Help With Ich/velvet

[rich72h]

Tank size: 90 litre
pH: 7.5
ammonia: 0ppm
nitrite: 0 ppm
nitrate: 20 ppm
tank temp: 25 degrees C
Fish Symptoms: 4 widow fish have a mass of whites spots on there fins and body. One of them is quite badly covered and lies on its side sometimes then goes frantic to get upright again. 2 pearl gouramis have small spots on there top fins, they stay about the top of the tank most off the day. The rest of the fish seem ok but I have noticed them ocasionaly scratching of logs.
Volume and Frequency of water changes: about 10ltrs a week, filter is cleaned monthly.
Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: I am currently running a fluval u2 internal filter
Tank inhabitants: 4 gold barbs, 4 harlequins, 4 widow fish, 2 rainbow fish , 2 pearl gouramis, and a yellow algie eater.
Recent additions to your tank. I recently added the 4 new widow fish and 2 rainbow fish, saturday last week.

I noticed the fish problem last night and began treating the tank with eSHa EXIT. Does anyone have any tips on how to get rid of the white spot/velvet? Ive heard slowly turning the water temp up to 30 helps but I dont want to do it if the fish end up freaking out.

Please help lol.
Thanks, tich.

 

[byork]

If it is ich. Turning the heat up will increase the life cycle of the ich to about 24 to 48 hours. Since the ich is only vonurable during the free swimming ( can't recall the technical term right now) part of its lifecycle it is helpful during treatment to up the heat. It will increase the likelihood that the medication will encounter the ich during this life cycle quickly. Be careful when increasing the heat only increase the temperature 1* every 12 hrs, and do some research to be sure the fish can tolerate this heat.

Is there a reason that you chose to use the esha exit? There are more effective products available.

I would also suggest a quarantine tank.

 

[rich72h]

Thanks. At the time esha exit was the only thing I had in my emergency supplies cupboard. I bought it as precaution when I got the tank backnin march last year but never had to use it. What other products would you recommend? I always buy fish from the same lfs for thesole reason that ive never had any problems with them before.

On the basis that I cant afford/have room for a quaritine tank, what else would you suggest?

Thanks.

 

[byork]

I prefer products that have active ingredient of malachite green and formalin. These ingredients are better suited for biological filtration and live plants. There are a bunch on the market. I usually buy rid ich but that is just one of many choices. Sometimes if I do not have available space in my quarantine I will use a plexiglass cube. My mom gave it to me with some rocks and an bulb as part of a force bloom kit. I put it in the tank and clip it to the side with a clip from a tank divider so no one gets smushed. I also put an air stone in the cube. I works pretty good as a temporary quarantine for sick fish and it being a gallon even makes meds pretty simple. It does require a lot of water changes because of its small volume.