White Marks On Fish - Help!

[ChrisCook]

Well last night was my first sad moment in my fish keeping career.
At the beginning of last week I acquired a 10 gallon tank with 3 fish (1 angel fish and 2 tetras). At the end of last week I added:
6 Platy (Orange ones - not sure on exact type)
1 Marble Angel
3 Botia Strata Loaches

Yesterday when I entered the room and checked on the fish I saw one of the Platys was nose down on the gravel and in it's death throes. Upon looking at the fish closer I noticed that close to both gills (i.e. on both sides of the fish) were some "small" white marks.

To cut a long story short the fish is now dead and removed from the tank but I would like to now fairly quickly what I need to do. I looked through the pinned topics and can only come to the conclusion that it is Ich?

Is there anything else it could be?

The pH of the water is about 8, and I checked for ammonia levels and these appear to be safe.

Chris

 

[caspercanuck]

a ph of 8 is high for those fish i think..

ideally the ph should be around 7....

white spots usually mean ick, so you can raise the temp to about 82' and add some aquarium salt...

might want to try that rather then medicate as im sure the botias are probably sensitive to meds..

id raise the temp, add some salt, and do some water changes every few days to keep the water as clean as possible

 

[AngelMax]

R.I.P lil Fishy

I am dealing with the same problem at the moment and it isn't for the faint hearted.
Just look at my sigature...I have lost half my fish to ICH.
But I have now found an excellent med (3rd attempt!!!) I am using eSHa Exit for the whitespot and eSHa 2000 for all the secondary infections that can happen.
Like you I had 3 Botias (polkadot loaches)....they carry something called Import spot. They are not tank bred fish they are imported straight from the wild. They carry this parasite quite happily in the wild as their immune system can keep it in touch, but when they are put in a tank in our homes they lose their built up immune system and then the paracite takes over. This is one of the hardest to get rid of....I KNOW.
Get some of the eSHa stuff ....both these meds can be used at the same time with no ill effect. You may need to triple dose if it doesnt work after the 3rd day. (triple dosing on this med is safe....do not triple dose with any other meds) if you you anything else be careful...loaches need half doses (unless using eSHa)
You need to keep the lights off but keep the temp the same (around 25-28c) if using eSHa.

Good luck and if you need to know any more from my experiences with this nasty parasite please pm me and I will endeavour to help.
I am not an expert, but I am definatley quite an expert on import white spot now after all I have been throuh.

 

[ChrisCook]

Thanks for the responses - you have a PM


Chris

 

[ChrisCook]

A bit of a public thank you to AngelMax who kindly phoned me and advised me on what she deems to be the best way forward.

Appreciate everyones help since I've joined.

Thanks

Chris

 

[WILDER]

A 10gal tank is to small for angel fish, need to no water stats in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,and ph,you will have o describe the white marks,any flicking and rubbing on objects, any heavy breathing, pale gills can be gill flukes.

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

May I just add that just because your ammonia is fine doesn't mean your nitrItes are. Check for them too. It could be in adding all those extra fish at the same time put your tank into a mini cycle. White spit seems likely and is highly contagious to stressed fish or if there's loads of the bacteria present in the tank all will be under threat. Treat the tank. It isn't worth crossing your fingers in the hope it goes away. DO a w/c before starting the treatment too. And remove the carbon.
Hugs,
P.

 

[AngelMax]

A bit of a public thank you to AngelMax who kindly phoned me and advised me on what she deems to be the best way forward.

Appreciate everyones help since I've joined.

Thanks

Chris

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Awww thanks mate very kind of you. )
I only asked the Q's others asked me when I needed help.
Like I said, I do not profess to be an expert on fish keeping, but believe I have learnt an awful lot in the last few weeks.

Listen to Wilder & Black Angel they are brilliant.

How did it go last night mate Did you do the water change and water stats

 

[AngelMax]

A 10gal tank is to small for angel fish.

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Wilder....when I spoke to him last night he said he had a bigger tank he was going to set up as he inherited this 10g tank.
I told him to do alot of research into @ 'Fishless Cycling' before he does.

I advised him to -
Do a 30% water change
check the filter is working properly (only to wash in tank water not tap)
Get a testing kit
Run an airstone for extra Oxygen as they are near the surface all the time.
I also recommended as a future reference the eSHa products for white spot and bacterial infections as these are mild enough to use a preventatives. (as he is not sure it is WS)

My last Neon died last night...poor lil fella...he fought it as long as he could.
Bye Bye

 

[ChrisCook]

I did a 30% water change yesterday and started the three day course of eSHa. I bought one of the airstones for each of my tanks and these are now up and running. Also bought a new pump for that (very expensive - ouch).

The new tank is now planted (20 plants) and has 1-1.5" of sand in the bottom. I'm guessing that the angel fish will be better off in this new 40g aquarium compared to my 10g one.

I'll continue with the eSHa treatment and do some more water changes.

Sorry to hear about your latest fish fatality Maxine.

Cheers

Chris

 

[AngelMax]

I did a 30% water change yesterday and started the three day course of eSHa. I bought one of the airstones for each of my tanks and these are now up and running. Also bought a new pump for that (very expensive - ouch).

The new tank is now planted (20 plants) and has 1-1.5" of sand in the bottom. I'm guessing that the angel fish will be better off in this new 40g aquarium compared to my 10g one.

I'll continue with the eSHa treatment and do some more water changes.

Sorry to hear about your latest fish fatality Maxine.

Cheers

Chris

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Chris

Glad all is going ok....
So have you had it confirmed the fish have white spot

You shouldnt do water changes whilst using eSHa. If after the first three days the ws has cleared then you can do a water change but not before otherwise you are just diluting the meds you have put in.

Are your Botias calming down??? Breathing easier?

So you have set up the new tank....will you be using the filter from the old one Dont forget when you squeeze out the filter only use the tank water you have removed on a water change...never rinse it in tap water as you will wash away the good bacteria.

Be careful if you are going to transfer them as you do not want to cause them any more stress. Finish their meds off if all has cleared run a carbon filter to clear any meds left in the tank and any other nasties. Leave for a few days then transfer.

You could then keep the smaller tank as a hospital tank.

But I beg of you do loads of research...that has been my downfall.
If you are unsure about anything.... leave it until you can ask on here.

Oh and thanks for your sentiments....

 

[ChrisCook]

Rightio, I will wait until the course of medicine is completed until my next water change.

Another question(!) - does it matter which water I remove? i.e. should I take the water off the top or should I stir the water up a little before removing water? Or does it not matter which water it is.

After adding the airstone the fish seemed a bit calmer to me - they weren't going from the top to the bottom as much. A question on the airstone - do I need to keep the same amount of air coming through it all day and all night?

Would you recommend moving the fish from the 10g tank in to the 40g tank after it's been resting for a week or so?

I've not confirmed it is WS yet - but the guy at the LFS said he thought it was. Hopefully that will be the end of my problems for now!

Chris

 

[WILDER]

You haven't tranferred the fish over yet have you as i would fill it up completely with new declorinated water, and let it settle and run for two days without the fish, as the 10gal has desease in it, and you will be transferring it over.

 

[ChrisCook]

Wilder,
I've not transferred any fish over yet - I'm planning on letting the 40g tank settle for a few days before moving any fish. The moving will probably be done on Tuesday next week. For a start, I still need to get the heater up and runningand fit the aerating bits and pieces.

Chris

 

[AngelMax]

Glad to hear the fish seem happier, hopefully you have nipped this in the bud.

No need to mix water just remove with a syphon or a jug, but do it gently as not to disturb the fish too much. Also ensure the water covers the heater fully, lower it if need be. If the water goes below the heater it may blow it, then you will be in a pickle!!! But don't forget to switch it all back on and dont leave off too long.

Keep the airstone running 24/7 as this will help help especially whilst you are using meds, Plus thy love to play in the bubbles

I would do as Wilder said...you have a diseased tank so you should really start from fresh. I would seek more advise on starting the new tank.

My tank seems to be a happier one today!!!! (cross fingers)
I added some aquarium salt to the tank and immediatley the fish were swimming around with their dorsal fins fully opened and def looked much perkier. Also the slimey coating on them has decreased.

Hoorah....a can relax a bit now....but not too much, you can never do that....

Keep us updated Chris