Hello!! ICK!!
Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 1:30 pm
Hello, I am new and can't be more excited to see a forum for the fish we have all grown to love. Let me give you a little history on my Loach experience. I like sea clown fish, and always wanted to make a salt water tank to keep clown fish in. Well, I got a 29 gallon tank for Christmas and was happy as can be, but instead of spending a lot of money to start a salt water aquarium, I thought I would first go with a fresh water setup and gain some experience with aquariums. So what did I do? I rushed right into the process not thinking about it, and with no help from any of the pet stores I went too. No one told me about the tank cycle process and no one told me about the fish I was buying. I thought it would be OK for my aquarium to buy any fish that was small in size and community! The Clown Loach caught my eye, because they almost look like the Clown Fish of the sea!
Well, I bought 2 clown loach fish right away! Along with 4 dwarf Gouramis, 1 big Gouramis, 5 glow fish, 2 mollys, 2 sword tails, and a Plecostomus. I also bought a lobster, but I took him back because he was snapping at the fish. So here I am with an over population of fish in an uncycled tank. What could go Wrong? :-p One sword tail died first, followed by both mollys, I went ahead and added another big blue Gouramis, which with the other big gouramis killed the 4 dwarf gouramis. The one sword tail lasted for a long time, but it died when I went on vacation. I did add safe start to my tank, and with every water change I add a cap full of bio-boost. I never put salt in my tank (I do now), so I had learned A LOT by mistakes. Somehow my two clowns that I had bought at 1in each made it though the cycle process. My tank is only around 7 months old now, and my clowns are growing out of the tank. Again I wish the pet shop owners would tell people size requirements. Especially to new people like me that are excited to have a tank and not take the time to look up correct tank sizes for fish.
Now, as of two days ago I had to remove the older decorations for my fish because the Clowns are getting big, and they need new hiding spaces. I put in a large plastic fake looking tree branch with larges openings, and two real rocks in a cave kind of set up. I believe by removing their old hiding place, I had upset them a lot because they now have ICK!! I am scared to death for them. I noticed the white spots the DAY OF replacing the tank decorations, and went to the pet store right away (I found a good pet store with people that will tell people what to do and not do, I trust their word! and I am glad I found this place). I had asked a question on Yahoo comments and no one has given me a good answer, so this is why I am here. :-p This is the question I had asked, and I want your advice!!
"As of now I have a 29 gallon fish tank, I am going to upgrade to a 75 gallon in the next four months so my two Clown's I have now can live out there 15 years in a big enough tank being they get 10 to 12 inches. I love my Clown's, I had purchased them when I started the tank, (Yea thanks Pet smart) I didn't take the cycle process into account, but I did get "Safe Start" and I did water changes every week and all my clown fish made it though. My tank is now established and has been for a good 8 months. I added bio boost with every water change, and aquarium salt. So that is my tank, now on to the issue at hand.
I had to replace a few objects in my tank because the Clown's are getting bigger and I don't want them to get stuck in the old decorations. So I changed over half the tank, with new hiding places and real rock and a plastic fish decoration with many caves. It should be a Loach DREAM, but I believe the change over really stressed them out and one got ICK. I went to the pet store right away (It literately developed that day and I started treating that day). I am using "Nox-ICH" and "Acriflavine MS" and of course "Aquarium Salt" to treat the ICK, I have also turned the water temp up to 84 degrees F. My Clown's were in hiding for almost a day and half. Now they are out and both have it (I kind of figured the other would get it, being they huddle next to one another). The good news is it's not as profound now, the white spots are now faded on the one Clown that had it first and the other Clown does not look like he has a lot of white spots and they are faded already. Both are swimming without issue and playing in the bubbler as we speak. They look healthy, and looks like they are having the time of their lives swimming down the bubbler and letting it float them to the top before they swim down again.
I guess my question is simple, It's the 2nd day of my treatment out of the 4 day treatment plan (I am doing half doses for the clowns). Am I in the clear as far as their health now? I don't want them to die, I had them when they were really small and I take pride in their growth. I was planing on adding two more small ones in the next week (Before they got ICK), because I know they like 4 or more and it's healthier for them to be in a group of at least 4. How long after the treatment should I wait to introduce the other Clowns, and do you think two more would be a problem as of now due to my tank size of 29 gallons? Like I said in 4 to 5 months we are going to upgrade to a permanent home of 75 gallon tank for the 4 to 5 Clowns I plan on keeping. I was just wondering if more tank mats for my Clown's would be good for them now, so they can get acquainted with one another.
As of now I have 5 Glow fish, 2 large Gouramis, and 1 Plecostomus. The Plecostomus is getting big and I want to keep him, that's why I am going to upgrade the tank as well. I know they get lazy when they get bigger, but he is a cool looking fish regardless. :-p
With that said, would adding the three extra Clown's (Small ones) be good for my other Clown's now? Or should I just wait for the 75 gallon? With the 75 gallon tank I am going to keep the fish I have now and add the three Clown's. My wife and I wanted to add 2 discus fish as well (I know the water needs to be perfect for the discus fish). That's all we want in the 75 gallon tank, do you all think that would be a good community and big enough?
In summery (Sorry, I wrote a book), Are my Clowns out of the "Danger Zone" with the ICK? What follow up treatment should I use after the four day treatment plan (should I keep my water at 84 degrees for at last 10 days more)? Will adding three more small Clown Loaches be OK for my 29 gallon tank, and will the planed 75 gallon community be OK for that tank size?
Thanks for the help on the matter, the most important part is my Clown's health, I really like watching my Clown's play around. I bought them when they were so small and they are bigger now, they freaked me out at first doing all the weird things clowns do. :-p
Additional Content:
One of my Clown's is now just hanging out vertically on the side of the tank. He was just sitting there vertical about in the middle. It seemed fine, I opened the lid to feed my fish. He came off the corner really fast to eat. Never seen any of them do this before, I figure it's just a Clown being a Clown, because he is swimming fine now eating and he was playing the bubbler earlier just fine."
Well, I bought 2 clown loach fish right away! Along with 4 dwarf Gouramis, 1 big Gouramis, 5 glow fish, 2 mollys, 2 sword tails, and a Plecostomus. I also bought a lobster, but I took him back because he was snapping at the fish. So here I am with an over population of fish in an uncycled tank. What could go Wrong? :-p One sword tail died first, followed by both mollys, I went ahead and added another big blue Gouramis, which with the other big gouramis killed the 4 dwarf gouramis. The one sword tail lasted for a long time, but it died when I went on vacation. I did add safe start to my tank, and with every water change I add a cap full of bio-boost. I never put salt in my tank (I do now), so I had learned A LOT by mistakes. Somehow my two clowns that I had bought at 1in each made it though the cycle process. My tank is only around 7 months old now, and my clowns are growing out of the tank. Again I wish the pet shop owners would tell people size requirements. Especially to new people like me that are excited to have a tank and not take the time to look up correct tank sizes for fish.
Now, as of two days ago I had to remove the older decorations for my fish because the Clowns are getting big, and they need new hiding spaces. I put in a large plastic fake looking tree branch with larges openings, and two real rocks in a cave kind of set up. I believe by removing their old hiding place, I had upset them a lot because they now have ICK!! I am scared to death for them. I noticed the white spots the DAY OF replacing the tank decorations, and went to the pet store right away (I found a good pet store with people that will tell people what to do and not do, I trust their word! and I am glad I found this place). I had asked a question on Yahoo comments and no one has given me a good answer, so this is why I am here. :-p This is the question I had asked, and I want your advice!!
"As of now I have a 29 gallon fish tank, I am going to upgrade to a 75 gallon in the next four months so my two Clown's I have now can live out there 15 years in a big enough tank being they get 10 to 12 inches. I love my Clown's, I had purchased them when I started the tank, (Yea thanks Pet smart) I didn't take the cycle process into account, but I did get "Safe Start" and I did water changes every week and all my clown fish made it though. My tank is now established and has been for a good 8 months. I added bio boost with every water change, and aquarium salt. So that is my tank, now on to the issue at hand.
I had to replace a few objects in my tank because the Clown's are getting bigger and I don't want them to get stuck in the old decorations. So I changed over half the tank, with new hiding places and real rock and a plastic fish decoration with many caves. It should be a Loach DREAM, but I believe the change over really stressed them out and one got ICK. I went to the pet store right away (It literately developed that day and I started treating that day). I am using "Nox-ICH" and "Acriflavine MS" and of course "Aquarium Salt" to treat the ICK, I have also turned the water temp up to 84 degrees F. My Clown's were in hiding for almost a day and half. Now they are out and both have it (I kind of figured the other would get it, being they huddle next to one another). The good news is it's not as profound now, the white spots are now faded on the one Clown that had it first and the other Clown does not look like he has a lot of white spots and they are faded already. Both are swimming without issue and playing in the bubbler as we speak. They look healthy, and looks like they are having the time of their lives swimming down the bubbler and letting it float them to the top before they swim down again.
I guess my question is simple, It's the 2nd day of my treatment out of the 4 day treatment plan (I am doing half doses for the clowns). Am I in the clear as far as their health now? I don't want them to die, I had them when they were really small and I take pride in their growth. I was planing on adding two more small ones in the next week (Before they got ICK), because I know they like 4 or more and it's healthier for them to be in a group of at least 4. How long after the treatment should I wait to introduce the other Clowns, and do you think two more would be a problem as of now due to my tank size of 29 gallons? Like I said in 4 to 5 months we are going to upgrade to a permanent home of 75 gallon tank for the 4 to 5 Clowns I plan on keeping. I was just wondering if more tank mats for my Clown's would be good for them now, so they can get acquainted with one another.
As of now I have 5 Glow fish, 2 large Gouramis, and 1 Plecostomus. The Plecostomus is getting big and I want to keep him, that's why I am going to upgrade the tank as well. I know they get lazy when they get bigger, but he is a cool looking fish regardless. :-p
With that said, would adding the three extra Clown's (Small ones) be good for my other Clown's now? Or should I just wait for the 75 gallon? With the 75 gallon tank I am going to keep the fish I have now and add the three Clown's. My wife and I wanted to add 2 discus fish as well (I know the water needs to be perfect for the discus fish). That's all we want in the 75 gallon tank, do you all think that would be a good community and big enough?
In summery (Sorry, I wrote a book), Are my Clowns out of the "Danger Zone" with the ICK? What follow up treatment should I use after the four day treatment plan (should I keep my water at 84 degrees for at last 10 days more)? Will adding three more small Clown Loaches be OK for my 29 gallon tank, and will the planed 75 gallon community be OK for that tank size?
Thanks for the help on the matter, the most important part is my Clown's health, I really like watching my Clown's play around. I bought them when they were so small and they are bigger now, they freaked me out at first doing all the weird things clowns do. :-p
Additional Content:
One of my Clown's is now just hanging out vertically on the side of the tank. He was just sitting there vertical about in the middle. It seemed fine, I opened the lid to feed my fish. He came off the corner really fast to eat. Never seen any of them do this before, I figure it's just a Clown being a Clown, because he is swimming fine now eating and he was playing the bubbler earlier just fine."