Clown loach ich treatment

[AmyKieran]

Hi I’m helping my friend with his ich. In his tank he has clown loach and green terror. Noticed ich on the green terror first so started treating it with meds, salt and heat (30 degrees) (wrong now I know) and the white spots seemed to have dropped off the green terror and are now acting great. The clown loach however aren’t. White spots all over them and are acting very lethargic. I panicked and did a water change as I googled salt wasn’t good for them. What do I do now?

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 10

 

[AmyKieran]

Should I re add ich treatment and keep at 30?

 

[Colin_T]

The heat should deal with the white spot. If 30C isn't working, you can try 31C or use a chemical based medication that contains Malachite Green.
Don't use heat and medication tho, just use one or the other.

Malachite green is carcinogenic (causes cancer) so avoid getting it on your skin and wash hands with soapy water after handling any medication or working in the tank.

--------------------
Before you use medications, do the following.

Work out the volume of water in the tank:
measure length x width x height in cm.
divide by 1000.
= volume in litres.

When you measure the height, measure from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level.

If you have big rocks or driftwood in the tank, remove these before measuring the height of the water level so you get a more accurate water volume.

You can use a permanent marker to draw a line on the tank at the water level and put down how many litres are in the tank at that level.

There is a calculator/ converter in the "FishForum.net Calculator" under "Useful Links" at the bottom of this page that will let you convert litres to gallons if you need it.

Remove carbon from the filter before treating with chemicals or it will adsorb the medication and stop it working. You do not need to remove the carbon if you use salt.

Do a big (75-90%) water change and gravel clean the substrate. This will remove a lot of the parasites and buy the fish some time.

Clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks. However, if the filter is less than 6 weeks old, do not clean it. Wash the filter materials/ media in a bucket of tank water and re-use them. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the garden/ lawn.

Increase surface turbulence/ aeration to maximise the dissolved oxygen in the water.

 

[AmyKieran]

The heat should deal with the white spot. If 30C isn't working, you can try 31C or use a chemical based medication that contains Malachite Green.
Don't use heat and medication tho, just use one or the other.

Malachite green is carcinogenic (causes cancer) so avoid getting it on your skin and wash hands with soapy water after handling any medication or working in the tank.

--------------------
Before you use medications, do the following.

Work out the volume of water in the tank:
measure length x width x height in cm.
divide by 1000.
= volume in litres.

When you measure the height, measure from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level.

If you have big rocks or driftwood in the tank, remove these before measuring the height of the water level so you get a more accurate water volume.

You can use a permanent marker to draw a line on the tank at the water level and put down how many litres are in the tank at that level.

There is a calculator/ converter in the "FishForum.net Calculator" under "Useful Links" at the bottom of this page that will let you convert litres to gallons if you need it.

Remove carbon from the filter before treating with chemicals or it will adsorb the medication and stop it working. You do not need to remove the carbon if you use salt.

Do a big (75-90%) water change and gravel clean the substrate. This will remove a lot of the parasites and buy the fish some time.

Clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks. However, if the filter is less than 6 weeks old, do not clean it. Wash the filter materials/ media in a bucket of tank water and re-use them. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the garden/ lawn.

Increase surface turbulence/ aeration to maximise the dissolved oxygen in the water.

Okay I’ve just done a big water change and gravel clean so I’ll increase the temperature and leave for how long?

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Heat may not kill all strains of Ich. I prefer using meds. I have only had ich one time each in two tanks in total over 21 years. I have had to deal with columnaris more often.

However, due to the life cycle of ich, you need to treat for some time after the spots disappear.

 

[Colin_T]

Okay I’ve just done a big water change and gravel clean so I’ll increase the temperature and leave for how long?

You normally have the temperature at 30 or 31C for at least 2 weeks, or 1 week after all the spots have gone.

On a side note, I have some concerns about the clown loaches living with a green terror cichlid. When the cichlid matures, it could well kill the loaches.

 

[AmyKieran]

You normally have the temperature at 30 or 31C for at least 2 weeks, or 1 week after all the spots have gone.

On a side note, I have some concerns about the clown loaches living with a green terror cichlid. When the cichlid matures, it could well kill the loaches.

I’ll pass on the comment thanks

 

[itiwhetu]

What would be a good idea is trying to figure out why you got ich.

Just a thought, the Clown loaches got it first and it wasn't noticed until the Green Terror got it. The Clown loaches got it because they are living with a Green Terror. Clown Loaches are very susceptible to White spot when they are stressed.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Depending upon how big the clown is, it may shred the GT. Clowns carry a switchblade under each eye. It is called a sub-ocular spine. It is normally retracted but when push comes to shove, usually not when they are fighting with each other, that switchblade comes out and gets used.

With all respect for Emma Turner whose pic this is on loaches.com

My two episodes of ich came in with new fish. The first time I put the fish in with some breeding BN- bad idea. The second time it was batch of new fish that looked OK in the store tank but after a couple ofdays in Q they were covered with it and these were tetras and danios. Only a single danio made it out of the Q turned H tank alive.\

here is a useful factoid re ich. Many fish develop and immunity if they get Ich and it is cured. The immunity is not permanent and how long it may last is not certain. But this fact has led to research into finding an Ich vaccine.

Again, for those with a scientific bent:
Buchmann, K. Immune response to Ichthyophthirius multifiliis and role of IgT. Parasite Immunol. 2020; 42:e12675. https://doi.org/10.1111/pim.12675
First published: 06 October 2019
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/pim.12675

This paper has actual B&W pictures of the ich in different stages including one of the "Opening of the tomocyst wall with appearing theront."

 

[Stan510]

Not many aquarists know that Meth blue and this: Vacuum the gravel surface since THAT is where the ich parasite eggs are settled on. That and 80-84F with the blue or malachite green dye should cure them if caught in time.

 

[Colin_T]

Not many aquarists know that Meth blue and this: Vacuum the gravel surface since THAT is where the ich parasite eggs are settled on. That and 80-84F with the blue or malachite green dye should cure them if caught in time.

Malachite green will kill external protozoan parasites like white spot, velvet, Costia, Chilodonella and Trichodina.

Temperatures of 80-84F speed up the parasite's life cycle but don't kill them. It has to be 86F+ to kill them.

 

[itiwhetu]

Malachite Green is carcinogenic, so it is not advisable to be used at all.

 

[AmyKieran]

No sign of the ich going from the clown loach, too soon?

And will having the tank at 30 degrees Celsius not affect the fish ?

 

[Colin_T]

The spots should be dropping off the fish in the next day or two.

A temperature of 30C for a couple of weeks will not affect tropical fish as long as the water is clean and well aerated.

Make sure the water temperature is 30C and that the temperature isn't dropping during the night.

If you can get some pictures of the fish, we can check to make sure it is white spot.

 

[AmyKieran]

The spots should be dropping off the fish in the next day or two.

A temperature of 30C for a couple of weeks will not affect tropical fish as long as the water is clean and well aerated.

Make sure the water temperature is 30C and that the temperature isn't dropping during the night.

If you can get some pictures of the fish, we can check to make sure it is white spot.

Really struggle to get pictures as they are staying in corners or behind bubbles, I’ll update again if they haven’t dropped off in another 2 days