# S. American Cichlid Tank - Ich Outbreak



## JoeE (Jun 11, 2012)

Hello all - I have what I believe to be an Ich outbreak in my South American Cichlid tank. This is the first time I've dealt with ick so bear with me. Shown below is a Gold Severum and what I believe to be the white spots characteristic of ick:



The tank is 120 gallons, and has been active for about 10 months now. Current stock:

Golden Severum
Rotkeil Severum
Festivum
11 Geophagus Sp. Tapajos "Orange Head" (juvies, will reduce numbers as they finish growing out)
10 Lemon Tetras
3 Corydoras Sterbai
2 Bristlenose Plecos
2 Crenicichla Regani (juvies)

I've also noticed similar white spotting on the Festivum and especially on the Rotkeil Severum, but they are being shy and I couldn't get pictures. Other than the white spots, they are being somewhat more reclusive than normal, eating slightly less, and occasionally brushing against decor (driftwood). The Golden Severum also has his anal fin crooked/retracted in an uncharacteristic way as seen in the above photo.

Water parameters are: 0.00 - 0.25 Ammonia, 0.0 Nitrite, 0.0 Nitrate, and pH at 6.0 or less, which I find suspicious. Typically my tapwater comes out of the tap at around 8.0 and crashes to around neutral within a few days.

The plecos and c. regani have been introduced within the last month but they aren't showing symptoms, so they may not be the source of the disease.

I do water changes at around 70% per week and treat with Prime. Filtration is an FX5 and an Aquaclear 110.

My current plan is to slowly raise the temperature to around 86F, perform a large water change treat with salt. The only questions I have are

1) Will my fish all be able to tolerate the higher temperature for a week or so?
2) Should I use normal sodium chloride or epsom salt?

Thanks for any help.

Joe


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## walzon1 (Jun 17, 2013)

You need to use "aquarium salt" it's at any pet store I use API brand, Yes the temp should be fine for about 7 days just make sure you do the change gradually each time.

Sometimes fish don't show signs of ich but can carry it, also large PH fluctuation as well as Large water changes can make fish more susceptible to getting it. You need to try to keep parameters as stable as possible.


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

if u are gonna go with salt method, then i would suggest just buying "mortons kosher salt" from grocery store. no need to spend the money on "aquarium salt".


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## walzon1 (Jun 17, 2013)

If using non-iodized salt, as suggested, I would be worried about 2 things 1. dosage as mortons is much smaller in grain size it would probably add more salt per tablespoon so how would you measure to get correct dosage. 2. there are preservatives and non-clumping additive that are added to most food items which shouldn't be used in aquariums, I am almost positive Mortons Kosher Salt contains these additives.


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## testeve (Sep 17, 2012)

sumthinfishy said:


> if u are gonna go with salt method, then i would suggest just buying "mortons kosher salt" from grocery store. no need to spend the money on "aquarium salt".


I agree.......



walzon1 said:


> If using non-iodized salt, as suggested, I would be worried about 2 things 1. dosage as mortons is much smaller in grain size it would probably add more salt per tablespoon so how would you measure to get correct dosage. 2. there are preservatives and non-clumping additive that are added to most food items which shouldn't be used in aquariums, I am almost positive Mortons Kosher Salt contains these additives.


1. IMO this would be negligible. 2. Kosher salt doesn't have these additives. That's why it is important to make sure it is KOSHER salt. But you should double check the label anyway. Doesn't have to be Morton's any Kosher salt should be fine. If you buy the Aquarium salt, you will have a bunch left over and this is wasteful and it is more expensive. At least with the Kosher salt you can use it for cooking. 

Now for my treatment opinion. I have treated for Ich may times over the past 30 years and what I do is raise the temperature to around 86 degrees and leave my lights on for 24hours/day for about 3 days. This keeps the disease from reproducing and it dies off. Salt does work, but I always worry about doing damage to my fish, They are freshwater fish after all..... :wink:

If you do the salt method, make sure to do several water changes after the treatment to get the salt out of the water.

Good Luck!!


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## POPSS (Aug 24, 2013)

Heat it up!! 87 to 88. leave it that way for 3 weeks or 2 weeks after you last see it. fish will be fine.


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

carefull at that temp. at 89 the water starts to lose oxygen. i would suggest adding extra airation


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## JoeE (Jun 11, 2012)

Thanks all for the help. I pumped up the temp to around 83-84 (highest I could get it with my two 300W heaters), added some aeration and started a salt bath. So far the fish seem OK - a little more moody than usual, but not showing any signs of sickness. The rotkeil's fins have really cleared up a lot. The golden severum is still pretty covered, which I assume is just the parasite working through its life cycle. However he's losing old spots faster than I'm seeing new ones.


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