Treating White Spot.

[Jamieleigh.]

So my fish have white spot, I started treating them on saturday with white spot control treatment then changed the water on sunday and added more of the treatment. I was then told to put in methylene blue and put the temperature up to about 26'c so I did on sunday. I was told not to change the water aswell? I thought it would be better to change the water? Should I add more methylene blue to the water or just leave it? It seems to have worked a bit but I have lost all my neons, a platy, a guppy and 2 baby angels I don't want to lose any more fish, does anyone have anymore advice? I don't have a water test kit as there are none in my local pet shops.

 

[LongS]

My advice would be to stay away from Methylene Blue all together as the stuff is evil. It stains everything and gets everywhere. There are much easier options to treating white spot in my opinion and the easiest being salt and heat.

I had white spot a couple of times when adding new fish and not quarantining and tried meds which did #29### all.

Add aquarium salt, and raise the temp to around 29 degrees. The heat will speed up the life cycle of the parasite and the salt will kill it when its in the free swimming form i believe.

http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/ich.php

I'd invest in a test kit though.

 

[Jamieleigh.]

Yes so I have found out, I was warned when he lent me it to use to take out the ornaments and things in the tank but I forgot to and now the mini rocks are blue they were out of aquarium salt so they advised me on liquid white spot control and then a friend told me methylene blue(he has several aquariums and marines) the remaining fish seem to have livened up a bit but I can still see spots. How long usually does it take to clear up?

 

[LongS]

You'll need to treat for about a week to ten days. Then when the white spot disappears from the fish carry on the treatment for another 3-4 days to make sure the swimmers are gone too.

However it can take different amounts of time depending on the methods used and the temperature and such. It took me about a week overall for all the spots to completely disappear, i lost no fish and eradicated the disease completely using aquarium salt and heat. Never had it since.

Now, you said you have no aquarium salt. A friend of mine who kept healthy fish for years swears on normal table salt for the same effect. Same with a reputable fish store owner not too far away from me. I'm not advising to do this just making you aware that it has worked for some although i have never used it. Aquarium salt works fine for me.

I think the way salt works is it kills the lower life forms first, but obviously if left in for long enough will eventually kill your fish too which is why we do the water change at the end. I may be wrong so reading up first would be advisable but i'm 90% sure that is accurate.

 

[Jamieleigh.]

Should I be changing the water and adding more treatment? I'm not sure if I should do this or not as I don't want to cause anymore stress, one last question should I increase the heat even more? If so to what temperature? Thank you for your help!

 

[LongS]

It's really down to what the treatments instructions are. Usually it will direct you to change after four days or something like that.

Is the tank fully cycled? If the tank is fully cycled then you shouldn't have to be changing the water every few days.

What size tank have you got and what is the stocking if you don't mind me asking?

About the temperature, the higher the temperature the quicker the life cycle of the parasite so i go for around 29 degrees, but remember that warmer water contains less oxygen than colder water so surface agitation will need to be increased somehow. Meds will affect the oxygen levels too.

Either use a spray bar or air stone or just ensure there is plenty of agitation from the filter outlet. (maybe have it above the water line instead of under).

What temperature is it currently at Jamie?

 

[Jamieleigh.]

My tank is 60ltr and I currently have 3 mollies, 1 mickey mouse platy, 2 baby angels and a sucker. I have the heater set at 25'c. The instructions are pretty vague, it only says how much to add.

 

[elmo666]

Uping the temp is important as this parasite does drop away for the fish and am sure the free swimming stage is where the it is best dealt with. I think the med is designed to build up to a level so I would stay away from water changes whilst using it. As for the methyline blue, other than the staing issue, am not sure if mixing meds is a good idea, it may cause additional stress, just as we have side effects with meds. White spot isn't too difficult to irradicate.