Ich pt.2

[TayHudson]

I think if I can't get the Ich cured in my tank I will be done with fish keeping as quickly as I started. I'm entirely too frustrated with myself to even think about ever getting anymore fish in the future. I feel horrible right now for what has happened. I've asked tons of questions and gotten a lot of great feedback on here and other forums. And asking people in person also.

I'm treating the tank and the fish. Waiting patiently for any sign of relief for my poor fish. I keep having to tell myself they're only fish, if they die don't get too upset. But I can't not be upset. It has nothing to do with the money aspect of fish keeping, as expensive as it is. That's not why I'm upset.

I feel that this is 100% my fault and that I could have and should have taken better care of them. I did the water changes, the gravel cleaning, not overfeeding, testing my water etc.......

I hate waiting. I don't want to be patient.

I have a lot on my plate non fish wise with my daughter and a lot of issues that have been going on in my family. It's all building up. And as soon as I saw those white spots I lost it for a second yesterday.

I just want to be a good fish keeper & nurse them back to health. No matter what I have to do. As long as I give it all I can then I know it wasn't a complete disaster........I guess.

I just had to get that out there.

[clint]

What course of treatment are you going with?

I've had ich twice i treated it once with high temps and salt and the second time with high temps and ICH-X, a medicine. I lost some kuhlis with the salt treatment and didn't loose a single fish with the medicine.

Yes it stressful, best thing to do is be patient and let it run its course. The higher temps helps alot and either salt or meds will finish it off. But stay the course for a couple weeks after all signs of infection are gone. This insures that there isn't a resurgence of the problem.

Another thing is almost if not all of us have battled this thing ourselves. My first outbreak was during the initial stocking phase of the tank similar to your situation, the second time i took a chance with some kuhli loaches and didn't QT them. A few days later and the tell tale signs of ich were visible on a number of fish.

My point is we all make mistakes especially when first starting out, don't let this incident take away what could be a life long hobby. Filled with many surprises and many joys.

[TayHudson]

I'm using the salt and higher temp.

[glenna]

first.... there is no sense in beating yourself up. You are doing a GREAT job. You have a lot on your plate:family, I guess work and LIFE
EVERYBODY deals with ich sooner or later.
a couple of positives: ich does not kill quickly, so you have some time HOWEVER you cannot let it get away from you, or you WILL lose fish.
I do not think the loaches like salt, but I am no expert.
I have had success with a combined approach (ridich+, increased temp, water changes, etc but it took diligence and a lot of worry).
It is a labor intensive process but well worth it. I will not try and outline an anti-ich regimen, as I am only a beginner myself and poorly qualified to do so.
Diana has a wonderful sticky on ich and understanding the lifecycle is key to success. LISTEN TO HER!
The only fish I have shed tears for was lost to ich, due to my inexperience.
This will take a long time (weeks!), don;t lose patience!
If you need to vent, go ahead!!!

[cider]

hey Tay,

A few mos ago , I lost everyone in my tank ,all beloved, especially my two 4'' clowns and my 9'' plec, bad meds .Members here encouraged me to regroup and not give up , so I have been restocking slowly and yeah, there are scary times , and ich has to be a drag , but this site does have experience in dealing with it so I would look here if I came upon it as you are doing. Hang in there, you are doing all you can , it sounds like it is a long process but once you are past it , you can hang your hat and give a sigh of relief . I hope all goes well with your family issues, and keep posting to vent if ya need to ... we will try to help ya get through all this ..best to you ,your family and your tank.
G

[TayHudson]

hey Tay,

A few mos ago , I lost everyone in my tank ,all beloved, especially my two 4'' clowns and my 9'' plec, bad meds .Members here encouraged me to regroup and not give up , so I have been restocking slowly and yeah, there are scary times , and ich has to be a drag , but this site does have experience in dealing with it so I would look here if I came upon it as you are doing. Hang in there, you are doing all you can , it sounds like it is a long process but once you are past it , you can hang your hat and give a sigh of relief . I hope all goes well with your family issues, and keep posting to vent if ya need to ... we will try to help ya get through all this ..best to you ,your family and your tank.
G

Thanks for replying back with your feedback. I know how frustrating it is now, and I just hate seeing the Loaches miserable. Even though all of the other fish have/had it.

I probably won't give up so easily, when it rains it pours and it started to pour. Lol.

So I'm just waiting patiently and using all the advice I've been given.

As of today all 3 Silver Tipped Tetras have 0 Itch on them from what I can see. 4 out of 9 Neon Tetras are clear also. The Rams are clearing up also. Slowly but surely. I haven't seen one of the yoyo's since I vaccumed the gravel a bit yesterday. Doing it as slowly and less stressful as possible. The Ember Tetras still have it pretty bad.

Today is Bloodworm Friday. A favorite day for my fish. Every single fish minus 1 yoyo and 1 clown came out in and joined the feeding frenzy. They ate every single worm. And then swam around full and happy.

So that put a smile on my face.

I'm trying really hard to stay positive since I know this is a common disease. Just hope it doesn't come back for A LONGGGGG TIME!!

THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THE SWEET WORDS AND HOPEFULLY COMMENTS

[thomas_edison]

It is a labor intensive process but well worth it. I will not try and outline an anti-ich regimen, as I am only a beginner myself and poorly qualified to do so.
Diana has a wonderful sticky on ich and understanding the lifecycle is key to success. LISTEN TO HER!
The only fish I have shed tears for was lost to ich, due to my inexperience.
This will take a long time (weeks!), don;t lose patience!
If you need to vent, go ahead!!!

[mark joshi2]

The higher temps helps alot and either salt or meds will finish it off. But stay the course for a couple weeks after all signs of infection are gone. This insures that there isn't a resurgence of the problem.