ICH and other unknowns...

Question
Hi Chris (this is long, hope you have time...)

We have recently bought a 30 gal tank and after cycling and stabilizing the water quality, we added the following fish: 2 parrot, 3 tiger tetras, 2 mollies, 1 guppie, 3 neons, 2 blue gourami, 2 small catfish, 2 iridescent sharks, and 1 bottom suckerfish.  Unfortunately, the neons all appeared to have what I diagnosed as ICH, which when I went back to the pet store to ask their advice, found that all the neons in their tank had ICH (or some fungus, the pet store people could not agree amongst themselves as to what it was)! Since then, 2 neons have mysteriously disappeared (we assume gobbled by the 1 of the parrots).

I decided it was ICH (salt-like specs on fins and body). We started treating with Quick Cure (1/2 dosage due to sensitivity of tetras), increasing the temp to 80 - 82 degrees, took out the carbon pack from the filter and changing 25% of the water on daily basis.

Today, I found 1 mollie dead on the bottom of the tank, and 1 of the gourami has 2 protruding sores/welts on its side, We quarantined the gourami for now. I measured the water quality and it is completely OUT OF CONTROL!
pH - 6.0
GH - 60 ppm
CO3 hardness - 80 ppm
NO2 - 10 ppm
NO3 - 160!!!

We have since changed 25% of the water again.  We would like your advice on how to simultaneously improve the water quality before we have more fatalities and treat the ICH.  HELP!  

Answer
Hi Phoebe;

Keep using the quick cure and keep doing the changes and it will eventually finish breaking-in and hopefully the parasite will be killed. The ich parasite hit them because of the stress of so many fish added at once, causing toxins to rise to lethal levels. Also feed the fish very little right now. They will not be feeling as hungry as they normally would anyway. The food will only add to the toxin problem.

Add an airstone hooked to an airpump for more oxygen too. Nitrite poisoning keeps the fish from absorbing oxygen and the high temperature reduces the oxygen saturation in the water. So, it's a double-whammy for them at this point. Actually, a triple-whammy because ich parasites can clog the gills too.

Something that helps the fish get through nitrite poisoning is aquarium salt. The salt also helps fight the ich parasites. Use it according to the directions on the package from the fish store.

There is another serious issue you have looming in the future too. A 30 gallon tank is barely large enough for the two parrots and maybe a bottom feeder. The rest of the fish will be crowded out. Parrots get huge (up to 10 inches) and will eat the neons and guppies anyway. Here is a page with info about them;

http://www.geocities.com/parrotcichlid/general.html

The tiger barbs will nip away the fins of the guppies and neons too. Pretty fish, but they can be nasty little devils. They are okay with parrots, gouramis, mollies and otehr fish but the tank is just too crowded for all those guys to live peaceably. As they all grow and mature they will become very frustrated with each other with tragic results.

Let me know if you need more help or if I missed anything...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins