Help! Ick Outbreak

[emilyciancanelli]

Hi! My husband got 2 new fish from Petco about 2-3 weeks ago and now we have raging Ick! We had all fish for a few months with absolutely no issues. These two new fish are the only thing new/changed so we're guessing they carried them in. We just noticed it about 2 days ago and treated with Topfin Ick Remedy. Within two days, we lost 2 red tail sharks and one dwarf gourami is showing white spots. We did a 25% water changed and switched to API Super Ick Cure. Leaving the light off and UV sterilizer on. Please offer any and all suggestions to try and save the rest of the tank! I really hope we don't lose all of them. TIA

 

[Colin_T]

As long as you don't overdose the medication, the fish should be fine with it. Once the medication is in the water at the correct dose rate, it's just a matter of waiting it out and letting it work. In a tropical aquarium the white spot should clear in 3 to 4 days but keep the medication in the water for a week. In cold water aquariums you keep the medication in the water for 2 weeks, maybe longer depending on the temperature.

If you want to help increase the fish's chance of survival, you do a huge (90%) water change and complete gravel clean before treating. This reduces the number of parasites in the water and gravel so there are less to infect the fish.

You should also clean the filter before treating so there is less gunk to use the medication.

If you have carbon in the filter you need to remove it when using medications because the carbon will suck the medication out of the water.

If the fish get sick or are being treated, increase aeration/ surface turbulence to maximise the oxygen level in the water. Most medications reduce the oxygen in the water so you need to increase aeration to get the level back up. White spot infects the gills and body and makes it harder for the fish to breath. Increasing aeration helps the fish through this stage.

The following link has information about white spot and its lifecycle and treatment. Post #1 and #16 are worth a read.

What is ICH?

This is a common question that is often asked, what is ich and how is it recognisable and what causes it? The real term is ICHTHYOPHTHIRIASIS. OR commonly known as white spot. It is an extremely comon parasite that affects aquarium fish. It is highly infectious and potentially lethal and...

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