Migrating From Cichlids To Tropicals

[Soliquid]

Hi there,

I have been looking after and breeding African Malawi cichlids for about 4 years now, and last week my entire stock got infected with a very pesky ich that doesn't want to go away. I have tried every trick in the book as I have successfully got rid of it in the past but this time i am very unlucky. Nothing is working and my fish are dropping and dying at a rate like you wouldn't believe.. Its sad and heartbreaking but I know that I have to move on. At this rate, I will not have any fish by tomorrow I don't think..

Anyway, I am thinking of a change of scenery here and moving to fresh water tropical fish. I want to start easy, like have a few neons and similar and then progress from there. Thing is, the tank I have now is obviously ich (white spot) infested so I want to know what I need to do before I can get my tropical setup done. I know, most will say just clean the tank! But I am concerned that my gravel, coral, etc will still contain traces of the diseases. I don't want to throw them all out as some of the stuff I got there looks quite gorgeous.

Also, I am aware that the pH level of the water for cichlids and freshwater tropical fish is completely different so will I be able to use this tank at all? Or do i really have to start fresh and get a brand new tank?!

 

[Spooky76]

You would have to remove anything which could effect your PH, which could be anything to be honest. All you need for tropical is some new gravel and some live plants. You already have the filter and heater etc.

Personally I would clean the tank and start again. I would also invest in a UV Steraliser, that should stop any ich.

 

[Chris_qld]

I have recently read (cannot remember source, sorry) that Ich cannot live without moisture whatsoever. If this is true, drying out your substrate and rocks etc should rid you completely of this blasted infection. Obviously, a full cycle would be in order after this.

Can anybody else shed more light on the subject?

 

[Soliquid]

I have recently read (cannot remember source, sorry) that Ich cannot live without moisture whatsoever. If this is true, drying out your substrate and rocks etc should rid you completely of this blasted infection. Obviously, a full cycle would be in order after this.

Can anybody else shed more light on the subject?

I can do that if it works.

Another complication is that I have 3 baby peacocks in the tank - they are still tiny and are about 2 and a half weeks old. They are still alive and kicking, so I was hoping to salvage them. Is it possible? I can't use the tank water because its infected, so if i put it into dechlorinated water in a separate smaller tank they will probably die too. Heartbreaking!

 

[starrynightxxi]

try this link if you have another tank and filter you would like to set up for your peacocks. I don't know cichlids, so I don't know what these babies can survive, but if you think they might be healthy then their only chance, really, is to be moved ASAP.

I'm sorry about the loss of your fish, losing an entire tank must be devastating, especially to something that is normally easy to cure. I wonder where you could have picked up this strain of ich. As for getting rid of it, i would let the tank dry out in the sun. UV light is a good sterilizer, but I'm not really sure how you would target resistant ich specifically. Like most parasites though, it probably won't survive without any hosts. You might try the tropical fish emergency section for more info on dealing with it.

For a community tank, the needs are generally simple, especially if you're looking at small fish like neons. You will probably be able to use the same hardware (tank, filter, etc.), but if your substrate and decorations alter the hardness/ph a lot then you will either need to buy new ones, or make sure you find fish that won't mind it. Most fish like plants in their tanks, but whether you go for plastic, silk, or live is really up to you. As long as you do the research on the fish you want, you shouldn't run into any real problems.

 

[Kribster]

Ich relies on the fish for substenance.
Try emptying the tank of fish (and water if you want) and leaving it for a couple of months - dry everything completely.
Then fill the tank with COLD water, with no plants or organic material in it.
Chuck in a hugh overdose of whitespot control.
leave it with the filter running for a couple of days.
Then empty and dry the tank again.
Then start from scratch.

Sounds complicated but worked for me.


K

 

[Soliquid]

starrynightxxi, I pinpointed the exact time my tank got infested - it was when I brought two electric yellows from what I thought was a reputable fish shop. Ten days later all my fish had visible signs of ich. I know, I should be criticised for not quarrantining the fish before I introduced it to the main tank but I never had this problem before from the shop. A good lesson learnt. I am devastated and trying to stay positive, and make sure I don't make the same mistake twice now!

Kribster, I thought the incubation time of ich was about 7-10 days, less if the temperature is warm/hot? So theoretically, if I dried out the tank and left it in the sun for one or two weeks, shouldn't that be enough? I can then look at cycling my tank and preparing it for a freshwater tropical environment. That was my impression, but obviously correct me if I am wrong!

 

[littlest]

I had a diseased tank (unknown disease probably bacterial) and I steralised it completely. This may not be necessary for ich but if I was starting afresh I would like to be sure. Anyway, this is what I did in case you are interested:


Filled tank with a bleach mixture of 1 parts bleach to 12 parts water (live plants wouldn't survive this but I had none so wasn't an issue)
Ran tank filters and airstone in the bleached tank for four hours.
Removed the bleach mixture
Added dechlorinated water, ran for 12 hours
removed all water, refilled with fresh dechlorinated water, ran for twelve hours
Emptied tank
Remove all gravel, ornaments etc and boiled them at a rolling boil
Left tank to dry

You can also disinfect tanks with PP (potassium permanganate)

Like I said this may not be necessary for ich. My problem was most likely bacterial so harder to get rid of (I imagine) than parasites as parasties need a host.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

Freshwater Ich cannot live without fish. Thus all you have to do to empty out the ich is run the tank with no fish for 2-3 weeks. I'd take this time to thoroughly clean out the filter as well, because going through a fishless cycle (i.e. adding copious amounts of ammonia) will also help kill off any nasties living in your water.

As for the fry? I'd move them to a bare-bottom 10g tank to finish growing them out and then find new homes for them. You won't be able to mix them into a standard tropical community anyways.

 

[Soliquid]

Freshwater Ich cannot live without fish. Thus all you have to do to empty out the ich is run the tank with no fish for 2-3 weeks. I'd take this time to thoroughly clean out the filter as well, because going through a fishless cycle (i.e. adding copious amounts of ammonia) will also help kill off any nasties living in your water.

As for the fry? I'd move them to a bare-bottom 10g tank to finish growing them out and then find new homes for them. You won't be able to mix them into a standard tropical community anyways.

OK. I am thinking of removing all the water, let everything dry out for about a week after a good clean to get out all that much and then run a fishless cycle before easing the freshwater fish in gradually. I hope that will work.

The sad (and gross) part is now going home today after work and removing the remaining dead fish from the tank.

 

[Soliquid]

OK I have cleaned out the tank and taken all the coral, lime rocks and pebbles. Pretty much a bare tank right now. The only things I am keeping are the two filters (one in-tank, the other a gravity external one). I have washed them out in tap water (I know that will kill the bacteria, but I want the ich to go too), and now about to start cycling the tank. If I run this cycle which should take about 2 weeks, I am guessing that the ich will be completely eliminated by then.

I just hope using the same filtration system is fine since I am moving to tropical and that the pH and lime from the previous tank isn't too deeply seeped in the filter?