Cleaning Aquarium After Ich

[lizard]

Hello All.
I found this forum tonight while searching for Ich treatment/clean-up and decided to join. While I've found a lot of info on ich, I have not found answers to a few ich-related questions that I have. I'll give a little history, then ask my questions.
A few weeks ago I got a five gallon tank. I set it up with gravel and the like and let it run a bit before getting fish. When I did get fish I got a three Mollies, a few Tetras (neon and glo-light), a little plecostomus, and two ghost shripm. Went through a few of them dieing, as they were from Wal-Mart (I'm in a small town and that's the only place close-by that sells fish). One of the replacements I got had ich (didn't notice it when I picked him out). Even with treatment, the only that survived was the pleco (and the ghost shrimp). As per recommendations of fellow fish-keepers, I temporarily re-located the pleco and ghost shrimp and took apart the tank and cleaned it. After setting the tank back up and running it for a bit, I put the pleco and shrimp back in it. I also ran ich treatment through there for a day, in case the pleco or shrimp still had any of the "ich bugs" on them.

The following weekend, I took a trip to a bigger town and went to a fish store (that was recommended to me by a trusted veterinarian) and bought five platies. I brought them home and added them to the tank.

All was well until last Thursday. I discovered one of the platies had ich. I raised the water temperature to 80* (farenheit), did a partial water change, and added about a tablespoon of aquarium salt. For the next five days, I did the same thing. The ich has not spread to my other fish. The one platie, who is now quarantined, has gotten many more spots, although he doesn't appear to be too bothered by them (a fellow fish-keeper looked at the fish and said it is ich). Per the vet's recommendation, I removed the remaining four platies, the pleco, and the ghost shrimp to an "empty" aquarium, and did another ich treatment (Malachite Green - which I managed to spill on the desk - side note: vet suggested using acetone to remove the green, I haven't yet tried it so I don't know how it works). He has suggested dismantling my five gallon tank, boiling the gravel and plants I had in there and using salt to scrub anything that can't be boiled.

After doing some reading on this forum tonight, I've come up with some questions: Is it necessary to boil the plants and the gravel? Since my other fish have not gotten the ich, and the treatment was continued for five days, I'm wondering if boiling is really necessary. If boiling isn't necessary, should I leave the gravel, etc. sit for four or five days before reassembling the aquarium? In my readings, I've found that the ich can live for about four days (96 hours) without a host. Opinions? Comments?

On a happier note - I have a baby platie! I believe one of my females gave birth shortly after I brought the fish home. I missed the event, but later found one fry swimming around in the tank. After that, I didn't see him until a few days later, at which point I removed him into a breeder tank. Now he's in a one gallon aquarium. I don't see him eat, but since he's still alive, and growing, I'm assuming he's getting adequate nutrition somehow.

Despite the frustrations with ich, I'm enjoying my fish very much. In addition to the aforementioned fish, I also have three male bettas. When I have my ich problems under control, I may add one of the Bettas to the five gallon. When I have some money (like that will happen any time soon - I'm a college student! ), I want to set up the 10 gallon with some more fish - probably some Tetras and I haven't yet decided what else.

Pamela
aka Lizard or GoatGirl (yes, I raise goats)

 

[Debo]

Hi,
It sounds like you are way too overstocked for your tank. Do you have a 5 gallon or 50 gallon? If you have a 50 gallon you are fine. If you have a 5 gallon, you have way too many fish in it for them to be healthy and survive. Has your tank thoroughly cycled? Did your fish store know what you had for size before they sold you more fish? Once your platties breed and stop popping out babies you are going to need much bigger housing for them. Sorry to burst your bubble here, but we all get anxious to get tons of fish. As far as Ich goes, my clown loach just got over it. You do not have to boil plants or tear the tank apart. The ich lives in there anyways, it just happens to attach itself onto weakened stressed fish. You really can't get RID of it unless you get a UV sterilizer.
Good luck to you. Get a huge tank.................
Deb

 

[lizard]

It sounds like you are way too overstocked for your tank. Do you have a 5 gallon or 50 gallon? If you have a 50 gallon you are fine. If you have a 5 gallon, you have way too many fish in it for them to be healthy and survive. Has your tank thoroughly cycled? Did your fish store know what you had for size before they sold you more fish?

Yes, the fish store did know the tank size. I also discussed it with my vet (who has owned fish for many years) and a fellow fish person.

I am now considering taking the gravel, plants, etc. from the five gallon and putting them in the ten gallon, then leaving the fish in the ten gallon. At some point I shall set up the five gallon again, and then add more fish to it. Can I add the gravel/plants while the fish are in the aquarium, or would that stress them out too much?

Thanks!
Pamela
aka Lizard aka GoatGirl

 

[aquamanis]

Hi Pamela, welcome to the forum. You haven,t mentioned any water parameters, have you cycled your tank yet? Also be carefull about using salt with plecos, it can burn them. Also the treatment for whitespot should be used at half dose with the pleco and its a good idea to treat longer than 5 days just to make sure. Its only in the freeswimming stage you will kill the whitespot, malachite green dosen,t do anything to the spots already on the fish.

 

[Alien Anna]

Ich is an opportunistic infection that afflicts fish who are stressed for some reason - its in the tank environment all the time anyway, so there's no point stripping the tank down.

The most common reason for a fish being stressed is poor water quality, particularly in a new tank. You could well have New Tank Syndrome (follow the link in my sig if you want to know more about it).

In addition, you were way, way over-stocked. A rough rule-of-thumb is one inch of fish (not including tails) per US gallon (4 litres) of water. A 5 gallon tank is really only large enough for a betta or a small group of guppies.

 

[Debo]

Hi,
You need to put your gravel into the tank before yopu add the water and the plants. Rinse,Rinse, Rinse that gravel WELL. And then do it again till it runs clear...........I made the mistake of not rinsing enough and the water was really cloudy at first.
Deb