Never had ich before... Please help!
Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 7:04 am
Hi everyone.
I am sure there are several posts about ich, but I want to make sure the advice I get it is specific to my situation. I've had my clown loach for about five years now. We recently got him another clown loach buddy and four tiger barbs. We also recently upgraded to a 55 gallon tank. Yes, I am aware that we will need a bigger tank for the loaches in a few years. Right now, that was what we could afford. In the process of setting up the new 55 gallon, we transferred the fish into a small 10 gallon tank and do daily water changes to help with the overload.
I should probably mention the preferences of my fish. He's a bit of an oddball from what I can see. First, he survived while I was away for 1 year in Ecuador under the care of my mother. She "doesn't do" water changes... So that's one year of no cleaning. She also didn't want to replace the water that had evaporated, so she just unplugged the heater. In the winter in Pennsylvania. So basically all she did was toss food in. By the time I got home, there was about two gallons of green sludge in the tank. After the water changing, or rather replacing, the loach was fine. He's never had a disease.
If the water temperature gets below 80, he tends to get stressed. He is much happier with some aquarium salt in the water. I realize that some loaches don't like salt and can't take heat. Rest assured, my loach isn't one of them.
Anyway, back to the problem. The ten gallon tank heater doesn't seem to be able to heat to 80, only to 78. This morning, we noticed ich all over the older clown loach and on some of the tiger barbs. I have never had to deal with ich, but I do know that loaches don't take kindly to ich medicine. I raised the temperature (he's lived at 86 comfortably before) and put more salt in. I obviously want this taken care of before I transfer the fish into the larger tank. Our plan was to continue raising the temperature to about 86, add salt, and do daily water changes to remove the ich spores floating in the water.
A few questions:
1. Is this a good plan?
2. Should I think about buying medication and doing half doses? I've heard Rid Ich is good for loaches as long as you do a half dose twice a day. But I have no experience with it.
3. The ammonia in the 10 gallon is high due to the fish overload. (I know they say 10 gallons can handle 10 inches of fish, but I've never before had to do that. And I don't like it.) They were only suppose to be in this tiny tank for a day! Should I put ammonia reducer in, or will that make matters worse?
4. We put one of the decorations from the 10 gallon into the tank with my blue dempsey this morning. We took it out about 10 minutes later when we saw the ich. Should I treat the blue dempsey's tank as well? Do cichlids handle treatment better?
5. Will it be enough to clean the decor in the 10 gallon with boiling water and let it dry, or will I have to get rid of everything, including the tank?
Thank you very much. I'll update if anything changes.
PS - Water parameters: Nitrites and nitrates are both at 0. pH is 7.2 (always has been). Ammonia is at .5 (yes, it's high). The older clown loach is almost 3 inches, the baby clown loach is almost 2 inches, and each of the four tiger barbs is about 1/2 inch.
I am sure there are several posts about ich, but I want to make sure the advice I get it is specific to my situation. I've had my clown loach for about five years now. We recently got him another clown loach buddy and four tiger barbs. We also recently upgraded to a 55 gallon tank. Yes, I am aware that we will need a bigger tank for the loaches in a few years. Right now, that was what we could afford. In the process of setting up the new 55 gallon, we transferred the fish into a small 10 gallon tank and do daily water changes to help with the overload.
I should probably mention the preferences of my fish. He's a bit of an oddball from what I can see. First, he survived while I was away for 1 year in Ecuador under the care of my mother. She "doesn't do" water changes... So that's one year of no cleaning. She also didn't want to replace the water that had evaporated, so she just unplugged the heater. In the winter in Pennsylvania. So basically all she did was toss food in. By the time I got home, there was about two gallons of green sludge in the tank. After the water changing, or rather replacing, the loach was fine. He's never had a disease.
If the water temperature gets below 80, he tends to get stressed. He is much happier with some aquarium salt in the water. I realize that some loaches don't like salt and can't take heat. Rest assured, my loach isn't one of them.
Anyway, back to the problem. The ten gallon tank heater doesn't seem to be able to heat to 80, only to 78. This morning, we noticed ich all over the older clown loach and on some of the tiger barbs. I have never had to deal with ich, but I do know that loaches don't take kindly to ich medicine. I raised the temperature (he's lived at 86 comfortably before) and put more salt in. I obviously want this taken care of before I transfer the fish into the larger tank. Our plan was to continue raising the temperature to about 86, add salt, and do daily water changes to remove the ich spores floating in the water.
A few questions:
1. Is this a good plan?
2. Should I think about buying medication and doing half doses? I've heard Rid Ich is good for loaches as long as you do a half dose twice a day. But I have no experience with it.
3. The ammonia in the 10 gallon is high due to the fish overload. (I know they say 10 gallons can handle 10 inches of fish, but I've never before had to do that. And I don't like it.) They were only suppose to be in this tiny tank for a day! Should I put ammonia reducer in, or will that make matters worse?
4. We put one of the decorations from the 10 gallon into the tank with my blue dempsey this morning. We took it out about 10 minutes later when we saw the ich. Should I treat the blue dempsey's tank as well? Do cichlids handle treatment better?
5. Will it be enough to clean the decor in the 10 gallon with boiling water and let it dry, or will I have to get rid of everything, including the tank?
Thank you very much. I'll update if anything changes.
PS - Water parameters: Nitrites and nitrates are both at 0. pH is 7.2 (always has been). Ammonia is at .5 (yes, it's high). The older clown loach is almost 3 inches, the baby clown loach is almost 2 inches, and each of the four tiger barbs is about 1/2 inch.