Ich Treatments for Game Fish

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sly2kusa

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 29, 2006
103
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USA
Hello -

I have a 90g tank with 4 Tiger Muskies (each one around 4 to 5 inches each). 2 of them have what I can only describe as small white spots on their Pectoral fin(s) (one of them has 1 spot, and the other has 2 - one on each fin). The other 2 do not appear to have anything as of yet. I noticed this the very day my tank's cycle seem to finally level out (approximately 2 months - Fish-in cycle, not fishless - dummy me).

Anyways - my guy down at the LFS says it's always hard to determine just what kind of a parasite it is. He was reluctant to say it was Ich because the spots as I described them seem to be too large to be ich (they are a little bit bigger than a grain of sand or salt).

On the one Muskie who has the 2 spots - one of the spots is raised now (kind of like the head of a zit). So my LFS guy has recommended a product called "General Cure" which he claims will work well for Ich and other kinds of parasites (just in case it's not Ich).

My question is this - I have some Dr. Fishwell's Salt on the way. I understand that I will have to take the carbon filters out (and just leave my Biowheels running without filters - I have 2 Emperor 400's attached on the backside). My plan is to medicate the main tank (the 90g). I have a 15g tank that I just set up back on the 1st, and it's cycle hasn't even started yet (donig it fishless, but have one of my old filters from one of my Emperor's in there for seeding). Would anyone recommend something else other than "General Cure"? I know about RidIch, and others, but I am looking for a solution that I can add the Salt with (as a tonic for the medication).

Any responses/thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. My tanks temp stays right around 67 to 70 degrees (cold on purpose). I've heard they say to raise the temp, but is it really necessary? Or does it speed up the life cycle of the parasite/fungi that much quicker?

Thanks
 
P.P.S. I just got through reading Guppy's Sticky on the old fashioned Ich treatment. I will raise the temp in my apartment to 75 degrees once the Salt arrives (which should have been here already since I ordered it on the 31st, but alas - no Fishwell's yet.

I think the one spot on the Muskie with the 2 spots is nearly ready to pop off. To which I will need to move quickly. If I do not get Salt before this happens - is there another approach I can use, and should I raise the temp up to 75 degrees anyways? 75 is the top end of the rand for the Muskies. There is also 1 Plec in there, and about 10 Crays. I've heard the Crays are not in danger of Ich, but oddly enough - the plec who is all over the tank doesn't have any white spots.

I'm beginning to wonder if this is some other kind of parasite???:WTF:
 
P.P.S. In Guppy's Sticky it basically said that if below 70 degrees to treat for 6 weeks. I'm going that route with the temp at around 75 degrees, but my question is this - do I add 2 teaspoons per 1g (180 total teaspoons for my 90g tank) daily???

I assume that is what he meant, but need to understand this as there will be a stretch in time when I am gone during this medication.
 
P.P.P.S. This will be my last set of questions - and one comment.

I was wrong - my Algae Eater/Plec does in fact have really small white spots (smaller than the ones on the 2 Muskies) all over him. And I don't mean just a couple, but several. I got him from Walmart a few weeks back - how much you want to bet he's what brought it into my tank? Perhaps not, but he was the only other thing in the tank (aside from the Crays) that was not meant as food for the Muskies.

So here is my last question to medicating this whole mess. I've previously heard that you would need to take the carbon filters out if you used any kind of medication. However - if I go with Guppy's recommendation (which I fully intend to) then would I still need to remove the filters? My guess is no, but I was wanting to still move those filters over to the other little tank for seeding (and obviously to use the Salt treatment with higher water temp as I will with the other). So if I do not need to remove those filters - because of this Ich infection - are they even any good any more? Should they be replaced all together once I get this under control, and if so - are they no longer a good seeding material for transfering the good bacteria over to my 15g?

Sorry for all these questions, but I just finally got my parameters/levels for Ammonia and Nitrites under control, and then this happened nearly right after all that effort.

Thanks again...
 
I just added a yellow perch to my tank that has a known parasite. It doesn't spread to the others fish to fish so I am not worried. I bought Jungle brand Parasite Clear. It supposedly does not harm the bio filter but it does have a crustacean warning (crayfish killer). I am setting up my second tank now so I'll let him be until I can get that cycled, then I'll take care of it.

Sly I would look into their products as well. They make ich specific tablets as well as parasite products that people seem to have some luck with. No temperature raise is necessary. I say you treat the main tank now and risk at most the crayfish.

I am couting the days until my next headache also because I have to use store bought feeder fish until my second tank is up to par. Sucks doesn't it?
 
its 1 tabelspoon for every 5 u.s gallons... My tank just had ich also it wasent cycled and mybros tank broke so he tossed his oscar in and bam ich and fin rot... i raised my temp up to 88 -90 and added salt 2 days ago... ill be adding more salt in 5 days...

so far hes swimming around and eating again instead of almost looking dead.
 
gunther said:
I guess you didn't buy that salt for nothing after all eh whiner? lol:D
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Yeah well it still isn't here so I don't know if I should start the Ich treatment with or without it. I think I will wait as it appears to be the early stages of the white spots, and the Dr. Fartsniffer's Sea Salt should be here by Tuesday/Wednesday next week.

I got Mardel's Maracide Concentrate (for Ich, Velvet and other external parasites). The reason I went with this particular brand is because they are well known #1, but just as importantly - their formula will not stain my tank (it uses Aniline Green instead of that other Green which stains).

So - now all I need is the salt, and from what my LFS guy told me - I can leave the temp where it is (he said it will accelerate their life cycle, but not enough to make any real difference with regard to the time that will be needed to medicate - so WTF).
 
gunther said:
why did you order it? You can get it at just about any store that has fish stuff.
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Cuz it was like 5 bucks cheaper on-line, and since my dumbass just went on an impulse buying spree this week - well lets just say that my food supply is quickly running out, and I have to make it to next Friday on like $35.

Anything for my pets - I come last.
 
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