I'm So Frustrated With This "cycling" Of My Hospital Tank

[blur411]

From what I read on here, most people don't keep their hospital tanks up and running when not in use, right? So that means, using the filter media seems to be pretty reliable for you guys, right?

I have a cycled 55 gallon, that I took filter media from (Just the sponge, not the carbon/charcoal because the medicine box said that nulls it). I put most of one filter sponge inside my filter sponge in the hospital tank. I'm still having huge ammonia and nitrite spikes. I'm doing water changes daily of 75%, and that means I have to keep adding new medication to treat this ich. Did I do something wrong?

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

If you are treating Ich, you should be medicating the tank where the obviously infected fish came from, rather than moving them to a quarantine tank. Ich spores will be in the water of every tank these infected fish have been.

So if you pulled the spotted fish out of your main tank to treat them in the hospital, move everyone back to the main tank (with the media you removed) and treat everyone together, in what should be an ammonia/nitrite spike-free tank.

 

[Mauigirl]

The poor dear noticed the ich on way home from fish store and for whatever reason couldn't return them. She is making a valiant attempt to clear them up.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Aw, bless!

In that case best thing I can suggest is cut right back on feeding, one meal a day that gives each fish the equivalent of one eye per fish, less food means less ammonia to deal with.

Giving the QT plenty of rippling, even if that means lowering the water level slightly, if you do not have a powehead (or a less effecetive air pump). Not only does meds reduce the oxygen levels, but so does higher temp and so will a bacteria colony trying to grow to cope with the extra ammonia/nitrite.

Another option, as long as your main tank is still giving perfect stats, is to pinch some more media from it to put in this QT. even if if cannot fit int he QT filter, placing the sponge/pad directly in the tank will let any bacteria on eat eat ammonia/nitrite and get oxygenated water.

 

[blur411]

Since my main tank has a dual filter I will take some more, since I took the media 5 days ago, and did a water test in the main tank today and everything is fine. I will take more today. I lost one female guppy (from the set I got from the bad bade LFS) today, and I suspect it was from the poor water quality, instead of the ich. I'm doing 1 75% water change a day...but I'm in my busy season of work right now and I havent been able to manage much more than that. I have a power head (that I actually use for filling and emptying the main tank) that I think I'll add in there for water aeration. Do you think I should add some aquarium salt as well?

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

I have no expereince at all with aquarium salt. When I had my first and lethal Ich outbreak back in February, there were a few salt sensitive fish in the tank, so I increased the salt levels (I used coarse supermarket seas salt) to 0.5g/l over two days. At the end of treatment (13 days), I did two 50% water changes to gradually lower the salinity, any remaining salt was then diluted over time by usual 50% weekly water changes.

I think for fish that are not salt sensitive, you can gradually raise the salt levels to something like 3g/l, but please get some more input on this from others with experience in such things (perhaps starting a thread in the ememergency section).

 

[blur411]

I did that, and honestly, I haven't gotten much input. I feel like with this situation I didn't get much help, which is unusual from this board /

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

I personally really miss "Wilder" on here, this member was great for speaking their mind in the emergency section, even if they were blunt at times (something I know I'm guilty of and I have been trying to write things a little less aggressively since becoming a mod in the last 5 weeks). Sadly, very few members are prepared to stick their neck on the line in the ememgency section, advice on how to treat a potentially terminal situation carries more pressure than saying "don't mix Neon Tetras with Angelfish, they are natural hunter/prey in the wild."

If you have Guppies only in this Ich situation, I think you can very safely add 0.5g/l of salt over the next two days, I suspect you could add more without issue but I cannot be sure.

If you go down the salt route, make sure the salt is dissolved completely in the water you are adding to the tank and account for the salt lost whenever you do a water change (eg. 100l tank, you add 25grams of salt, the next day you want to do a 10% (10l) water change... The new water needs 2.5grams of salt added to it to keep the tank salinity the same).

 

[blur411]

Thank you, I may give that a try. I see a decrease in spots on the fish, I maybe see 1 or 2 per fish...where initially I saw 10+ on each before. How do I know when it's gone and I can add them to my main tank? I'm willing to do most things to help my fish... as long as I don't break the bank and doesnt require too much time on a daily basis since I work nearly 13 hours a day a few days a week. I really want to save these fishes though! I managed a fish in cycle the first time in a 55 gallon, I can do it again if need be!

 

[Mauigirl]

Thank you, I may give that a try. I see a decrease in spots on the fish, I maybe see 1 or 2 per fish...where initially I saw 10+ on each before. How do I know when it's gone and I can add them to my main tank? I'm willing to do most things to help my fish... as long as I don't break the bank and doesnt require too much time on a daily basis since I work nearly 13 hours a day a few days a week. I really want to save these fishes though! I managed a fish in cycle the first time in a 55 gallon, I can do it again if need be!

You are so dedicated to this especially considering your already likely exhausted state. I know all to well how 13 and 14hr days with more on the plate at home go, Kudos for all that.

Ich if I'm not mistaken drops off , lives as free swimmers (this is when they can be killed) and then reinfects, never ending cycle if not killed at the right time.
I cant help anymore than that.

I am rooting for you if that helps at all.

this link seems to have a detailed layout for treatment with salt and heat Link
just a bit of extra research. as i feel you are already on the right track

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

When I had Ich in my 48x12x15, I used Protozin on days 1;2;3;6 (as per instructions, full dose), the fish got reduced rations and no water change at all for 13 days.

The spots are only one part of the life cycle of Ich, these fall off the fish and onto the tank floor, where eventually a lot free swimmers emerge and need to find a host within ~24 hours (which then each form a spot when theyattach to a fish). It is this swimming phase that is when the meds kills the Ich. How quickly the Ich goes through its life cycle is affected by temperature, temps around 30C should get a full cycle happening within days.

In the case of Protozin at least, added meds stays active for a number of days, so if a water change is done, some meds needs to be added to the new water to keep the meds level as it was beforehand. So with your 75% water changes, in the case of Protozin, you would need to add 75% of the total amount you have added during the whole treatment back into the new buckets of water.

If you have raised the temp, then if you see no spots for 7 days, your fish should almost certainly be free of Ich and ready to join the main tank.

 

[blur411]

Thanks! I have my temps still up in hopes of keeping as many "free swimming" as possible with with medication. Once I see no spots, I will give them 2 weeks, and then lower the temps slowly to what the main tank is...if they stay spot free for another week I guess I'll try and move them over. We will see! I don't want to disturb the balance of my established tank!

I really appreciate all the help, and support. It really helps! My boyfriend just looks and me and says " Please say we aren't getting another tank", haha!

 

[Mauigirl]

My boyfriend just looks and me and says " Please say we aren't getting another tank", haha!

LOL I have MTS real bad, 5 tanks and counting. I am drawing up plans for a 6 10 gallon sump filtered fry setup in the basement for fry... #40## said that twice. Is my wine night, can you tell?

My ex bred fish and I never even gave it a 2nd thought, even felt neglected due to his fish.. now I'm hooked.. if that was our only falling out I would say our end was my fault.
But I'm rambling..
Best of luck , and best wishes that this is over in short order.