Ugh! Ich in my Community Tank.

[FishGuest5123]

Bought new fish a few weeks ago and only QT for 5 days. I know better. Last night I found 2 green neon tetra with ich pretty bad. Why just them? No one else seems affected. I’m having to use ich meds because I used all of my manual controlled heaters in my betta tanks. All I have left are preset ones that go to 76F. Wish me luck because I much prefer the heat method. This why I dislike buying new tropical fish. I don’t want to go in a store right now. I ordered a heater but won’t be here until Thursday. Very seldom do I get caught without supplies I need but this is one time I have. Dang it!

 

[Retired Viking]

"The best laid plans of mice and men" could you pull one of the Betta heaters and replace it with a preset heater short term? I do not like those preset heaters even though some of them are pretty cheap. Good luck

 

[JuiceBox52]

Ich is always frustrating. Good luck!

 

[FishGuest5123]

I did think about that but I hate for them to get cold. You know me and my bettas.

 

[JuiceBox52]

I did think about that but I hate for them to get cold. You know me and my bettas.

Yup! You are the betta queen and they are your adoring subjects

 

[Retired Viking]

I did think about that but I hate for them to get cold. You know me and my bettas.

You got to take good care of your babies

 

[Colin_T]

Are you sure it's whitespot?
Whitespot should have shown up after 5 days in quarantine.

 

[FishGuest5123]

These aren’t the ones QT but it is without a doubt ich. It has responded to treatment. The poor little guys were covered and miserable. It actually left tiny pits in their skin. They are now through with meds but I still have them in QT with heat and salt. By the way...I Googled what to do if you don’t have a heater and a heating pad works! Mine is perfect because it will get up to about 86.3F and then shut off. Every 2 hours I check it and it goes down to about 85.5F. So I have to kick it on every couple of hours but it works. Of course, at night it goes to about 82F. I should get my heater tomorrow but this is working.

 

[FishGuest5123]

These aren’t the ones QT but it is without a doubt ich. It has responds to treatment. The poor little guys were covered and miserable. It actually left tiny pits in their skin. They are now through with meds but I still have them in QT with heat and salt. By the way...I Googled what to do if you don’t have a heater and a heating pad works! Mine is perfect because it will get up to about 86.3F and then shut off. Every 2 hours I check it and it goes down to about 85.5F. So I have to kick it on every couple of hours but it works. Of course, at night it goes to about 82F. I should get my heater tomorrow but this is working.

@Colin_T what else were you thinking it could be? Just wanting to learn if there’s other things with white spots. You the man!

 

[Byron]

I'm just commenting on a couple of general questions you raised in this thread, as it may help you and others going forward.

Last night I found 2 green neon tetra with ich pretty bad. Why just them? No one else seems affected.

This is not surprising; Paracheirodon simulans is an extremely sensitive and delicate species, much more than its two cousins even. Parameters may have something to do with this. Soft (less than 4 dGH) and acidic (pH 6.0 or below) water essential for long-term health, temperature 23-30C/73-86F. I know you are familiar with this, but it is the temperature that may be relevant here. Water temperature in P. simulans' natural habitats has been recorded to range between 24.6-35.2°C/76.3-95.3°F and it may have evolved a natural tolerance to high temperatures (Marshall et al., 2011). This species is sometimes found in the same waters as the cardinal tetra (termed sympatric) and both fish have identical water parameter requirements. In temperature however the cardinal tetra P. axelrodi inhabits waters that do not exceed 30°C, whereas P. simulans can be found in watercourses with a temperature that can surpass 35°C (Campos, et al, 2017).

I mention this in connection with a recent issue I have had. I moved last May, and after setting my (fewer) tanks up, in June I had the opportunity to acquire a group of 18 of this species to add to the three remaining ones from several years ago. I have always kept the temperature around 25C (76F) in their tank, which they share with pencilfish (Nannostomus eques), Ember Tetra (Hyphessobrycon amandae), and Corydoras pygmaeus. In January I noticed what I assumed might be ich on several of this species, though it may have been something else entirely. They had been fine from June until January. I raised the temperature to 80F (26C) and did nothing else. I will not use any chemicals/medications with these fish, except for salt, and I thought I might get to that in stages. I lost half of them in a very short space of time (fairly quick dwindling numbers had actually been what alerted me to the problem), but once the heat was up whatever it was has cleared up with no additional losses. The tank has remained around 80F for the last two months, and I must say the P. simulans are brighter and seem to be enjoying the higher temperature.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Interesting. They are the last 2 remaining green neons that I have. I have had them for at least 18 months. They hang with my neons. I bought them in error as they were labeled neon tetras. I learned from you that they have different parameter needs than the others. One neon had a couple of spots in his tail but other than that, only the green neons got it so bad. I keep my tank at 74-76F because I have mountain minnows which need cooler water and these poor green neons that need warmer water. I also have glo lights but they are happy as can be. I have thought these poor babies would eventually die out by they are proving to be tough. Thanks for the info. I just got a new heater today and I’ll try adjusting the temp a little. I just have the wrong mix of fish in the tank. This was my first tropical tank and I have learned a lot.