Ich or not?

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
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Read this before posting!!

Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.

1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.

2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.

3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)

4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.

5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.

We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.

While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.

Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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Matts
Dwarf Puffer
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Joined: Tue Dec 03, 2019 7:45 am
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My Puffers: 2 tetraodon schoutedeni
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Ich or not?

Post by Matts »

Today I noticed 2 white dots on one of the puffers in my quarantine tank.
Here are 2 pics of the dots, I’m thinking it’s ich but I’d like a confirmation, it’s been 8 years or so since I last had anencounter with it.

Image

Image

Should I start with the heat and salt method mentioned in the sticky? Or is it something else and should I wait to see how it develops?

Questions:
1) Parameters: Ph: 7.64, Ammonia No2, No3 and Po4 where all unmeasurable, TDS: 196
2) Aquarium dimensions: 47cm*38cm*33cm or (18.5*15*13) around 55L filled (14.5gal)
Inhabitants are 2 Tetraodon schoutedeni
3) QT tank was set up on the 21st, fed twice a day, one earthworm or a few pieces of thawed krill in the morning and a few snails in the evening. Vacuumed out feeding scraps and waste every day.
Waterchanges: (depending on the amount of debris) 25% on the 22nd, 10% on the 23rd, 55% on the 24th, and 20% today. Using tap water dechlorinated with Seachem prime and brought up to temp. I’m using seachem purigen in the filter.
I’ve got a small catappa leaf and a few alder cones in the tank.
4) No changes, fish are eating and active.
5) tank was set up on the 21st, uncycled filter but due to purigen and water changes I don't expect any issues with the water quality.
Image
I’ve added a spraybar since taking the pic, to up the oxygenation
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Ich or not?

Post by Pufferpunk »

Looks like it. Yeah, try the heat/salt & large (80%) WC every other day. Why no substrate?
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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Matts
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Re: Ich or not?

Post by Matts »

Pufferpunk wrote: ↑Wed Dec 25, 2019 4:51 pm Looks like it. Yeah, try the heat/salt & large (80%) WC every other day. Why no substrate?
I never use substrate in a quarantine tank, makes it a lot easier to clean and maintain.

The aquarium they'll end up in has a sand substrate, so hopefully they won't be in here for long. Is there any particular reason you ask? I'm new to puffers, so still learning!
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Ich or not?

Post by Pufferpunk »

Sorry, didn't realize that was QT.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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Matts
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Re: Ich or not?

Post by Matts »

Pufferpunk wrote: ↑Wed Dec 25, 2019 5:40 pm Sorry, didn't realize that was QT.
oh, no problem.
Probably should have mentioned it more clearly ;-)
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Matts
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Re: Ich or not?

Post by Matts »

So far they seem to be reacting well to the treatment, still eating well although they seem a bit more aggressive/active with the high temp.
But that also might be due to the fact that they are a bit more settled in off course.
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Matts
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Re: Ich or not?

Post by Matts »

Would an UVC filter also be beneficial?
Off course on top of the salt and heat method, not on it's own...
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Pufferpunk
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Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
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T miurus
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C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Greenville, SC
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Re: Ich or not?

Post by Pufferpunk »

Sure, that never can hurt.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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Matts
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Re: Ich or not?

Post by Matts »

Tomorrow they fish will have completed the 10 day heat and salt treatment. I can’t see any traces of ich remaining, so hopefully It’ll stay that way.
But I’ve got an additional question, one of the animals seems to stay a bit more skinny then the other puffer, I’ve been handfeeding the animals so I know it’s been eating. It’s also the fish which got the Ick.
I can’t see any other sign of internal parasites, no worms hanging out or something like that.
But I was wondering if it wouldn’t be better to do a treatment to be sure while I still have them in quarantine?

I can get the levamisole hydrochloride mentioned in the library in a liquid medication form see: http://www.manaus-aquarium.de/pdf/Beipa ... glish4.pdf
However I’m unsure how much I would need to add to their food? Any tips on that? I was thinking of thawing the frozen krill in the mixture.
1ML of the product should contain 60mg levamisole hydrochloride.
Or would it be better to just treat the tank?

An other option is ESHA Gdex which contains 66 mg Praziquantel/ml, I’m leaning towards this one as I already have it my stockpile of aquariumstuff.
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Pufferpunk
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Posts: 32979
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
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Re: Ich or not?

Post by Pufferpunk »

A few drops will do. Feed only medicated food for 3-5 days.
library/hospital/internal-parasites-pre ... treatment/
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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Matts
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Posts: 52
Joined: Tue Dec 03, 2019 7:45 am
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Re: Ich or not?

Post by Matts »

Pufferpunk wrote: ↑Fri Jan 10, 2020 9:33 am A few drops will do. Feed only medicated food for 3-5 days.
library/hospital/internal-parasites-pre ... treatment/
They aren’t really keen on the medicated krill, almost all of it ends up on the bottom, where they’ll pick at it.
I think I spoiled them to much with the live earthworms I’ve been feeding because it doesn’t leave any mess unlike the krill.

I wonder if it’s possible to soak live earthworms in the meds I'm not sure if they would absorb it?
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Pufferpunk
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Posts: 32979
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Greenville, SC
Contact:
Contact Pufferpunk

Re: Ich or not?

Post by Pufferpunk »

Can you get your hands on a syringe to inject them with?
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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User avatar
Matts
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 52
Joined: Tue Dec 03, 2019 7:45 am
Gender: Male
My Puffers: 2 tetraodon schoutedeni
Location (country): Belgium

Re: Ich or not?

Post by Matts »

Pufferpunk wrote: ↑Mon Jan 13, 2020 10:06 am Can you get your hands on a syringe to inject them with?
Yeah I kinda feared that would be the answer, but I guess that's probably the best solution.

Anyways thank you for the answer! I admire the way you're always ready to help and advise people and basically keep this place running by yourself!
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Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32979
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Greenville, SC
Contact:
Contact Pufferpunk

Re: Ich or not?

Post by Pufferpunk »

If you're REALLY grateful, maybe you feel like donating to the site? ;)
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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User avatar
Matts
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 52
Joined: Tue Dec 03, 2019 7:45 am
Gender: Male
My Puffers: 2 tetraodon schoutedeni
Location (country): Belgium

Re: Ich or not?

Post by Matts »

Pufferpunk wrote: ↑Mon Jan 13, 2020 10:51 am If you're REALLY grateful, maybe you feel like donating to the site? ;)
Nicely done :lol:
I'll consider a small donation ;-)
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