Fungus and ICH Can I treat both?

Question

Can i treat my fish for Fungus and Ich at the same time?


My 55 gallon tank is almost cleared of ICH but not quite. I have only spotted two small white dots on two separate fish (each has one). The problem is that one of the fish that has the white dot has a cottony growth on it also and may be showing signs of hemorrhagic septicemia. I already lost a fish due to tail rot and would like to treat this fish before it dies

I am treating with
ICH:  quick Cure (main ingredients Formalin, Malachite Green)

Would like to add fungus clears ( main ingredietns are nitrofurazone, furazolidone, Potassium, dichromate).

The ich is almost gone and may be gone (been treating for over a week now).  My eyes keep thinking they see one small dot on two separate fish.  The fungus has been there for days though...... do not plan on buying any different meds as I have a ton of different ICH treatments and really need to just stick to the course and stop changing brands.

 My tank is currently 86 degrees 

ICH was from  a bad fish my tank levels have been zero across the board and my tank was cycled completely

Thank you

Ghost Shrimp Fan · Accepted Answer

Treat and get rid of the ich first and then treat for the fungus.  It's best not to mix meds if you can possibly help it.  Sometimes over treating or mixing meds just ends up killing your fish.  A lot of the medications used for fish (especially ich meds) are pretty hard on a fish's system.  If you can, isolate the fish with the fungus. 

You need to keep treating for ich even after the fish show no signs of the disease.  Ich is a parasite with 3 stages of life - 1 is the parasite that lives on the fish, one is free swimming in the water and 1 is a cyst that lives in the gravel.  You have to make sure you get all of the ich, including that in the water and in the gravel.  Treat the whole tank well after all fish have stopped showing any signs of white spots.  Turning up the heat will speed up the life cycle of the ich and make it more vulnerable to meds.  Make sure you do your water changes and vacuum the gravel really well while treating for ich, as you need to get those cysts out of the gravel!

nosoop4u246 · Answer

The combination of malachite green and formalin found in Quick Cure is great because it is so versatile-- it will effectively treat most external parasites as well as fungus.  There is no need to add Fungus Clear (not on my list of top medications anyway) as long as you're treating with Quick Cure.  However, there is a bacterial infection, columnaris, that is fairly similar in appearance to fungus, but would require a separate treatment in most cases.  Fungus Clear's nitrofurazone and furizolidone are extremely effective against said bacteria, but something like Maracyn 2, Furan 2, Triple Sulfa, Trisulfa, or Kordon's Acriflavine would work just as well.  General Cure is far from a cure-all, or even really anything other than internal parasites...  If you have the misfortune of having to deal with such parasites, I'd opt for medicated food rather than water-applied powder.

Fungus: http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/images/graphics/saprolegniafungus.jpg
vs.
Columnaris: http://www.flippersandfins.net/Images/Flex2.jpg

Anonymous · Answer

Hello! I see that your having some trouble with fish desease, and currently so am I :'( I really have no idea about the parasite, but for the fungus (like I'm dealing with) try this adding two tablespoons of aquarium salt, and turning the water tempature up to 85 degrees. I really hope that helps! ~Ella ps: The only thing that might be different is that my tank is a 10 gallon, and so the salt quota might be a bit different, I would suggest calling a local pet store and asking about it, and then at the same time you can ask about the parasites!

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Fungus and ICH Can I treat both?

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