Ich...

Question
My tank is maybe 5 months old. I've had Ich wipe my fish out once, and now about 2 weeks ago Ich knocked out most of my tank. The fish that survived and seem to be doing OK are a black mollie, 2 orange fish (i forget what they are but they look like red swordtails without the swordtail), and 4 neon tetras. I had about 16 fish in the tank (a 26 gallon tank). I had 2 clown loaches, a bala shark, an incendescent (?) shark, 5 neons, 2 black mollies, the 2 orange fish, 2 tiger barbs, 2 green barbs. i dont know if i've got the wrong mix of fish or what (this group of 16+ seemed OK for about 3 weeks or so before the Ich started showing up). i used coppersafe and removed the filter cart (i use an Eclipse). anyway i know this is all over the place, but any tips on avoiding Ich again? i raised the temp up to 80 degrees. is it my mix of fish? maybe the water? some advice before i drop some more $$ to add fish would be helpful. also looking at the list of fish i had before, can you give me some advice of what fish i should get and which i should stay away from? i used to have fish tanks when i was young and had an Ich problem once but that was it. this tank's been killing me (and my wallet) after only 5 months. thanks (sorry this email is rambling I should've tried organizing my problems a little more).

Answer
Hello,

The combination of your fish should not cause ick. Most likely what causes ick is temperature fluctuations. If you have your tank near a cold/hot window or door you may need to move it or get a second heater. I found during the winter my fish were getting sick a lot because the window above the tank was so cold, then I bought a second heater and my fish have been very happy and healthy.

Coppersafe is a great product to use to treat ick. If the ick comes back, I would definitly recommend using it again. Just make sure you use the recommended amount for the entire treatment period, even if all visible parasite are gone.

About the compatible fish- first off, I recommend not buyign any more fish for at least a month to make sure the ick does not come back. When you do buy fish, I recommend sticking mostly to the sorts you already have. Tetras, mollies, barbs, loaches and sharks. Any different 'color' of fish from these families should be compatible with your tank. Another one I usually recommend is catfish. They are usually quite friendly and come in some great varieties.

I hope this helps.

Regards,
Stephanie