Is this the start of Ick???????

[topmav1]

I have an Aqueon filter that has some kind of mechanical and biological filtration but nothing serious.

 

[marrone]

Ok Guys, I was an opportunity to get the Kole tang out and I did. He looked a little worse yesterday and started to scratch so I got him. He's in a 10gal HT now. Salinity was 1.023 in DT and this a.m the HT is now 1.018. Had a slight ammonia reading so changed 2 gal this am. pH seems to be about 8.2 right now. Will keep you posted. He doesn't seem happy but he's better off unhappy for a bit then DEAD!

First don't feed the fish that much, it's only going to cause ammonia build up and mess up the water. Make sure you have some thing in the tank for the fish to hide in, like PVC, this will cause less stress to the fish. As you bring the SG down to 1.007-.1.009 you'll need to watch the Ph, as it will fall, and could be a problem. You want to keep it in the 7.8-8.2 range.

The fish will only start to look better once all the ich has worked its way through the fish, and the you have the SG level below 1.009, so the ich spores wouldn't re-hatch and infect the fish again. This can take anywhere from 7 - 10 days, depends on how much ich is still left in the fish and at what sage it's at. It's also good to leave a light on near the tank, as the fish wouldn't go to sleep and will remain active. This will keep them strong and they'll be better able to fight off the ich.

You don't want to feed the fish too much, they'll be fine with very limited feedings. I wouldn't worry about doing any readings, outside of Ph. After the first week do a 50% water changes, make sure the SG stays below 1.009. When doing the water changes try and vacuum the bottom of the tank, as this will help remove some of the un-hatched ich spores. After that I would do another 50% water change about 3 - 4 days later.After that you may want to change all the water, so make a new 10gals and remove the fish from the 10gal tank and palce them in a container. Now clean out the 10gal tank and replace all the water, making sure the SG stays below 1.009. Then drip the fish into the tank. Since you're using a 10gal, and only having a couple of fish in it, you should be fine.

 

[topmav1]

Great info Marrone. Right now its only the tang in the 10 gal so hopefully he'll be good. I bought a 29 gal as well but for now hes in the 10 until I make enough water for the 29. Or I may just leave him in the 10.
So I'm ok with that aqueon hang on filter? Should I leave all the media in there that it comes with? I actually replaced it with filter media that I use in my sump.

Thanks again for the help. I need it! and after all this i really hope he lives through the process.

 

[Briggz]

ICH :eat: I wish u luck!!!!

 

[topmav1]

ICH :eat: I wish u luck!!!!

thanks man. I really wish my other wish don't get it.

 

[marrone]

Great info Marrone. Right now its only the tang in the 10 gal so hopefully he'll be good. I bought a 29 gal as well but for now hes in the 10 until I make enough water for the 29. Or I may just leave him in the 10.
So I'm ok with that aqueon hang on filter? Should I leave all the media in there that it comes with? I actually replaced it with filter media that I use in my sump.

Thanks again for the help. I need it! and after all this i really hope he lives through the process.

I would basically just run the filter with either a PolyPad or some carbon. The whole purpose of the filter is for water movement and water breakage.

 

[topmav1]

I would basically just run the filter with either a PolyPad or some carbon. The whole purpose of the filter is for water movement and water breakage.

Ok great. Thats what I'm doing...If he lives he owes u one! lol...

 

[Bob 1000]

I would basically just run the filter with either a PolyPad or some carbon. The whole purpose of the filter is for water movement and water breakage.

Nothing for good biological Mike??? as soon as he throws food in that new water the ammonia will shoot up.. You should make sure the tank that you are using as a qt has a cycled hang on or something.. You need good bacteria even in a qt because you still need to offer food to the fish..

 

[KathyC]

Nothing for good biological Mike??? as soon as he throws food in that new water the ammonia will shoot up.. You should make sure the tank that you are using as a qt has a cycled hang on or something.. You need good bacteria even in a qt because you still need to offer food to the fish..

I agree with you here Tobin, the OP should be checking the ammonia daily and doing water changes accordingly as unless you keep a sponge filter (or something) always ready or a QT up continuously, you are going to be dealing with a cycle in the QT tank on top of the issue you are QT'ing for

 

[masterswimmer]

Eric, I can't believe I missed this thread. Sorry to hear about your battle. I'm caught up on the thread. I've read it front to back.

Kathy's info has been great. I would absolutely make sure you've got some biological media from your DT in the QT. As Tobin said, you need to have the bacteria to break down the detritus and waste within the QT. Without any LR or LS in the QT, the only way to colonize the bacteria is within the Aqueon you're running. Needless to say, it's not the ideal way to cycle the tank, but it will do the job temporarily.

Now this is where I'm going to differ from some others here. You should have 100% of your fish in the QT. Not some, not most, but ALL the fish. They should remain in QT for a MINIMUM of 6 weeks, but preferably 8 weeks. The ich cycle runs its course in approx. 6 weeks (that's why it's the minimum time to keep your tank fallow). If you keep all the fish out of the DT and run it normally, but fallow, the ich cysts will hatch and have no available hosts to continue the cycle. That's why it's so important to get all your fish into the QT.

You've got the hardest part done. You've already seen that you can catch the onyx pair. So do that again. Put at least one piece of pvc into the QT for each fish in there. I would not wait one week before doing a water change. I would be doing a good 20%-40% WC every single day.

While the fish are in the QT, it's not a bad idea to treat with copper. Just make sure you have a Cu Test Kit and follow the instructions to the letter. The QT doesn't only have to be a place for the fish to recover. You can actively treat them with good results. Help them get through the stages/cycle faster by being proactive.

Best of luck with your battle. I know you'll win it. You're on the right track already.

Russ

 

[marrone]

Nothing for good biological Mike??? as soon as he throws food in that new water the ammonia will shoot up.. You should make sure the tank that you are using as a qt has a cycled hang on or something.. You need good bacteria even in a qt because you still need to offer food to the fish..

Do you? No you don't. It's a 10gal tank with a couple of small fish in it. You don't need to feed that much plus with water changes you can keep the levels in check. It makes it easier since you're doing Hypo, as when you change water you only need to worry that the SG stat below 1.009, as opposed to when you're using copper. You want to make sure you have water read to do water changes, and since this is not your main tank you can use tap water, as opposed to RODI. Just watch the fish, early on the water quality should be fine but the longer you go the more the water quality will start to change, then you'll have to do large water changes.

 

[Bob 1000]

Mike water changes will only prolong the cycle.. The first time the fish poops the cycle will start. If the fish is kept there longer than a day cycling is inevedible.. Some type of bio media should be there even if it's a small fish but a tang in a ten will definetly start cycling in a day..

 

[marrone]

The amount of ammonia will be minimal and not a concern, especially in the first week. With water changes the fish will be fine, especially if the tank or container is a good size. Since he's treating with Hypo you can easily do a large water change, possibly even 100%, and clean the tank out after a week or so.

You also need to keep down your feeding, do very little if possible, and there isn't really a reason to feed for the first 2 or 3 days, the fish should be able to go without feedings for a while without a problem. Feeding, or over feeding, it usually the biggest problem that cause QT or Hospital tanks to fail, that and put to many fish in a tank or container.

 

[Bob 1000]

Sounds like more stress to the fish to me.. Ammonia and nitrite will give the fish ich again..

 

[marrone]

Ich is a parasite, Ammonia, Nitrates or Nitrites isn't going to give the fish ich again. If you're treating the tank with copper or Hypo the ich spores will not hatch/break so once all the ich is off the fish the fish shouldn't get ich again. You'll actually see a number of people that do full water changes each day, and clean out the bottom of the tank. This way they're removing any ich spores that have fallen off. This is extreme but in the end it should also work.

There is always going to be some stress, especially in such a small container, but the fish should be able to handle it.

 

[Wes]

I use an oversized sponge filter in my qt tank. It's cheap and effective. I got one rated for 100g and use it in a 30g breeder.

I can perform a full 2 week cupramine treatment without changing the water. It makes life much easier when ammonia is not a concern in QT.


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[topmav1]

I've been doing 25% water changes and siphoning the bottom of the tank foor poop, etc anyway so that I can get the SG down to 1.09. I did one last night and one this morning. SG is down to 1.012. As marrone said in the first week there's a lot of water being changed to get the SG to where it needs to be so I'm not very concerned about spikes...after the first week I guess I can see why cycling would become a problem. I have the Aqueon running with filter media. Isn't that the same as using a sponge filter?
Should I take a bag of sand from my sank and put it in the QT?

 

[masterswimmer]

.....I have the Aqueon running with filter media. Isn't that the same as using a sponge filter?

Without knowing exactly what media you're running, it's impossible to answer this. If part of the media is a sponge, then yes, it is the same.
If you're going to treat with copper, just make sure to remove any carbon media.

Should I take a bag of sand from my sank and put it in the QT?

Absolutely nothing from the DT, especially sand where unhatched cysts can reside.

swimmer

 

[topmav1]

Without knowing exactly what media you're running, it's impossible to answer this. If part of the media is a sponge, then yes, it is the same.
If you're going to treat with copper, just make sure to remove any carbon media.

I don't plan on treating with copper. Just hypo for now.Tank is currently at 1.10. Some more freshwater should bring it to 1.08-1.09 and I.ll go from there. 5 more weeks! :banghead:

Absolutely nothing from the DT, especially sand where unhatched cysts can reside.

swimmer

Right. After I posted that I realized that the cysts could be and probably are on the sand!

 

[topmav1]

Do you? No you don't. It's a 10gal tank with a couple of small fish in it. You don't need to feed that much plus with water changes you can keep the levels in check. It makes it easier since you're doing Hypo, as when you change water you only need to worry that the SG stat below 1.009, as opposed to when you're using copper. You want to make sure you have water read to do water changes, and since this is not your main tank you can use tap water, as opposed to RODI. Just watch the fish, early on the water quality should be fine but the longer you go the more the water quality will start to change, then you'll have to do large water changes.

I CAN USE TAP????! I bought a 29 gal also so he could be more comfortable but haven't filled it up. Should I fill it this weekend with tap and put the Aqueon on the 29 and move him?