# white spot



## hellohefalump (16 Mar 2009)

Are there any rules for treating white spot in a planted tank?  Usually I would use the 'Esha' copper based treatment (good stuff!) but this is the first time I've had white spot in a planted tank, so I don't know if that's the right thing to do?

I also have kribensis fry (typical!  They finally spawn and I get white spot) they are free swimming and came out with their parents for the first time today.  They are slightly bigger than molly fry.

I also have a clown loach, and humbug catfish, and coolie loaches so I'd be using a half dose of the Esha treatment.

What shall I do?!?!?!

It's not advanced white spot - I only noticed it today on my clown loach, and looking carefully some of the other fish have the odd spot aswell.  It's not really bad though, I've caught it early.

The tank is 100gals    and running at 27 degrees C (the lights heat it up).

This serves me right for not quarentining my new neons that I got a week ago.  They looked so healthy, but obviously weren't.


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## hellohefalump (16 Mar 2009)

I thought maybe I could do a big water change - would that upset the kribs?


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## UCBONES (16 Mar 2009)

With the fish you've listed I presume there's no snails or shrimp in there - if you do have some that you want to keep though (or want to in the future) use a non-copper based med! (I think I used the interpet antiwhite spot and it worked a treat)

Other than that nothing special required: when my pentazona barbs started showing with white spot soon after I introduced them, I followed the standard procedures with no ill effects for the plants. (Up the temperature a few degrees gradually over the first day or so and add the first dose, then add the second dose according to the instructions - also remove any carbon or chemical filter media you may be using.)

Not sure how the fry will cope though.

Also it might seem obvious but if you do do a water change - do it before the first treatment and not again until after the second dose has had time to work.

Just noticed the tank is 100 gallons! That's going to be pricey to medicate  . At least you've caught it early though so it shouldn't need more than one run with the treatment. I guess that a quarantine tank is next on the to do list? Its on mine but keeps slipping down the list as something shiny distracts me.


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## hellohefalump (16 Mar 2009)

There are no shrimp - they would be eaten!  No snails either, they would also be eaten!  Am I right in thinking that if I used copper based meds in my 100gal, I couldn't then use the plants in my shrimp tank at a later date?  I don't intend to, but it's good to know.

When I up the temparature, how much shall I up it by?  It is already at 27 degrees C.



> That's going to be pricey to medicate .


I know... I am only going to use a half dose though.  I've done that before, with good results with scaleless catfish and loaches.

Does anyone know if the water change is a good idea or will it upset the kribs?


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## Ed Seeley (16 Mar 2009)

Get the temperature up to 30 degrees and dose with salt.  You need to add about 2 teaspoons per 10g but can add up to a tablespoon per 5 gallons gradually if the lower dose doesn't work!  Some plants don't like it at the higher levels but should recover after a few large water changes.

BTW large temperature changes can trigger ich outbreaks so be a bit careful with the temperatures of new water when doing changes for a while.


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## hellohefalump (16 Mar 2009)

thanks Ed, is that as well as the Esha treatment?


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## hellohefalump (16 Mar 2009)

Is salt alright to use with scaleless catfish?


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## Ed Seeley (16 Mar 2009)

Instead of the other treatment.  You can use heat on it's own but the salt helps knock the free-swimming parasites back even quicker.  I don't know about scaleless cats but I've used it with Cories and Loricariids.  If you've already used the treatment then carrying on with that might be best, but I wouldn't use it in the future personally.


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## hellohefalump (17 Mar 2009)

Thanks Ed
I put the Esha treatment in last night, so I guess I will carry on with it.  So far no harm seems to have been done.  I haven't spotted the krib fry yet today, but the lights aren't on yet, and they do seem to come and go out of where ever their cave is.


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## Steve Smith (17 Mar 2009)

Just an after note... Adding carbon to your filter after running a course of esha should help get rid of it from the water (as well as water changes of course...) 

Fingers crossed


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## hellohefalump (17 Mar 2009)

> Just an after note... Adding carbon to your filter after running a course of esha should help get rid of it from the water (as well as water changes of course...)


good point!


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## hellohefalump (18 Mar 2009)

good news - although it's too early to say if the treatment is working, nothing has died, including the fry, who appear to be thriving still.


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## Superman (18 Mar 2009)

hellohefalump said:
			
		

> good news - although it's too early to say if the treatment is working, nothing has died, including the fry, who appear to be thriving still.


Phew, still fingers crossed for you.


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## hellohefalump (18 Mar 2009)

My clown loach only has two spots now - compared to around 6 yesterday.  So I think it's working!  *fingers still crossed*

All the fry are still fine, the parents are getting bolder - they're taking them on some rather risky excursions!  Including beside the koralia, where the fry were swept in and spat out the other end   .  They seem alright though.


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## Steve Smith (18 Mar 2009)

Good to hear


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## Ed Seeley (18 Mar 2009)

Make sure you finish the course of medication fully.  White spot is a pain and you think it's gone only for it to come back from cysts in the substrate.


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## hellohefalump (19 Mar 2009)

Bad news - there are only seven fry left.  I put a second dose of the meds in today - I don't know if it killed them, or if they got eaten by something


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## hellohefalump (20 Mar 2009)

White spot is much worse today... I put a second treatment in yesterday and I thought I was past the worst.  But I was wrong, and it's back worse than before with more fish affected. 

All the fry have gone    not a good day.


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## Steve Smith (20 Mar 2009)

That's aweful   Sorry it's not going well.  Hopefully the parents will make it and have another go in the future.


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## hellohefalump (20 Mar 2009)

I found the fry!  They're not dead after all, just hiding.


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## Steve Smith (20 Mar 2009)

Fantastic


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## Ed Seeley (20 Mar 2009)

The appearance of more white spots getting worse is quite normal.  The white spots are cysts in the skin that develop under the skin and then appear when mature - treatments won't affect these.  The treatments will kill the free-swimming parasites and not the cyst stages so you need to keep up the treatment so you kill every one once they return to the free-swimming stage.

Have you increased the temperature which ups the speed of the life cycle and ensures that the free-swimming stages arrive sooner?  This will help with the treatment.


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## hellohefalump (21 Mar 2009)

thanks for explaining that Ed, that makes things make sense and seem less scary!

Yes, the temperature has been increased - I'm now maintaining 30 degrees C.


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## hellohefalump (22 Mar 2009)

things are much better today  most of the spots have gone now on all the fish, and the seven fry are still ok.


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## Ed Seeley (22 Mar 2009)

hellohefalump said:
			
		

> things are much better today  most of the spots have gone now on all the fish, and the seven fry are still ok.



Good news.  Hopefully all will be well from now on.  Just do keep up the course of treatments even after the spots have gone!


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## hellohefalump (23 Mar 2009)

even better today!


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## Steve Smith (23 Mar 2009)

Awesome!  It's sounding promising then.


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## hellohefalump (24 Mar 2009)

Does anyone know when I can do a water change?  It's been a week now, and I'm getting the usual pre water change algae on the front glass.  It's worse than usual, but that might be due to me feeding the fish a bit more this week (I was making sure the fry got enough food, and the other fish weren't hungry and ate them).  

Today I spotted two spots on one fish.  The rest of the fish seem clear - so a vast improvement.  I'm dosing meds every 2 days, like it says to.  And it says to keep on dosing for 48 hours after the spots disappear.  So if I do a dose tommorow and then in two days time, I reckon that'll be ok.


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## Ed Seeley (25 Mar 2009)

Do your water change just before dosing again.  I'd carry on for a couple more days rather than just two, just to be on the safe side.  Slowly drop the temperature after a further two days, but I'd go down a degree or two a day just to be extra-careful.


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## hellohefalump (26 Mar 2009)

Thanks Ed, 

There is still ONE spot on one of the tetras (there were two yesterday).  No other spots to be seen anywhere, and those fish who had clamped fins, have now unclamped them.

So I'm getting rid of this one stubborn spot!

I will do my water change tommorow morning, then dose.  Clean water might do them a world of good aswell...  Thanks for the advice.


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## hellohefalump (28 Mar 2009)

ALL SPOTS GONE!!!  and I did that water change, which has helped with the algae.


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## a1Matt (30 Mar 2009)

result!  :thumbs up smiley here:


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## hellohefalump (30 Mar 2009)

Interestingly, the Esha treatment has cured the hair algae problem that I've been fighting since before before Christmas!


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## Steve Smith (11 May 2009)

Grr.  I too have a few fish with whitespot now   I've increased the temp, and am going to add some salt tonight.  Thankfully it's not on my big tank!  Flippin' guppies!


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## hellohefalump (12 May 2009)

Sorry to hear that Steve 

I have been away in a stress for a while, so it was wierd to see my topic was still near the top!

I haven't had any white spot reoccurance.  I would throughly recommend the Esha stuff.  Things are going quite well here.  Although none of my Krib fry survived, the parents look ready to have more babies any time now.  My cherry shrimp also had loads of babies.


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