Ich parasite

[Lilybet]

good afternoon all,
I am a complete newbie when it comes to ponds and it seems we have mad all the mistakes in the book!!

Firstly the fish developed ulcers and we lost three fish to this before we noticed it and now they have Ich!! however I have noticed that three fish have a cloudy film over their eyes which after two treatments over a two week period has not cleared up. I have used Tetra Medifin and turned off the UV light and our water quality is good, is this normal for Ich or could it be something else??

 

[j.w]

@Lilybet
I'm not much up on disease control so I'll let someone else respond to your questions.

 

[JamieB]

Ich is a parasite, that has several stages. You’ll have to treat the whole pond, which the best way I can think of would be to remove the fish, treat them in a big tote with an airstone going non stop, but a smaller environment with a measured volume will make treating them easier. There are several ick meds, I’ve used Jungle Ick Guard, and Kordon Rapid-cure, both require water changes after treatment. Both worked, but I caught mine fairly early. I did loose a few fancy guppies when it got bad through. As for treatment of the pond, that’s beyond me, I’d drain it and let it sit dry. Others may have a better way, which would possibly save your beneficial bacteria.

 

[Lilybet]

View attachment 124121@Lilybet
I'm not much up on disease control so I'll let someone else respond to your questions.

Thanks for the lovely welcome

 

[Lilybet]

Ich is a parasite, that has several stages. You’ll have to treat the whole pond, which the best way I can think of would be to remove the fish, treat them in a big tote with an airstone going non stop, but a smaller environment with a measured volume will make treating them easier. There are several ick meds, I’ve used Jungle Ick Guard, and Kordon Rapid-cure, both require water changes after treatment. Both worked, but I caught mine fairly early. I did loose a few fancy guppies when it got bad through. As for treatment of the pond, that’s beyond me, I’d drain it and let it sit dry. Others may have a better way, which would possibly save your beneficial bacteria.

Thank you, I will give it a go

 

[JamieB]

The cloudy eyes may indicate another problem, one I’m not familiar with. Expect to loose some. If you can’t save any, you’ll have to let the pond/ tank set empty at least a month with no fish, no snails, no home for the parasites to use as hosts. Then read up on quarantine procedures. Even if they look healthy, come from a well run pond, or a store you trust, quarantine any fish added to your pond.