Beginner asking another question about...

[michelle767]

This post is really detailed, but I figure the more info the better...

After experiencing my first tank disaster a few weeks ago when my swordtail gave birth to about 30 fry (all but three were either eaten or sucked up the filter) and then shortly after the tank developed a horrible, rapidly spreading fungus which killed all the fish, I bleached the tank out (properly) and decided to try again. Last week I bought three dwarf gouramis and three black neon tetras...along with a few plants to help, I hoped, with the cycling process. (I have a 29g, btw.)

Yesterday, I noticed that the tetras had a few spots of ich. Despite repeated assurances from articles all over the web about how easy ich is to treat, I am utterly confused by the loads of conflicting info from, well, just about everyone. I could really use some help here.

So far:
1) Yesterday, I went to my lfs and per the lfs' guy's instructions, bought Nox-ich and some aquarium salt. I went home, added both the 1 drop per gallon of the medication, and 1 teaspoon (not tablespoon...I wanted to save my plants although from the looks of 'em it's a futile effort) per 5g of salt. I turned the lights off.

2)Today, most of the spots were gone (I know this doesn't mean the ich is gone, though) and the fish seemed relatively fine. I did another treatment of Nox-ich.

3)Tonight, when I looked in the tank, all of the fish seem much worse off. The once-active tetras are practically immobile and 2 of the gouramis have decided to camp out at the top of the tank...I'm assuming because the oxygen levels are low. I've turned the heater off, but due to the summer heat, I can't get the temp any lower than 81F.

This is so frustrating. The fish are obviously stressed. The plants aren't looking so hot either. Should I do water changes? Since I'm cycling, will water changes upset the growth of the nitrifying bacteria? If I do water changes, can I treat the water with Amquel before I put it in the tank (I know I can't add it directly to the tank b/c it will interfere with the meds)? Should I halve the dosage? Should I put the Nox-ich in every 3 or 4 days instead of every day? Every source I read seems to advise a different course of action.

I really don't want to lose all my fish again.

 

[totalbolshevik]

Do a water change. Is the Amquel just to dechlorinate the water or to "lock" the ammonia? I'm not sure if it will interfere with the medication. What was your temp before you turned the heater off? Better to keep it up higher when you have ich. Check the bottle of medication to see if it says anything about possible side effects, or if it is bad for certain fish... Sorry I can't be of more help, my knowledge about ich is rather limited...

 

[michelle767]

Wow, thanks for the super fast response...and the advice...
-The Amquel would be used to dechlorinate the water if I did a water change. The water around here is notoriously high in chlorine and I'm afraid if I added water without the Amquel it would kill the fish. But from everything I've read, Amquel neutralizes malachite green the active ingredient in Nox-ich.

-My temp was at 81F before I turned the heater off - I turned it off because I wanted to make sure it didn't kick on...with the combo of meds and salt I didn't want to stress the fish out even more with low oxygen levels from a high temp. Maybe I should go ahead and raise it, though

 

[Angel Lady]

If I were you I would do a 20 percent water change and Also a gravel vac and raise the temp to 85 degrees and try your best to remove the medicine.. this is the best way to rid your tank of ich and without the added stress from the medicine... And do not use any salt if you have scaless fish this will kill them... Also you need to leave the temp. this high for at least 10 to 14 days and do daily water changes this will slow down your cycle but it will keep your fish alive to.. I think everyone here will agree with me on this method to rid your tank of ich.