A silver dollar in my tank has developed a light white dusting on its body. I've noticed some small suspended paticles in the water too, could it be this or is it a disease? The other fish are fine. The tank is healthy with Ammonia and Nitrite levels negliable. Please help, I don't want to lose a nice fish.
White dusting
- Thread starter booboo
- Start date
cichlidmaster
Fish Gatherer
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2002
- Messages
- 2,570
- Reaction score
- 2
Hi booboo,
When you say "dusting" does it resemble as though someone sprinkled salt over the fish?
If this is the case it's a sure sign of ich (or white spot disease)
Best thing to do is go get some medication designed to treat this. My personal favorite is Maracide by Mardel. Don't know if that is available where your at.
Another treatment some use is 1 tablespoon of salt per every 5 gallons of tank water. Make sure it is non-iodized salt. Table salt will work or you could use kosher salt.
If using this method, take some tank water out of the tank and mixx the salt throughly in this water and pour it over the entire length of the tank.
Also make sure you allow for the water displacement in your tank. This means any gravel, decorations and such will displace water.
Say you have a 30 gallon tank and you have gravel, some rocks or other things in it your actual water content is probably around 24 gallons or so.
You will also want to raise the water temp up to about 85 degrees. Do this gradually.
Ich is only treatable when it has left the fish to multiply. By raising the temp this will speed up the process of the disease leaving the fish.
What ever plan you choose continue treatment for at least 5 days.
I just read your other post about adding the angel fish. Did your SD have this "dusting" before or after you added them? If it came down with it after, they (the angels) probably had it and gave it to the SD.
Check your angels very carefully. You should always quarrentine new fish for at least 2 weeks in a seperate tank to watch for any signs of disease berfore placing them in you established tank.
Keep us posted on how it's going...
HTH
When you say "dusting" does it resemble as though someone sprinkled salt over the fish?
If this is the case it's a sure sign of ich (or white spot disease)
Best thing to do is go get some medication designed to treat this. My personal favorite is Maracide by Mardel. Don't know if that is available where your at.
Another treatment some use is 1 tablespoon of salt per every 5 gallons of tank water. Make sure it is non-iodized salt. Table salt will work or you could use kosher salt.
If using this method, take some tank water out of the tank and mixx the salt throughly in this water and pour it over the entire length of the tank.
Also make sure you allow for the water displacement in your tank. This means any gravel, decorations and such will displace water.
Say you have a 30 gallon tank and you have gravel, some rocks or other things in it your actual water content is probably around 24 gallons or so.
You will also want to raise the water temp up to about 85 degrees. Do this gradually.
Ich is only treatable when it has left the fish to multiply. By raising the temp this will speed up the process of the disease leaving the fish.
What ever plan you choose continue treatment for at least 5 days.
I just read your other post about adding the angel fish. Did your SD have this "dusting" before or after you added them? If it came down with it after, they (the angels) probably had it and gave it to the SD.
Check your angels very carefully. You should always quarrentine new fish for at least 2 weeks in a seperate tank to watch for any signs of disease berfore placing them in you established tank.
Keep us posted on how it's going...
HTH
The sd does not try to rub itself on anything. I've now noticed that a phantom tetra i've got in the tank has the same symptoms also. Which method do you recommend? How effective is the salt treatment and how willit affect the other fish I have (1xsilver dollar, 2xAngel fish, 4xPhantom tetra and 6x Neon tetra).
cichlidmaster
Fish Gatherer
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2002
- Messages
- 2,570
- Reaction score
- 2
IMO, the maracide is a sure bet. I have used this product for the few times my fish get ich and it never failed to cure them.
Salt is a good cure for ich, also raising the temp to 82F. Altho the salt is good, it should not be permanent in a freshwater tank, so now its gone, dont add any more, just do water changes as normal and the wals will eventually be gone 
Similar threads
Most reactions
-
466 -
284 -
272 -
240 -
235 -
185 -
168 -
154 -
136 -
121 -
105 -
75 -
72 -
68 -
67