Did My Banded Tank Just Get Ich?

Well ive seen these white spots pop up in my banded tank....the tank isnt even 2 weeks old....what shall you guys have me do? ive tried using meds before and that did more harm than good....






all fish are eating well.

That certainly does look like ich. The commonly recommended treatments for it are to add salt to the water, raise temperature incrementally above 86 F, or treat with a copper-based antibiotic such as malachite green, or formalin. Any of these will kill the parasite, but may be harmful in varying degrees to your fish. I am insufficiently familiar with your fish species to make a more specific recommendation. Ideally you would want to remove all fish and treat them in a separate tank, as salt will be severely detrimental to the plants I see in your photo and copper medications linger in the tank a long time and kill desirable invertebrates like snails and biofilters (and I am unsure of their effect on the plants for that matter). Salt and heat may be combined and will be more effective than either alone, assuming your fish can tolerate these conditions. If you opt for salt alone due to low heat tolerance of the fish, you can still raise temperature toward the upper end of what they will be comfortable with. This will accelerate the parasite's life cycle and reduce the overall treatment time. Do not combine heat and medication, as this may result in unacceptably low oxygen levels.

If the fish can be removed before treatment and kept in the hospital tank for about ten days the main tank should be free of parasites by that time, especially if it has been warmed, and will not require treatment. Wherever the fish are treated, frequent large volume water changes are recommended because the parasite does have a free-swimming stage prior to infecting a host, and many can be removed this way. The more you can boost the fish's immune system by lowering the rate of new infections on the gills and providing clean water the faster they will recover.

In my experience the salt concentrations usually recommended for this purpose are not harmful to filter bacteria.

That certainly does look like ich. The commonly recommended treatments for it are to add salt to the water, raise temperature incrementally above 86 F, or treat with a copper-based antibiotic such as malachite green, or formalin. Any of these will kill the parasite, but may be harmful in varying degrees to your fish. I am insufficiently familiar with your fish species to make a more specific recommendation. Ideally you would want to remove all fish and treat them in a separate tank, as salt will be severely detrimental to the plants I see in your photo and copper medications linger in the tank a long time and kill desirable invertebrates like snails and biofilters (and I am unsure of their effect on the plants for that matter). Salt and heat may be combined and will be more effective than either alone, assuming your fish can tolerate these conditions. If you opt for salt alone due to low heat tolerance of the fish, you can still raise temperature toward the upper end of what they will be comfortable with. This will accelerate the parasite's life cycle and reduce the overall treatment time. Do not combine heat and medication, as this may result in unacceptably low oxygen levels.

If the fish can be removed before treatment and kept in the hospital tank for about ten days the main tank should be free of parasites by that time, especially if it has been warmed, and will not require treatment. Wherever the fish are treated, frequent large volume water changes are recommended because the parasite does have a free-swimming stage prior to infecting a host, and many can be removed this way. The more you can boost the fish's immune system by lowering the rate of new infections on the gills and providing clean water the faster they will recover.

In my experience the salt concentrations usually recommended for this purpose are not harmful to filter bacteria.

thanks for that write up. I will have to buy aquarium salt tomorrow as i am all out. i just did a 70 percent water change..ill hit the water up to 80ish. will marine salt work? or do i have to use aquarium salt? if the plants die i can replace those although i didn't wanna lose anything. i have never been hit with a tank wide ich problem. i hope that i dont lose any fish. this tank was real nice as well...very well planted

I use marine salt since I have it on hand and it works fine. I just had ich show up in my large native tank. I kicked the salinity up to a specific gravity of 1.003 and the heat up to the low 80's after sticking in another powerhead to get the surface all mixed up. Spots gone in about a week. I turned the heat down after the spots were gone for two weeks but left the salinity up for about a month total. My plants (a lot of the same stuff in your tank) have all been fine and some stubborn cyanobacteria disappeared, probably because of the increased water movement.

I use marine salt since I have it on hand and it works fine. I just had ich show up in my large native tank. I kicked the salinity up to a specific gravity of 1.003 and the heat up to the low 80's after sticking in another powerhead to get the surface all mixed up. Spots gone in about a week. I turned the heat down after the spots were gone for two weeks but left the salinity up for about a month total. My plants (a lot of the same stuff in your tank) have all been fine and some stubborn cyanobacteria disappeared, probably because of the increased water movement.

So how much is that for a 20 long? How do I bring it up slowly? I don't just wanna throw in the salt up to 1.003

So how much is that for a 20 long? How do I bring it up slowly? I don't just wanna throw in the salt up to 1.003

go to your local fish store and ask for a hydrometer. a cheap one is about 5$.
as for salt i use morton pure salt like or kosher salt 10# for about 4$

yeah i have a hydrometer...i have 2 salt tanks. i put 5 gallons of 1.003 in tonight and the temp is at 80. ill add more tomorrow.

i hope it works, last time a p/u some feeders from a lfs i got it in my 55gal, and had to use chemicals to clean it up.
it stained my rocks for weeks

Aquarium salt is really an unnecessary expense. It's priced like buying driftwood at the pet shop ($28.50/lb, really?). The goal is just to put osmotic stress on the parasite, so any salt will do. Some tropical keepers would tell you not to use anything with an anti-caking agent (the same people who would tell you not to use wild-collected live food for fear of disease, so take that for what it's worth), but kosher salt from the grocery store or the aforementioned Morton's pure salt won't have that. Marine salt will also work just fine, but table salt is the cheapest option by a huge margin.

thanks guys! yeah i already have marine salt so thats easiest. ITS POURING outside right now so when it lets up im gonna finish the tanks. do i water change everyday and keep adding salt or once i get the salt up to 1.003 do i just leave it with the heat? once im at 1.003 what do i do next?

thanks guys! yeah i already have marine salt so thats easiest. ITS POURING outside right now so when it lets up im gonna finish the tanks. do i water change everyday and keep adding salt or once i get the salt up to 1.003 do i just leave it with the heat? once im at 1.003 what do i do next?

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=16+2160&aid=2421
http://www.cichlid-f...rticles/ich.php
http://www.aquahobby...icles/e_ich.php

just wanted to update this...seems like i defeated the ICH. not seeing any signs of it right now. i did just do a complete 100 percent substrate change and water change yesterday. the new water added was like 1.0010 and 81 degrees. fish seem fine. im gonna leave it this way for a week.

If your banded sunnies are currently adapted to low pH, marine salt will suddenly increase pH and could pose an unnecessary stress. Plain NaCl (kosher salt, table salt, water softener salt, etc) wont affect pH or hardness and might be safer for acid-adapted fish.

I would also say definitely DO NOT use marine salt...the pH shock may very well harm the fish more than it will help.

well its a little late for that now guys...its been like a week...the ICH is gone...and the fish are acting normal...eating alot...i will now start to remove the salt with water changes

How did you do a 100% substrate change in a planted tank?

I would recommend you leave the salt in for a few more days. It is possible for the parasite to remain in the tank with no apparent symptoms for a time. The cysts that form on the fish seem to be protected from most chemical treatments, so at the time they disappear they have just formed potentially viable free-swimming larvae. The danger may be slight, but I'd give it about 3 days more before I went back to fresh water.

How did you do a 100% substrate change in a planted tank?

I would recommend you leave the salt in for a few more days. It is possible for the parasite to remain in the tank with no apparent symptoms for a time. The cysts that form on the fish seem to be protected from most chemical treatments, so at the time they disappear they have just formed potentially viable free-swimming larvae. The danger may be slight, but I'd give it about 3 days more before I went back to fresh water.

i replanted my plants...i removed all fish...all plants...then i collected new substrate...set the tank up....replanted the plants. some plants i got rid of and i also added some new ones. i planned on leaving the salt in through the weekend. it seems that this ich went away rather quickly.

by "now" i meant this weekend lol

Edited by bumpylemon, 14 May 2010 - 11:37 AM.

Banded sunnies are tough as nails and they're scales and slime layer seem particularly resistent. Two years ago I found one of mine on the floor mostly dried out, totally coated with dirt and dust from flopping on the floor for I don't know how long. I picked him up and dropped him back into his tank - he's stil alive today, not even a scar.
I would expect a healthy one to shake it off.

Mike we need to get out and do some collecting. I'd like to go out with you. Don't know what we would go for. But maybe some redfins. Bigger than 2" lol. Killis I have found at 4 locations near me. So now they aren't to hard for me. Idk