Starting my tank after ich

[Pnb00004]

about one week ago I had a bad ich outbreak that killed most of my fish. I seem to have it under control now as the fish that survived are showing no signs. When is it safe to go get new fish to add into the tank after ich?

 

[NickAu]

Hi

Can we have a bit of background information first please.

Are you sure it was Ich?
How long did it take to kill the fish from when you first noticed the white spots??
How did you get it under control?
What are your water parameters?
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
PH.... This will help us guide you in choice of fish.
What is the water temp?
How big is the tank?
What sort of fish do you have.
Do you have live plants.

 

[Pnb00004]

Hi

Can we have a bit of background information first please.

Are you sure it was Ich?
How long did it take to kill the fish from when you first noticed the white spots??
How did you get it under control?
What are your water parameters?
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
PH.... This will help us guide you in choice of fish.
What is the water temp?
How big is the tank?
What sort of fish do you have.
Do you have live plants.

Yes it was definitely ich! I was away from home but my mom noticed them and few days later three of my platy died. Then about 5 days later my two gourami died. I used a ich treatment and put aquarium salt in every other day for a week. My water is fine I got it tested at petsmart the day I got home and saw what happened. My ph is about 7.4 I believe. My temp is not adjustable but it normally is around 76. It is a 30 gallon tank and right now all I have left are platy with no live plants!

 

[NickAu]

I do not think it was Ich that killed the fish, Petsmart employees wouldn't know their elbow from their knee, Fine means nothing.

What Ich medication did you use?
How much salt did you add?
You also don't mention how often you change water.

 

[Pnb00004]

I do not think it was Ich that killed the fish, Petsmart employees wouldn't know their elbow from their knee, Fine means nothing.

What Ich medication did you use?
How much salt did you add?
You also don't mention how often you change water.

The fish were covered in white spots, had trouble breathing, and were very fatigued. I also tested the water at my house on my own and the levels are good, i check once a month and change my water every 4-6 weeks. I added the recommended dosage of salt for my tank size and it was Marineland ich remedy.

 

[NickAu]

i check once a month and change my water every 4-6 weeks

Bingo we have a winner, you should be changing about 50% every week.

 

[Pnb00004]

Bingo we have a winner, you should be changing about 50% every week.

If my water is healthy why would that be necessary though?

 

[Gruntle]

Think of a stream, river etc. Water is constantly changing due to the flow of said body of water. If you can imagine your fish tank inserted into the body of water you can see how quickly the water around a particular group of fish would change. Fish in tanks are essentially swimming in the same water constantly. Even a 100 gallon tank is no match for a small meandering stream when it comes to water changes.

Fish excrete waste, hormones and other stuff. Your tank may have decaying live plants (dead leaves), uneaten food and other potential hazards.

I assume that when you say that your water is "healthy" you have checked ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, as well as possibly pH, GH and KH. I have yet to see a "hobby" water test that checks for hormones. Hormones may or may not be detrimental to the health of your fish, so why take the chance?

For the health of your fish, you should try to replicate nature as much as possible, the easiest way is to change your water frequently.

I once left a LFS because the owner said "this tank is so big I never have to change the water, it takes care of itself." If that's what he thought, then I was extremely cautious about the health of his stock.

 

[NickAu]

Without regular water changes, about 50% weekly your fish are swimming in their own waste. Nothing beats fresh water, It doesn't matter what sort of filtration you have or how many plants you may have, fish need fresh water! Even if you have 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrites and under 20 Nitrates, your fish still need fresh water!

 

[Pnb00004]

Without regular water changes, about 50% weekly your fish are swimming in their own waste. Nothing beats fresh water, It doesn't matter what sort of filtration you have or how many plants you may have, fish need fresh water! Even if you have 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrites and under 20 Nitrates, your fish still need fresh water!

Thank you for the advice!

 

[NickAu]

Hi

Re your post on my status.

Pnb00004 Thanks for all your help! With that being said, do you think Im safe to add an angelfish with my current fry within the next week? And also can Angels live with gourami peacefully?

http://www.fishforums.net/members/nickau.121210/#profile-post-6750

You are welcome.

To answer your question I do not know, I have seen Angels and Gourami in the same tank, Best option is to start a new post about it.