Ick

[Mariah]

Hi everyone,
I was told I may get more advice if I post this topic over here. This is what happened...
Two days ago I noticed that some of my mollies (I only have 4 mollies in my 10 gal tank) had developed some white spots which I dianoiced as ick. I called the lfs and was told to gradually put my temp up and to add aquarium salt. So that same night I raised the temp abit and the next day the salt was added. (I just got my wisdom teeth out so I had my dad get it for me the next day and hes the one that actually made the call to the lfs) The temp is now up to 80 F.
So today being the third day theres hardly any white spots on my mollies, just a couple...
So I guess the point of this long post was for someone to tell me how long to wait to make sure the ick is gone (once I see no white spots of course) and how to go about doing water changes and adding more fish. Also do I add more salt?
I will also add that I know for a fact my black lyetail molly is preggers and I suspect my dalmation molly is preggers too.
Im very new at this whole fish keeping thing so any help would be great!
Thanks

 

[WILDER]

Anybody had any sucess with this method of treating whitespot with salt and temp, as i have never done it only had it once and treated with a med, but her fish are pregnant.

 

[WILDER]

Bump it up for you.

 

[Mariah]

Is anyone going to help me?
All I would like to know is how long to wait to make sure the ick is gone (once I see no white spots of course) and how to go about doing water changes and adding more fish. Also do I add more salt?
Thanks

 

[Mariah]

Anyone? I know there are wonderfull people that are on this forum!

 

[Blue Lobster]

Ich can be cured with temp and salt. I just did it and it works. There is a life cycle of the ICH. 3 days at 80 degrees.

Check out this listing on the life cycle http/www.petsforum.com/novalek/kpd57.htm

A post from a newsletter on the subject.
http/www.aquarticles.com/articles/manage...Ranson_Ich.html


Crank the heat, crank the air, vacuum the tank and add salt.

Coppersafe works well at curing ich too, I have used it successfully in the past.

Warning on Coppersafe, it' a nono with invertibrates.

 

[Mariah]

So if I added the salt 2 days ago and now I see no traces of ick, do I do a water change and if so how much? And also do I vacume the gravel before or after the water change?
Thanks

 

[WILDER]

Do usual amount of water change, add the salt back to the amount you have removed and yes do a gravel vac to help remove the parasite out of the gravel.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Mariah

Ich is one of those annoying things that can linger if you do not eliminate it completely.

There is a rule that advises to treat ich for twice as long as you think you need to. If you follow that, your fish should be fine.


_____
You mentioned that you are a new fishkeeper, so let me ask if your tank is cycled ?

 

[Mariah]

Hi Mariah

Ich is one of those annoying things that can linger if you do not eliminate it completely.

There is a rule that advises to treat ich for twice as long as you think you need to. If you follow that, your fish should be fine.


_____
You mentioned that you are a new fishkeeper, so let me ask if your tank is cycled ?

Well how long does the tank need to not have fish in it to be cycled? My tank has only been up for almost 2 weeks with 4 mollies in it... Is that cycled?

Also can I do the water change tonight? Im guseesing half of the water needs to be changed? Or should I wait acouple more days just to confirm that the ick is gone? Do I at least vacume the gravel, than do a water change in acouple of days?

Im soooo confused!!!

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Mariah

Cycling is the single most important thing you will need to understand to keep your fish healthy and to make your aquarium prosper. Your tank is not cycled yet, so I will briefly explain what it is about. There is a little science involved here, but if I can understand it, so can anyone.

All fish produce waste products that contain ammonia. These need to be eliminated to keep the fish healthy. You can do this by doing big water changes very very often, or by cultivating a batch of bacteria that will consume it and turn it into something that is harmless to the fish. Raising these bacteria is called cycling, and when a tank is fully cycled there will be enough "Beneficial Bacteria" in it to do the job completely.

Cycling can be done in two ways: with fish or fishless. Since you already have fish in the tank, you will be doing the cycle, "With Fish."

By now, your fish have already put ammonia into the water and they will continue to do it every time they eliminate their wastes. Also by now, some bacteria have developed to consume them. These bacteria will convert the ammonia to nitrItes.

Then, other bacteria will eat the nitrItes and convert them to nitrAtes. Nitrates are relatively harmless to the fish and will be reduced when you do your normal weekly water change and bottom cleaning.

Now, we don't know what stage in the cycle your tank is at. To find out, you need to buy test kits for Ammonia, Nitrites, and Nitrates. These are the ones I use:

http/www.petsmart.com/global/product_det...D=1110594923217

http/www.petsmart.com/global/product_det...D=1110595372842

http/www.petsmart.com/global/product_det...D=1110595372533

Your lfs will probably try to sell you a test kit fir pH too, but unless you have certain fussy kinds of fish, which you do not, you won't need one. The tests are easy to do and all instructions are in the box. We will help you interpret them.

______
About doing your water changes, by all means do them. You can always replace the medicines, but since your tank is uncycled, you will have to remove the excess ammonia by changing the water.

Built up ammonia and/or nitrites can harm your fish and make them sick. Once you get your test kits, you will be better able to monitor them and control them.

 

[astroboy]

When treating with salt/temp, you have to gradually crank the heat to at least 86. At 86 the heat alone should kill the ick.

The salt is another precaution. Add 1-3 teaspoons of aquarium or table salt (aim for 2 teaspoons pre gallon) over the course of a day (every few hours). Continue treatment for a week or two(2 is overkill) after the last visible signs of ick.
Meanwhile stick with your regular water change schedule replenishing the salt you take out.

 

[Mariah]

Ok, so I see no signs of ick. I hasent been a week yet since the last signs of ick. Is is safe to clean the gravel?
And thanks for the info on the cycling

 

[WILDER]

Sorry I thought your tank was cycled, you shouldn't really vac the gravel till the tank has cycled, don't go mad, just slighly with having the whitespot, do you have any other tanks.

 

[Mariah]

Sorry I thought your tank was cycled, you shouldn't really vac the gravel till the tank has cycled, don't go mad, just slighly with having the whitespot, do you have any other tanks.

So only vacume the gravel slightly? When can I get fish? When will the tank be fully cycled?
Thanks