Ick again

[freshwaterfishlover]

My 29 Gallon has Ick AGAIN. It always seems that the Swordtails get it and spreed it to the other fish. One sword has one white spot and another has many white spots. I have the water at around 85F and turned off the filter and took out the snail since thats what the medicine said to do. I forget the medicine name. It's copper-something with a cross on it.

[cocoa_pleco]

WOW, you get ich alot. That sucks.

Ich is always in the tank, but fish only can not fight it off because of stress.

Maybe you could invest 100$ to get a UV steriliser? It kills most parisites and algae.

[Severus]

Jeez... sorry to hear that your tank has ich again. I wonder why it is so reoccurring? Anything recently that might be stressing out your fish?

[cocoa_pleco]

Thats what im wondering. Out of 10 years, ive only had 2 cases of ich, and both didnt spread.

[Lady Hobbs]

Have you bought any new fish lately? I've had ICK only twice and both times come from new fish that were added. When fish are stressed and their immune systems are not able to fight this off or their slime coat has been removed (from chasing and netting them) ICK is allowed to infest them.

The fish in stores are often infested due to all the moving, shipping and netting they have endured. Fish that have been in your tank for awhile should not be bothered with ICK as their slime coat has recovered and they are no longer stressed. Or are they? If you have other fish with them that is causing them undo stress, then changes have to be made.

Temps of 85 are too high. Turn the heater back to 80-82.

It's possible that your ICK re-infestion come from them not being completely gone from the last time. ICK can not be killed while on the fish and only can be destroyed while reproducing on the bottom. Make sure you give your meds plenty of time to work.

Weekly water changes are also important.

I would also remove those cory cats.

[Chrona]

My 29 Gallon has Ick AGAIN. It always seems that the Swordtails get it and spreed it to the other fish. One sword has one white spot and another has many white spots. I have the water at around 85F and turned off the filter and took out the snail since thats what the medicine said to do. I forget the medicine name. It's copper-something with a cross on it.

Don't turn off the filter. You are supposed to take the carbon out, but the filter still has to be running if you'll get some ammonia spikes. Make sure to treat for at least 10 days this time. It sounds like you never got rid of it the first few times and it keeps reinfecting the fish.

[jman]

Have you bought any new fish lately? I've had ICK only twice and both times come from new fish that were added. When fish are stressed and their immune systems are not able to fight this off or their slime coat has been removed (from chasing and netting them) ICK is allowed to infest them.

The fish in stores are often infested due to all the moving, shipping and netting they have endured. Fish that have been in your tank for awhile should not be bothered with ICK as their slime coat has recovered and they are no longer stressed. Or are they? If you have other fish with them that is causing them undo stress, then changes have to be made.

Temps of 85 are too high. Turn the heater back to 80-82.

It's possible that your ICK re-infestion come from them not being completely gone from the last time. ICK can not be killed while on the fish and only can be destroyed while reproducing on the bottom. Make sure you give your meds plenty of time to work.

Weekly water changes are also important.

I would also remove those cory cats.

this is very true and you need to be careful of the choices in buying new fish ecspecially at the same time because that is what causes the stress and the loss of the protective coats. (they do have things to help add to fish's protective coats just check the LFS)

[kimmers318]

If you are having recurring cases of ICK it is most likely that you didn't get rid of it AND bring your fish to optimal health. A completely healthy fish seldom succumbs to ICK. You don't seem to be understocked, nor do you appear to have fish that are harrassing each other causing undue stress.
What have you used in the past to cure the ICK? I have found the best solution is to up temps to around 82-84, large water change, 1 squirt stresscoat per gallon. Follow with stresscoat for 3 days or until you don't see anymore VISIBLE signs of ICK. Remember, just because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there though. Keep temps up for 2 weeks and do smaller water changes every other day to remove as many of the ICK parasites as you can. After 2 weeks you should be OK. The combination of clean water, increased temps and stresscoat causes the ICK lifecycle to speed up so that you can pull more of it out with water changes, the stresscoat allows the fish to build up a natural barrier to the parasite and allows them to fight it off themselves. Remember, just because you can't physically see ICK on your fish doesn't mean the parasite isn't living in your water just waiting for a fish to become susceptible.

[freshwaterfishlover]

I just looked at my 29Gallon and 2 Giant Danios were dead. Another Danio is swiming fine, but is gasping at the surface. My 2 Silver Dollars always hide, but this time their hidding looks weird. My Bronze Cory looks skinny and 2 Swordtails have Ick on them. THe fish are not eating. I put in Frozen Brine Shrimp and no fish went after it. I only Give Frozen Brine Shrimp once and awhile, but the Silver Dollars always go after it, not this time. I took out my Carbon and turned the Filter Back on.

My Temp is at about 80F.

I added two Fish a Swordtail and a Small Cory Catfish Last Sunday. The New Swordtail has the Ick, but it did not look to have Ick when I bought it.

The last two times the tank had Ick I gave Formalin. This time I gave a Dose of Cupramine Monday Afternoon. understand the Fist Directions. Give 2 Drops for every Gallon then wait 48 hours.

I do not understand the second directions. Redose for a total Dose of 0.5M/L(in Freshwater use half) Leave at this concentration for 14 days. Explain to me how much doses do I use for a 29 Gallon and for how long?

[kimmers318]

Sorry, can't help you there, I have never used ICK medicine in my tanks. Case in point, hubby's tanks went into a downhill slide because of his lousy filter maintenance and his mbuna got ICK. I gave him my suggestion, but also told him to check his water, and clean that filter. He did neither, he went and bought RID ICH the next day, dosed his tank and lost about 1/2 of his fish within the next 48 hours. See, he thinks us forum browsers are obssessive about our tanks....his fish are hardy, he doesn't need to worry....he feels he loses less fish than I do (he has 2 tanks, I have 7), so I must be wrong. He also ended up with fungus on his oscars, the pleco died and it wasn't until his oscars were laying on the bottom of the tank near dead before he followed my rule of thumb.....whenever you think something might be wrong, check your parameters and do a large water change. All fish are recovering now after a few days of large water changes and clean filters. The RID ICH was a waste of his money.

[Nautilus29]

I dont trust the ick medicines either. Make sure your temperature doesnt get too high 82ish. Im battleing ick right now to becuase Of a new fish I added to the tank.

and use kimmers suggestions.

[freshwaterfishlover]

This Ick is taking out all my fish. I woke up this morning and a Silver Dollar is missing and a Bronze Cory is on it's side about to die. I am giving medicine and no fish show signs of Ick,but it must still be in the tank.

I lost so far

2 Peral Gouramis
2 Giant Danios
1 Silver Dollar
1 Bronze Cory Catfish

[Lady Hobbs]

You have to get on ICK immediately or it invades their gills and suffocates them.

As others mentioned, raising the temps to 82 will help speed the process of the ICK's cycle but that alone does not kill them. I personally, opt for the ICK meds. Some are said to kill them in two - three days but I would leave it plenty long to make sure. I don't like subjecting fish that have been without salt to suddenly high volumes of it for two weeks along with the high heat. Many do but my feeling is the meds were created for a reason so why not use them.

Just my 2 cents.

[sanddigger]

Kimmers advice is spot on. I too am battleing ick. The cause...Plants, can you believe it? I never knew. I got the plants from a lfs I have used for over 13 years.

I would put fresh carbon in your filters to take out any meds left and follow kimmers advice. You will see a difference in your fish after the WC's.The copper meds is what may have caused the loss of your other fish. Some fish can't take a higher temp for long period of time either.

I do add melafix. I consider it the "chicken soup" remedy for fish.

I'm so sorry for your losses.

[freshwaterfishlover]

I found the second Silver Dollar it was hidding and looks healthy. My Bronze cory did die those.

I lost

2 Peral Gouramis
2 Giant Danios
1 Bronze/Borochis Cory Catfish

[jessie]

I had a problem with ich in my tank when I first set it up. I have to say that i hate the ich meds. I lost about half the tank after a few days of ich meds. I followed Kimmers advice and decided to go with using stresscoat, icreasing temp to 82, and doing frequent water changes. I also added aquarium salt (we had a big debate on the forum about the use of salt for ich). After less than a week I no longer saw any spots on any of the fish and no more fish died.

[Lady Hobbs]

Something about those swordtails. So many here complain of getting ick in their tank from them. You need to really check your fish out well before buying them and put them in a quaranteen tank before adding to current stock. If you don't have a quarantee tank, I sure would at least put them in a cooler, aerate the water and toss the meds in that are proven to work very fast. Swordtails must be very suspectible to ick.

[Chrona]

Something about those swordtails. So many here complain of getting ick in their tank from them. You need to really check your fish out well before buying them and put them in a quaranteen tank before adding to current stock. If you don't have a quarantee tank, I sure would at least put them in a cooler, aerate the water and toss the meds in that are proven to work very fast. Swordtails must be very suspectible to ick.

You have to quarantine for at least a week if you do that (or at least a day or two after you see the cysts fall off. Ick is immune to all meds when it's attached to the fish.

[freshwaterfishlover]

The Swordtails are the only ones that get Ick and then it kills off a few other fish. This time is the most fish I ever lost. I usually lose one or two. I think I may lose another fish. Another Giant Danio is wobbling. I am almost surtin I will not lose my 4 Swordtails, 2 Silver dollars or my second Cory Catfish. They are all swimming fine and look great. I may not lose my 4th Giant Danio. I can not tell by the way it's acting if it weak or not.

[freshwaterfishlover]

My 4th Giant Danio died today. I am going to do another big water change today and stop the Copper medicine. I prety sure my 4 Swordtails, 2 silver Dollars or my Swartz's Cory Cat will not die. They look great.

[freshwaterfishlover]

I think no more fish are going to die. I have not lost a fish in 2 days.

I lost 4 Giant Danios
2 Peral Gouramis
1 Bronze Cory Catfish
1 Female Swordtail fish

[kimmers318]

Just a theory here, but I don't think that swordtails are any more susceptible to ICK than any other fish, but the simple fact that they are livebearers which creates MANY more fish in a very short time than any of the egglayer species, and thus there are also LOADS of them in tanks at the stores for sale I feel just weakens their immune systems. They usually overbreed, which will weaken any female species, and then the overbreeding causes overstocked tanks from the supplier down the line, and the fish just get weakened, leaving them open and susceptible to diseases like ICK.
My platies, were kept in my Q tank to keep it cycled.....I bought and Q'd a clown loach knowing it had ICK, but I wanted it for the unusual markings, in the same tank, they never contracted the ICK. These guys are very similar to swordtails and are in the same family.