My first bout w/Ich

[Scarab]

Well, it's been a little more than a week (bought him on 7/23)....noticed today Solomon has little white specks on his head and pectoral fins (they weren't there yesterday). It's my first case of Ich. I've read it's very common, so I'm not too concerned...especially since I caught it early (he's not rubbing against anything).

I went to Petsmart and bought a bottle of Cure-Ick (by Aquarium Products) that has malachite green and formalin as its active ingredients. The directions say 10 drops per gallon (every 24 hours for a maximum of 3 days)...but since I have him in a 1/2 gallon (with no filter) I asked the lady at Petsmart if it was ok to put 5 drops. She said I have to be really careful not to overmedicate and suggested I use 4 drops. I also asked her if I should change his water first (I do 100% water change once a week...his last change was this past Monday). She said not to stress him with a water change yet.

So, I put in 4 drops. The bottle says it cures most cases of ich within 24 hours. So I'll keep checking him and see how he is tomorrow 24 hours from now.

My question to you guys: if after 24 hours he still has the spots, should I go ahead and do a 100% water change and give him/the water another dose of 4 drops? Or should I wait a couple of days (until Monday) to change the water and medicate again? (FYI: it's Saturday 8/2 and almost 8 pm here).

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[wetwetwet]

100% water changes can severly stress fish as trere can be huge differences in water parameters

Unfiltered / unheated small tanks imho are not suitable for keeping tropical fish in long term..... - the water is too unstable - please consider somthing bigger filtered and heated

I hope the treatment works.....

 

[bluefrog]

I'm not an expert, but I disagree that you need a filter on a betta. I've done a lot of research on bettas and goldfish. (My goldies are in their own filtered, bubbled 10 gals) I do agree with you on the fact that bettas need warm water. But you don't necessarily need a heater. You just need stable warm temperature, which might be easier to accomplish with a heater, but not necessary. (You can also use a heating pad if it has temp control.) I also think that bettas do best in at least one gallon of water. I think 1/2 gallon is just not as nice to the fish. And a gallon bowl doesn't cost that much more. As for water change- it is true that 100% is more stressful. I do 50%, using a gravel vac one week/100% the next and rotate like that. Just make sure that the PH and temp are the same as the old water. (And of course, don't forget your chlorine/chloramine conditioner.) Good luck with the ick. I think since you caught it early, it will be gone in the 24 hour period. But, if it's not gone, I would probably retreat immediately instead of waiting. The ick could come back worse and be harder to treat if you wait. In the case that you do have to retreat immediately, I'm not sure about the water change. Do the directions say you should change the water between congruent treatments? The med could actually lose it's effectiveness at the end of the 24 hours and therefore you might not need to change the water....Good luck!

 

[wetwetwet]

A 10g doesn't cost much more than a 1 or a half - and personally I would consider this the absolute minimum to keep any fish in long term.....jmho

....and filtered yes - so they don't have to swim arround in their own ammonia and waste - allowing smaller water changes and less stress on the fish.... but as said jmho -as I also am no expert.

I am also unaware of any med that wil cure ich within 24hrs - can you please let me know what it is.

 

[bluefrog]

You're right about the cost of a 10 vs. anything else! But consider the other facts of natural betta life. They are naturally built to live in small spaces w/ minimal water. They produce little ammonia in comparison with most other tropical fish. And also consider their life expectancy- 3 years, and they are already close to a year (usually) when you purchase them (unless from a breeder directly, of course). Bettas are kind of different with different needs than most other tropicals though. (I disagree with the minimum 10 gal rule for a betta.) But I agree with your points in general.

 

[Scarab]

Thanks for all the input. Thought I'd update you and let you know Solomon's doing just fine. I was a little confused about the dosage of the Cure Ick due to Aquarium Products (same company that makes Aquarisol) having two different dosage information on two different webpages on their website and a 3rd different one on the bottle. But I contacted them via email and they apologized and gave me the correct dosage and duration and when to repeat if necessary.

He's a happy little camper (and will be even happier once I do his water change tomorrow).

I'm glad I did a lot of research before I bought him...and I also bought some books on bettas and freshwater aquariums. So I not only caught the ick early, I knew what it was and how to treat it.

I'm not bragging....just stressing how important it is. It's amazing how many people out there just go out and buy fish & an aquarium without any research or forethought at all!!

As for the pros of having a larger tank....they're all good and valid points. But my boys are very happy in their 1/2 gallons and I take good care of them and their water, etc. The filter's not necessary and the thermometers I have for each of them indicates there's absolutely no need for a heater (impossible w/a 1/2 gal. anyway). If a 1/2 gallon's good enough for the IBC, it's good enough for me and my boys.

 

[Mollymomma]

Bravo for the research Scarab! Your right about most not doing research beforehand. I didn't ) I started my fish addiction when my little girl wanted a fish. A friend suggested a betta because they didn't need all the "stuff" other trops need.

Bluefrog everything you stated is in every betta book on the planet. I have mine in 1 gal. tanks, they are about a year old when you get them & the lifespan for them is 3 years.
I just started doing 50% water changes every 4 days then a 100% change every 10. I use 1 gallon recycled spring water jugs to treat the water & let reach the same temp as the tank water ( I store it in the same room as the betta tank) I also use a turkey baster to tidy up between changes)
They do not really care to be in a filtered tank do to the water movement. They prefer still waters like the ricepaddies they come from.

Now WWW points are great too.. I have a male in a 55gal. community tank filtered to the hilt, heated, treated etc. and he does really well. He brightens the tank and really is king in there. Betta's though really have diferent wants/needs depending on the personality.. I had a betta who is no longer with us after 2 years that I bought a 2 gal. tank for thinking he would love a wee bit more room...no he freaked out and was aggitated until I put him back into his old home.. So really you have to go with your gut & get to know your fish. No 2 betta's are alike.

edit: P.S. glad to hear Solomon is recovering