishes are very small still, along with my hatchet fishes do have it too. I've used Noxick or something like that. I don't know how to spell it, but I bought it from my local fish store, and they said that they use that to treat the ick that gets on the fishes too.

I've removed the Carbon in my filter (charcoal bag in my aqua clear 20) for my 10 gallon so then I just put in 10 drops today and then tomorrow I will do the same thing again. Is there something else I should do? My other tanks doesn't have any of it. I recently put my blue gourami into my infected ten gallon tank and I think it should be okay in my 10 gallon tank, because if it does get it, I will be able to treat it I hope. I put it in there because it was chasing my new lavender gourami.

 

[OP_tiMus-pRiME]

Check the ingredients list of the med you bought. It should contain methlyne blue AND/OR copper. If in contains neither, trash it.

I would continue using the meds (assuming they contain above chemicals) and also turn the temperature up a few degrees and add some aquarium salt (1 tbsp per 5 gallons). Make sure you add an extra aerator should you turn the temp up.

Best of luck!
Luke

 

[DarkRevoultions]

Check the ingredients list of the med you bought. It should contain methlyne blue AND/OR copper. If in contains neither, trash it.

I would continue using the meds (assuming they contain above chemicals) and also turn the temperature up a few degrees and add some aquarium salt (1 tbsp per 5 gallons). Make sure you add an extra aerator should you turn the temp up.

Best of luck!
Luke

Thanks. I have the ingredients. The only active ones are sodium chloride and malachite green. Although when I put it into the tank water, it turns blue. Is that anything useful?

 

[ladyonyx]

Malachite green is important, and is typically very effective in treating Ich. I generally treat fish with Ich for 10 days-3 weeks depending on the severity of the infection. After you finish treating the tank, be sure to do plenty of water changes; their immune systems will be lowered after an Ich infestation, and you want to make things easy on them.
Just so you know, when treating Ich in the future, copper-based medications are harmful to Labyrinth fishes like gourami's (family Anabantidae). Malachite green doesn't contain copper, so you're OK there. Good luck!

 

[OP_tiMus-pRiME]

Yes, malachite green is effective, but really you could just kill the ich with salt plus temp change IMO.

best of luck
luke

 

[Dmaaaaax]

Yes, malachite green is effective, but really you could just kill the ich with salt plus temp change IMO.

best of luck
luke

Exactly what he said. Just add some aquarium salt and turn up your temp little by little over 82-84C if you can. Keep it there for at least a week even if the ich is gone, because these are parasites, and you want to kill the complete cycle.

 

[Chickadee]

You really do not need meds at all if you just raise the temperature slowly to a level of 82 degrees Fahrenheit and leave it there for a period of 14 days without taking it down. The lifespan of the parasite is 14 days and it will leave the host fish at that temperature and cannot survive without a host. The parasite will die off and the fish can then have a water change and the ich should be off the fish. It is always present in the tank but since it is a cool water disease, it will not attack your fish if the tank is warm enough and the fish are healthy to start with. Since this fish is Amazonian it is used to warm waters and can handle a temperature of 78 to 80 degrees easily and this should be enough after the ich is cleared up to keep it from redeveloping.

 

[DarkRevoultions]

Malachite green is important, and is typically very effective in treating Ich. I generally treat fish with Ich for 10 days-3 weeks depending on the severity of the infection. After you finish treating the tank, be sure to do plenty of water changes; their immune systems will be lowered after an Ich infestation, and you want to make things easy on them.
Just so you know, when treating Ich in the future, copper-based medications are harmful to Labyrinth fishes like gourami's (family Anabantidae). Malachite green doesn't contain copper, so you're OK there. Good luck!

Thank you My Severum had the MOST ick infestation but I don't see many. About 1 or 2 is the most I've seen through my observation of 10 minutes looking into my tank. Also, I don't see any of my other fishes having ick. I should probably do a water change everyday then. Should I?

 

[DarkRevoultions]

You really do not need meds at all if you just raise the temperature slowly to a level of 82 degrees Fahrenheit and leave it there for a period of 14 days without taking it down. The lifespan of the parasite is 14 days and it will leave the host fish at that temperature and cannot survive without a host. The parasite will die off and the fish can then have a water change and the ich should be off the fish. It is always present in the tank but since it is a cool water disease, it will not attack your fish if the tank is warm enough and the fish are healthy to start with. Since this fish is Amazonian it is used to warm waters and can handle a temperature of 78 to 80 degrees easily and this should be enough after the ich is cleared up to keep it from redeveloping.

Thanks, although my heater isn't very strong with the heat. My heater in my 29 gallon tank goes up to 95ºF and I currently keep the tank water at 84ºF in my 29 gallon tank. My ten gallon tank only goes up to 78ºF Not high enough I suppose.

 

[Chickadee]

No you just need to get the temperature up somehow. You really do not need to keep the other tank at 84 degrees...usually 80 is high enough to prevent disease. But you really need to get the tank with the ich in it up to 82 at least for the next 14 days if you want to get rid of the ich first. Is there any way you can get an adequate heater for the tank that is really more important at this point than medication as the ich will return if you allow the tank to be cool.
If you do daily water changes it will not do anything but cool the water down. I would wait for the 14 days then do a big water change.

Rose

 

[DarkRevoultions]

No you just need to get the temperature up somehow. You really do not need to keep the other tank at 84 degrees...usually 80 is high enough to prevent disease. But you really need to get the tank with the ich in it up to 82 at least for the next 14 days if you want to get rid of the ich first. Is there any way you can get an adequate heater for the tank that is really more important at this point than medication as the ich will return if you allow the tank to be cool.
If you do daily water changes it will not do anything but cool the water down. I would wait for the 14 days then do a big water change.

Rose

Alright thank you for replying.

Unfortunately I don't know if I can. I could try and see if my temperature can go higher.. although I have 20 W lights but I doubt that will help keep the water warmer. Although this isn't the first time ick has inhabited my tank. I had a small baby Oscar in my fish tank before and it died of ick. Unfortunately that was about 2 yrs ago.

So please tell me. How does ick occur? I haven't had it in my tank for so long.

 

[JIM]

The parasite is always present in cool aquarium water, the key to keeping it under control is always provide you fish with the exception of cool water species with warm water. Cold water, in tropical fish causes stress which makes them more likely to get it

 

[Chickadee]

Yes, JIM is right. As far as I know unless the tank is warm your fish will keep getting the parasite.

Rose

 

[DarkRevoultions]

The parasite is always present in cool aquarium water, the key to keeping it under control is always provide you fish with the exception of cool water species with warm water. Cold water, in tropical fish causes stress which makes them more likely to get it

Okay, but then when I had goldfishes they did not get the ick to be growing on them. How does that work?

 

[DarkRevoultions]

Yes, JIM is right. As far as I know unless the tank is warm your fish will keep getting the parasite.

Rose

So I am guessing that temperature in the 70's for the Fahrenheit isn't warm enough?

 

[JIM]

Okay, but then when I had goldfishes they did not get the ick to be growing on them. How does that work?

Goldfish are a cold water species and can tolerate, and in fact prefer cold water. therefore it does not cause stress.

 

[Chickadee]

I would say that if the heater could hold a temperature of 80 it would be sufficient but with that heater holding at 78 and your fish being infected it is evidently not enough so while 78 would usually be enough, I am doubting that this heater is keeping that temperature all the time. It sounds like it is barely large enough to handle that tank or else is defective. You need a 50 watt or 75 watt heater that is enough to maintain that tank and I would seriously recommend a good quality one like the Visitherm Stealth for one reason.

This heater is lifetime warrantied and if it fails they will replace it. You will need to keep the box and receipt from the purchase but it is well worth it if you want to maintain the warranty. I have NEVER had one fail on me as I truly believe these people make these heaters to last so they never have to replace them. They stand behind their product and the product is also not made of glass so there is no chance of glass breakage in your tank as I did have happen with the Visitherm Deluxe heater. I realize it costs a bit more but in my opinion if you are having to replace cheaper heaters every couple of years you are going to have to pay much more in the long run for them or if your fish are dying and you replace a couple of fish you have paid more than one heater will cost.

I never skimp on a heater, it is the one thing in the tank that I insist be good quality even more than a filter. A cheap sponge filter will filter your tank but a bad heater will fail and cause you no end of problems.

Rose

 

[Oldman]

The problem with the cold vs hot water is an easy one. Ich is a parasite that either is or is not present. If it is present, fish will become infested with it and until you kill it off in that tank it will recur. It can take longer to notice the ich in a cool tank because the parasite's metabolic rate slows down and it will take longer to become established in your fish. Once you have treated effectively for ich, it is no longer present in your tank and fish will no longer become infected. Effective treatment means continuing treatment long enough after all symptoms are gone to completely kill off the ich parasites that are in the part of their life cycle where they are not on the fish. A short period of the ich life cycle is spent in the tank's gravel and it is the free swimming stage that will cause new infestations. It is also the free swimming stage where the parasite can be killed by various treatments. There is a very informative writeup on the ich life cycle and some of its treatments here. The Skeptical Aquarist

 

[DarkRevoultions]

I would say that if the heater could hold a temperature of 80 it would be sufficient but with that heater holding at 78 and your fish being infected it is evidently not enough so while 78 would usually be enough, I am doubting that this heater is keeping that temperature all the time. It sounds like it is barely large enough to handle that tank or else is defective. You need a 50 watt or 75 watt heater that is enough to maintain that tank and I would seriously recommend a good quality one like the Visitherm Stealth for one reason.

This heater is lifetime warrantied and if it fails they will replace it. You will need to keep the box and receipt from the purchase but it is well worth it if you want to maintain the warranty. I have NEVER had one fail on me as I truly believe these people make these heaters to last so they never have to replace them. They stand behind their product and the product is also not made of glass so there is no chance of glass breakage in your tank as I did have happen with the Visitherm Deluxe heater. I realize it costs a bit more but in my opinion if you are having to replace cheaper heaters every couple of years you are going to have to pay much more in the long run for them or if your fish are dying and you replace a couple of fish you have paid more than one heater will cost.

I never skimp on a heater, it is the one thing in the tank that I insist be good quality even more than a filter. A cheap sponge filter will filter your tank but a bad heater will fail and cause you no end of problems.

Rose

Thanks although I managed to turn the heater up to 79.5ºF but I am pretty sure that should be enough. It's only .5ºF from 80.. and the parasites, I can't find anymore. Although I probably hope that performing a water change everyday that may help.

 

[Oldman]

If you can't find the parasites any more, keep treating the tank for at least 5 more days. Otherwise, you and your fish get to start all over again.