# Added a new fish now tank is ich'd



## lovely_jdw (Mar 16, 2019)

Hello, so after adding my sail fin catfish to my 75g tank of 1jewel 1pleco 1frontsa 1bloodparrot and 7 peacock today (a week later) I noticed that most of the fish have white specs. After treating the tank with the "all cure" and water change and also raising the temp a bit I have just now lost my momma cichlid. I'm devastated but doing all I can I think. My jewelry is acting funny so I currently have her in a quarantine tank to see if it will improve her. But as for the rest i dont know what to do. My blood parrot is also acting funny but so are the others.. Shaking around the tank, bouncing off the bottom.. Here are a few pictures.. Sorry, they're bad bc I took them when doing a change.
















Although they are blurry on the blood parrot you can see that he looks super bumpy and rough, and the peacock you can see the white bumps right on the gill and top fin.


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## lovely_jdw (Mar 16, 2019)




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## ken31cay (Oct 9, 2018)

If you can give all your water parameters, how long the tank's been running, how long each fish(s) have been in tank, water change rountine, then something might jump out where we can help.

Fish diseases can be hard to diagnose by looking at photos even when they are close-up and very clear. Treating your fish with the wrong medication will do more harm than good.

In the past I've had more success doing the research myself by spending the time googling pics & reading articles/posts to form a proper diagnosis & treatment.

HTH


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## lovely_jdw (Mar 16, 2019)

I know it is ich, cant tell you the water parameters but the tank has been successfully running for 4 years with all these same fish(only have lost 2 moori but they were stressed and I couldn't calm them down) and it happened after adding the new fish (catfish). But as I stated its weird because it appears that not all of them are affected which leads me to believe I caught it sooner...I have two of them that now look like they are losing their slime coat along with the pleco. Not sure what that means but...hopefully I dont lose all of them...I'm so sad because of how long this tank has been going...


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

A tank can run successfully with unsafe test results. How much water do you change every week?

It is normal to see ich only on some of the fish, at least at first. I am not familiar with all-cure so cannot make a recommendation.


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## lovely_jdw (Mar 16, 2019)

20% change a week but am now doing 25% with treatment. I switched to ich guard tablets bc my pet store sucks and didnt carry all cure. So its been treated twice. I actually have my male ob and jewel in a quarantine tank but the ob's eye is cloudy and lile i said, slime coat is way weird. I'll grab a pic of him now.


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## lovely_jdw (Mar 16, 2019)

Pointless pic bc the slime is **** near invisible to my lens apparently. Lol but hes very lethargic now and hes usually my vibrant "traditional" ob. The quarantine tank is right at 78. The main is at a steady 82 now that *** raised the temp over the past 24 hours or so.


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## lovely_jdw (Mar 16, 2019)

Well you can kinda see the coating I'm talking about on him, literally looks like i need to take him out and wash his to get it off. Is this a reaction to the treatment or do you think its BC of the ich?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Catfish shedding slime coat is a reaction to stress. Maybe the ich and/or the medicine.

Cloudy eye is not related to ich...you have something separate going on and it could be an injury which will get better in a day or two, or a reaction to water quality issues. Please post your test results for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. 50% weekly is a minimum for African Rift Lake cichlids, but do not change 50% until you have test results. Changing too much can kill your fish if you start doing it suddenly.

Regarding the ich, since you are sure, follow the directions on the bottle/package of whatever you are using. Some meds are not safe for catfish and some do not work well with a raised temperature.


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## lovely_jdw (Mar 16, 2019)

Well, after an all weekend ordeal I'm down to the catfish, frontosa and blood parrot as of this morning.. When I get home I'm doing a large change and transferring all (if theyre alive by then) to my 10g quarantine... Going to get test strips and such to verify any other issues and get it cycling.. So hurt.. )':


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Test strips don't normally test for ammonia so consider buying the API Master Test kit instead.


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## lovely_jdw (Mar 16, 2019)

Im buying the whole shebang.. Thanks <3


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Agree with Deeda. And so sorry for your losses.


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## lovely_jdw (Mar 16, 2019)

Not a pro at knowing water parameters but will be after this... What is wrong?


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I think you did the ammonia test incorrectly as I have never seen that color before. Rinse out the test tube and cap multiple times in tap water to remove any residue and try again.

The nitrite test is showing that there is nitrite present so if the test was done correctly you need to perform at least a 50% water change assuming you have been doing regular water changes.

The nitrate test is also an odd color.

Reread the test instructions for each test type and follow the instructions exactly including shaking the vials between reagent additions, the correct amount of time to shake them and how long to wait for the color to develop.

Since this is a new test kit, shake the individual reagent bottles before using them as the solutions may have separated and you'll get incorrect test results. Actually do this step 1st and retest all parameters in case your tests were inaccurate before you do a water change.


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## lovely_jdw (Mar 16, 2019)

Hey thanks, in such a hurry I forgot to shake them :thumb:


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## lovely_jdw (Mar 16, 2019)

Clearly I need a big change but my ammonia isn't high right? Just the nitrites and nitrates. *** removed all the fish so I'm just going big and refilling I think.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

No problem!!

If those are the correct results, I still recommend do some daily water changes over the next couple days, maybe 30% each day and monitor fish behavior for stress related symptoms. The reason for smaller more frequent changes is because of the high nitrAte reading.

I'm not a fan of your nitrIte reading as it's harmful to fish so you want it as close to zero as possible.

PS,
just saw your last post, so if NO wildlife in the tank, do an 80% change, don't forget dechlorinator, wait an hour for the water to mix up in the tank (circulation) or so and retest.


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## lovely_jdw (Mar 16, 2019)

*** just seen a few microscopic babies while moving around with the vacuum. *** gotta leave them but just gonna do a decent change and keep it going as recommended and keep retesting! I'll keep posting updates. Hopefully my remaining fish make it!


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Sounds good! I found it helpful to keep a tank parameters log with dates when setting up new tanks for the 1st few months or forever if you want. 

PS, sometimes when you treat with medications it 'kills' off some or most of the good bacteria so you'll need to check whether the product you used did this.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

If there are ANY fish in the tank, don't do an 80% change. 2X daily 20% change to start, and you can go to 30% day 2 etc.


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## lovely_jdw (Mar 16, 2019)

Use this if the medication messed with bacteria correct? I have a stock of stuff *** just never had to use it lol

Also, so...the guy we got the catfish from told my boyfriend there is NO way that his catfish gave our tank ich/any other parasite. He claims cat do not get ich but ich can live on scales AND gills right? And from what *** read they are pretty prone to it! As for the slime coat I agree that the medication could've caused the stress so that couldve been my bad. He says he will give us 6-7 fish in good faith but tried to tell him that I don't do my tests correctly assuming I use strips. I have before and didn't get accurate reading which is why I was sure to buy this kit. He found a way to make me feel "wrong" and has me questioning myself. My boyfriend just informed me the white specs on the fish he outgrows but he hasn't grown in the two weeks we've had him and the specs arent there any more. :?


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I've never used that particular product so can't advise. Does it have an expiration date on it?

Don't beat yourself up too bad, I find making mistakes is the best way to learn and remember not to do it again.

The 'guy' is wrong about catfish not getting Ich, I've seen plenty of pics of them with it. Don't let anyone make you feel 'wrong' that you messed up. I find it more important to try and steer someone in the right direction either from my own personal experiences or through well written articles that are based on facts.

You may want to consider using a quarantine tank for any future purchases as they can be a real life saver for your existing tank setups. Quarantine tanks don't have to be fancy or even an aquarium if you don't have room for them. Some people use plastic totes that can be stored away when not in use. Of course they would have to be large enough for the particular fish you buy and capable of holding a filter and heater and allow you to still be able to see the fish during the quarantine duration of at least 30 days up to 3 or 6 months depending on how the fish are doing.


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## lovely_jdw (Mar 16, 2019)

It says exp 1/2020. Convenient. Lol I definitely will always have my 10g ready for quarantine now! Is there a specific product I should use during quarantine to heal any disease it may have?


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Not really, a quarantine just allows you to make sure the new fish is eating enough, pooping correctly and doesn't get ill. I know I'll jinx myself but I've been keeping fish since 2004 and have yet to buy any fish that got ill but then again I do buy from stores that pay attention to their fish or local hobbyists that do the same though that really doesn't mean something won't happen down the line.

I do keep regular plain Epsom salt and plain salt (sodium chloride) in the house just in case but do not buy medications because you need to pick the right med for the illness being treated and all meds do eventually expire.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Don't expect the bottled bacteria to solve any toxin problems. It might help a little, but you still need to test and possibly change water daily. You want nitrite to be 1ppm or less even while your tank is cycling.

While in quarantine you wait 3 weeks to see if an illness develops. No medicine otherwise. If an illness develops, treat the same as you would in the main tank.


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## lovely_jdw (Mar 16, 2019)

Well id say that change did a number. Think id be okay adding them back? The 10gal is less than ideal and they are stressed worse than before in it.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You can't add them back. They went from high toxins to no toxins to medium toxins? The one essential is stable parameters. The fish can't tolerate the fluctuations.

What is wrong with the 10G? What are the test results from the 10G?


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## lovely_jdw (Mar 16, 2019)

I just dont have a filter on it so I'm being swift with changes bc of the ammonia reading. 3 fish in it, an inch catfish a frontosa that's as big as my hand and the jewel is probably 5in. 
Doing a big tank reading now.


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## lovely_jdw (Mar 16, 2019)

75g results this morning!!!!!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Now you have all the 75G parameters matching except the ammonia which is worse in the 10G. Are you sure the ich in the 75G is cured? Usually we wait 3 weeks.


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## lovely_jdw (Mar 16, 2019)

The fish remaining show no symptoms and the fish that died only one had it completely all over. I'm thinking I will leave them in the 10g. When I get home today I'm going to do another large change on the 75 and add my UV sterilizer to let it run a couple days before reintroducing the fish.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

If you are leaving them in the 10G I would get the ammonia down below 1ppm. Make sure they have a filter and heater in the 10G.


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## lovely_jdw (Mar 16, 2019)

Got home to the jewel having the noticeable ich on her body/fins. Got my old filter out and cleaned and I have had heaters in it so its good in that aspect. Sigh.. Treating a 10g is way easier than a 75g at least! Hopefully this clears it.


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## lovely_jdw (Mar 16, 2019)

Well, unfortunately all but the catfish have passed on. Thank you for all of your helpful advice!


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I'm so sorry for your losses!


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## Nick.B (Jan 13, 2020)

Hi

Please watch the youtube on how to use the API test kit correctly. Also please be aware that the API kit cant tell the difference between unbound Ammonia and bound Ammonia ( ammonium)


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## lovely_jdw (Mar 16, 2019)

Gee thanks Nick.B...


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