tiny white dots....

fernival brainard · 09-21-2006, 01:55 PM

two days ago I had to confine my beta to a sick tank for tiny white dots on his fins and body, he rubs against the rocks and plants in way that reminds of a person scratching poison ivy...he still has a good appetite and the spots have started to vanish ( i used a fungus treatment on hime cause it's all i had at the time) but now my gold severum is starting to get the same little spots, he does not seem to itch as much as the beta and he has an excellent appetite. I watched them closely and the spots don't appear to move around (like some parasites and stuff) I would love to send a pic but don't have a camera. I know I sure don't I'm not even sure what type of problem it is (fungal, parasitic, ect.)

thewebpop · 09-21-2006, 02:27 PM

This sounds like ICH. I just had the problem myself and the with the help of these forums and Jay, I am now Ich free and I only lost 1-fish.

Here is info provided to me a few weeks ago... But PLEASE wait before starting treatment maybe Jay or others will give more advise. I am not sure if the kind of fish you have can take the Salt Treatment. Good Luck, Later, Pop's

ICH is introduced into the tank from new fish arrivals, sometimes on plants, sometimes just the water that comes from the LFS. It has a definite life cycle and is only vulnerable to treatment when it is free swimming.
Once you observe it in your tank, assume ALL of your fish are infected.

The safest way (for all aquarium critters) to deal with it is a salt treatment.

As Follows...

Add 1 teaspoon of salt (NaCl aka table salt) per gallon over an eight hour period.

Raise the temp of the tank to 81 - 82 degrees F. This speeds up the ICH cycle.

Takes about 8-10 days to be sure all of the ICH is dead.

Remember the parasite is only vulnerable during its free swimming stage. The white cysts on the fish will hatch and the free swimming parasite will die from the salt. When no more white spots appear on the fish you can be sure you have wiped them out.

A series of water changes will lower the salt level, and you will be careful in the future not to introduce the parasite again

Striped Bass · 09-21-2006, 02:28 PM

Sorry to hear about your fish's ailment's. It sounds like your fish have ICH. Right off the bate, I have to tell you its going to take about a month to get rid of it if you do it right. I don't have time to go over the treatment. So I suggest you read over this forum and look online abot ICH. This is something you need tor TREAT ASAP. It can and will kill all of youe fish in as fast as a weeks time if not addressed right away. I can offer you this advise for ow. PUT ALL YOUR FISH IN THE HOSPITAL TANK YOU HAVE IF YOU CAN AND TREAT THEM IN THERE. Leave your main tank VOID OF FISH FOR A MONTH. Turn the heat on your tank AS HIGH AS IT GOES. Get aquarium salt and ICH TREATMENT. I used API's ICH CURE, when I faced this problem. I only lost 1 fish from ICH. But this is becuase I treated them with full force. READ UP ON THE ICH. NOW! Good luck and if you have any question write me back VIA this post, theres alot of people on here that can help. Again GOOD LUCK.

Stripedbass

Jay · 09-21-2006, 02:58 PM

Sounds like Ich to me also. If you moved fish from one tank to another you are going to have to assume all tanks are infected and treat them.

You have two choices, an Ich pharmaceutical, most are copper based and very toxic if not used with extreme caution. Most require you remove snails and shrimp, crabs etc. from the tank.

Or

The Salt treatment which takes a little longer but is far less toxic.

The crucial thing is to jump on it now. Do a search on the web and look at pictures of Ich to confirm what is going on.

Jay

fernival brainard · 09-21-2006, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Striped Bass

PUT ALL YOUR FISH IN THE HOSPITAL TANK YOU HAVE AND TREAT THEM IN THERE. Stripedbass

LOL...my hospital tank is only a one gallon and the infected tank is 42 gallons of medium to large fish....but it makes for a great mental image

I have a 10 gallon that I can put my clown loach in (i read that treatments containing dyes like malachite green can cause loaches to make to much slime coat and they suffocate-i think it said because they are scaleless fish), then maybe I can formalin the crud out of the 42( thats where the infected beta and the severum live), but will my albino clawed frog kill my loach? the loach is a juvenile and only about 2" long at most, the frog is an oversized rosey red eating monster...and will the formalin kill my mussles and can mussels get ich?

ps. how do I put multiple quotes from different people in one reply?

LI HxC · 09-22-2006, 06:19 AM

its ich, my tank had it for a month, contrary to what everyone says, i went to the store and bought "quICK cure" (name on the bottle) and it worked amazingly

Jay · 09-22-2006, 08:36 AM

You might try reading here

http://www.fishtankforums.com/5-fres...osis-cure.html

Regards,
Jay

Tommy Gun · 09-24-2006, 04:20 PM

I have had Ich issues also in the past (I am willing to bet most of us have at one time or another) and I have tried both medication and the 'salt and heat' cures, both with success.

However, I do lean towards the salt and raising the tank's temperature method over medications. My biggest reason is because some medicines, especially those dissolving tabs, can dye everything in your tank. I had to replace so many airhoses because of this dye, even though they were hidden, it is hard to hide a blue hose in a natural looking setting.

Remeber also with using medications to remove your charcoal filter media. It will simply soak up the meds and they will be good for nothing.

Loaches are also a challenge. There are a lot of reasons for not using meds with loaches, all based upon the fact that they are scaleless. Be aware though that salt can irritate them as well and if they can be removed, then that is the best bet.

Now, my experiences and everything I have ever read about Ich is that it is in every tank, no matter what you do. Contamination from one tank to another is some what a mute point then, but all of the sick fish should not be moved since you would be transferring Ich in its later life stages from one tank to another. I bring this up because it may be ok for you to take your loaches out of the origonal tank to a 10 gallon hospital tank safely if they are not showing later stage Ich. I found in my tanks that my clown loaches were usually the last to show signs and I would usually quarenteen them in my 10 gallon tank. I would put them back when it was safe and do nothing more, not even clean the 10 gallon tank. I never got ich on any other fish I put in the hospital tank that didnt already have it.

Loman · 09-24-2006, 08:39 PM

Fernival,

Let me start by saying I agree with the salt treatment that Jay recommended in most cases. However, if you really are compelled to use meds there are some that claim to work with scaleless fish (I am fairly sure formailin is one). I have never had muzzles so that would also need some research regarding compatibility. One of the biggest reasons I would shy away from meds is it is way to easy to overdose the tank and make the situation even worse. IMO you have a little more tolerance with the salt treatment.

Loman · 09-24-2006, 08:40 PM

Fernival,

Let me start by saying I agree with the salt treatment that Jay recommended in most cases. However, if you really are compelled to use meds there are some that claim to work with scaleless fish (I am fairly sure formailin is one). I have never had muzzles so that would also need some research regarding compatibility. One of the biggest reasons I would shy away from meds is it is way to easy to overdose the tank and make the situation even worse. IMO you have a little more tolerance with the salt treatment and a high probability of a positive outcome.