dwarfgourami
Fish Connoisseur
I have just noticed that my poor platy Smudge who has been ill for a fortnight with unidentified causes (difficult pregnancy?) has now got a white spot on the top of her head.
It is difficult to get a good view, but it is smallish, maybe 1 mm in diameter and raised, you can see it sticking up on top of her head. Like a pimple. Doesn't exactly look like the ich spots I remember from 30 yrs back, but it could be. Smudge has also been flicking a bit in the last few days. Otherwise she has seemed less lethargic and happier lately. Before tonight her symptoms were mainly lethargy and weakness; 2 weeks ago she seemed to be losing her balance from weakness but is now moving normally (though not very much).
She is in a breeder net as her frail state has made her frightened of other fish.
However, if it is ich, then I will need to treat the whole tank which also houses about 20 fry, some of them only a week old.
So what is the best treatment in this case? What can small fry cope with?
The lfs seems to do mainly Interpet medicines. Any good? What about salt- can I add that? What about raising the temperature, would that harm my babies?
Oh tank stats: 60 ltr planted tank, running for 6 mths, containing 2 adult female guppies, 2 guppy fry+ 15-20 platy fry, most of them tiny; tank treated for suspected parasites with Tetrageneraltonic 2 weeks ago (possibly a misdiagnosis), but no sign of ammonia spike after this; maintenance regime of twice-weekly 25 % water change (bec of fry); no new fish introduced (other than by tank birth) since tank first set up.
Oh, and I have finally got the family to agree that we MUST buy a small hospital tank. Too late for this if it's an outbreak of ich, but badly needed.
It is difficult to get a good view, but it is smallish, maybe 1 mm in diameter and raised, you can see it sticking up on top of her head. Like a pimple. Doesn't exactly look like the ich spots I remember from 30 yrs back, but it could be. Smudge has also been flicking a bit in the last few days. Otherwise she has seemed less lethargic and happier lately. Before tonight her symptoms were mainly lethargy and weakness; 2 weeks ago she seemed to be losing her balance from weakness but is now moving normally (though not very much).
She is in a breeder net as her frail state has made her frightened of other fish.
However, if it is ich, then I will need to treat the whole tank which also houses about 20 fry, some of them only a week old.
So what is the best treatment in this case? What can small fry cope with?
The lfs seems to do mainly Interpet medicines. Any good? What about salt- can I add that? What about raising the temperature, would that harm my babies?
Oh tank stats: 60 ltr planted tank, running for 6 mths, containing 2 adult female guppies, 2 guppy fry+ 15-20 platy fry, most of them tiny; tank treated for suspected parasites with Tetrageneraltonic 2 weeks ago (possibly a misdiagnosis), but no sign of ammonia spike after this; maintenance regime of twice-weekly 25 % water change (bec of fry); no new fish introduced (other than by tank birth) since tank first set up.
Oh, and I have finally got the family to agree that we MUST buy a small hospital tank. Too late for this if it's an outbreak of ich, but badly needed.
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