Ich treatment didn’t work

[Rxhart]

I have this dwarf gourami who has ich, I believe. However I have treated her with 6 days of an ich treatment containing limonene, gentian violet, and capsaicin. I suppose it needs a different Med. I have another containing benzaldehyde green. Ise that or get another remedy? Haven’t done salt or temp treatment yet. Her behavior is normal and she is eating well.

 

[Byron]

No, do not use so-called ich medications, they often do more damage than good. All that is needed is heat, increase the water temperature to 86F/30C for two weeks. Do water changes as usual. You can do a major water change now at the start, and use warmer water to fill the tank a few degrees, and the heater will continue to raise it. This is a very safe treatment, most tropical fish can manage for two weeks with warmer water. Ensure aeration (surface disturbance) is good to allow more oxygen exchange.

 

[Rxhart]

Thanks Byron. I will report back in 2 weeks. Hopefully this little fish will respond well!

 

[Slaphppy7]

Not sure what those spots are, but I don't think that is ich

 

[Essjay]

The treatment you used sounds like a herbal remedy and none of the ingredients are known ich-killers. Heat is a much better option.

Are you sure that's a she? Most female dwarf gouramis of that colour variant are plain silver.

 

[GaryE]

Gentian violet is a carcinogen, banned in Canada even for fish use. When it was used, it was an anti-fungal, and not something I would use for a parasite.

Limonene is mainly used as a fragrance - always important in herbal remedies.

Capaiscin is from hot peppers. I imagine the logic is that a burned fish produces more protective body slime, and thick slime can keep Ich from getting anchored in. Salt does this too, but not with the sting I'd expect capaiscin delivers.

Classic herbal garbage. All fish remedies are unregulated and buyer beware, but fear of working treatments has created a big market for snake oil. It's rare for me to disagree with @Byron , whose opinions I respect deeply, but you still haven't used an Ich medication there. I would try a malachite green formula over heat, but I worked with an importing business where we saw both heat resistant Ich, and an ich-like, white cyst parasite that wasn't Ich, and that moved more slowly (with different cysts). I am not 100% sure that is Ich, but it's hard with a photo.

 

[FranciscoB]

I would agree with the benefit of heat, rather than the medicines used so far, which sound more like snake oil. And that does look like ich.
With that shape of the end of the dorsal fin, my bet is that She is a She.

 

[Colin_T]

The red gourami in the picture is a male.

 

[Rxhart]

I have her … or him.. at 88 degrees. It was sold as a “male dwarf gourami”, but I thought they had sharp angled dorsal fins and more of a color on the face. This one is rounded and has a gray face. I would love it if it is not ich, but not willing to place it in my big tank til I am sure. Again the fish’s behavior is quite normal and healthy appearing. I will toss the snake oil.

 

[Rxhart]

I have her/him in a quarantine tank for now until well.

 

[Colin_T]

There's no point putting the fish in quarantine if it's white spot because the disease will be in the main tank.
Just treat the entire tank with all the fish in.

Male flame dwarf gouramis have a red body, females are silver/ grey all over and have no red colour.

 

[Rxhart]

She was never in the main tank yet- waiting until sure she is safe.

 

[Rxhart]

He?

 

[Alice B]

I used to treat ich with a 2% salt saltwater dip, it doesn't kill the ich, but it did knock the cysts off the fish. And I would then quarantine and I rarely saw any ich in my quarantine tanks. Then along came 2020 and I don't know if it was ich, or a white cyst creature that looked like ich, but there were no apparent spots on the fish when I dipped them and the 2% salt dip did not work. I attempted a quinine treatment at normal dosage, it failed, hit one tank with a high dosage and it did succeed but nearly killed the fish. I don't know that just heat works on every species of ich or ich-like parasite going around. I do know I put a bunch of baby goldfish in the tank part of those tetras had been in, before they looked sick, and none of those goldfish lived. Even after moving to a 100 gallon tank outdoors and treating with a pond level quinine dose.

 

[itiwhetu]

Not sure what those spots are, but I don't think that is ich

I don't think it is ich, the spots look too large to me.