Archived message board.
Ich, ghost shrimp, and live plants
Badmans Tropical Fish Message Center:
Fish diseases : Ich, ghost shrimp, and live plants
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Laura P
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Sunday,
January 20, 2002 - 09:03 am
Help! My cherry barbs have ich and I'm not sure what
to do. I have a 55gallon tank with a few live plants (java
fern and moss) angels, cherry barbs, white clouds, platys
and ghost shrimp. What treatment should I use that won't
kill the shrimp or harm the plants
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Pandora
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Sunday,
January 20, 2002 - 11:47 am
Laura, have you checked Badman's articles section? I
have an article specifically on Treating Ich in Planted
Tanks. These are just my own personal experiences with the
same problem as you are having, don't take it as gospel,
because there are many people with different ideas on this.
But I do write about some things that worked for me. In
particular, I'd say Maracide worked pretty well without
killing the plants.
You are lucky in that the java ferns and mosses are usually
such a hardy group, but the ghost shrimp (inverts)
are a different matter (I keep these shrimp also).
If at ALL possible, in your case, I'd try to remove
both the shrimp and plants to a different tank, then you
won't have to worry about adverse reactions when treating
your fish. The reason I did not do this with my setup is
because my planted tank is very extensive, and I know the
roots go very deep into the substrate, there was no way
I could uproot them all just to treat, it'd do more
harm than good. In your case, I recommend it, because java
ferns and moss do not have true root systems and should
be easy to move from substrate, or if they are attached
to driftwood, you could take them out together with the
wood and submerse it in another tank. The ghost shrimp should
not be too difficult to catch once the decorations are gone;
would be easier than catching the fish & treating, at
any rate. If these things are kept separately for a week
without fish, the ich will not have a host to live on, and
the cysts should also die, leaving you to be able to put
the plants & shrimp back in the tank. Good luck!
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Pandora
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Sunday,
January 20, 2002 - 11:51 am
Forgot to mention that the 2nd tank that you would want
to keep your plants and shrimp in should be heated to tropical
temperatures. Not only for the shrimp's sake (the
plants should be fine for a week either way)... but
also because ich cysts live far longer in their dormant
form at lower temperatures. Your goal is to get them to
open up into free-swimming larval ich, which will not be
able to find a host... this is the form of the disease that
is more delicate, and can't live long if not on a fish.
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jeff s
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Sunday,
January 20, 2002 - 01:22 pm
good article pandora, I have read it..hell I read all your
stuff..anyway yes I agreee with you..and definetly remove
the inverebrates!..one thing though at least java fern is
pretty darn hardy..I have had luck using rid ich+ but
not maracide...hence removing fish and QT them is usually
my answere...I am very interested in this topic anyway and
will try to find out more..thanks for the article and info...
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Pandora
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Monday,
January 21, 2002 - 11:44 am
Aww, thanks jeff, if you had stuff written here (do
you?) I'd be reading a lot of it too! And I am by
far an expert on this stuff, just struggling with the disease
when I'm unlucky enough to see it, like everyone else.
There are some good articles on TheKrib.com, which is where
I learned a lot of info about the life cycle.
Don't forget to quarantine your fish!
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Rasta_Puff
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Sunday,
March 17, 2002 - 10:26 am
Ok first of all ick is a parasite..just because da spots
are gone off da fish doesnt mean da ick is gone.It means
da momma ick has laid her eggs n it has sinked into da gravel
now dey can be dere for awhile..When dey do hatch da water
will smell very bad which you have 1,000 parasites swimmin
around which can wipe out your whole tank dats why its very
important to get da ick at da 1st stage..nah da meds..-CLOUT--FLUKES-
are da best meds dey kill everything..BUT...you have live
plants so big no-no...-MARACIDE-is god it da only company
u can alter mixed meds..-ICK CLEAR-by tank buddies works
great too...I hope I helped abit :-))
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