F8 with ich

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
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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.
susans
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F8 with ich

Post by susans »

hi, my f8 has developed ich in recent weeks. i have medicated with quick cure, at half the dosage (so, 5 drops a day for 10 days every other day, 5 treatments) and water changes every other day, not on medication days.... removed carbon from filter, now what - he still has spots?
happy, eating, swimming.....
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Phaedrus
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Post by Phaedrus »

See the sticky about treating ick at the top of this forum.
susans
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Post by susans »

hello.
i did, however it does not mention brackish water fish. i keep the tank at about 80-82 - use zoe in my food, water changes.... is removing the carbon really necessary? was using the quick cure bad? what should i do from here?
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Phaedrus
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Post by Phaedrus »

What is your SG?

Ich is sensitive to salt, and higher temperatures speed up it's life cycle.

I'd increase the temp by a few degrees and bump up the SG a bit.

Then vaccuum and water change daily.
susans
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Post by susans »

1.008, i'll up it and i upped the temp just now... so no more meds?
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Phaedrus
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Post by Phaedrus »

Meds aren't really necessary, and not always effective themselves.

Make sure to vaccuum well with each 50% water change.
susans
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Post by susans »

k, thanks again! you're the best!
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Post by RTR »

FW Ich will not survive at 1.008 at all. If it is SW white spot, that is an entirely different parasite.
Where's the fish? - Neptune
lisalisa

Post by lisalisa »

It seems odd that either variety would live, let alone manifest itself at that SG.
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Post by onebadpuffer »

Not sure which it is, but if it was the freshwater version, the Quick Cure should have knocked it out asap. Most use the high temp/salt method here on this website, which I agree with, but I have used Quick Cure on freshwater Ich in the past and it never failed me. I would keep up with the water changes and the heat. You already have enough salt in your water to kill freshwater Ich.

Are you using Marine Salt? Do you check your specific gravity with a hydrometer?

It also wouldn't hurt to try and do a freshwater dip in case it is the marine version. I am with lisalisa on it being odd that you would have either version of ich in that SG. Can you post a pic?
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Phaedrus
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Post by Phaedrus »

perhaps the hydrometer is off
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Post by Jayhawk »

Are we sure it's really ich and not just the puffer's spines?

Just a thought.

Eric
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Post by Phaedrus »

can we get a picture maybe susans?
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Post by susans »

they werent there when i bought him, and i dont have a digital camera, unfortunately :(
they look like little salt sprinkles. ya, i use marine salt, and a hydrometer.. i now have it at 1.010 and temp is 84... i am doing 50% water changes.. what else do you think it could be?
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Post by susans »

and im sorry.....what is a freshwater dip???
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