AquaticSuppliers.com     Cafepress Store

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 21

Thread: Safely Treating White Spot

  1. #1
    Registered Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Posts
    135

    Default Safely Treating White Spot

    Further to my recent question on using Metronazadole I'm struggling with identifying a solution to eradicating the white spot in my show tank and would appreciate some measured guidance. In the 30+ years I've kept discus this is only the third time I encountered Ich with the previous two resulting in heavy losses. As I no longer run a hospital tank any treatment considered will need to take into account the following;

    Tank 125g Imperial / 570 Litres lightly planted but not a determining factor, the fish are priority.
    RO Water PH 6.7, Temp 28C, N03 10mg/l, P04 0.1mg/l - No Ammonia or Nitrites
    Fish 3 Discus (1 large, 2 juvenile), 3 large Clown Loaches, 2 Corys, 35 mixed Tetras incl Cardinals
    Water Changes 20g daily 100% RO + RO Right

    Have raised tank temp to 30C/86F no other treatment as yet.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated

  2. #2
    Homesteader jwcarlson's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2022
    Location
    Iowa
    Posts
    955
    Real Name
    Jacob

    Default Re: Safely Treating White Spot

    Do you have a picture? It wasn't discus, but I had a bout of epistylis (spots are "fuzzy") that started out looking a lot like ich. It started on rummynose and ended up hitting cardinals the worst. Two weeks + three days of kanamycin (kanaplex) mixed with focus into food did the trick. It was pretty nasty. I was raising temps and hitting them with Ich-X twice a day (after 50% water changes) and it didn't make a dent.

    I don't know if it started as "stress ich" or ich and then epistylis was secondary infection or what.

    It was one scoop of Kanaplex, one scoop Focus, and one tablespoon of food. Then a capful of Garlic Guard. The fish loved it, so that was a plus. If I needed to feed it to my discus I would thaw a cube of beef heart and make it into a paste and then refreeze it, I think.

    notich.jpg

  3. #3
    Registered Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Posts
    135

    Default Re: Safely Treating White Spot

    It appears to be white spot from my experience, plus it's hitting their fins and the loaches are rubbing themselves against the decor to try and remove the spots.Ich.jpgIch.jpg

  4. #4
    Administrator jeep's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    O.P. KS
    Posts
    6,607
    Real Name
    Brian

    Default Re: Safely Treating White Spot

    Wow those guys are in rough shape. Without knowing more, I'd say you have some cross contamination going on. I would raise the temp to 32 and treat with Rid Ich Plus.

  5. #5
    Registered Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Posts
    135

    Default Re: Safely Treating White Spot

    I know, and all within 5 days with nothing being introduced to the tank and near perfect water conditions. My concern in raising the temperature to 32C is that it will kill the 35/40 tetras as to date they remain clear of the disease. Not a great picture as the light isn't good. This was the tank 5 days ago! How did this occur?Ich2.JPG

  6. #6
    Registered Member bluelagoon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Halifax,Canada
    Posts
    2,498
    Real Name
    Mervin

    Default Re: Safely Treating White Spot

    The ich med might kill the tetras and loaches also.

  7. #7
    Homesteader jwcarlson's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2022
    Location
    Iowa
    Posts
    955
    Real Name
    Jacob

    Default Re: Safely Treating White Spot

    Would ich manifest on just one fish or type of fish in a tank?

    When was the last time someone was introduced into the tank?

  8. #8
    Registered Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Posts
    626

    Default Re: Safely Treating White Spot

    In addition to heat use a copper based medication - but half the dosage because of the loaches

  9. #9
    Registered Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Posts
    135

    Default Re: Safely Treating White Spot

    Discus (x3) didn't make it through the night. Loaches, Corys and Tetras seem okay at the moment. Am reluctant to medicate as things stand, the 2 large discus I'd had for over 10 years and they were frail beforehand. Luckily I was able to hold off my new delivery of discus as I'll not introduce any fish into this tank until the issue has been resolved. The only additions were a few Tetras over a month ago.

    My suspicion of the root cause of the outbreak is that I, after a week away, did a couple of overly large water changes that dropped the temperature each time from circa 28C to 24C, apparently such fluctuations can bring on a white spot infestation? Any comments would be appreciated.

  10. #10
    Administrator jeep's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    O.P. KS
    Posts
    6,607
    Real Name
    Brian

    Default Re: Safely Treating White Spot

    Sorry for your losses. You're probably right about the heat, however Rid Ich shouldn't hurt other fish. This seems to be a parasite and the reason it seems to be attacking only discus is probably because of their slime coat. Tammy is thinking epistylis.

    I do agree that a copper based med could help but be very careful using copper and follow directions precisely and it can be lethal, especially for the loaches.

    If this were my tank, I would take a radical approach and tear the tank down, remove the gravel and treat with formalin and salt. I don't know how these will affect the loaches.

  11. #11
    Homesteader jwcarlson's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2022
    Location
    Iowa
    Posts
    955
    Real Name
    Jacob

    Default Re: Safely Treating White Spot

    Quote Originally Posted by jeep View Post
    Tammy is thinking epistylis.
    It sure looks fuzzy to me in the pic posted, but it can be hard to tell. In any event, it looks a whole lot like the epistylis that I battled a few months back (pic above). Tough to deal with even with medicated feed. Only ever got to tetras. Corys, pleco, gourami were all fine. Ich-X didn't do anything to even remotely slow it.

    In Branch's pic the darker discus looks like it might have white spots on its eyes, which is what finally tripped a trigger in realizing I wasn't dealing with ich.

    Lousy losing the fish, Branch... sorry about that
    Last edited by jwcarlson; 03-09-2022 at 08:55 AM.

  12. #12
    Registered Member Tkuilderd's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Posts
    120

    Default Re: Safely Treating White Spot

    Ich are very uniform in size. These are much larger than ich and not uniform at all. It looks more like epistylis, but without a microscope there is no way to know for sure as there are other protozoa that also become cysts. Formalin is a good treatment and 2 of the ich medications contain it. Salt is another good alternative at a dose of 5tbs per 10G. Most likely the loaches will not do well with either treatment, however your choices are limited. I would follow Brians advice and remove everything from the tank until this is finished. It is best to keep it bare.

    Tammy

  13. #13
    Registered Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Posts
    135

    Default Re: Safely Treating White Spot

    Thanks guys, with the affected fish now gone I will monitor things for the next few days, keeping the temp high and daily water changes. My hope is that I don't have to medicate. Failing this I will go with Jeep's suggestion and strip the tank down. The problem is that the tank is in my office and therefore major maintenance isn't an easy option, thankfully over the past 20 plus years it's never needed anything major.

  14. #14
    Administrator jeep's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    O.P. KS
    Posts
    6,607
    Real Name
    Brian

    Default Re: Safely Treating White Spot

    It's not an easy decision but I think it's the right one. Just keep in mind that all those bugs are also living in the gravel and filters...

    Good luck!

  15. #15
    Registered Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Posts
    135

    Default Re: Safely Treating White Spot

    Loaches bought it in the night, had them 12 years. Tetras and Corys all clear? Am confused why they're not showing any signs of the disease? Any ideas guys?

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Cafepress