Is this ich?

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Luis Rosas

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Hello everyone!! I've had my aquarium running with three ember tetras, three neon tetras and a female betta for a month with no issues. Now I've found that the ember have white spots in their bodies. Is it ich? How should I treat it?
It was hard to take a picture, hope it helps.
 

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Yes, that looks like a pretty good case of ich. Slowly turn your tank temperature up to 86F and leave it there for 2 weeks. I try to move it up about 2 degrees each hour. I also use aquarium salt at 1 tsp per 5 gallons for fish like tetra. Do a water change each day and vacuum your substrate to pick up any ich parasites that have fallen off. You don’t need meds. The heat alone will kill the ich. Be sure to disinfect everything you use, nets, syphons, etc. Good luck. Keep us posted.
 
Thanks for the quick response!! Will the betta tolerate the treatment as well?
 
Hi and welcome to the forum :)

How long has the tank been set up for?
Have you tested the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH?
If yes, what are the results in numbers?

How often do you do water changes and how much do you change?
Do you gravel clean the substrate when you do a water change?

What sort of filter do you have?
How often and how do you clean the filter?

How long have the fish had the white marks?
Have you added anything new to the tank in the 2 weeks before this started?
Are any of the fish rubbing on objects?
 
Thank you!! The tank has been set up for a month, haven't tested the water. I've been doing 20-25% water changes every week. Haven't cleaned the gravel, I'll do it now. The filter is a back panel with a pump, activated carbon, media and two sponges. Haven't cleaned the filter yet. I added the ember and the neons two weeks ago. No fish have been rubbing. I check on them daily, this appeared today.
 
Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate each day for a week and see what happens.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Don't clean the filter until it is at least 6 weeks old. Then squeeze/ wash the filter materials out in a bucket of tank water and put them back in the filter. The filter pump should be taken apart and cleaned before putting it back on/ in the filter.
 
Cleaned the gravel, changed the water, added the salt and raised the temperature. The other fish have started developing symphtoms but I'm confident this will work. I'm treating another betta I have in a 3.7 gallon because I might have cross contaminated it's tank. Thanks for all the advice!!
Btw, when done with ich, should I desinfect all my equipment with 10% bleach solution?
 
Cleaned the gravel, changed the water, added the salt and raised the temperature. The other fish have started developing symphtoms but I'm confident this will work. I'm treating another betta I have in a 3.7 gallon because I might have cross contaminated it's tank. Thanks for all the advice!!
Btw, when done with ich, should I desinfect all my equipment with 10% bleach solution?
Disinfect all equipment each time you use it. You can use the bleach or hot water and aquarium salt.
 
It appears to be getting worse. All fish are now infected and the ember tetras who where the first are vastly covered. Is it normal that it gets worse before it gets better? Should I try meds? Malachite green?
 
Don't add meds. It ill take around 2 weeks for the heat treatment to complete. Keep temp up for the full 2 weeks even if everything looks ok.
 
It can look worse before better. Remember there are several stages of ich and it has to go through those stages before the heat effects them and they die off. I know it’s worrisome but let the heat do it’s stuff. Edit: If you don't Already have one, you may want to add an air stone. The heat do s deplete some oxygen. After all is over, remember to disinfect the equipment.
 
First experience with ich and I'm a bit paranoic. You all sound confident so I'll stick to it. Already have an airstone and the fish don't look like they're suffocating. They are all eating and still schooling so that makes me feel better. Thank you very much!! I'll keep you posted.
 
Hello everyone!! Since the tank is at my office, made the last water change, gravel vaccum, salt addition and temperature check on Friday. Today I found the fish are pretty much the same. Not worse but not better. I think the three ember might be a little worse.

Edit: The embers are definitely worse. One is almost fully covered now showing signs of respiratory problems.

Edit 2: Since the ember look really bad and the betta is showing extreme lethargy, I decided to add Malachite Green. Sorry guys, I really believe the betta and neons could get through with heat but the ember are just too bad. I believe the lack of treatment during the weekend might have been the cause. Thank you for all the help and advice. I'll keep you posted.
 
Last edited:
It's been a week since I added the malachite. Most of the fish were better the next day. The one that was fully covered unfortunately died. The neons went through a violent episode but they're now a bit down. Today I made a water change, and lowered the temperature, still adding the malachite.

Note: The malachite at half dose (recommended for tetras by the manufacturer) only stained the filter and air tubes. My guess is that happened because I dropped the MG inside the filtration cavity for a gradual dosification so it stained everything it touched before dissolving.
 

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