best temp to treat ich?

[loachmom]

It sounds like you are having a rough time there. I went through this, too.

I believe your fish are stressed from all the meds., and maybe it might be

time to stop medicating and use the heat method that ckk125 is suggesting.

You may lose some of your heat sensitive fish, and then again you might lose

them anyway if you keep medicating.

Here is a link to a post where someone else had the same trouble you are

having.

Click Here

I have a post in that thread about my own experience. If you choose to go the heat method, don't forget to do the large, frequent water changes that rich suggests in his post below mine.

I'm sorry that you are going through this. I remember well what it felt like

when my fish were so sick. Keep us updated.

[clutchxr]

A update on my tank. I went and got another tank for quarantine. I bought some antibiotics as well. Already the shark with the sreaks looks better. My other shark just died as I was typing this. He probably couldn't handle the temp or the ick cure. So now I have left from the 90 1 neon tetra, 2 clowns, 4 danios, and a cory cat. Hopefully by removing all the fish, cranking up the heater all the way, and a good water change I can put a end to the ich. Is there anything I can do to the tank now that I couldn't before with fish in the tank to kill everything bad? My roommate thinks the off white stuff growing on the silicone and the fake plants has something to do with things. I thought it might just be the good bacteria or maybe algae? I don't know. Do you know of any website that has photos of various fish diseases and desciptions? I would like to better educate myself to hopefully catch obvious problems sooner and be able to properly treat things quicker. I am going to do a large water change and clean the plastic and rubber stuff up some. The white stuff on the plants when I netted up the fish got knocked free and now theres white junk floating around the tank. thanks for all your help and suggestions.

[shari2]

Here's a helpful place to start. Has pics.

http://www.versaquatics.com/diseasediagnosis.htm

[clutchxr]

thanks thats what I was looking for.

[clutchxr]

I lost the sharks, neons, and a clown since yesterday in the hospital tank. I also lost a khuli in the 29 gallon. The clown didn't look sick before I left for work he was eating this morning. The cory cat hasn't eaten since he was taken out of the 90 he seems to have red splotches on him. Maybe he always did I don't know he is a lot easier to see in the 10 gallon. I don't care much for the antibiotics I am using they turned the tank yellow and now there is foam coming out of the tank. Thats after only 2 doses I think if I continue with the remaining 3 doses it going to be all over the floor. Should I do a water change or will that just remove all the antibiotics and defeat the purpose? One of my buddies feels bad and wants to give me some fish and I told him sure if you don't mind them dying in a week I don't want any more fish till I figure this out. Maybe I contaminated the 90 putting my arm in there placing plants and cleaning the gravel. I am really bothered that I cant make it a day without something dying. I know the hospital tank is new and uncycled but that shouldn't have anything to do with it after less than 48 hours. I think I will drain the 90 down some and remove the gravel and boil it to make sure nothing good or bad is living in it. I would still like to know what the white stuff is growing on the silicone and the fake plant. I am surprised the plants are not dead from all the ich cure and salt in there. any suggestions on how to sterilize the 90 so I know nothing viral, bacterial, or fungal is still in there?

[clutchxr]

I am down to 4 danios and a cory. I thought of something yesterday. When I first started the 29 I put my filter and slate in the dishwasher because it wasn't used for about 10 years. I don't remember if there was soap in it or not. I had a lot going on the day I first started it back up. I am not going to put the piece of slate back in the 90 im afraid it has something to do with all the deaths. I am going to wait till monday to clean out the 90 because I need new cartriges for my filter. I don't want to take any chances.

[clutchxr]

Been a while been busy but heres a update. been about a month since i cleaned the 90 gallon and boiled the gravel. The danios and the cory are still alive and seem very healthy. I bought a few new fish kennyi I think they are called and a couple neat looking platy. I have had them in my 10 gallon for observation and I am treating them with nox ich for a total of a week just to make sure they wont contaminate the 90. The 29 I lost a khuli loach a few weeks ago. Not sure why but it wasn't because of ich or any visible disease. I checked the water and it is good. The dojo loaches are a lot bigger than when I first got them so they seem to be doing good. They seem to be rather agressive when food is in the tank. Well just wanted to let you all know I havent given up on fishkeeping and everything seems to be doing good. I am thinking about getting some new plants because i pitched what was in the tank they didnt tolerate all the salt and ich treatment. I will probably buy them online because i dont trust the store the last ones came from and the other store i go to doesn't have much for selection.

[Diana]

Quarantine the plants, too. Even from a trusted source, they might bring something in.

[clutchxr]

Is there anything i can treat the plants with that wont dmage them to make sure they are not contaminated with something? Its hard to tell just by looking at the plants if they are ok or not.

[shari2]

Disinfecting plants
A good article on why, what to use, and how.

[Diana]

Wonderful link, Shari. Concise, to the point, informative.

clutchxr, sorry about your problems. I also had an Ich storm, and lost 2 tanks (smaller than yours, fortunately) of fish.

I know this is rather late, but about Ich:

It used to be that the majority of the Ich organisms would die at temps over 86 degrees F. Many fish could handle this temp, as long as the aeration was adequate, ensuring good O2 levels in the water.
In the last couple of years, however a heat resistant Ich has been showing up in Florida. Killed fish at 92* F.

A VERY OLD method of treating fish problems suggests a way to combat Ich: Old method: Move the fish to a new bucket every day. Clean the old bucket for re-use.
Reason this worked: Ich fell off, but did not have a chance to reproduce before the fish was moved.
New variation: VERY thorough gravel vac, daily, to remove the fallen Ich organisms. This will also result in a large water change, removing a large % of the swimming stage of Ich. Net result: very low re-infestation rate.
Side effect: if there are any other toxins in the tank (high Nitrates or other stuff) the large, frequent water changes will also reduce these to levels the fish can handle.

http://srac.tamu.edu/tmppdfs/312721-476 ... 872329233d

Here is the reference to the temperature tolerant Ich. Page 2, the paragraph next to the picture.