achh!!!....its ich

[masterfishes]

i just noticed a little ich(only one small spot and thank god its the in the tank)on my gold gourami and she has been doing that rubbing thing against the plants and such...i know the whole routine to treat ich and have already given the first dose.....i want to know should i wait a few days before the next dose or should i keep treating untill the spot is gone and then wait a few days before replacing the carbon....plz hurry!!!

 

[Purplesmurf]

Reposting of my other ich reply.

he best course of treatment with ick is raising the water temperature to 85-86 degrees and using a salt (3 tsp. per gallon) / Quickcure (malachite green/formaldehyde) combination.

The salt enables your fish to remain bouyant with minimal work while not over stressing them, it may also adversly affect the ich parasite as its immune system is not nearly as protecting.

The trouble with meds is that that ich parasite is only vulnerable to them during one of it's three stages of life.

Ich is introduced in fish in its adult form(it can only be introduced to a tank, it not always present as some people believe). The adult form of ich (attached to your fish) will detach (trophozoite / breeding stage of life) and produce cysts. Each cyst can give rise to 300 or so tomites (free floating, only form vulnerable to medications). As the parasite matures (take 3 days) it attaches itself to a fish's body and will burrow into and under the scales.

Raising the temperature of your tank will accelerate the parasites life cycle and minimize the time infected fish will have parasites attached. The medication will kill any parasites in the water column, and will exterminate the ich burrowed into your fish after they mature into the trophozite stage of life and re-enter the water column.

But there an important thing to remember about medication: disregard the instructions on the bottle, but take note of the dose amount. The bottles will often only have you treat once every twelve days, obvioulsy this will only kill the tomites in the water column at the time of treatment. All the adult parasites on/in your fish will still have a chance to produce more cysts and re-infect your tank. So instead of using one course of treatment you should 3-4 within a 12 day period (the length of the ich parasite life cycle). Make sure to do at least a 50% water change between treatments.

Peas help unclog your fish's digestive tract. Along with garlic extract (boil from garlic in water and dip your fish's food in it) they can be used to help rid your fish of internal parasites and the garlic also intices picky or sick fish to eat.


I hope that helps.

 

[masterfishes]

thanks but i already know all this......tank temp is 82-84 F i have removed all the carbon from my filter and gave one doesage of cure-ick which is malachite green and formalin.....i will start raising the temp now....my gourami has stopped flicking against stuff but there r now 2 spots of ick.......anyway i just need to know if i should treat again tonite or is the level of meds in the tank strong enough.......wont somebody breed a fish that is natuarly invulnerable to ick

 

[Purplesmurf]

Treat every three or four days for twelve days (3-4 total treatments)

 

[tttnjfttt]

What type of meds are you using and what does the directions say? Its best to not overmedicate fish.

 

[masterfishes]

cure-ick which is malachite green and formalin

thats what im using.....im supposed to give ten drops per gal every 24

 

[tttnjfttt]

I would do it every 24 hours, for atleast a week or for three days after all the spots are gone.

 

[masterfishes]

ok thanks.....can anyone suggest the best ich meds as i always like to keep some on hand just incase....and after this the bottle i have will probably be empty

 

[WILDER]

Depends on your location.

 

[masterfishes]

i live in colorado springs colorado usa.....if its on the net its ok too... i was thinkin of getting that eSHa EXIT

 

[WILDER]

Clout
Manufacturer: Aquarium Products
A very strong and effective medication for parasitic and protozoan infestations. Treats: Ich, Hydra, leeches, Planaria, Epistylis, Trichodina, Hexamita,Tetrahy-mena, body fungus, digenetic flukes, parasitic copepods, monogenetic flukes and anchor worms.


or maracide

 

[masterfishes]

ok thanks....BTW..... the ick on my female gold gourami has dissapeared....ill give the second dose tonite once its neen 24 hrs and hopefully by tues morn i can put the carbon back in

 

[tttnjfttt]

Remember, the ich only spends 1/4 of its life cycle as a white spot. Its only able to be killed another 1/4 of the time. I'd be careful about taking the meds out so soon

Check out this link for more info
http/badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article2.html

 

[masterfishes]

i know....i was planning on giveing the second dose tonite(and will) and then watch it over the next couple of days and treat more if required(but hopefully not).....ive been trough this whole scene before and this is the weekest of them all

 

[tttnjfttt]

Depending on the medicine you are using, I would treat for a week, just to kill all those little parasites. I think it is easier to go for a few more days rather than having to start back at the beginning. This is assuming your fish are tollerating the meds well.