Ich infection

We've had our tank 8 months now and done a fish in cycle which is complete

We have 180l tank and following fish

5 cardinal tetras
3 african red eye tetras
6 blue emperor tetras
3 rasboras
3 cherry barbs
4 mollies
1 red tail shark
2 bettas

We added the cardinal and bettas same time and the bettas hid a lot maybe because never been in community tank but they have their own area they stay in the plants at back of castle, we believe they or the cardinal tetras developed ich which has run rampant on our tank

The 5 cardinals have passed, we took 4 out and 1 was missing we assume the others ate it, the fish were quite bad with white spo
Last monday on 28th jan we noticed ich and got anti white spot (interpet) added in 18ml, i had carbon still in filter removed and readded dose next day. I then added second dose on 5th feb.

I also bumped up temp to 80 and added 5 tbsp of aquarium salt. Since then the white spot is reducing in all fish but today we had a red eye tetra pass. We believe it is ich some fish still visibly and acting infected.

We assume it is ich i didn't see much but noticed white residue on underside of fish and removed. We feel the bettas may have possibly attached the fish as it was in their castle area territory which may have caused death. I've attached pics and would appreciate advice.

I've done water test and our nitrite it a tiny bit high but I've just earlier fed our fish.

We also see our red tail shark the black fins are white on outer part

I am not seeing any white spots... but other people may see some that I don’t. The first thing to do is verify that this is ich.

If it IS ich, raising the temp to 80 will only speed up it’s lifecycle, allowing it to spread faster. Ich can only be killed by heat at one stage of its life cycle, and the temp must 86 to be effective.

The white edging on the sharks tail sounds more like fin rot than ich...

The vast majority of fish diseases are directly related to stress. The tank’s stocking sounds Very problematic and very stressful for the fish. Top it with a fish in cycle, and you’ve made the perfect way for disease.

Other people will be able to offer you more advice I hope.

I also cannot actually see spots...another ich symptom and the first usually to appear is flashing, this is a very rapid scrape of the gill area on the substrate, decor, plant leaves. Maintain the temp at 86F/30C for two weeks, do not use any other medications or salt.

I also agree the stocking has serious problems.

I agree with all mentioned here but do want to point something out... You used 5 TABLEspoons or salt? Usually its only 1-2 heaped tablespoons, not 5... 5 could damage the fish in some way and make their lives worse... I would slowly start lowering the doses...

Rocky998 said:

I agree with all mentioned here but do want to point something out... You used 5 TABLEspoons or salt? Usually its only 1-2 heaped tablespoons, not 5... 5 could damage the fish in some way and make their lives worse... I would slowly start lowering the doses...

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I don’t think that they meant per gallon.

OliveFish05 said:

I don’t think that they meant per gallon.

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You know what... I think you're right

I don't see any white spots.
If it's white spot(ich), you need to continue treating for another week after all the white spots are gone.
You need to treat the eggs of the parasites which are not visible to our eyes.

If you use heat, you don't really need to use medication.
But for heat treatment, it need to be high enough at 30degC to kill the ich parasites..
You need to treat for another week after all the white spots are gone.

I'm not sure whether salt can kill ich.
If I remember correctly, Colin did mention once that salt won't kill ich though it can kill other parasites and bacteria(mild).
With salt, you need 1-2 tablespoon per every 20 liters of water.
Too low dosage won't kill anything.
Also, you cannot use salt for more than 4 weeks as it may damage the fish kidneys(especially soft water fish).
All your fish are soft water fish except for Mollies and African Tetras.

Yep, i meant per gallon not litres.

What's everyone thoughts on stocking, the fish are too wide a variety?

I've attached some pictures of the red tail shark, we definitely did have ich but have treated it now and is in its final stages or either gone. There was white residue on the underside of the tetra that wiped off?

Can anyone explain the white spot on the bettas?

Does the other fish look like they have fin rot or the red eye tetra that passed?

Thanks

And some of the bettas taken last week

With ich what has worked for me has been to raise temp to around 80f and lots of partial water changes. I’m skeptical about adding meds and salt to a tank.

I did do another water change after it, after my red eye tetra passed yesterday the other 2 are not sitting around and sitting at the back of the tank under the castle and near the filter, its the most common hiding area used

Ich looks like the fish have been sprinkled with salt, and none of the fish in the photos show this. The white bits in the photo with the cardinal tetra look more like they are on the glass. White patches could be a bacterial infection, or excess mucus caused by stress/poor water conditions.

Ramase said:

What's everyone thoughts on stocking, the fish are too wide a variety?

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Here are a few problems -

We have 180l tank and following fish

5 cardinal tetras - need a bigger group
3 african red eye tetras - need a bigger group
6 blue emperor tetras
3 rasboras - need a bigger group
3 cherry barbs - need a bigger group
4 mollies
1 red tail shark
2 bettas - see below

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Most of the fish are shoaling fish which need at least 6 with 10+ being better. Keeping shoaling fish in insufficient numbers causes stress. And stressed fish get sick easier.

Bettas are not community fish. I can't tell the gender from the photos, but 2 males should never be kept in the same tank unless it's enormous and very heavily planted. A male and female should never be kept together except very briefly for breeding. Two females is a bad number as one will bully the other. Females bettas can be kept together, but at least 4 and in their own tank, and with a fair amount of fish keeping experience to be able to spot problems developing

Red tailed black sharks need a 120 cm tank, and unless yours is an unusual shape it unlikely to be that long. They are also aggressive fish which could be stressing the sedate fish (cardinals, rasboras, bettas)

Mollies need very hard water, all the other fish are soft water fish. The strip appears to show soft water but they can be inaccurate. Your water company's website should give your hardness, though some companies make it more difficult to find than others. If you can't find it, tell us the name of the water company and we'll see what we can find.

I understand thanks i don't mind increasing the numbers to accommodate each, all appeared quite happy but when we added the cardinals and bettas and red tail shark all kind of went south.

The fish definitely did have ich as it was on most fish I didn't take many pictures but the cardinal did have white spots as does the red betta too, the emperor tetras had white spots too but fought it off, (we are now 1 week post 2 doses of treatment and raised temp + salt).

They all seem to get on and mind their business but understand your point and tank size and also the water paramater difference for mollies and others. I've attached my companies water measurements.

I really need to understand what the white spots on the red betta are and if the white resdiue on the african red eye tetra could of been ich and why the red tail shark fine are turning white on the outside.
Thanks

The white patches on the red betta are not ich, they are either a bacterial infection or excess mucus. I can't see any white residue on the red eyes in the photos but unless the patched a small raised spots it's not ich, more bacterial infection or mucus. Again, the white edges to the sharks fins could be finrot or mucus.

The strips don't test for ammonia - do you have a separate ammonia tester?