Salt+Pictus=Disaster

[CatFishLady]

At least that's what I'm thinking  

As seen in another forum I have been treating for ich. According to Ich-Out Sensitive instructions. As suggested I turned up the temp to 82 F and added aquarium salt per instructions on box. Ich "looks" like it has gone away. My blue cat looks great and he was the one with the ich to begin with. I still have 1 treatment left and then I'm done.

Ok...I added the salt on Monday. Yesterday I checked on the fish and my pictus look like their skin is bubbled up and flaking off  8O It doesn't look like ich. When I added the salt they frolicked (sp?) around it as if they LOVED it? I didn't dissolve it before adding to the water...so they were huvering (sp??) around it while it was dissolving. Is this normal?? Has anyone had a problem like this before? Are they going to be ok?? Note: they are continuing to be just as active as before....

Any suggestions???  

Thanks

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Salt+Pictus=Disaster

I think the contents of ich meds are harmful to scaleless fish period along with the addition of salt.


can you list the contents of this "sensitive fish ich med" and how much salt you added to your tank?

[Mzungu]

Re: Salt+Pictus=Disaster

This is the link she provided in her other thread:

http://www.petco.com/product/102867/Wardley-Wellness-Ick-Out-Sensitive.aspx

It says:
Formaldehyde 5.55%, Inert Ingredients: 94.5%

When you added the salt, they might have thought it was food for a second, hence their frolicking. In the future, try dissolving the salt in a cup of aquarium water before adding it. I'm sure that having grains of salt on the bottom won't necessarily hurt anything since they're pretty small and dissolve quickly, but I always like to be on the safe side.

I have no idea what to say about the pictus' skin "bubbling up and flaking off." Can you maybe post a picture? Has this gone away any since yesterday afternoon?

[CatFishLady]

Re: Salt+Pictus=Disaster

No, it didn't go away....but they did in the middle of the night  

Woke up this morning, checked on them and they were both dead. What's strange is all my other catfish are fine. They were the only ones that "played" over the salt when I dropped it in. I have a big feeling that their skin got burned by it??

Live and Learn :aua: :doh:

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Salt+Pictus=Disaster

Is there a heater in the tank?

I have seen lots of catfish get burned by the heaters.

[Mzungu]

Re: Salt+Pictus=Disaster

If I remember correctly, this is the tank without a heater that stays at about 80 degrees constantly.

[CatFishLady]

Re: Salt+Pictus=Disaster

Yes there is a heater in the tank but it only comes on once in a while. I have turned it on to keep the heat on 82 F to help with the ich prob. (btw: they never got ich)

Yes Mzungu is correct. My tank stays a constant 80 F.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Salt+Pictus=Disaster

Did you witness the actually bubbling of the skin?

[Spot86t]

Re: Salt+Pictus=Disaster

Just for future reference, I've had success using "Ich Attack" on my scaleless fish.  It's touted as being organic and safe for all inverts too.  It didn't seem to hurt my shrimp or crays, and although it took a little longer (and smelled worse) than other meds, I had a pretty successful time with it.  The only victims were 2 small clown loaches (~1.5-2") that were still covered with ich long after everyone else was cured.  I pulled the clowns out into a QT where I could treat them separately and wean the cured ones from treatment.

[CatFishLady]

Re: Salt+Pictus=Disaster

Did you witness the actually bubbling of the skin?

No, I went to bed shortly after adding the salt. The next morning they looked like that. The "bubbles" I saw were NOT ich unless ich has suddenly gotten bigger?? They were fairly large "bubbles" ALL OVER them. And another thing I noticed all their fins looked shredded and had a blood looking tint to them. It was just so strange because I have other cats in the same tank with no problems at all???

[CatFishLady]

Re: Salt+Pictus=Disaster

Just for future reference, I've had success using "Ich Attack" on my scaleless fish.  It's touted as being organic and safe for all inverts too.  It didn't seem to hurt my shrimp or crays, and although it took a little longer (and smelled worse) than other meds, I had a pretty successful time with it.  The only victims were 2 small clown loaches (~1.5-2") that were still covered with ich long after everyone else was cured.  I pulled the clowns out into a QT where I could treat them separately and wean the cured ones from treatment.

Thank you. I'll keep "ich attack" in mind the next time we have a break-out.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Salt+Pictus=Disaster

Sounds like the one was getting picked on and then seeked refuge behind the heater and burned itself.

[CatFishLady]

Re: Salt+Pictus=Disaster

It was 2 pictus, they were a team. Nothing ever came close to them besides the 1 gourami that I got inherited with them. I just find that hard to believe because at the time my heater was maintaining the temp at 82 F when the tank stays at 80 F. So the heater hardly ever came on and there's no room behind the heater for either of them (they were about 4" each)

Is there no possible way alot of salt could have caused their skin and fins to burn? I added what was recommended per instructions on the box of aquarium salt straight to the water without dissolving. 1 tbsp per 5 gals (I think?)  :aua:

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Salt+Pictus=Disaster

I have had lots of plecos, clowns, loaches, shrimp and other scaleless sensitive to things stuff and have never seen this bubbling of the skin.

I have this one catfish that I don't know what it is cause it was a hitchhiker when I bought some shells but the tank it is in gets Seachem Tanganyika buffer, Epsom salt, Aquarium salt and sometime reef salt weekly and he's happy as can be.

[CatFishLady]

Re: Salt+Pictus=Disaster

Hmmm maybe the heater did burn both of them?? I really don't know unless they came down with some kind of skin infection QUICK? It just didn't look like ich to me. My other pim & blue cat got ich and it didn't look anything like what was on the pictus?? I don't know? It'll remain a mystery unless it happens again and I can point out what I did to the tank.

Thanks for the eye-opener :)