Discus has ick

[ifixoldhouses]

My Discus tank has an Ick outbreak, The temp stays at 86, I thought Ick couldn't live in hot water like that,any way I have been treating with salt and Parisite clear from "jungle", and now I notice my marlboro red has white feces, is this just a deworming from the medicine, or do I need to further medicate?

55 gallon tank, planted with gravel
temp 86
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 0
ph 6.5-7.5 depends on water companys mood seems like

stocked with:
1 brilliant blue 4"
1 marlboro red 4"
1 flachen 3.5"
1 stunted PB 3"
1 angel fish 3"
4 corydoras 2 are small
4 cardinal tetras
5 neon tetras
3 black neon tetras.
1 baby bristle nose pleco 2" or less
a few snails lol. damn things

[ifixoldhouses]

Just saw this:
DISEASE QUESTIONNAIRE


Problem

1. Please explain the problems with your fish/when and how they started

Noticed white spots on discus 4 days ago



2. Symptoms (i.e. turning dark, excess slime, not eating, clamped fins, flashing, darting, clamped gills, white/yellow/green poop, hiding, headstanding or tailstanding, white on tips of fins, rotting or fungus, blisters/ white zits on fish, bloated, cloudy eyes, wounds)

white spots




3. What medications/ treatments that you have already tried and results. Include dosages and duration of treatment.

1 tablespoon salt per 10 gallons, 2 treatments of parasite clear, 10 tablets total




Tank/Water

4. Tank size and age, number and size of fish
55 gallon, started april 14th 2009

brilliant blue 4"
1 marlboro red 4"
1 flachen 3.5"
1 stunted PB 3"
1 angel fish 3"
4 corydoras 2 are small
4 cardinal tetras
5 neon tetras
3 black neon tetras.
1 baby bristle nose pleco 2" or less



5. Water change regime/ how long has tank been running/ bare bottom or gravel/ do you age your water?
april 14th 09 start date
I change 50% water with Prime every other day
I use city water, which is usually 6.5, but every now and then it spikes.



6 Parameters and water source;

- temp ____86_

- ph ___7__

- ammonia reading ___0_

- nitrite reading ___0_

- nitrate reading ___0_

- well water ____

- municipal water __x__

7. Any new fish/plants added recently:added the flachen, and pleco 2 weeks ago
added 2 cory's a week ago, and put the angel fish back in from his 29 gallon tank. I removed him a month ago for aggression issues, hes docile now.

[Mr Wild]

Do they white spots look like a cottony growth or like salt sprinkled all over the body?

[ifixoldhouses]

very small dots here and there on every fish in the tank almost, the parasite clear isnt working very well if it is ick, maybe ick out would be better? the hi temp should kill it, but it isnt.

[turtlestunts]

Eddie suggested I use RId-Ich + and it worked perfectly. I noticed it early while it was only on a few of my fish and wiped it out before it could do any damage. Refer to this thread ----http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=72483

[Eddie]

You don't need to further medicate yet. Just run the treatment, when the ich is gone we'll see how the fish is doing.

Eddie

[ifixoldhouses]

The cysts are still on them, 2nd treatment will be up tomorrow night, maybe all the free swimmers will be dead by then.

[Eddie]

Do you have pictures of the infected fish? Ich is not the size of any cyst.

Eddie

[ifixoldhouses]

Im pretty sure it's ich, just in cyst form ,small as a pin head, they come and go, so I guess it's going through its life cycle.

[Eddie]

Okay but in the future it is much more effective to treat the problem directly than with a concoction medication such as Parasite Clear.

Take care and best of luck with your fish,

Eddie

[ifixoldhouses]

Thanx, They stil have white spots, and my Flachen is standing on his head kinda and his stomach is shruken in, Don;t think he's eating anything, what could I do with him?

[Darrell Ward]

Wow! Are these new fish?

[ifixoldhouses]

I've had em a couple of months, Couldn't afford to buy them all at once, LFS wants $90 each, the ol lady would kill me IF i came back with 400 worth all at once. THe Flachen has been there 2 weeks.

[Eddie]

Brian, in a matter of 2 days the fish go from having white spot to one head standing! Did you skip the whole qt process with the new ones?

Eddie

[ifixoldhouses]

Well its just kinda setting in the back looking downwards all the time, and its belly looks a little shrunken, the one in question is the latest addition, I kept it in a tank for a couple of days, but don't have the means to change the water every day in it, its in the garage with no sink nearby.I put it in because my marlboro red, which is probally the best one I have ,was getting picked on, now hes out and about. I feed live blackworms everyday, as well as commercial fishfood, but the Flachen won't eat much if anything at all.
I have put Parasite clear in 3 times and the spots are still present on a few fish, I'm lowering the temp to 82 and was thinking about putting the Quick cure in tomorrow, and cutting the lights off, I have two airstones in allready.I'll post a video in a minute of the tank.

[Eddie]

Sounds like a plan Brian, one very important thing to consider is that these fish do not tolerate QC at all. Some people will claim that it did not bother their fish but it is always wise to use caution, especially when its labeled on the bottle to use half dose with these type fish.

4 corydoras 2 are small
4 cardinal tetras
5 neon tetras
3 black neon tetras.
1 baby bristle nose pleco 2" or less


Eddie

[ifixoldhouses]

ya I was going to use half dose, think it will kill them still?

[ifixoldhouses]

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v70/ifixoldhouses/Fish/?action=view&current=Picture018.flv

[ifixoldhouses]

So, I applied 20 drops of Quickcure to my 55 gallon tank, After 24 hours what exactly do I do? add 20 more after I change water, or just add 20 more?

[Eddie]

So, I applied 20 drops of Quickcure to my 55 gallon tank, After 24 hours what exactly do I do? add 20 more after I change water, or just add 20 more?


Do a 25% WC and add 20 more.

Eddie

[ifixoldhouses]

thanx for the help:D

[ifixoldhouses]

Update: I used the Fmg for 2 days and cut the lights back on, and raised temp back to 86, I did a salt dip on the white Flachen, but he still won't eat.
I raised the temp to 91 and put a lil garlic powder in the flake food, he still won't eat. What else can I try? I have been changing 75% of Water everyday now.

[Eddie]

Update: I used the Fmg for 2 days and cut the lights back on, and raised temp back to 86, I did a salt dip on the white Flachen, but he still won't eat.
I raised the temp to 91 and put a lil garlic powder in the flake food, he still won't eat. What else can I try? I have been changing 75% of Water everyday now.

You raised the temp while FMG was in the tank? Temp should be low when using Formalin. You need to add air to the tank too, the fish won't eat if it can't breath!

Eddie

[ifixoldhouses]

it was at 82 when I was medicating, I raised the temp after the ick was gone, I have two stealth heaters set on 88, but its at 91 on my thermoter.
I have a empty 29 gallon running, think I should transfer him to it for awhile?

[Eddie]

it was at 82 when I was medicating, I raised the temp after the ick was gone, I have two stealth heaters set on 88, but its at 91 on my thermoter.
I have a empty 29 gallon running, think I should transfer him to it for awhile?

No, if the treatment is done, keep the tank temp up and have extra air in the tank. They'll eat eventually but you may need to try some live food also, live brine shrimp, white worms, CLEAN black worms or something to entice them.

Eddie

[ifixoldhouses]

I keep a 5 gallon tank full of blackworms, I feed them worms once a day,I have cones on either side of the tank so "The boss" can't bully them, but the flachen and marlboro red rarely eat, the brilliant blue and Pigeon Blood are geting fat.The flachen just sets in the corner all day.

[Eddie]

I keep a 5 gallon tank full of blackworms, I feed them worms once a day,I have cones on either side of the tank so "The boss" can't bully them, but the flachen and marlboro red rarely eat, the brilliant blue and Pigeon Blood are geting fat.The flachen just sets in the corner all day.

Sounds to me like they are getting bullied and can't get to the food.

Eddie

[sushiray]

I recently had a bout with Ich also. Just cleared up last week. I was advised to use salt 1st for 2weeks & raise the temps. But also advised to use Rid Ich+. So guess what? I used both. It took 5days to clear the Ich & 5days more after treatment.

Now I was aware of formalin & malachite green having some risks & with Rid Ich it contained both. As long as one doesn't overdose & have extra aeration/circulation.

Formalin at 11.52% is the liquid form of formaldehyde at 4.26% in Rid Ich - seemed to be at non-toxic levels even when temps are raised. It was a study of higher concentrations of formaldehyde/formalin that higher temps would risk toxicity.

It is my only my recent experience I can vouch for the use of Rid Ich (+ salt was my added prescription).

Good luck! Hope you win the battle!