# Thinking this is ich...



## anniem584 (Feb 19, 2013)

Well these past 3 weeks have not been as much fun as I had thought it would be to have fish. Now it looks like I have ich in the tank. A few of my fish were flashing so I called a different pet shop and found a wonderful and knowledgable salesperson who works with the fish. I made the trip there and he helped me find what I would need. He suggested I add he aquarium salt and start upping the temp daily. I am having a difficult time getting the temp above 76 but will be working on getting it up today while I am home and can keep an eye on it. Last night I noticed white on one of my fancy guppies. So now I am thinking ich. I hope there isn't anything else going on along with it. I was told to start medicating when I saw the spots but shouldn't I give the salt and heat treatment a chance or should I add the ich medicine today? I can't seem to figure out a way to get the pictures on here so I posted a video of the fish here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWqUfogsc-U&feature=youtu.be
I think you can see them better in videos anyway. I really need some help. Thanks


----------



## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

salt and temp works better medicate as a last resort


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

If you can't heat, don't try salt/heat treatment, it won't work. Get a med, remember to take the carbon out. salt won't hurt guppies, but be careful the amount of salt/gallon doesn't drop fast during a water change. Don't worry about taking the salt out before medicating.


----------



## C. King (Dec 14, 2012)

Annie, so sorry you have had such a rotten experience so far-you were give terrible advice at the start, and then they sold you way too many fish to add to the (uncycled!) aquarium. How frustrating... It does get better! Meanwhile, you have some sick fish, which is a normal response to the stress of an uncycled tank. I looked at the video, and my first thought is that the fish has a fungal infection. Ich looks like tiny little specks of white, more or less scattered across the body. Fungus looks like fliffy white bits of cotton, usually on the mouth, fins, or an injury site. Ich is a parasite that has a free swimming stage that cannot reproduce in warm water. I treat it by raising the temp up to 80-82 degrees, and throw in some aquarium salt (never table salt) Aquarium salt kills some bacteria, reduces fungus, and adds needed electrolytes to fish. The heat and salt alone will kill ich, but some people also use an anti-parasitic med. as well. 
A fungal infection, however, must be treated with an anti-fungal med. I use Maroxy by Mardel, and turn up the temo and add salt for a fungus. Heres where it gets tricky: fish can have a fungus and ick at the same time. They can also get a bacterial infection on top of a fugus or ick. I'm not trying to make this confusing, but just trying to explain the advice I am about to give you. Because your fish have been moved from fish store to your tank, and who knows what they went through to get to the store, then they had to undergo ups and downs of Ph, ammonia, nitrates &nitrites of a cycling tank, I would not be suprised if they have a little of everything--ich, bacterial, and fungal infection. Here is what I would do:
1. Turn up the heat to 80-82 and keep it there for about 10 days to two weeks. This will kill the ich.
2. Add aquarium salt to the water, following directions for dosage on box.
3. Remove any carbon from filter, because it would just neutralise any of the meds you use.
4. Treat for both bacterial and fungal infection.( I use a broad spectrum antibiotic called Maracyn (by Mardel) along with an anti fungal med called Maroxy (also by Mardel.) These meds are designed so they can safely be used together. 
5. Afer 10-14 days, do a partial water change and replace the carbon in the filter. Gradually allow temp to return to about 78 degrees.
Do not add any more fish until there have been no signs of illness and your nitrrites have been zero, nitrates 40 ppm or less, ammonia zero, and the Ph steady for aat least a week. If you do not have a test kit for nitrates and nitrites, you need to get one. (not the strips which are grossly inaccurate, but the vials and drops) This has been a long post, but I feel you could use the help.


----------



## anniem584 (Feb 19, 2013)

thank you for all the advice. This is what I have done so far.I added the aquarium salt last night and started turning up the heat in the tank. It is between 80 and 82 according to th two thermometers I hve in the tank. I spoke with the pet shop and told them about the white spots. I realize one of the guppies has more than spots but the other has spots. They told me to add the medicine. I added a half does of API Super Ick Cure and I removed the filter before I added it. I had to use the half dose because of the cory cats. It has been snowing since last night so I can't get to the pet shop until sometime tomorrow afternoon or Friday. I am supposed to do another dose of the ick meds on Friday. So now my question is do I add the Maracyn and Moroxy (that I will look for as soon as I can get to the pet shop) even with the ick meds or should I wait for a couple of days after the next dose of ick meds? So far the fish are doing well and eating. Thank you all for your help!


----------



## Guest (Feb 27, 2013)

C. King: there are strains of ich that are resistant to salt and temperature. I would get quinine sulfate and dose with that. Quinine sulfate is the only med that I know of that can kill the resistant strain of ich. Some fish are intolerant to salt.

I would research the fish that you have and see what their salt tolerance is before using salt. Never use salt with clown loaches.


----------



## anniem584 (Feb 19, 2013)

Well I already put in the salt and the ick medicine so I can't change that. I noticed that the few fish that had clamped fins no longer have that so something is helping and I haven't seen much of any flashing.The white spots are less. As I sat and watched the guppy I noticed her eye is popped out. God what next????


----------



## C. King (Dec 14, 2012)

Give the ich med a few days, then do a partial water change and put the carbon in the filter and let it run overnight. Next day, you can remove the carbon and start the Maracyn/Maroxy combo. Add some salt to the new water."popeye" is something guppie are prone to. It is not an actual disease, but a symptom of a bacterial infection, usually due to poor water conditions.(like the uncycled tank) Maracyn is one med that treats pop eye, because it is a broad spectrum antibiotic.That should take care of whatever else is going on. (Keep the temp high during the treatment.)Hopefully, things will settle down after this.


----------



## Trout (Mar 16, 2011)

I've heard that Corys are not fond of salt, though they do have scales so it won't hurt them as badly as it would loaches, I'm guessing. Good luck! Also, I have never seen these two products (maracyn and maroxy) so I would suggest just ordering them online. It'll cut out the possibility of wasting a trip to the fish-store if they don't have it.


----------



## anniem584 (Feb 19, 2013)

Well my guppy died. I found her this morning. I went to the pet store and got melafix which is all they had for bactrial infections and I added it to the water. The fish person said it was ok to do both the ich med and the melafix. I trsted the water with the strips and everything looks good. My husband will test it at the plant tomorrow. The other female guppy has tiny white spots on her back but they seem to be less today. My remaining panda cory is just very quiet while my 2 albino cory cats are growing and on the go. No other fish seem sick and the flashing has stopped. Hopefully that is a good sign. I am supposed to treat again tomorrow for the ich and use the melafix medicine for 7 days. Should I wait the 6 more days to do a water change and put in the filter? Also should I still treat for fungus. I just don't want to hae too many meds going in there at one time. When we get our big tank we will do a fishless cycle and have the fish in quarantine before adding them this time. I am thankful I am learning with this tank before we get the bigger one. Thanks again for all your help.


----------



## anniem584 (Feb 19, 2013)

I did my second dose of ich meds and my husband took a water sample to work to test at lunch time. These are the readings: Amonia .1, Alkalinity 102, nitrate .626, nitrite .025 and the PH is 7.73. I know the ph is too high but wasn't sure what to do since I just medicated this morning. I was told to do a water change but won't I lose alot of the medication? Ughhhhh!!!!!


----------

