Hi I've noticed little white blobs in a couple of my Rummy Nose Tetras, I am treating the rank with some medication. It says to remove carbon filter media for 7 days, I'm not sure if I remove all of these?? New to this, i don't want my fish to die ? there is also a bag of ball things in the filter too? ? thanks
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Ich issue
- Thread starter Jules3101
- Start date
Uberhoust
Fish Herder
Hi Jules, I am sorry you have Ich in your tank, it isn't pleasant and sometime doesn't get treated as easily as some people mention.
First you need to identify the cartridge that contains the activated charcoal. In some of the cartridges it will be combined with a foam or coarse fabric or floss mat, often times as a loose granular black gravel like material that is held in place by the coarse filter material in the front. If this is a TopFin filter like one I got with a fish tank it may be the blue cartridge. Alternatively I have also come across the sponge that is impregnated with activated charcoal, this is less common. If you have a cartridge that has gravel like material in it that rattles when you shake the cartridge that is likely the charcoal cartridge.
The bag of Ball things is likely your bio substrate for the bacteria that convert the harmful Ammonia to Nitrate. Typically you will leave this in. If the balls are small, 2 mm, and black they may be the charcoal but that is less likely. If the sponge portion of the filter is just sponge leave that in as well.
You will want to confirm the issue is Ich, there are numerous sites online that will help with that. If it is ich for sure then you may want to add a bit of aeration to the tank as Ich affects the gills of the fish unless the medicine you are using tells you not to aerate. Ich is usually introduced when new creatures are added to the tank.
The entire time you are treating the tank the charcoal should be removed. It might be longer than 7 days indicated by the medicine. I had a case where it took a month to clear up the Ich. Understanding the lifecycle of this parasite is helpful, the link here seems to have the relevant information. Ich & White Spot Disease - Cause, Prevention, and Treatment (thewittyfish.com)
First you need to identify the cartridge that contains the activated charcoal. In some of the cartridges it will be combined with a foam or coarse fabric or floss mat, often times as a loose granular black gravel like material that is held in place by the coarse filter material in the front. If this is a TopFin filter like one I got with a fish tank it may be the blue cartridge. Alternatively I have also come across the sponge that is impregnated with activated charcoal, this is less common. If you have a cartridge that has gravel like material in it that rattles when you shake the cartridge that is likely the charcoal cartridge.
The bag of Ball things is likely your bio substrate for the bacteria that convert the harmful Ammonia to Nitrate. Typically you will leave this in. If the balls are small, 2 mm, and black they may be the charcoal but that is less likely. If the sponge portion of the filter is just sponge leave that in as well.
You will want to confirm the issue is Ich, there are numerous sites online that will help with that. If it is ich for sure then you may want to add a bit of aeration to the tank as Ich affects the gills of the fish unless the medicine you are using tells you not to aerate. Ich is usually introduced when new creatures are added to the tank.
The entire time you are treating the tank the charcoal should be removed. It might be longer than 7 days indicated by the medicine. I had a case where it took a month to clear up the Ich. Understanding the lifecycle of this parasite is helpful, the link here seems to have the relevant information. Ich & White Spot Disease - Cause, Prevention, and Treatment (thewittyfish.com)
first, we need to see a picture to determine if it really is a disease. please do not treat fish with antibiotics unless you know what type of disease it is.
we need water conditions
ammonia
nitrite
nitrate
gh
ph
what medications you use
how often water change
other people have more
Ich looks as though salt has been sprinkled over the fish.
If it really is ich, the best treatment is heat not medication. All ich meds are rough on fish.
Do a large water change and substrate clean to remove as many of the parasites as possible. Refill the tank with water warmer than usual and turn the heater up to get the temperature to 86deg F/30 deg C. Leave the temperature at that level for 2 weeks. When you do a water change, heat the new water to the same temperature before adding it to the tank.
After 2 weeks or a week after the last spot disappears whichever is later, turn the heater back down to its usual setting and let the water cool.
With this method, you don't need to remove carbon. However, other diseases do need medication so if the fish get sick with something else you will need to remove the carbon. The best thing would to remove it before medication is needed as you can do it bit by bit rather than all at once.
The thing on the left in your photo looks like a carbon cartridge - a bag of carbon granules in a frame. The thing on the right looks like a piece of sponge held in a frame. That's not carbon.
Cut a slit in the bag of the carbon cartridge and empty out some of the carbon. Then get some more sponge, any make, just cut it down to the same shape as the cartridge. Then hold it against the cartridge and slip them together into the filter. In a couple of weeks, empty some more carbon, then again in another couple of weeks till it's all gone. Now you'll have just the new sponge and the empty bag, both of which can be washed in old tak water and can be left in the filter it you ever do need to medicate the tank.
If it really is ich, the best treatment is heat not medication. All ich meds are rough on fish.
Do a large water change and substrate clean to remove as many of the parasites as possible. Refill the tank with water warmer than usual and turn the heater up to get the temperature to 86deg F/30 deg C. Leave the temperature at that level for 2 weeks. When you do a water change, heat the new water to the same temperature before adding it to the tank.
After 2 weeks or a week after the last spot disappears whichever is later, turn the heater back down to its usual setting and let the water cool.
With this method, you don't need to remove carbon. However, other diseases do need medication so if the fish get sick with something else you will need to remove the carbon. The best thing would to remove it before medication is needed as you can do it bit by bit rather than all at once.
The thing on the left in your photo looks like a carbon cartridge - a bag of carbon granules in a frame. The thing on the right looks like a piece of sponge held in a frame. That's not carbon.
Cut a slit in the bag of the carbon cartridge and empty out some of the carbon. Then get some more sponge, any make, just cut it down to the same shape as the cartridge. Then hold it against the cartridge and slip them together into the filter. In a couple of weeks, empty some more carbon, then again in another couple of weeks till it's all gone. Now you'll have just the new sponge and the empty bag, both of which can be washed in old tak water and can be left in the filter it you ever do need to medicate the tank.
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