treating ick

Question
i have a 58gal. freshwater tropical setup approx. 6mos. old, live plants, snails, guppies, platties, mollies, plecos,cory cats, glass fish and lots of babies. my water is very clean , ehiem 2213, chemi-pure, phosguard, mech media, routine carbon filter once per month.
my question is how do i safely treat ich with out killing any thing else...plants ,snails, oh yea i have wood shrimp also? the glass fish seem to have started to develope it with maybe some type of fungus or mold looking stuff on the top inf ones back near the dorsalfin
HELP!!!


Answer
Hi Robert;

It sounds like your glassfish have Lymphocystis. It is a viral infection. It looks like whitish or off-white tumors on the fins or body. If the other fish don't seem infected, it wouldn't be ick. I have had fish develop it from time to time, usually glassfish or monos. It comes and goes, but usually doesn't kill the fish. Feeding good quality foods and making weekly 25% water changes keeps the immune system of the fish in good shape, and helps them fight off future outbreaks. There isn't a "cure", but it can be held off this way. It is not transmissible to humans or other animals, only fish.

If the glassfish you have are "colored", they have been injected with dye. (Their normal coloration is simply clear). It is a cruel practice that most people don't even know about. This stresses the fish and can cause an outbreak of the symptoms of the virus.
Here is a link to a photo of some;
http://www.users.bigpond.com/arjuna.ratnachandra/edas/EDAS-Editorial-Angel003.jp...
(They are calling these "painted angels", but are usually called "painted glassfish")
A photo of "normal" glassfish;
http://spazioinwind.libero.it/ilmiositoweb/altrespecie/page6.html
An article about the practice;
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/show_article.php?article_id=72

Here are some web links to photos and articles on treatment measures for lympho. Many of them are about saltwater fish, but the disease is the same;

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/lymphfaqs.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/viraldislymph.htm
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/information/Diseases.htm#Lymphocystis

"Quick Cure" by Aquarium Products claims to cure it. This product is the best there is for ick, but does not cure lympho. I have tried it myself. The only effective treatment is through diet and keeping their tank very clean.

You can join us on the freshwater fish forum at About.com to get even more information too;
http://forums.about.com/ab-freshaquaria/start

There is a wealth of information there. My member name is ChrisR62. See You There!

Followups welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins