[kris.hollands]

I Stayed away for a few days after christmas and when I came back all of my cardinal tetras had whitespot and within a day before I had time to treat this they were all dead. I did not notice anything before I went away, so this all happened within 3 days. My tank now has no fish but is well planted.
What is the best thing to do now. shall I do a 50% water change today and up the temperatures and leave for a month before I add anymore fish?
Any advice welcome.
Thanks
Kris

 

[aquascape ebay]

cant vouch for the substrate or the plants but a good dose of methylene blue will defo wipe them out 50% change then the methylene

4 days later 50% change again and another dose

i have had white spot outbreaks in my 4ft community and methylene controls it very quickly my only gripe with it is that it does "stain" the plants and substrate for a couple of weeks after but it does go away.

also remember to take your carbon out of the filter for at least a week after dosing as it will absorb the treatment and will ruin the carbon too:icon_smil

 

[aquascape ebay]

also using the methylene after 14 days you should be able to start re-introducing some livestock provided your water levels are safe

as you said it could be worth raising the temperature too by 2 degrees

generally 27 should get the whitespot hatching and with the methylene already running through you system they will quickly be dispatched

 

[Rod Hay]

I would not use methylene blue in the tank unless you MUST. It does stain horribly! Not just plants & tank; but hands, sink and counter tops, and clothing - if you are unlucky enough to spill just a tiny, tiny smidgin (and I really was being extra careful!) I'd only use the meth blue again if there is NO OTHER option . . . and it was a matter of saving some dear fish's life. Since you've already lost the fish you're not backed up against a wall . . .so to speak.

If the plants and aquascape are doing well, just bump the temp up slightly and leave it with no fish for a month (not even a clean up crew like ottos, etc.) Also, I try to avoid introducing new fish if I know I won't be home to observe and treat should problems arise. It doesn't even need to be disease or parasites, sometimes just shipping and acclimating stresses will cause fish deaths. If you're not there for several days just having some dead & rotting fish alone can cause issues.

 

[lauraleellbp]

Methylene can also permanently stain all the silicone and possibly plastics in the tank, so I personally only use it in QT tanks.

If there's absolutely no fish in the tank, I'd just raise the temperature into the low 80s F and leave it sit for a month. 2 weeks would probably be enough, but I always err on the side of caution. Ich cannot live long without a host.

 

[kris.hollands]

yes, I wasnt to keen on using it in the tank because of these reasons and if there are no fish they should eventually die off. I was planning on leaving the tank for at least a month just to make sure. They can't host snails and plants can they?
Thanks
Kris

Methylene can also permanently stain all the silicone and possibly plastics in the tank, so I personally only use it in QT tanks.

If there's absolutely no fish in the tank, I'd just raise the temperature into the low 80s F and leave it sit for a month. 2 weeks would probably be enough, but I always err on the side of caution. Ich cannot live long without a host.

 

[non_compliance]

Just remember your tank will likely not be cycled by that time, so you will have to watch the water parameters closely upon reintroducing livestock... good luck!

 

[xmas_dude]

Sorry to hear of your loss. I 2nd lauralee's suggestion. Bump temp to around 86f to accelerate life cycle of existing parasites and don't introduce fish (host) for atleast 2-3 weeks. Just be careful that your existing plants won't get affected by the temp.

Btw, did you have any auto feeder while you were out on holidays?

 

[lauraleellbp]

No, ich can't host on snails or plants, so it should die off in a fallow tank.

Really the biggest risk is missing a fish, if your tank is planted really heavily. All it would take is one fish, so raising the temperature is an added precaution b/c heat alone can help prevent ich from reproducing.

Here's a really good article on ich:
http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/ich.shtml

 

[blackandyellow]

Methylene can also permanently stain all the silicone and possibly plastics in the tank, so I personally only use it in QT tanks.

If there's absolutely no fish in the tank, I'd just raise the temperature into the low 80s F and leave it sit for a month. 2 weeks would probably be enough, but I always err on the side of caution. Ich cannot live long without a host.

What she said.

I´ve cured ich by just raising temp to 82° and it went away in a couple days by itself. A month may be too much, try adding a single fish in 15 days and leave him for a week, if he´s fine then you can add more.

To keep it cycled just add a bit of fish food every other day

 

[Nue]

No need to keep the planted tank cycled. But i thought Meth. Blue was banned? am i wrong?

 

[lauraleellbp]

IDK about Utah, but it's legal here in FL...