goldfish and ick

Question
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yes, the tank had been running since november...with cichlids..
i then removed them and turned off the heater for a week..
then i added 2 goldfish..and didnt add the others til a week later..
i just lost one today :(
help before its too late
thanks

Followup To
Question -
i have been very successful at keeping tropical aquariums and cichlid aquariums...
i just recently decided to convert one of the tanks--a 20 gallon tank into a goldfish tank...
its been set up this way for bout a month
i have a millenium 2000 filter..ph at 7.2...ammonia at 0...just lowered the nitrate to 40 ppm...because it had raised to 140ppm and
the fish had a sudden outbreak in ick...i vaccuum gravel and water change every sunday..
i went to a local pet store to ask what i can do since these are cold water fish..that are very dirty and ick comes about with colder water..and such
any suggestions on how to keep a successful goldfish tank..
i have 3 small gold redcaps and 1 medium sized oranda
thanks
Answer -
Hi Adam;

Was the tank set up and fully cycled for a period of time before you added the goldfish, or was this a tank that you had to set up for them?

Get back to me as soon as you can.....

Chris Robbins

Answer
Hi Adam;

I'm so sorry you lost one. Let's see if we can save the rest and get them on the road to recovery......

Make some partial water changes to lower the number of ick parasites in the water. Remove 25% every day and replace with fresh water. Use a good water conditioner and add aquarium salt at a dosage of 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water for the whole tank. Add salt again when you make water changes, but only for the water replaced. This keeps the salt concentration constant. The salt helps kill the parasites as well as strengthening the fish.

The ick parasite looks like tiny salt specks on the fish. If the fish don't have these spots, it could be that the bacterial balance is trying to adjust for the addition of such messy fish. Toxins have risen because the beneficial bacteria hasn't developed enough yet to consume them, and the fish are being poisoned by them. The water changes and salt are the recommended treatment for that too.

Followups welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

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http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/questionsanswers/a/naavigateforum.htm

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