Blue once again has ICK

[Kwilkins]

We got a plecostomus last week and now Blue has ICK, once again! Can the Plecostomus give it to him? I dont see any on "Picaso" the plecostomus. So can i treat the whole tank or just but Blue in the hospital tank?


Before when he got ICK he was in a .5 tank so we treated him in it and after he was better we set up our 10gal and put him in it..so now that he is in the 10gal I am asking what to do.

[Sakura8]

Kwilkins, how long did you have the pleco in the 10g before you added Blue? If you didn't quarantine the pleco, it's definitely possible he passed the ick onto Blue. There is a theory, one that I believe actually holds a lot of truth, that ick is always present in the tanks but our fish have built up an immune to them. When they get stressed, such as adding a new fish in, their immune system becomes weak and they become susceptible to the ick parasites.

Since Picaso doesn't have ick, it's best to take Blue out and treat him in the .5g. The best way to treat ick is with aquarium salt, high heat, and 100% daily water changes. Mix up 1 1/2 tsps of aquarium salt with tank water, letting it dissolve first, and then fill Blue's tank with that. If you can, try to get the heat in the tank up to at least 80 degrees. Ideally, you want the heat at 86 degrees but I don't think you can heat that small of a tank so don't worry about that part. Change the water completely every day and rinse his tank before filling it and redosing it with salt. Continue this treatment until you don't see any parasites on Blue and then continue it for an extra 2-3 days after that.

By the way, what kind of pleco do you have? If he is a common pleco, he will grow much too big for a 10g.

Good luck with Blue!

[bahamut285]

@Kwilkins: Yes it is perfectly normal for recently purchased fish to give the tank Ick. Normally a new fish is quarantined for a week or so before being placed in their future home.

In any case, please fill out this form so we may better help your case:


Housing
What size is your tank?
What temperature is your tank?
Does your tank have a filter?
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
Is your tank heated?
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
How often do you feed your betta fish?

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change?
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
How old is your fish (approximately)?

IMO, 10G is too small for a pleco, especially if it's those huge ones