White Spot Treatment

[Fantomas]

Hi Everyone

I've returned to fishkeeping after a long time out. I fairly recently set up a new Fluval Flex 15 gallan tank (57 litres). The tank was planted up with live plants and cycled. I am using a plant substrate produced by Tropica, it's like little gravel sized soil balls.

Over time, not all at once, we have added a couple of Mickey Mouse Platies, 2 peppered corys, 2 Dwarf Gouramis and 6 cardinal tetras.

Within a few days we lost 3 cardinals to white spot/ich and one of the gouramis is also now showing signs. When I first noticed it I gradually increased the temp to around 78 from about 72, removed the carbon from the filter and medicated with a white spot treatment and repeated 4 days later as per the instructions.

The gouramis still have the white spots although it looks clearer on the tetras. I feel like I need to do a water change, but I'm not sure when to actually do it as I have just given the second dose ??

Also, after appearing to do fine, the Peppered Corys began to struggle with what appeared to be a swim bladder infection, as they were floating at the surface and swimming upside down, after a while both died, as I say both appeared fine, then one started and died, and shortly the after the second one appeared to get ill and died. Is this the substrate ?

Any help would be really appreciated.

Thanks
Matthew

 

[Byron]

Welcome to TFF.

There is only one effective and safe way to deal with ich, and that is heat. Raise the tank water temperature to 86F (30C) for two weeks. Do not use any so-called ich treatment, these are in all cases adding stress to the fish, and many of them don't really work well anyway. Salt is much safer for most fish, but that should not be necessary in most cases.

The fish mentioned will not have trouble with the increased temperature for two weeks. Increase surface disturbance so there is a good exchange of oxygen/CO2 as warmer water holds less dissolved oxygen.

Do a major water change now, 70% of the tank volume, and raise the temperature a few degrees with the replacement water. Adjust the heater up to deal with the additional increase over the next day. Temp at or slightly above 86F is fine, maintain it for two weeks, then turn down the heater so the tank returns to normal. And BTW, for the fish mentioned, the normal temperature would be better around 75-77F.

On the fish themselves, do not replace any fish unti this is resolved. But then, you need to reassess your fish, as you had too many fish for this sized tank, or insufficient numbers, whichever. Cories are a shoaling fish and must have a group, and here I would have five or six, even seven. Mollies get too large for this small a tank. And they need hardish water, whereas the other fish are all softer water species.

What is the GH of your source water? And pH?

 

[FishGuest5123]

Listen to Byron! I panicked and tried meds after heat didn’t seem to be working. I tried a couple of different meds. Gave up and went back to heat at 87F and a little aquarium salt. I did do one additional thing...I fed Garlic Guard to boost immune systems. I think ich hates garlic, too. Lol! Anyway, it did take almost the full 2 weeks but ich died off. Be patient and stick to heat. Oh, I also covered the tank only because my vet friend insisted. Swears ich comes out in dark but I did it just to appease him.

 

[seangee]

I agree with what has been said about ich.
Just a word of caution though. The Flex 15 is a lovely tank (I have one), but the cubic shape makes it quite restrictive in terms of the fish you can keep in it. It really is best suited to the so called nano species. Good luck in dealing with the ich.