Need advice on this ich situation

[julielynn47]

Okay, I am starting a new thread because I really wanted it apart from the other thread. If that makes any sense.

Anyway... I am almost 100% positive that the 3 pictus catfish died from ich. They did not have big spots on them, just little tiny ones covering their bodies. The only ich I have ever seen personally were big spots. Also, When they died, they looked wasted away....

I have actually never lost a fish to ich. I treated the tank the only time I ever had it and the fish were all fine. So I don't know how they look when they die...do they just die? or do they look all skinny?

I am asking all this because I really do not want to put this stuff in my tank if I don't have too. The fish I have left seem fine. They don't seem sick at all. I have a gouramie and 3 cory cats. All seem fine.

So, opinions please...would you go ahead and dose the tank, or wait it out and see if any of the reamaining fish develope ich and then dose the tank?

 

[Bawugna]

This thread describes a slightly different situation thant you did before. I am not sure what you mean by big vs tiny spots, ich looks like the fish has been "salted". The wasting you describe does not always accompany ich, it is more of a suffocating type gig that happens rather quickly (in relative terms) and should not drag on such that fish get a chance to waste away. Additionally, if your other fish seem un-touched, ich is likely not the culprit. The other fish, especially the gourami should have shown some distress or spots. If they seem fine and you are sure they do not have any spots and are breathing normally, then your cats may have had something else. Since they were all newly purchased and from the same place it is pretty likely they had a mutual problem and succumbed at the same time. Not knowing what it was is a bit unnerving and the urge to medicate just in case there is something lurking in your tank is strong. The wait and see option is however a seemingly sensible option. I am in a quandary. Since I got my wanky spanked over my old school ways I am reluctant to step out and make a call.......it might be perceived as out of line with the new way of doing things. You seem familiar with Jungle products, look to them for a general cure type product that might thwart something lurking in the darkness, otherwise keep things stable and put on a watchful eye.

 

[julielynn47]

I understand your reluctance to step up and say anything specific. And the fact that this thread is so much different is why I started a new thread.

The catfish did look like that had been sprinkled with salt, but very fine salt. The only ich I have seen was bigger in size than that. This is why I have been holding this bottle of Kordon in my hand and not really knowing if I should put it in or not.

The catfish were, as previously stated, from Wal Mart. The other fish were from Pet Smart. They were all put in the tank at the same time.

I tend to want to wait and see if I see any spots at all on these other 4 fish before adding the meds. I just want opinions to help me decide what to do.

I will say this, the time I had ich, yes Jungle cured it. Every other time I have had a fish sick, no matter what I put in the tank, it died anyway. Which is one reason I pretty much quit using meds. I know this sounds horrible, but I just decided not to stress the other fish with meds they don't need when the fish is probably not going to make it anyway. This is why I am wanting to hold off I think. The only time I ever "cured" a sick fish, I did it by changing the water everyday for 2 weeks. That may sound rather simple minded, but it worked. I guess that is why I am on a water changing spree right now.

 

[Byron]

I would suggest you wait it out, monitoring. What you describe might be Velvet. The spots are much smaller than ich, and much more of a "dusting" appearance.

Another point, is that the first sign of ich is always (so far as I know) flashing. The gills are first attacked, and if the fish are in good shape they can shake this off. When stressed, they may not be able to, and the spots begin to appear. I've had ich and velvet like this, flashing, no spots, flashing ends. With no meddling by me. Newly acquired fish often do this, in the QT, as they are under severe stress.

I would do water changes, maybe alternate days. It is amazing what this alone can do to help fish. Keep it simple; a hose in one corner to drain out 50%, then refill, so there is minimal "disturbance" and thus minimal stress.

As for Kordon Ich Guard, I used this once and fish died. And the ich did not clear up. Now, I admit I may have overdosed (hence the deaths), or it may just have been ineffective. I gave up on all such remedies a couple of years back, after Neale Monks advised me that heat and salt are the safest treatment for stubborn ich/velvet for most fish. That included cories, characins, farlowella, whiptails, loaches--and all wild caught. I think I mentioned in the other thread that I assume pictus would be OK, but to check, I don't know. I'm lucky that whenever I have had mysterious deaths, an online marine biologist friend or now Neale are my advisors. As both told me, it is very difficult to diagnose disease unless you are very experienced in disease. Common diseases we all see are usually straightforward.

Before subjecting the fish to more stress with heat and salt, I would wait a bit to see what develops.

Byron.

 

[julielynn47]

Thank you Byron, I don't know that I have ever seen velvet, and I know I have no experience with it. If it is more of a white dusting, then yes...that was probably it. It looked more like white dust instead of the white spots of ich I had seen before. But knowing nothing of velvet I just thought ich.

I will wait it out. Thanks to both of you! I just needed a "wait" nudge. LOL