Recovering from Ich

[Cesar316]

Hello. My tank got infested with Ich in which 2 out of 5 fishes died. The remaining ones I have are a pleco, a ranchi and an oranda goldfish. The pleco and the ranchu seems to have recovered but my oranda stays on top of the tank sideways. He would swim from time to time but goes back on top for the most part with his side on the surface. Will he ever recover or do I need any kind of treatment for her? Thank you in advance

[Cesar316]

The Ich is gone by the way or so I hope. No visible white spots on any fish. I used salt and raised the temp and also used ick medication from Pet Smart. The last time I saw white spots were 3 days ago

[mcarroll]

That's going to be a tough tank to keep fish healthy in long-term.  It's too bare/raw....basically a hospital tank that the fish shouldn't be in for more than a day or so....a week tops.  You want some wood, rocks and plants in there, even if they are plastic fakes.  (Real is better, when possible.)  It makes a difference to the fish!

 

You might want to post on a freshwater forum for care specific to those fish.  Any survivors are usually immune from further Ich infestation...but could also be carriers.  Micron and UV filtration can be effective against it, if properly installed.

 

But for the restart, you will probably want to drain the tank and all gear, clean it and let it air out for a day (to completely 100% dry out) before you restart.  That should sterilize everything to the extent necessary.

 

When you restart, use a good aquarium book to get you started.  Don't re-do the tank the same way you did it this time – or you will get the similar results.  👍

[Tired]

That isn't a consequence of ich, that's more likely to be a swim bladder issue. What are you feeding? 

 

And yes, that tank is far too bare. Fish need hiding places, and they need enrichment- plants to poke at, a bowl of substrate to dig in. Goldfish are smarter than people think, and will play with toys if you let them.