Ich :(

[Dieses Madchen]

Sorry for your loss.

Before putting anything into the tank with the illness, I would strip it down, dry it out, scrub it down with ammonia (pure stuff, the same stuff you would use for a fishless cycle). And toss the entire filter media. Scrub down ANYTHING you plant to keep.

I would scrap the entire substrate as well and start with fresh. Any decorations would need a thorough cleaning. Plants could actually be given a diluted bleach dip to cleanse them as well. (Be sure to rinse them thoroughly before putting them back in the tank.)



I'm glad to hear you have some fry, that will help with the loss, but don't get overzealous about stocking this tank again. Take your time and make sure it is safe from disease.

+1 this was what i was going to suggest if the tank was without inhabitants lol

 

[Man of fish]

Well if I put in the true fungus meds would this help get rid of it?

 

[Man of fish]

Well I bought a product called pimafix for true fungus and other Fungal infections. It requires taking the carbon out of the media. Should I save the carbon or scrap it?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

If the carbon hasn't been used at all, definitely save it. If it has been used, it's probably pretty worthless at this point. Carbon can be used up in as little as 2 days.

 

[Man of fish]

Ok I'll just throw it away.

 

[Man of fish]

-1 panda platy. I'm on the verge of tears. I only have 1 Molly and a pleco left. The Molly looks like she's not sick at all but the only place available for her is in a bowl and she might have it I just don't know. The pleco has 2 big grey spots. One on it's head and one on his body. It looks like itd be soft if you touched it. I'm angry at that fish I think ruined my tank.

How long should I wait after the last dose of pimafix to restock. 2 weeks? If all fish die should I turn heater up to as high as it'll go?

 

[Man of fish]

Maybe I'll redcaps the 29. What low maintenance plants can I get with a 17watt T8 bulb. I don't really want to have to put any fertilizer in more than once a month.

Oops rescape not redcaps. I do not like spell check but it helps so much with these tiny iPhone keys.

 

[CrazyCichlaMomma]

i know i'm late coming to this thread, and i'm very sorry for your losses. at the first sign of any kind of trouble, the first thing i do is dose the tank with salt 1 tsp. for every 5 gallons and raise the temp to 86 degrees and add at least one more air stone or bubble wall. do a 25% water change every day and redose the salt for the changed water.

IF after 7 days this doesn't work, buy a bottle of pimafix and follow the dosing instructions on the bottle.

the ONLY time this hasn't worked for me (no matter what was wrong with the fish) is when i bought my altum angels. 4 actually did survive and grow to adulthood, but i lost more than 10 of them. and i found out after the fact that i should have treated them immediately on arrival with Furan-2. but the altums didn't have ich or any kind of fungus.

i've heard many horror stories like yours from folks that use the "treatments" that they sell at the LFS that say they cure Ich. I've heard a lot of folks kill catfish by the dozens using copper-safe. and yet folks still buy all those bottles of chemicals, and some folks even tell other people to use them. i don't know why. i DO know why the LFS' sell them, it's great for repeat business.

about carbon and filters.. carbon is NOT necessary, it will help keep your tank looking sparkly and crisp, but it has little other purpose. and good filtration will do that just as well. there are some theories about extended use of carbon causing HITH disease in cichlids, especially oscars, but i think it's just a theory. either way, i see no good reason to waste money on it.

IF you are choosing to use carbon, no matter how long it's been in the filter, you should remove the carbon only, not the mechanical filtration media, when you dose the tank with any meds, even salt.

i'm sorry this is too late to help the fish you've lost. but now you have real good info in case it happens again.

 

[Man of fish]

Thanks.

 

[Man of fish]

Just adding the second dose of pimafix. I hope this works.

 

[Kelly-Jo]

Good luck, don't let it put you off fish keeping. We've all had our disasters and although sad, it will teach you a lot for future reference.

 

[Man of fish]

Oh one little accident wouldn't turn me away I know what this is now and how to treat it properly if this happens again. 1 week after all signs of disease are gone is that the right time to start to restock?

 

[Kelly-Jo]

I would still advice a complete strip down of the tank. Put any remaining fish in a big container alongside the heater and some plants for them to hide in for a few hours and drain all the water, scrub the glass and change the substrate. This will just make sure that there are no nasties left in the tank to harm your new fish

 

[Man of fish]

I just did that. Cleaned the glass and decorations real well. Changed substrate. I like this color better. Petco blue Jean aquarium gravel.

 

[Man of fish]

Well my last pleco died today. All that is left is a marble Molly showing no symptoms at all but I'm going to continue to treat.