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The first clue I had that there was trouble in the aquarium was when I realized that we had not seen our Clown Loach in about two days. He normally hides in a big artificial log that decorates the aquarium but comes out at feeding time. We noticed a white “powder” looking substance scattered all over the aquarium fixtures and, since I had seen something similar involving other aquarium additives, I disregarded the “powder.” Having a busy day otherwise, I passed the absence of the Loach off with the thought that “We’ll give him another day”. The third day of not seeing the Loach started my wife panicking so I began a diligent search for my reclusive friend. Peering in all the openings to the fake log I finally spied his tail through one of them. I was not surprised when I noticed the white spots covering his tail and knew immediately that Ick was the diagnosis.

Ick, a common affliction caused by a parasitic protozoan called Ichthyophthirius, is quickly lethal to tropical fish. It appears as white spots all over the body,fins and gills.

I haven’t been satisfied with any of the recent Ick treatments that we’ve tried, so I reluctantly applied 30 drops of the current remedy, “QuICK Cure”, into the aquarium and went on to work. The normal dose for this medication is one drop per gallon of aquarium water, but the instructions state that, if you have tetra species, one drop should be used for every two gallons. Needless to say, we have both Lamp Eye Tetras and one X-ray Tetra. I was feeling pretty guilty about not taking things a bit more seriously when my wife first mentioned the missing Loach and I started looking for better remedies. Upon returning home, I remembered once reading that turning the temperature up to about 85 degrees in an aquarium can aid in killing the free swimming Ick, so I turned the heater up as high as it would go (setting it at 83 degrees). We obviously keep our aquariums in the normal temperature range determined by the requirements of the predominant tropical fish type, which varies, in the aquarium, and then try to keep it in the higher part of that range.

The next evening the temperature was right around 85 degrees. Since I had more time to do research, I medicated the aquarium with 45 drops of QuICK Cure, trying to balance the risks between too much medication for the tetras and the need to treat the loach in a hurry.

By this time, I was noticing more tropical fish with symptoms of Ick. Both of the Rubber Lip Plecos (which are new and may have been the source of the Ick) and two of the five Angelfish have the white spots. At this point, the Loach is still hiding in the log, I haven’t seen hide nor hair (or scale) of the recently purchased Rainbow Shark, the Corydoras Catfish are too well hidden to see if they are infected or not, and the Lamp Eye Tetras all look pretty good as do the two female Pearl Gouramis. The research that I was doing was concentrated primarily on web sites that I “googled”. One of the web sites referred to the different remedies available at pet shops while another recommended raising the temperature to 85 degrees. Since I had to leave for work right after reading through this information, I treated the aquarium with a full dosage of 60 drops (thinking I’d at least save the more important tropical fish – sorry tetras), and hoped for the best. I noticed that my loach was now outside the log and in extreme distress with secondary fungal infections. I didn’t have time to do much about it, so I threw in a dosage of “Melafix” by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals for the fungus

The next day, after working all night and sleeping for about 5 hours, I was armed with new information and was determined to solve the problem for good. Unfortunately, the Ick had already taken its toll. I knew that the first thing that I was going to do was to change a large portion of the water and clean the aquarium floor of debris as well as I could. While accomplishing this task, I moved logs and plants and uncovered one small Rainbow Shark, one large Clown Loach, one male Fancy Guppy, one Rubber Lip Pleco, and one Xray Tetra all dead due to the Ick (or poor treatment methods). After changing the water and retreating with QuICK Cure, I sat down for further research.

One website was particularly helpful and discussed the many different methods of treating Ick,  a few of which I had never heard of. I learned from this site that you should not use a chemical treatment and increase the temperature at the same time. I immediately turned the heater down and allowed the aquarium to normalize around 82 degrees, the high end of the normal range. I also confirmed that you have to continue treatment for about three days after symptoms disappear.

The Ick was successfully eliminated after seven days, but with the loss of the other Rubber Lip Pleco. The remainder of the tropical fish in this community aquarium survived. Obviously, I continued treating the aquarium for another four days to prevent a reinfection and on the twelfth day inserted the new filters.

The medication that I used successfully in this aquarium is called “QuICK Cure” by Aquarium Products,  which is very reasonably priced at $2.99 per .75 ounce bottle. It contains two of the most popular Ick remedies: Malachite Green and Formaline. If you catch the Ick disease early enough and follow the directions, it really works quite well

In a previous outbreak of Ick, which, oddly enough, was isolated to a single Angelfish (which had a secondary infection of body fungus), I had tried putting the effected tropical fish in a 20 gallon hospital tank  with another Angelfish and a Swordtail, both infected with body fungus, which I had been treating with the anti-fungal “Maracyn” by Mardel. The hospital tank was maintaining a temperature of around 82 degrees and the water quality was good. Upon introducing the new Angelfish to the hospital tank, I added to the aquarium an Ick remedy that I had never used before. (Remember – the tank had already been treated with “Maracyn” for fungus.)This was a total and quick disaster. All three tropical fish died within 24 hours. I can’t say with absolute certainty, but I would strongly suspect that the combination of the two medications and the stress of putting them in a hospital tank caused the quick demise of the already weakened tropical fish.

I had read in many of the more predominant web sites and books that the best way to treat diseased fish is to move them to a hospital tank. The reasoning for the isolation is to prevent the spread of the disease to the other tropical fish. This sounds like it makes pretty good sense, BUT,  I always seem to have to treat the entire aquarium for the disease anyway. After my 39 years of experience keeping freshwater tropical fish, my thinking is why put any of the infected fish under the stress of a changing environment, which greatly weakens them further. Since the aquarium is already infected anyway, leave the tropical fish in the tank and treat the whole tank. I have to say that whenever we tried to treat sick tropical fish in a hospital tank, we always lost them. I get better results leaving all the tropical fish in the tank and, if I’ve caught the disease early enough, even the first infected fish survive. I strongly feel that hospital tanks have killed more of my fish throughout the years than any disease. Needless to say, we no longer have a hospital tank.

For more information regarding Tropical Fish visit: http://www.Daxxan.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/treating-ick-in-a-tropical-fish-aquarium-4526820.html

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If you plan to purchase non-marine and marine fish combined, you will need to consider a variety of details. The one thing you want to avoid is inserting aggressive and non-aggressive fish into the same tank. Unless you want to lose money, this is the best recommendation anyone can offer you. Damsels are aggressive fish, which the fish are typically starter fish. Fish owners tend to start with damsels, since the fish are inexpensive and require less maintenance and attention. It is recommended that you only put two of the same or similar fish in a single aquarium.

In addition to fish, you will need to purchase with your aquarium test kits, buffers, filters, gravel, floss, and so on. It is important to keep fish water fresh. If you have, saltwater fish you will need to add salt every two weeks. In addition, you can purchase fish that will adapt well to saltwater, especially if you have primarily saltwater fish in your tank.

How to maintain freshwater fish?

Common freshwater fish will adapt to nearly any type of tank. Saltwater fish tend to do well in reef tanks. Since freshwater fish will adapt to a variety of tanks, it is easier to take care of the fish. In fact, freshwater fish is recommended for beginners. In the category of freshwater fish are the tropical fish and the Coldwater fish. To help you get started we can consider aquariums.

Considering aquariums

The first thing you want to consider is the area you will place the aquarium. You want to make sure you have sufficient space at your home to spot the tank. You should never put fish aquariums near open Windows, or windows in general. The sunlight will cause photosynthetic organisms (Algae) to grow quicker. You will need to avoid spotting the tank near heaters, or doorways. It is important that you maintain room temperature when caring for fish. You can purchase dehumidifiers and humidifiers, which can help you, maintain room temperature. In addition, when you purchase your aquarium, make sure that you consider filters, floss, gravel, medicines, food, water, etc. You want to make sure that your plug sockets can handle the level of electricity required of fish aquariums.

How to choose filters?

Filters are categorized as chemical, biological, and mechanical. You can purchase external, internal, and under-gravel filtration systems to support your fish aquarium. If you are just starting out in fish care and aquarium care, avoid the under-gravel filters since it will require excessive maintenance, as well as the filters do not produce quality power. However, you can use under-gravel filters in conjunction with mechanical, biological, or chemical filters. It is recommended to learn the actions performed by each filtering system before joining under-gravel filters with another filtration system.

One of the most popular filters utilized is the internal filters. The internal filters include foam cartridge(s) and a diminutive box. The filters work to draw liquid from grills. The liquids are then filtered by the foam cartridge, which exits through the nozzles found at the top of the filters. Beginners could benefit from using the internal filters, since indicators will alert you when to clean or replace the filters. Valves work to produce oxygen, which adds to the advantages of using internal filters. The internal filters also have filtering pads, which remove chemicals while using polyester and/or carbon pads. The strong synthetic fabrics produce low moisture, which absorbs the chemicals. The filters are hardwearing, which means you will not have to replace the filters as often. You will need proper filtration for all fishes, including Tetra.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/beginners-guide-to-fish-care-817423.html

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No matter how young or old your children are, involve them in everything that you do as you embark on your fishing journey. Your kids want to feel needed and this is the perfect opportunity for them to help you. There is no better way to instill a sense of accomplishment in your kids than to allow them to help you with “grown-up” jobs. Depending on how old they are, assign them certain small things for which they are responsible. Some of these include ensuring that everyone has a personal floatation device and letting them coil a line. Your children will walk away at the end of the day with a renewed sense of confidence in their ability to help Mom and Dad.  Keep your children busy while you are fishing. They prefer to stay active. Plan your fishing outing accordingly.

Include exciting water activities such as snorkeling, tubing, or looking for various wildlife. Of course, showing them the basics of fishing will forever keep them and you busy! There are enough details involved in the sport of fishing that you will need to take your kids on multiple trips before they are fluent in the language of the angler.  You have an excellent opportunity to teach your kids while fishing on a boat. You have the ability to teach them new skills that they use long after you have caught your last fish. Merely being on the water allows you to teach kids new things about their environment. You can also teach them about boating, fishing, and safety skills. Try to incorporate these teachings into fun, intriguing activities.  Introduce them to new and exciting things as they are ready. For example, create a game that teaches nautical terminology. Focus on words like port, starboard, or bow. You should build upon this knowledge. After they know these terms, help your children learn the best way to safely drive a fishing boat or cast a fishing line. Always be an observant teacher.

The combination of boating and fishing allows for an enormous amount of learning.  This type of hands-on learning lasts a long time. Your children will benefit in many ways. They will discover things that help them become better fishers and boatmen. Participating in an activity that is thousands of years old teaches them about tradition. They will eventually be able to teach their kids all that you have taught them. This includes many of the elements of responsibility that come with helping adults achieve a goal.  Your children will have unlimited amounts of fun as they encounter new settings, new climates, and new wildlife. Most importantly, fishing and boating with your children will give you the chance to spend quality time with them. This is worth more than all of the fun had and the lessons learned.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/showing-your-kids-how-to-fish-502942.html

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