Ick in plantedtank

[Ladykelly]

Hi, I have a 29 gallon planted aquarium with tetras, guppies and loaches. I have 11 neon green tetras. They have ick. They seem fine right now but the white spots look horrible. I been treating the tank with ick guard for 3 days. I am not using full dosage because I read that loaches and neons are fragile plus i have plants. I been doing water changes 20%. I threw in garlic. Lights are off. Filters are off. Temperature is 80. When do you think I should see results? I love the set up of my tank but this is discouraging. I'm starting to think of removing the plants, put gravel in bucket with aquarium salt and just leave the tank bare with fish and meds until I see improvement. Only thing is the plants are just starting to get established in the tank. For being sick the little buggers dont stay still lol

 

[seangee]

Gradually increase your temp to 86. do a large water change and gravel vac. Keep the temp up for 2 weeks and do a few more water changes / vacs in that time. Don't bother with meds. If it is ick that will be the end of it so you can gradually bring your temp back to its normal level.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Agree 100% with Seangee. The 86F temp is all you need to kill ich. Do as he said and be sure to vac substrate regularly and do water changes. If you don’t have an air stone you may want to add one as the higher temp decreases oxygen some. Do the full 2 weeks. Good luck!

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

As the others have said, crank the temperature up and keep it there for 2 weeks.

Before you raise the temperature, wipe the inside of the tank with a clean fish sponge, and do a 75-80% water change and gravel clean the substrate. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks. However, if the filters are less than 6 weeks old, don't clean them yet. Wash filter materials/ media in a bucket of tank water and re-use them.

Increase aeration/ surface turbulence to maximise oxygen levels in the water.

 

[Ladykelly]

I only have 3 green neons left from the 11. I went back to big Al's and guess what they are not for sale right now wonderehy (being sarcastic) and I'm sure the tank has meds in it. The other fish seem ok now... dont see any white dots. Btw good new and bad. One of my guppies gave birth in the meds. Got 3 little fry out correction 4. 5 lol not sure how many I can save. Even suck they have an appetite

 

[FishGuest5123]

I only have 3 green neons left from the 11. I went back to big Al's and guess what they are not for sale right now wonderehy (being sarcastic) and I'm sure the tank has meds in it. The other fish seem ok now... dont see any white dots. Btw good new and bad. One of my guppies gave birth in the meds. Got 3 little fry out correction 4. 5 lol not sure how many I can save. Even suck they have an appetite

Wow!

 

[Byron]

I only have 3 green neons left from the 11. I went back to big Al's and guess what they are not for sale right now wonderehy (being sarcastic) and I'm sure the tank has meds in it. The other fish seem ok now... dont see any white dots. Btw good new and bad. One of my guppies gave birth in the meds. Got 3 little fry out correction 4. 5 lol not sure how many I can save. Even suck they have an appetite

Green neon tetras, assuming you mean Parachierodon simulans which is also sometimes commonly called the false neon, are extremely sensitive and delicate fish. Probably more than cardinal tetras. Never use any chemical or medication unless it is absolutely essential to save the fish. This is not intended as a blame, just information for the future.

Salt is actually much safer with these and similar fish, something not often realized, if the need for an additive is obvious. I'm not saying use salt, just making the observation. Cories, loaches, and characins (tetras, pencilfish, hatchetfish) are very sensitive fish to additives in general.

When a characin is injured, it releases an alarm pheromone called Schreckstoff into the water that triggers an escape response in other members of the species. Other species do not respond to the presence of the pheromones. This chemical warning system may explain their heightened sensitivity to medications and fluctuating water conditions in the aquarium.

 

[Ladykelly]

Thank you for the information. I like the green tetras.... unfortunately I have less now. I recounted theres 4... not sure if I can get more I only saw them at big Al's and I'm a bit angry with them. Will they school with neons or cardinals?

 

[Byron]

Thank you for the information. I like the green tetras.... unfortunately I have less now. I recounted theres 4... not sure if I can get more I only saw them at big Al's and I'm a bit angry with them. Will they school with neons or cardinals?

Yes, but with cardinals rather than neons. Phylogenetic analysis shows that the cardinal Parachierodon axelrodi and the green tetra P. simulans are very closely related, differing in their DNA by only a couple of chromosomes. The neon tetra, P. innesi, is a more distant relation.

This very close genetic relationship means that conditions favouring one species will generally favour the other. Both P. axelrodi and P. simulans are found in identical habitat environments...very soft and acidic water, warmer temperatures, often blackwater. They are sympatric species (meaning, they occur in the same watercourse together) in some of their habitats but not in others. Both species are associated with flooded areas of the Negro river basin; P. axelrodi inhabits waters that do not exceed 30°C, and P. simulans lives at temperatures that can surpass 35°C (D.F. Campos, et al, 2017). The neon P. innesi is not found in such environments but in much cooler clearwater streams and does not occur sympatrically with either of the afore-mentioned species.

So the cardinal and green neons will always consider each other "family" so to speak, more than the neon. And your aquascape can suit them equally well. I acquired my previous group of P. simulans some years ago, and as my older group of P. axelrodi began dying off, I moved the remaining three or four in with the P. simulans, and they were inseparable.

 

[Ladykelly]

Well unfortunately I learned a hard lesson. Even if fish look ok from a pet store always quarantine them. The green neons with ick killed most of my fish.my tank looks almost empty. I only have 2 tetras, 2 kuli loaches and cory left. Think I leave it be for a bit..... I do have 4 guppy fry I can put in it once they are bit bigger so the 2 tetras cant eat them. The heat still at 85. Tertas not sure what type they are... (not the green neons they all dead) dont have ick dots but still going to keep it at that temperature a little longer. My plants seem to survive the ordeal. Anyone know what type these tetras are?

 

[Colin_T]

Flame Tetras (Hyphessobrycon flammeus)

 

[Byron]

Well unfortunately I learned a hard lesson. Even if fish look ok from a pet store always quarantine them. The green neons with ick killed most of my fish.my tank looks almost empty. I only have 2 tetras, 2 kuli loaches and cory left. Think I leave it be for a bit..... I do have 4 guppy fry I can put in it once they are bit bigger so the 2 tetras cant eat them. The heat still at 85. Tertas not sure what type they are... (not the green neons they all dead) dont have ick dots but still going to keep it at that temperature a little longer. My plants seem to survive the ordeal. Anyone know what type these tetras are?

The "ick guard" likely did as much damage as the ick. But you now know. I used these concoctions many years ago but they are usually more detrimental than beneficial and are just not worth the risk. And I concur with Colin on the tetra species.

Keep the temp for another week, maintain good surface disturbance, and more frequent water changes.