Loaches with Ich on Blue Acara/Firemouth tank - help!

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
C

cacichlids

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Feb 20, 2011
1,623
6
38
FL
I bought a couple of Clown loaches the other day and made a big mistake of putting them in my tank right away, today I noticed white spots around their fins/body and treated the whole tank for Ich with Kordon's Rid Ich and raised the temp to 30 C (86 F). A couple of hours after treating the tank I don't see any fish acting strange but the clown Loaches have started to flash and rub themselves against wood/sand like crazy :WHOA:

I have 2 juvenile Blue Acaras, 2 juvenile Firemouths, 2 Bolivian Ram and 2 Clown Loaches. I had never dealt with Ich on any tank this is the first time after adding these Clown Loaches.

Should I do an immediate water change? They weren't doing this prior to adding the medication, even though Rid Ich says it's safe for loaches and scaleless fish. :(

Take a look at the video:

http://s1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb423/1crazyoscar/Blue Acaras/?action=view&current=VIDEO0022.mp4
 
I've only had ich in my tank a couple of times and didn't medicate. I gradually raised the temperature to about 87F and let the heat kill it off. It usually takes a few days. You might want to add extra aeration too.

Oh yeah, and as far as the medication in there now, I'd do a water change for the CL's.
 
Take the carbon out of your filter if you're using any, because it'll take the medication right out. Let the medication sit for a day, then do a water change and add the medication again if you still see it. (you might want to lessen the dosage if you see it clearing up).
 
Treat with heat and salt, any chemical treament will ultimately kill off your loaches. Heat and salt is by far the best treatment for ich period.
 
I took out the carbon before adding the meds, but the meds are already IN there. I don't have a choice. And I'm worried the most about my Acaras/Firemouths... I don't wanna risk them.
 
Your loaches are more sensitive than the firemouth and acaras. If you notice any of them gasping or laying around looking bad then do a water change and get the medication out, if they are doing ok with the meds you put in then follow treatment thru. Keep your heat up, watch for heat stress too, I only turn mine up over 80 if I really need to, usually I treat ich with salt and if I need to I will use a tank treated with Coppersafe for bad cases. Your best bet is to pick up some aquarium salt - not table salt or marine salt - just basic cheap aquarium salt and put that in. You cannot kill ich when it is on the fish and looks like a white spot, you have to wait until that spot breaks open and releases the 'infecting spores' into the tank. When released into the tank the medication or salt is what kill the spore and prevents further infestation. Raising the temp of the water speeds the life cycle of the ich and causes the release to occur faster which allows the medication to kill it. If I get ich I usually just bump salt up at the first couple spots and wait a few days, if no new spots appear then it's fine, but if I get more spots I recheck the salt and bump the temp up. If all else fails I treat with medication. I had an odd case here just this past month, my two pictus cats got ich but nobody else in the tank. Then 2 weeks later after doing a water change when they were healed up, I had ich on all my silver dollars and nobody else. I bumped up the salt again and now it's gone. Your acaras and firemouth may not even catch it, or may get it a couple weeks from now, just watch them and treat if needed.
 
finn74;4908240; said:
Treat with heat and salt, any chemical treament will ultimately kill off your loaches. Heat and salt is by far the best treatment for ich period.
Click to expand...

How many loaches have you treated for ich? Because I've treated a few hundred easily... Ive personally used salt/heat, malachtite green/formalin, acriflavine, copper, potassium permanganate, methylene blue, etc.

I've found quinine to be THE safest and most effective ich med with scaleless fish. And it will not affect cichlids at all. I've used it in tanks with all sorts of cichlids, tetras, barbs, knifefish, morymyrids, loaches, inverts, catfish, etc. Never one medication based death that I could tell. I've had a 100% success rate with it and ich.

So before everyone goes around making claims, at least back it up with some experience/evidence. And "aquarium salt" IS just regular old salt you buy from a grocery store. Get kosher salt if you're worried about additives.
 
aclockworkorange;4908797; said:
I've found quinine to be THE safest and most effective ich med with scaleless fish. And it will not affect cichlids at all. I've used it in tanks with all sorts of cichlids, tetras, barbs, knifefish, morymyrids, loaches, inverts, catfish, etc. Never one medication based death that I could tell. I've had a 100% success rate with it and ich.
Click to expand...

I've done some searching but with no success for the information so .....

What dosage would you recommend, and what treatment regimen ?

quinine sulphate would be the compound that I would have access to.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom