Help! Lost 12 Fish To Ich In New Tank, What Could I Have Done Diff

[214jay]

Well I have had a nightmare over the past couple of weeks.  I fishless cycled two tanks and had numerous problems with both.  One of my tanks is now stable with happy fish and shrimp.  My other is a different story.
 
I noticed a few days ago the fish were acting erratically, and some not shoaling.  On closer inspection I notice a few white spots on some of the Rummynose.  Since then I have lost 6 Rummynose Tetra and 6 Neon Tetra.  Symptoms seem to come on very quickly and they are soon dead. I have the following stock left:
 
5 x Neon Tetra
4 x rummynose
6 x Black Phantom Tetra
6 x Sterbai Cory
1 x Dwarf Gaurami
Some shrimp and snails (seperated from the tank for the moment.)
 
I have started a chemical treatment which seems to be helping but what could I have done with my new tank to prevent this?  Obviously I could not quarantine all the new fish...should I have pre-treated the water as soon as I put them all in?
 
Thanks for any advice.  I suspect I could lose most of the neon and rummynoses...sigh.
 
Jay

 

[draxis]

Nothing you can do.... If you quarantine fish for diseases they still have then when you add to your tank. Unless you add quick cure or other medication the entire time they are quarantined if you saw something after 2 weeks.

Depends if you over medicated or heated tank without enough oxygen.


What medicine did you use and dosage?
Temperature of water?
Salt added?
I personally now add new fish to another tank. They sit for 2 weeks and if I see anything I dose them for 1-2 weeks; at least 3 days after last sight of a problem. Then ill add them in. If your main tank gets ick quick cure worked so well. Also temperature of 82.

 

[214jay]

Well I pretty much fully stocked the tank when the cycle had finished (followed the cycling instructions to the letter), introduced all fish to the tank at a temp of around 25c (77f).  I started the fish treatment yesterday and have had less losses since (only 2 that were looking poorly before starting treatment.)  The medication is 'Interpet White Spot Treatment'.  I have followed the dosing instructions, which were 10ml per 100L and upped the temperature slightly to 28c (81-82f) which does not seem to have bothered the fish.  I did not add salt as I read it can be bad for tetras...
 
I now have a quarantine tank (which is housing the invertebrates) so for future additions I can keep an eye on.
 
Edit: tons and tons of aeration

 

[draxis]

My best so far is Mardel Quick Cure if you can get it any where near you, I would get it.  3 days and my problems were wiped out. 
 
I wouldnt add Salt ever either, but just curious if you did. 
 
I am sorry to hear about your fishes though and hope all goes well. I watch my tank closely every day so I try to catch outbreaks but they spread so quick some times because 90% of parasites hide in the gills or mouth which you cant see.

 

[214jay]

Okay thank you very much for your advice, it looks a bit difficult to get hold of here (I will see how the treatment I am using holds out - Its a 7 day plan).
 
Yes it is a very good idea to keep a close eye on the fish, unfortunatey mine were so new and so small I missed it before it was too late.  Looking at the way the fish dies they could not get oxygen to the gills so suspect they were full of the parasites.

 

[Meeresstille]

Since you were starting the whole tank with all new fish, the new tank became it's own Quarantine tank. Nothing you could have done differently. Also some strains of the ich parasite has become more resistant to some medications. And yes, sometimes fish die without you knowing what they've died of, because the parasite could have settled in the gills.
 
Some medications are not good for the beneficial bacteria in your filter, so I personally like to use the heat salt treatment. I've had to only subject my tank twice to this treatment and I had Rummynose Tetras, Neons, even Corydoras in the tank. 
 
You start gently with turning up the heat a degree each day, to allow the fish to adjust to it. You add the salt in three sessions over three days, that way you won't shock the fish so much. You reduce the amount of water in the tank to get more oxygen into the water if you have a waterfall type filter, because warmer water holds less oxygen, or you can aerate your tank using an airstone.
 
If you are worried about the more sensitive fish you can go with only half dose of salt, you just need to treat the tank longer. You can also just go with heat to speed up the parasite's life cycle, and gravel vac the substrate every day, religiously, to remove any buried cysts. 

 

[214jay]

Thank you for your recommendations, good to hear your experiences with similar fish.  The treatment i'm using claims to not damage the bacteria in the filter, however I will keep an eye on the ammonia and nitrite levels over the treatment course.  I have airstones (two) and a waterfall filter that kicks out a lot of bubbles.
 
I have a sand substrate, should I just vac the surface or should I vac up some of the sand too? I guess I could run any removed sand under a hot tap and return to the tank?
 
Many thanks

 

[Meeresstille]

I wouldn't worry about returning the sand that's being sucked up. But, yes you could run any sucked up sand under very, very hot water for a while, or even pour some boiling water over it, that should kill any cysts, then I would rinse it in dechlorinated water before returning it to the tank.
 
I hope you are able to save some of those beauties. When your tank is healthy again, if you want to add new fish, make sure you quarantine them in a different tank, to not possibly re-infect the whole tank with any disease. The quarantine time, to be effective will have to be between 4 to 6 weeks! If something shows up during that time, you will only have to treat those fish, as long as you kept all equipment separate from the other tank.

 

[becketlady]

Hi Jay, 
 
I have the same problems. Don't we all hate "ick" I am beginning to lose more fish. 
I got rid of the snails I can possibly find and I lost 2 ghost shrimps in a day easily. I missed watching them as they are totally fascinating.
 
I have a male betta that is acting up too. He doesn't have ick but he is jumping up and gasping for air. He is in a quarantine with malachite green and air filter with temp of 80 for now. I have tested their water and seem fine. I am wondering about the water range is 8.5-9.0  I tested my well water and its show dark green. 8.0-8.5 which I dont think it help. 
 
I hope others will read mine too and help us out.
becketlady
 

 

[becketlady]

Where do you find the Quick Cure if this is going to help my catfish and algae eater??? 
Petco and fins and feathers do not carry them in their store. I ended up with malachite green. not for the scaleless fish as its poison.
 
becketlady
 

 

[214jay]

I really hope I do not have too many more losses, they were stunning to watch for their short lives.  I have a small quarantine tank but it is only around 18L (3.9 Imperial gallons or 4.7 UsG) so I would be worried about keeping any fish in there for too long though would not want to contaminate my main tank again!

 
Fortunately my second tank with my Celesteal Pearl Danios and shrimp appears disease free for now (apart from the Stonefly and Dragonfly Larvae - Now removed).
 
Should new shrimp be quarantined for 4 to 6 weeks?

 

[214jay]

Hi Becketlady
 
I am sorry to hear you are suffering the same, its a truly awful parasite. 
 
What test kit are you using for the PH? Have you got a API Master test kit (test tubes and chemicals) or are you using test strips?  The high PH range API test will show up to 8.8.  Is that water tested straight out the tap in relation to you tank water?

 

[Meeresstille]

Hi Jay, 
 
I have the same problems. Don't we all hate "ick" I am beginning to lose more fish. 
I got rid of the snails I can possibly find and I lost 2 ghost shrimps in a day easily. I missed watching them as they are totally fascinating.
 
I have a male betta that is acting up too. He doesn't have ick but he is jumping up and gasping for air. He is in a quarantine with malachite green and air filter with temp of 80 for now. I have tested their water and seem fine. I am wondering about the water range is 8.5-9.0  I tested my well water and its show dark green. 8.0-8.5 which I dont think it help. 
 
I hope others will read mine too and help us out.
becketlady
 

Hi becketlady,
Does your Betta have something higher up to the surface for him to rest on? It would preserve his energy not having to swim so far from the substrate to the surface!
Regarding the ph of your well water, it is quite high! Have you considered doing Reverse Osmosis for your water changes? I'm no expert in this, so you may want to start a thread of your own to get help regarding your pH problem. More people will be able to see it and respond to you!
Jay, it is always best to quarantine any new additions to a tank, even plants!

 

[214jay]

Not too long in the scheme of things, I didnt even think about quarantining new plants but makes sense!

 

[Ninjouzata]

Where do you find the Quick Cure if this is going to help my catfish and algae eater??? 
Petco and fins and feathers do not carry them in their store. I ended up with malachite green. not for the scaleless fish as its poison.
 
becketlady
 

Walmart carries Quick Cure, sure some other places do but that is where I got mine, not sure if it's safe for your fish or not, I treated my betta with it.