First Whitespot Outbreak...

[nickward_uk]

well, I was only saying to myself just the other day, how well I'd been doing with the fishes, and how lucky we'd been not having any disease outbreaks...

... then today, the better half notices what is most likely whitespot. Not seen it myself - but shes looked it up and reckons shes sure thats what it is...

So - treatment time, butu with my fish, whats the best treatment?

In the tank are:

Neons
Angel fish
Clown Loach
Golden nugget pleco
Scissortails
Dwarf Gourami
Guppy (edit - poor thing went belly up over the weekend )

The annoying thing, I'm just cycling a new tank to re-house some of these...

So, which is my best treatment? I've been given a bottle of the interpret whitespot treatment, or I've got aquarium salts. Which'll be best for my fish, best for the aquarium, and best for me (bearing in mind I'm still fairly new and inexperianced to all of this...)? I'm happy about getting the correct doses, etc, I'm just nervous about throwing a load of chemicals into the tank...

Thanks

Nick

 

[black angel]

Try upping the temperature to 85f and doing gravel vacs each day of around 30% to get them out the gravel. Add extra air to help with the warmer water.

 

[BigC]

Do as Black Angel has said about the temperature (this speeds up the life cycle of ich. and it can only be treated in its free swimming stage away from the fishes body) Treat with Protozin. but because you have clown loach (scaleless) in your tank this is risky so reduce the dosage by half.
http/www.waterlife.co.uk/waterlife/protozin.htm
Regards
BigC

 

[nickward_uk]

Try upping the temperature to 85f and doing gravel vacs each day of around 30% to get them out the gravel. Add extra air to help with the warmer water.

to 85? for how long? Other than the O2 issue, what effect will that have on the fish?

 

[tttnjfttt]

I've heard plecos can be sensitive to the heat, so watch them for signs of stress. Sings of stress include listlessness, rapid breathing, and becoming pale.

Also, I saw you mention salt in your first post, but DO NOT add it in this tank because you have scaleless fish. When you do use meds, make sure you add them at half strength because of the scaleless fish

 

[nickward_uk]

I've heard plecos can be sensitive to the heat, so watch them for signs of stress. Sings of stress include listlessness, rapid breathing, and becoming pale.

Also, I saw you mention salt in your first post, but DO NOT add it in this tank because you have scaleless fish. When you do use meds, make sure you add them at half strength because of the scaleless fish

figured that would be the case with the salt - just wanted tocheck...

just to be sure - is there anything else this could be before I treat for whitespot?

All I can see on a couple of fishes are a few pinprick sized white spots.. only a few have them - one onf the scizzortails, one of the neons, and the plec... not a single spot on the loaches...

 

[black angel]

Sounds like ich to me and you have to hurry and treat it as clown loaches have a tendency to keel over if they get it.

 

[nickward_uk]

Sounds like ich to me and you have to hurry and treat it as clown loaches have a tendency to keel over if they get it.

Thanks for all the advice...

... the treatment was added (at half dose) on wednesday evening... How will I know if its working? As its ay half dose, might it take longer to be effective, and require more doses than stated?

 

[nickward_uk]

Sounds like ich to me and you have to hurry and treat it as clown loaches have a tendency to keel over if they get it.

Thanks for all the advice...

... the treatment was added (at half dose) on wednesday evening... How will I know if its working? As its ay half dose, might it take longer to be effective, and require more doses than stated?

well, second dose went in on sunday - some of the fish seem better, some (especially the little loach) seem worse, and the guppy's gone tail up and is now swimming around in the great big tank in the sky...

...unfortuantly, I've lost the instruction booklet to the treatment. I'm using intrepet to treat them, and it atleast tells me on there how much to use, and to add the second dose after 4 days - but what next? If it still hasn't cleared up, how long till I can re-dose? How long should it be 'till I start to see an improvement?

 

[Animation]

Up the temprature to 27.5c
Then use the med as told or can up to 32 however i have never done this and have survived all of my whitespot outbreaks(2)

 

[nickward_uk]

Up the temprature to 27.5c
Then use the med as told or can up to 32 however i have never done this and have survived all of my whitespot outbreaks(2)

already upped it to 28 - dont want to go any higher... The problem, is I've lost the rest of the instructions...

 

[black angel]

It says in the booklet

*Before redosing or using any other disease treatment in the aquarium you should wait 7 days after the final dose and then carry out a 30% water change before dosing.*

Make sure you add extra air as well.

 

[nickward_uk]

It says in the booklet

*Before redosing or using any other disease treatment in the aquarium you should wait 7 days after the final dose and then carry out a 30% water change before dosing.*

Make sure you add extra air as well.

thanks for that...