Help for Mixed Tank

[materbona]

I just realized my 3 little clown loaches have ick----someone told me tetra dissolving tablets for ick were safe with all fix..I have plecos, a raphael, algae eater, and dojo loach in there---can I treat the whole tank? I know the drops that I have color the water and are not for scaleless fish...Thanks for your help! Also, my oscar has had about 3 white spots on his left front (transparent) fin for a week or so----never changes---could that be ick? I thought it usually spread pretty quickly. He did scrape his side on an ornament a while back and at first I thought it was from the scrape? Thanks again if you can help Shirley

[madagascariensis]

ich will likely have infested your entire tank by the time you notice spots on your fish. treating the entire tank is the most practical way
if you don't have plants or invertebrates, which can be sensitive against medications. since you have loaches which are pretty much scaleless
I would recommend starting half dose and in case no fish shows stress, slowly going up to full dose.
just a question, what is your tank size? you have a species of fish(clown loach) that will eventually need a tank in the range of a couple of hundred gallons
and likely several others(oscar, plecos depending on species) that will eventually need tanks at least 75 gallons in size.

[orion158]

Ich can easily be treated by upping the temperature to around 30C. This be be stressful towards fish, however, is a more natural way to treat white-spot. Medication can sometimes be harmful to scale-less fish like dojo loaches. If you are to use the heat method slowly increase the temp over several days to reduce stress to fish
Hope your fish recover soon

[fishmommie]

another tried and true method to treat ich is heat + salt. As said above increase your heat to 86F over a couple of days. Slowly add 1 tsp aquarium salt (I'd go light on the salt because of your loaches) per 5 gallons of water over a couple of days. (dissolve the salt in tank water then pour it in small increments over a day or so. Leave the tank for several days at that temp. once you see the last spot on your fish, then leave the temp at 86F for 5 - 7 more days. You can do W/C during this time just take care to maintain your 86F water temp. ONce your 5 - 7 day spot free period is passed, slowly lower the temp over 2 - 3 days. Do several small water changes to remove the salt and you should be good to go. I know this works because I just completed this treatment on my 90 gallon tank.
Good luck!
Oh and the reason most suggest the heat method is because it's less invasive than medications but the choice is ultimately yours

[steeler1]

Quick Cure is a safe and fast way to get rid of the Ick. Just follow the directions and your back on your way.

[mizzoutank]

did you recently add new fish into the mix?

also, what size tank and filtration are you running?

ich doesn't come out of nowhere, it comes from newly added fish, or a stressed tank.

[Honey Badger 1]

Heat and salt is more effective than just heat. Heat will speed up the life-cycle, but salt will kill the ich. Here is a pretty good article about ich, http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/ichthyophthirius

[ddavis1979]

My experience with Ich has been strange but promising. I have had an Ich outbreak in my tank twice, but it never got very far. In both instnaces, only the Black Neon Tetras had it, and there were only 5-6 spots per fish. I never lost any fish to Ich.

As mentioned above, raising the temperature of the tank only speeds up the Ich life cycle, and Ich has 4 life cycles. the white spots on the fish are one, and it is not vulnerable duing this stage. Then the white spots drop off the fish (2nd cycle) I think they are mildly vulnerable during this time. The ich then attaches itself to the substrate or an object in the tank (3rd cycle) and not vulnerable during this stage...and then the big outbreak, the 4th cycle is when the Ich spot spews forth 20-30 new parasitic ich spots which travel around the tank looking for a host. This is when its at its most vulnerable.

But Vulnerable to what? SALT!

So when you first see Ich, up the temp. I the recommending temp is 82, I have gone as far as 84. Someone above said 86, but that is pretty risky temp, espcially if you have cooler water temp fish in your tank like some plecos. This temp raise should make the full lifecycle of the Ich complete in less than a week, but results my vary. The same time that you raise the temp in your tank, you need to add the salt. I use the regualr aquarium salt they sell at the LFS, its pretty cheap stuff. API Aquarium Salt comes in at 1 Quart for about $4. It calls for 1 Tablespoon for every 5 gallons. I think thats a lot, so I did about 60% of that. For a 20 gallon tank I would do 3 Tablespoons. I found it easier to get out a large glass, scoop tank water out and pre-dissolve the salt in the glass and then pour it back in the tank.

I wait a week after all white spots have disapperared and then lower the temp back down and do a big water change.

Both times this is cured Ich and no lost fish.....hope it helps!