Help......Looks like Ich

[gmwilsonuk]

Hi all, this is my first discus tank and I have a 140ltr with four 2.5" discus. It looks like it is starting up with ich. There are a couple of spots in the tails. I watched them for about ten minutes and when swimming, they do not flap their tails as they would when smimming, its some sort of shimmering movement.

The temp is 32 and I do a water change of 25ltrs every third day. Is there anything I can do as soon as possible to sort this out before it gets really bad?

[shayesmommy]

tell us something about your tank?
size, other fish, is this planted or not?

[gmwilsonuk]

The tank is 4'x1'x15".
pH: 7.0
Nitrates: 5
Nitrites: 0
Ammonia: 0

Its lightly planted with plans to add loads more plants. Has Co2 at 1 bubble every 3-5 seconds. Other fish include 30 cardinal tetras, 6 peppered corys, 5 amano shrimp and 1 L260.

The tank has been up and running since september last year.

[shayesmommy]

well what i would do first is turn up the heat before u do anything. slowly to like 87.
thats my opinion. i beleive it helps shorten the lifespan of ick.
but someone else will know better. since i have never treated ich.
just read lots and lots about it.

[bushie]

dont turn heater up to 87c unless you want boiled discus for dinner.
32 should be fine.
how long have fish been in the tank?
any stress levels ( fighting ) between them?
are they scratching rubbing against things in the tank.
any other signs that they are not well or unhappy?

[gmwilsonuk]

2 red leopards have been in the tank for over 2 months and the blue diamond and pigeon blood have been in there for about a week and a half.

*1 of the red leopards is a little bigger and chases whoever comes near it.

* Today is the first time I noticed the scratching and rubbing.

* Other then being chased I cant say I've seen anything to cause stress, they all eat well, swim around the tank and only hide if there is a quick movement in the room that they notice.

[shayesmommy]

i meant 87 F not 87C.
lol
maybe i should have specified.
lol
lol
lmao
ok i cant stop laughing

[bushie]

shrimp and L no. make it hard to treat in the main tank.
I would suggest removing any that seem to be infected to a hospital tank for treatment and increasing water flow in the main tank to stop spores from settling on other fish.
check temp is not fluctuating as at 32c white spot does not tend to survive very well and it is unusual to see it at those temps.
before doing anything check with other experts in this feild as I am sure they will chip in with further useful info and dont do anything until you are sure that the prob is ich.
observe, ...observe,...... observe.

hth

BUSHIE

[gmwilsonuk]

Thanx for the advice, I will be getting home in a few hours to see the outcome of the high temps and salt addition.

[Waldo]

It's 2 teaspoons of salt/ gallon btw.

[gmwilsonuk]

Will the salt definately work? I'm thinking of going out to get something to treat them just in case. Should I?

[shayesmommy]

well i always say go the natural way before usuing anything else.
and yes salt works good.
the thing is if your plants start to look upset.
do a water change and that usually helps.
also soak the aquarium salt in tank water in a jar or something for an hour or so. to make it all good.
good luck

[Waldo]

Ich is a protozoa. Fish can easily fight it off under normal circumstances. When a fish is stressed it is less capable of fighting off infections. The gills and fins are the first to be affected. once the ich gets a step hold it easily reproduces and attatches to any living tissue.

Ich has three states, dormant, parasitic, and reproductive. Ich can only be transfered by aquious sources. This could mean a plant, a fish, or by infected water. The ich can survive many years in a dormant state and is not treatable. however when active it's life span is short. While it is parasiting, outer cells (of a cyst~ a single white spot contains many protozoa) are somewhat vulnerable however when the cyst ruptures and releases free swimming ich it is most vulnerable.

Ich in this stage is incapable of regulating osmosis. water that is more dense (salt water) enters the cells and literally blows them up. Please premix your salt in warm water and let it cool before putting it in the tank. when you pour it in.... do so in a current so it mixes evenly.

Heat is our second way of treating ich. at 82^f ich is going to reproduce at the same rate of die off. past that it lessens so a tank with discus raised to 90^F for 7-10 days will pass ich.