Lost 3 fish. Want to learn from the experience.

paperdesk

New member
I'm so sad, I just lost a red firefish, neon goby, and royal gramma to ich :(

They had all been in my 10 gallon quarantine tank for a little under a week, and I'd been monitoring them every day. They seemed fine, no flashing, scratching, fast breathing and I hadn't noticed any visible signs of illness.

One morning 3 of the 4 fish showed strong visible signs of ich. I added cupramine to raise the copper to .025ppm. The next morning I was very surprised to see that things had gotten worse not better, and then it hit me that I had forgotten to remove the carbon from my HOB filter.

I removed the carbon and dosed cupramine again to raise to .025ppm. By this time one of the fish was floating around the tank struggling to swim properly, and another was scratching a little and otherwise scrunched down on the bottom of the tank. However, all fish were still eating, so I had hope for them. However, by that night they were looking pretty bad, and the next morning they were dead. The only survivor was a bangai cardinal, who seemed to be pretty much unscathed, though it's hard to see visible signs of ich on him due to his coloration.

Obviously I should have removed the carbon, but I was surprised to see things go bad so fast. Please help me learn from this experience! Is there something else I may be missing, or can ich really take fish that fast?

This is an established 10 gallon quarantine tank with stable parameters. This morning's test results are what I expected (salifert tests):

PH 8.0
Salinity 1.023
Nitrate 0
Ammonia 0
 
Timeline is more consistent with velvet than ich. Ich usually takes several weeks before it overwhelms the fish. Even though the cardinal appears unscathed, it needs to be treated. Please review the stickies at the top of this forum for treatment options.
 
Timeline is more consistent with velvet than ich. Ich usually takes several weeks before it overwhelms the fish. Even though the cardinal appears unscathed, it needs to be treated. Please review the stickies at the top of this forum for treatment options.

This.
 
Thank you both for the reply, I think you're right, I hadn't made the connection to Marine Velvet. I hope to at least save the cardinal!

I've never done a freshwater dip, so I'm not totally sure I understand. Is the "freshwater" dip actually something done at a salinity of 1.001? The following is a quote from another post by Snorvich.

" Remove all fish from the main aquarium and give them a freshwater dip. For this dip, adjust the pH and add Methylene Blue (at double the in-tank concentration). Use a specific gravity of 1.001 for the saltwater fish."

Thank you!

Ted
 
Fresh water dips will alleviate symptoms temporarily but unless the fish is placed in an uninfected tank, will become reinfected.
 
The fish is already in copper, which is the best I can do for now. I don't have methylene blue, formalin or Chloroquine diphosphate at the moment. However, I was more specifically wondering if I understood correctly that 1.001 was the correct salinity for a "freshwater" dip.
 
The fish is already in copper, which is the best I can do for now. I don't have methylene blue, formalin or Chloroquine diphosphate at the moment. However, I was more specifically wondering if I understood correctly that 1.001 was the correct salinity for a "freshwater" dip.

Stick with the copper treatment and be sure to test frequently to ensure it doesn't drop below the recommended therapeutic dosage.
 
Thank you emcmilla. They weren't expensive fish, but it's just sad to see them go that way.

Thanks for the advice Chris. I'll watch it carefully.

Ted
 
A freshwater dip will be beneficial even if they go back into the copper QT. If the copper is at the therapeutic level they will not be reinfected.
 
Chris, good point! That's a good thing!

Steve, thanks for the reply. I'll try the dip, and make sure levels stay even!
 
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