I was looking over my MBU this evening and have noticed a small white spot on his side towards his tail end. It is slightly raised (almost looks like a people spot!) Could this be the start of ich? There is just the one spot and he has none of the other symptoms.
None of the catfish have anything on them.
Water Parameters are fine, ammonia 0, Nitrate 0 and Nitrates 15 (a little high as its water change day tomorrow.
Many thanks
Is it Ich?
Forum rules
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.
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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Boxermom
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Not sure what a "people spot" is. Does it look like a small round grain of salt? None of my fish that have had ich had any symptoms other than the visible parasite.
Tina
Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1
Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1
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Boxermom
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Yes, it can. Its best to catch it as soon as possible. Ich has an invisible stage and can also reside in the gills where you can't see it, so although you only see one, there are many more in there. Slowly raise the temp to 84-86, add an airstone if there isn't one already, and add 1 tablespoon of salt for each 5 gallons of water. Do a major water change with thorough gravel vacuuming first though. Continue treatment for at least 2 weeks, even if you don't see anything on the fish.
Tina
Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1
Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1
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Boxermom
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- Location: Wisconsin
- Contact:
No worries about the questions. Aquarium salt will work, sure. Yes, dissolve it completely in declorinated water before adding it to the tank. Again, make sure you gravel vac really well as that's where the parasite hangs out (yup, looks like ich to me). When you top off the water, just use plain water, not salted water.
Tina
Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1
Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1
excellent thanks for that.
Plan of action is to raise temp slowly starting tonight, go get some salt tomorrow and add. 50% water change tomorrow evening (making sure i pay close attention to gravel).
Then keep doing 50% water changes every 2 days? What about adding the salt? Do i add salt to the new water i'm adding?
Obviously i wont see results straight away but what should i be looking for to see if its working (baring in mind, he's his normal happy self at the moment). Also, is there anything i should be aware of during the process. I'm guessing adding salt to the tank isnt gonna be that nice for him.
What about the other 2 catfish, will they be ok?
Plan of action is to raise temp slowly starting tonight, go get some salt tomorrow and add. 50% water change tomorrow evening (making sure i pay close attention to gravel).
Then keep doing 50% water changes every 2 days? What about adding the salt? Do i add salt to the new water i'm adding?
Obviously i wont see results straight away but what should i be looking for to see if its working (baring in mind, he's his normal happy self at the moment). Also, is there anything i should be aware of during the process. I'm guessing adding salt to the tank isnt gonna be that nice for him.
What about the other 2 catfish, will they be ok?
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Boxermom
- Former Staff Member
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- Joined: Sun Mar 12, 2006 8:34 pm
- Location: Wisconsin
- Contact:
Cats hould be fine. Watch for heavy breathing or sighs of stress. If you don't have an airstone, might want to add one. Yes, add salt to water during changes. Ich should dissapear and not come back.
Tina
Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1
Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1
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Boxermom
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- Joined: Sun Mar 12, 2006 8:34 pm
- Location: Wisconsin
- Contact:
Raising the temperature speeds up the parasite's life cycle, and the salt kills it. But it is only vulnerable when its in the off-fish stage. At least that's my understanding of how/why it works. Works much better IME than any sort of medications. Chemical meds tend to cause more problems than they solve, at least with regard to ich.
Tina
Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1
Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1
Make sense. Other research tells me the same.
Another ridiculous question, mainly as you have pretty much confirmed its is ich, but what if it isnt?
I take it this isnt going to do him any major harm?
I hate this, i used to have a UV filter but recently took it off when i moved. The plan was to replace the bulb and connect the filter again. So annoyed i didnt do it sooner.
I'm just baffled as to where it came from, no new fish, no new plants. Some new slate and a new water source, thats about it!
Another ridiculous question, mainly as you have pretty much confirmed its is ich, but what if it isnt?
I take it this isnt going to do him any major harm?
I hate this, i used to have a UV filter but recently took it off when i moved. The plan was to replace the bulb and connect the filter again. So annoyed i didnt do it sooner.
I'm just baffled as to where it came from, no new fish, no new plants. Some new slate and a new water source, thats about it!
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Boxermom
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 2182
- Joined: Sun Mar 12, 2006 8:34 pm
- Location: Wisconsin
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Nope, shouldn't do any harm at all. Its not enough salt to even register on a hydrometer. Ich is ever present, from my understanding. I've read that it tends to adapt to the fish so it can survive, then waits til the fish is stressed or its immune system is lowered for some reason and then starts to multiply. Dunno for sure, RTR or one of the more knowledgeable people would probably know more.
Tina
Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1
Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1