Ich for 3 weeks now, WTF?

[Xirxes]

6 loaches now dead to ich within 2 weeks of their arrival.

last loach in tank, (30 gallon, 84-86F, pH 7.6, no nitrates/nitrites/ammo feeding flakes 4 times a week, frozen bloodworms every other, big airstone, no carbon filtration) has had ich for 10 days now...

i have been treating for ich for 3 WEEKS, with varying products, and with Rid-Ich+ (new "safer" Malachite green)for 2 weeks straight, working up now to FULL DOSE EVERY 12 HOURS, fish are not harmed by it, as i started with 1/2 every 24, then 1/2 every 12, then 3/4 every 12...

three danios in the tank having the time of their life(no ich), and last clown loach is going the way of every other loach in this loach killing machine.

i just have no clue what i am supposed to do.

i can keep the pH at steady 7.2 with use of Seachem Neutral regulator/discus buffer combo, but was informed not to do this while they are healing...

Is it possible that because my water is soo horrible(7.6-8.0 pH and HARD) from old pipes, that the heavy metals are killing these fish?

Please note that i cannot keep Plecostomus alive in this tank for more than 2 weeks either, no Ich problems there though.

This will be my last post until either the ich goes away, the current meds run out, or the last of the mohicans dies off.

i have put somewhere in the viscinity of 200 hours in the last month and a half into keeping these fish alive and i cant do it.

[clownloach]

I would say you should leave it and not buy anymore fish for 2 or 3 months to be safe. Also I would check the store you are buying from for ick in any of the tanks. If any fish has any ick in that store I would not buy from it unless the pumps are seperate for each tank. Most (notice i say most) stores have all their tanks set up to one single large pump that cycles the water in each tank. That means if one fish gets it... all of them do, or will.

So 1. Make sure your store is safe and has had no ick for quiet a while.
and 2. Be patient for a few months.

[mikev]

IMHO, Ich in the store is not an absolute stopper. You can buy from an ich-infected tank and get away with it, *if you have a tested procedure* for dealing with ich. My clown purchase last week was the 3rd purchase from an ich tank and I've not lost a fish yet. (Of course, you must have a Q-tank to play these games...)

The real issue is to understand why Xirxes failed when he seemed to treat correctly. My feeling is that the people who treat correctly (including all who had clowns for a year) will have a 90% success rate...maybe 99%. So what went wrong?

Possibilities:
1. Is Rid-Ich+ a lemon?
2. Did he create a med-resistant Ich by treating too long?
3. Is his water an issue?
4. A combination of 1. and 3.: some meds may be less effective in an unusual water (cf. Levimisatole)...nobody studied ich meds this way.
5. Something else?

Xirxes, you can change this thread to a poll if you want.

IMO, you should not experiment with clowns until you have some idea on what has happened.

And what kind of Pleco was it and how big?
A common Pleco is about the hardiest fish that exists....

As for the Danios, they are the other hardiest kind of fish,... so they may not be so happy... Danios are what some people cycle with...

Now, as for the water: in the absolutely worst case, a $150 (I think) investment into an RO machine should do it. IMHO, better than adding more chemicals to whatever you have in your water already.

[shari]

Xirxes I understand your frustration. What you need to understand is your water. From what you' ve posted here you'd be better off with cichlids than with loaches. Clowns (and many other loaches) prefer softer water. Yours is hard. Go look for some attractive cichlids. There are many

And fishkeeping should be an enjoyable hobby, not a nightmare.