ph and alkalinity levels are high, fish have ich as well

Question
Hi Chloe, hope you can help.

I purchased a couple blackfins over a week ago. I had them in a small 10 gal for a few days and then transfered them to a 55 gal tank. "Both tanks are new". I had let the 55 gal run for over 24 hrs and treated the water before putting the sharks in. They've been in there for over two days now. I tested the tank yesterday moring with a test kit, and everything was fine according to the liturature, the readings said the alkalinity was at 80 and the ph was at 6.8. Nitrate/Nitrite and hardness were all in line. Today I noticed it appears my sharks have ich and tested the water again, now the readings read; akalinity (300)and the PH (8.4) They are the only two fish that are in the tank at this time and I cannot figure out why there was a sudden spike in the levels, let a alone how they could have got ich all of a sudden. I have quick cure to treat them with, but I am wondering if there is yet another problem. I know these fish are brackish water fish, or eventually will need to be in that kind of system, but I where I work, I've had these fish in fresh water for weeks and have never seen such an issue. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

I feel the issue as well could be the fact that I had treated some cold water fish (gold fish) yesterday at my work for ick and had cleaned the tanks, although I had throughly washed my hand and arms, my shirt sleeve always gets wet trom the tank, later that evening I bought and added a plants in my 55 gal tank at home, and my sleeve may have gotten in the water and possibly contaiminated my tank at home... dunno. thanks James.

Answer
Hey James,

Sorry Chloe didn't get to this in time, I know she's a pretty popular pick.

First off, if your sleeve dried, odds are any bacteria from the water died off. Fish can carry ick for a long, long time in a dormant state. If a fish is perfectly clean of it, and you introduce it to the water, generally it would take more then a day to infect. Almost every aquarium will have ick, as well as bacteria responsible for tail rot, hole in the head, and other common problems. Stress of being purchased and moved home reduces the fish's stress coat, and ability to fight off infections.

As far as pH stabilizers, Peat moss is known to reduce alkalinity. Live plants will help stabilize pH. If you feel the need for instant results, AmQuel and NovAqua offer strong control over water conditions. If you choose peat moss as a solution, add some over night, and test the water the next morning. Continue to test the water every 12-16 hours until you reach the desired levels. As far as ick and bacterial infections, Salt and temperature. Medicating tanks can lead to stress induced deaths. Raising the temperature 3-5*F (upto 80*F for a tropical community) and adding salt at a rate of 1/2 teaspoon a day until your hydrometer reads 1.015-1.02 will help greatly. Medication will generally become more effective under these conditions too. High vitamin diets help too! Add the top greenage of broccoli twice a week, and a wedge of orange once a week. The boost of vitamins will bring out color, and health in just about any fish.

Hope all this helps you out!