# Clown loach ich problems



## khoile (Jan 27, 2005)

Hi,

I just got 3 clown loaches yesterday, this monring I noticed white spot on two of them. I should have quarantine them, I know, live and learn I guess. What should I do now? should I treat the entire 75G tank to prevent ich from spreading to other fish or remove the clown loach to my 10G tank? I tried to catch them this morning but failed because they are so quick and I dont' want to uproot all my plants. Look like I just have to treat the entire tank, let me know what you think?

Thanks.


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## Sven (Dec 3, 2002)

I´d treat the entire tank because if it has white spots, that means that the ich cysts have burst and the whole tank is contaminated.
But since clowns are very sensitive to medicine it is important to start out by dosing half the recommended dose. Don´t go to a full dose unless they are starting to get weaker.
Treating the tank might prevent an outbreak but if you just remove the clowns you´ll probably have more infected fish in 1 or 2 days.
Good luck.


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## khoile (Jan 27, 2005)

Thanks for the reply,

Since my tank is planted, is there any complication the ich medicine may cause to the plants? Any brand you may recommend?

Thanks.


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## khoile (Jan 27, 2005)

Another question,

My tank hasn't reached it's intended population yet, I'm increasing the number of fish by ~5 every week, since I plan to treat the entire tank of ich, I wonder if I should go out and get all the fish I wanted? I want to get a school of rummies, 4 German Blue ram, and maybe some guppies (my wife like guppies). Please advice if I should do this?

Thanks.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

I've had ick one or two times and the best way to beat it, is quarantine with some ick medication(Maracyn I think, but don't quote me) and do big water changes every day until it clears up(50% or more). The medication will kill the parasites, but they will fall from the fish and be lying on your plants or substrate, so vacuuming really well is the best way of wiping it out completely.


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## Aphyosemion (Oct 15, 2004)

The sooner you take care of the ich problem, the better. I wouldn't wait to get on it. Just be aware that some of the ich medicines may stain your silicone seals permanently, leaving them blue. If there is another medication not based on Methyl-whatever blue, I would try that if you aren't using a hospital tank.
-Aphyosemion


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## Sven (Dec 3, 2002)

Some people use Methanyne Bleu (think thats the name), I wouldn´t use it, it colours ALOT.
I´ve used Sera and it worked fine, just don´t buy medicines that claim to treat many diseases at once, I think specific mediceines are alot better.
I would wait with adding new fish until you´ve solved this problem.
Read the instructions well, some medicines decrease the oxygen in the water so maybe you have to reduce the CO2 or increase water turbulance.


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## bigpow (May 24, 2004)

Maracyn I & II are for bacterial infection.

I've used RidIch+ (Kordon) before without no ill effects. Half-dose for several days.

Be extra careful with anything that contains copper & methylene blue.

For more information, go to www.loaches.com

Various way to tackle ich, including black-out treatment, salt + high temp., etc.


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## fedge (Mar 4, 2004)

WAIT!!!!

That ich medication can be detrimental to plants..!!! It is designed to block the light that ich need in part of their life cycles....! The thing with loaches is that they will ALWAYS get ich when stress (moved from lfs to your tank). I have NEVER treated my loaches with this medication when they get ich. Chasing them around with a net, dumping cancer causing medications and dyes in teh water taht causes higher pollution is not the best idea. The best prevention is to quarantee them in a non planted tank.. do DAILY water changes or every other day of about 20 % and then run a diatom filter after each water change. This will REMOVE most or all of the ich....along with cleaning up most of the big chunks. Water changes and NOT stressing the already "freak'd" fish is the big key. Just think they deal with this stuff in the wild all the time and ich lives in water of every tank to some degree. You will never elminate, just control it. My new loaches will get ich everytime, as I stated before, but usually only for a day or so and then i never spot it again. If the ich worsens or does not imediately go away in a week then start to worry! 

Invest in a diatom filter set up.. get a magnum HOT and a bag of diatom earth from the pool store (youll need a small charge glass that you hang off the filter and charge it with and then imdiatly place on the tank... never turn off a diatom filter once it is running and charged---the powder will all fall off the filter and blow around in the tank water.


I think people medicate their pets to much...if it stinks and is musty in your home you open a window, you dont start to pop pills, cause the air is making you ill..you dont open a bottle of dye and spray it around if mice get in the house you trap em and remove them---think about the fish the same way... ( i guess on the same token you could take it to.. if you get fleas in the house you set off a bug bomb--but you cant stay in teh house while it goes off...lol)


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## khoile (Jan 27, 2005)

I've moved 2/3 of the loach to another tank, and will be treating them in there. However, I started to see some sign on the other fish. What are my options now? I think I need to treat the main tank also to preven an outbreak. Please let me know what is the best medication for this? I'm kinda in a hurry to get the tank treated. I have ordered Coralife 6x UV, but it won't get here until next 2 weeks probaly (from bigals).

Thanks.
Khoi


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## TINNGG (Mar 9, 2005)

One of my yo-yos turned up with spots after I dropped a COLD clump of java fern in the tank. I'd had the fish 3 weeks at that point. I keep my temps at 82 or so so was a bit surprised to see spots. I added sea salt at lets see... I think the intended level was 1 tbs per 5 gallons and I added 1/4 of the desired amount daily. Only, my fish had cleared up long before I got to the desired level so I stopped treatment. Good thing for me as the thread algae that resulted from *all* the trace elements contained in sea salt (instant ocean no less) wasn't nearly as bad as my daughter's tank was after her newly purchased angel showed up with spots. Her fish was difficult to cure for some reason. I think I ended up with closer to 1tbs per 3 gallons before he cleared up.


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## Thanks (Oct 9, 2004)

ive used ridick with no ill effects as well. With clown loaches, its important to use ridick 2, because it's designed for scaleless fish. I've lost a few to what i thought was ick, but it was really the medication that killed the,  

up the temp to 87-92. That will help a lot as well, and your fish can handle it for a few days.


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## khoile (Jan 27, 2005)

I have Kordon(?) prevent-ich medicine laying around, and since it's 100% organic I figure I won't do much harm to the plant, I does 3/4 the recommended amount (5 caps to 75G) and up the temp to about 80. Please check my fish list below and let me know if I should not do any of this or let me know what I am doing wrong and how will I fix it.

Thanks alot.. this is the first time I deal with ich and I'm kinda worry I may kill both my fish and plant bying dosing the wrong amount or setting the wrong water temperature.

Thanks.
Khoi


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## khoile (Jan 27, 2005)

Thing changes so quick lately, I found out one of my guppy has a bad case of fungus, so I decided to move him to the Q tank with the loaches. Then I added one tablet of fungus clear (jungle lab). I hope this is an ok decision. I really don't want to loose that guppy, it's my wife favorite fish. Hope the loach is ok with 2x medicine in the tank (against ich and fungus).

This thing is stressing me out .

Khoi,


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## fedge (Mar 4, 2004)

the guppies maybe getting fungus from injury by the loaches.. or other fish, or male sparing. Water conditions is the biggest thing to keep a fish healthy. However, in the case of live bearers...inbreeding and weekening of the gene pool is somthing that can not be helped. I notice that my most beautiful and colorful platys also have the hardest time resisting infections and disease. The other "mutts" (who closly resemble the more natural state--orange with black tails) could survive in sewage. My wild caught fish are also more resiliant it seems at times.


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## bigpow (May 24, 2004)

Khoi,

From your signature, it appears that you had just converted your fish tank into a planted tank. Or did you just started everything?

Anyway, if you just started the planted tank, then the conversion may have stress your fish. Could be many things.

Clowns (juvies) are quite vulnerable. They are not easy fish to keep.
They need constant temperature. They don't tolerate any nitrate, nitrite or ammonia in the water. Once they grown up, they get quite hardy though and might be able to withstand more stress.

Take it easy and do it one at a time.


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## khoile (Jan 27, 2005)

Hi,

This is my first planted tank, I started it from ground zero. I'm currently looking at Maracide Concentrate and thinking of using it to treat the ich, would it hurt the plant or tain the silicone in the tank? I read from RidIch label that it main stain the silicone also, is this true? 

Please adivce, maybe I should continue to use the Prevent-Ich treatment, although I'm not sure any improvement since I started about 5 days ago.

Maracide active ingredients:
- Purified water
- Aniline green
- Tris (hydroxymethyl) animomethane

I'm not sure RidIch+ ingredient, I haven't open the Maracide yet,and could return for RidIch if that's the prefer Ich medicine for planted tank.

Thanks,
Khoi


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## renatl (Jan 27, 2005)

Hey - same problem. I have a fully planted aquarium and I am currently using Ecolibrium FW which I was told by the LFS that I bought it from that it would not harm my plants or sensitve fish. You may want to try it. Richard


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## renatl (Jan 27, 2005)

Hey - You may want to check out Ecolibrium FW. I bought some and am on the third day of using it. I was told by the LFS that I bought it from that it would not harm my live plants or sensitive fish. You may want to check it out. Richard


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## Pete City (Apr 2, 2005)

Just thought i would share my experience with ich,
I bought 10 Rummy Nose tetras from my lfs, noticed the next day they all had ich, did extensive research and decided to not use any medications because of my plants and invertebrate. 
Other fish in the tank, 4 ottos, 2 sae
I slowly turned up my temperature to 85 degrees
and did 30 percent water changes every other day
at the 8th day ich was completely gone (Ich cannot survive at 85 degrees)
And as we all know ich is a parasite.
Everything suvived the temp change.
You have to be patient, this works, and you dont add any harmful substance to your tank.


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## FMZ (Jul 13, 2004)

My suggestion is to raise the temperature of the aquarium to 90F slowly and the ick will fall off and wont survive that temperature.

After they fall of the fish, do a good gravel vaccum, much better on your loaches and your plants


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## compulsion (Mar 2, 2004)

i remember one of my old tanks i had to use meth blue. the amount i had to put in made it almost black and as said stained the silicone but i still had to dose to the bottle which now ive learnt use the same dose for everything they use :icon_conf . its not nice stuff to use so defo use a q tank if u have to use it.


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