Trying to kill ick, fish having trouble with warm water!

**MissIce** · 02-18-2012, 02:42 PM

Hi guys, this is a long story but I'll try and make it short - my goldfish & clown pleco have ick. When I asked for advice at the Big Al's near me, they told me two different methods of killing it - I could use the medicine, or I could just turn up the heat in the tank to 82 degrees and use salt in the water.

Even though I bought the medicine, I haven't used it yet because so many people say it's better to do it the other way. So I turned on my heater and raised the heat (gradually of course). Now, the temperature in the tank is only at 74 degrees currently and my goldfish is having trouble breathing. He's swimming very little and opening and closing his mouth constantly.

I know that warm water has less oxygen in it, so I bought him an air pump and something called a bubble wall that's releasing thousands of bubbles into the water every second at the back of the tank. And yet still - he can't seem to breathe, and he's not very interested in eating either. So. I badly need advice. I know I need to go up to 82 degrees, but if he's this bad at 74, what he's going to do at 82? I'm so scared to turn it up in case it kills him. Yet if I don't, the ick won't go away. What do you guys recommend? Is this normal behaviour for a fish with ick? Or is he just really sensitive to warm water? If so, what should I do? Can I use the medicine without the heat? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you!

**Brhino** · 02-18-2012, 02:46 PM

how quickly did you raise the temperature? Did you check the water parameters? 74 degree water in itself should not overly stress goldfish, it must be something else. I don't know if ich typically causes difficulty breathing or not.

do you still have two goldfish, or only one now? If you have two, are they both acting the same or is just one distressed?

**ElizabethJKR** · 02-18-2012, 02:52 PM

Goldwater are cold water fish, so he might be stressed with how warm the water is.

Pleco's are warm water fish, so he might no showing showing signs of stress because the water is just the right temperature for him.

Also, depending on tank size, they might both be cramped. Both fish are high waste producers. So you need a lot of filtration.

**MissIce** · 02-18-2012, 02:55 PM

Thanks for the reply - I raised the temperature from 68 degrees to 74 a couple of degrees every hour. Is that too fast? If so, how slow should I be going? Also I'm not sure what you mean by checking the water parameters - I'm pretty new at this, I've only had goldfish for a few months so I'm still learning a lot.

(And trying very hard not to mess things up.)

My other goldfish is currently in a different tank because of a torn tail, so he doesn't have ick.

**MissIce** · 02-18-2012, 02:58 PM

ElizabethJKR - thanks for the reply. I have a 29 gallon tank, and a Penguin 200 bio-wheel filter. I also got my water checked and it's all good. :) My pleco is acting a bit funny too though, I'm assuming it's cause of the ick rather than the warm water.

**Lady Hobbs** · 02-18-2012, 03:01 PM

If you use the medication you need not raise the temps at all. As long as it has no copper in it, the fish should be able to handle it.

Ick also invades their gills so I would be treating asap.

**Xavier** · 02-18-2012, 03:08 PM

I'm about the contradict some people here. Goldfish aren't "coldwater" fish. 72F - 74F is considered normal for goldfish.

Goldfish can survive at temperatures up to, and above, 95F. The fastest temperature increase recommended is 5F per hour.

The best way to cure Ich is salt. The increased temperature and the salt would be best, and the salt would help the goldfish's breathing. Ich will damage the gills (indirectly) hence it is having trouble breathing, provided that is what is wrong. (you need a microscope to confirm ich)

The problem with salting the tank is that you need to leave it in for 14days. You need to have perfect water if the fish is going to survive that long without a water change.

If you recently did a large water change, add 1 tablespoon of salt per gallon. Do this gradually over 24hours. (1/3 of the salt, then another 1/3 12 hours later, then the last 1/3 12 hours later). This will give you a salt concentration of 0.3%

**MissIce** · 02-18-2012, 03:09 PM

Originally Posted by Lady Hobbs

If you use the medication you need not raise the temps at all. As long as it has no copper in it, the fish should be able to handle it.

Ick also invades their gills so I would be treating asap.

Big thanks Lady Hobbs - I'm starting to think this is my best option too. Problem though - my medicine doesn't have ingredients on it so I don't know if it has copper. :S It's called API Liquid Super Ick Cure, that's all I know.

**MissIce** · 02-18-2012, 03:14 PM

Originally Posted by Xavier

I'm about the contradict some people here. Goldfish aren't "coldwater" fish. 72F - 74F is considered normal for goldfish.

Goldfish can survive at temperatures up to, and above, 95F. The fastest temperature increase recommended is 5F per hour.

The best way to cure Ich is salt. The increased temperature and the salt would be best, and the salt would help the goldfish's breathing. Ich will damage the gills (indirectly) hence it is having trouble breathing, provided that is what is wrong. (you need a microscope to confirm ich)

Thanks again, Xavier!

So what you're saying is that he's having trouble breathing from the ich, not the heat of the water? Or that the heat is just making it harder for him to breathe since he has ich already?

The aquarium has had the proper amount of salt in it for exactly 14 days already, actually. So you think it'd be okay if I just kept turning up the temperature to 82 then? His gasping is just really scaring me. He's not going to the surface though, so I guess there's enough oxygen in the water...

Thanks again Xavier!

**Xavier** · 02-18-2012, 03:27 PM

Lady Hobbs is right that the Ich is probably causing the breathing issue.

The salt doesn't seem to be cutting it, but if you have already treated for 14days without improvement, then you need to use the meds. The bottle (meds) recommends increasing the temperature. It also contains malachite green, but no copper.

If there has not been a water change in 14days, I would recommended a huge one before starting treatment. Also, be sure to remove your activated carbon. After the water change, see if your fish struggles breathing any more than before. If it is, consider putting the salt back in before treatment.