My Experience With Ich So Far

[karin]

10 days ago I introduced a keystone cichlid and 2 congo tetras to my community tank. Have posted here already. On day 1.5 I noticed white spots on the cichlid. On day two I started raising the temperature and added airstone. On day three at 30 C I added an organic ich solution because I wanted to save shrimp and snails. On day three a congo tetra showed with white spot but cleared in two days. between day 4 and 8, two other congo tetras showed with white spot but cleared within a couple days. I have seen one of the pair of bolivian rams flashing a bit. Throughout the 10 days, the keystone cichlid has gotten worse in terms of the white spots I see. No other tank mates have shown with white spot or odd behavior.

Yesterday, fearing for the cichlid and what it would mean to the tank I got a malachite green/ formalin medication (not sure if I can list names but it is a VERY common medication). I lowered the temps to 28C (for the cory cats) and added 3 tablespoons of aquarium salt (to a 60 gallon it is pretty minimal) and removed my snails and said goodbye to my shrimp. I dosed the full one drop per gallon last night.

This AM the shrimp are alive, cory cats, pleco and tetras (sensitive to meds)are all acting normal and the white spot on the cichlid has not changed.

The directions on the medication implies one dose but I have read on line and plan to do a 25% water change tonight (24 hours later from first dose) leave tank for a day and then dose again. I'll follow this routine for 4 dosings. If this doesn't work, I'm going to remove the cichlid and do something different.

Sound reasonable? Very interesting how different fish have responded to heat and meds and the disease itself. We'll see.

Tank is 60 gallon, Eheim 2215 and Aquaclear 70 filter, cycled since March, Ammonia, Nitrite very stable and consistently 0, Nitrates 0-5, Ph 8, planted tank, temps used to be stable at 25C and all fish healthy till now.

 

[Ludwig Venter]

Good tracking and record keeping... I'm surprised at results, but good thinking in there as well... Keep us informed..... (personally, I would've thought that the temp increase alone would suffice)

 

[karin]

Update:

22 hours after a full dose of meds and all is well except the Keyhole cichlid looks terrible. Coloring is dark and splotching and fins clamped down and acting funny, lethargic and siting on the bottom. Still had white spots. And still reacts and moves. While I turned the heat down it was still 30 C when I came home tonight.

I'm doing a 40% water change right now and will leave it for 24 hours before considering the next full dose of malachite green/formalin.

By the way. I moved my snails to another tank at my offices but not shrimp as impossible to catch in a planted tank. Shrimp are still alive and active after the medication.

I'm starting to wonder if I have a genetically ill fish. One that just won't recover. Any ideas about how far I take this?

 

[snowflake311]

The longer the fish has ich the weaker it will be and could get an secondary infection. Since this keyhole could have had ich at the store then the move stressed him out so the ich had a chance to get the upper hand.

If all other fish are getting better but the keyholes still sick I would start to think he got an infection. Secondray infections are the main cause if death in fish with ich. It's not so much the parasite that kills the fish.

Good luck sounds like you are doing all you can. It's time to move the keyhole to a hospital tank.

 

[karin]

Thanks snowflake. Was going to email you privately. Thinking if this weekend it isn't better I'll go grab a 10-20 gallon to be the hospital. I just can't get their earlier. What I don't get is given the lifecycle of ich, why does this guy, the keyhole, still have the white spots this AM?

Yes, the keyhole is alive and better with the water change although still has stressed out coloring, I think. Again no one else has visible signs.

 

[karin]

Update

Full Dose of malachite green and formalin yesterday morning at 9 AM, today at 6:30 AM, 21 hours later the white spots on the Keyhole appear to be on the decline (but still there) and he has not had a "reaction" like last time, that is his coloring looks normal and he is swimming about.

Corys and Plecs acting totally normal. SHRIMP ALIVE AND SIFTING SAND. My Italian vallis plant is taking the hardest hit at the moment but it started reacting to the heat early on. I'm pretty confident when I get this sorted out it will bounce back.

Keeping my fingers crossed that I am getting this under control. Plan to do a 50% water change late today or tomorrow AM, let it sit again for a day and then another full dose.

 

[karin]

So second full dose of malachite green and formalin was on Thursday morning. This morning, Saturday, finally the visible signs of ich have cleared on the Keyhole. So I did a 30% WC. Even though visible signs are gone, I'm going to do another full dose on Sunday after a day off in cleaner water.
I read something that said do a fourth dose for good measure and certainty but am eager to get my tank back.

Oh and I have seen at least one live shrimp! I think I had 3 or 4 that the keyhole had not eaten.

Comments on the fourth dose? Part of me doesn't want to, but part of me says that under dosing risks creating strains of Ich that are more resistant.

 

[Channti]

I personally continue to dose ick medication for 5 days after the spots disappear. Just because there are no visible signs, does not mean that the ick is entirely gone. To get rid of particularly stubborn ick I had in a 46 gallon, I took my temperature up to 90F (30C) and dosed for well over a week (closer to two weeks) using a combination of Liquid Ick Cure and Super Ick Cure (a powder), both by API. Better to be safe than sorry.

 

[karin]

Okay, so I did a full dose on Sunday morning and left it until Tuesday morning before doing a 50% water change. So again, three full strength doses even though I have a bn pleco, corys and congo tetras I chose full strength and all the fish did fine. I left the doses in the tank for 36-48 hours, did a 20-30% water change, left it alone for 24 hours and dosed again.

Sooooo.... It is Wednesday and everyone looks okay. I 'm starting to lower the temps slowly and watching it all very very closely.

Channti, thanks for your comments. Before I read your comments I had done the big WC and put the carbon in the filter.

The interesting thing to me is how some fish got ich (the keyhole and 3 congos) and a lot of fish that never got the white spots. In addition, the angels spawned in the middle of treatment!

So now I'll watch very very carefully and report back if anything goes wrong.

Oh one last thing, the 3 amano shrimp lived through the full strength doses.