Should I flush my Danio?

Jenavee

Hi -

Just got back from the pet store. I was going to treat my 55 gallon tank with Maracide because one of my newly bought Danios has ich.

The girl at the store, who seemed very intelligent when it came to fish, told me I might be better off flushing my Danio that has ich, then treating the entire tank and setting off all of the levels.

Do you agree?

Thanks - Jeannine

jeaninel

NO!! Don't flush your danio. Ick can be cured. Ick is contagious so chances are your other fish are infected anyways. You'll need to treat the whole tank to get rid of the parasite. I've used Quick Cure for ick with no harm to the beneficial bacteria. Or you can also use a salt and heat treatment if you have fish who aren't sensitive to salt (such as cories). I've never used Maracide so if you do decide to use it test your water often to make sure it didn't harm your bacteria.

Here's some good info to read up on:
http://www.fishforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=1648

aunt kymmie

I'm in complete agreement with Jeaninel. If one fish has ick the entire tank has been exposed to it. I've also had to treat my tank for ick and everyone survived, no problem. Personally, I think it's cruel to "flush" a fish for something that is totally treatable.

Kim

Dito, if your tank is already infected what would flushing the poor danio do anyway? Plus, flushing a fish is a terribly cruel and inhumane way to die!

willow

hi
please don't flush that fish,not only for the reasons given
already,but also the impact it can have on the environment,
that fish would end up in the water table and although one little
fish that it is,it can cause damage.
animals that die should either be cremated or burried.

aunt kymmie

Forgot to mention...when I treated my tank for ick I should have my removed my "ornaments". The medication dyed them blue-green and no amount of scrubbing could bring them back to their original beige coloring. Just a heads up!

Jenavee

Thank you all so much. I am so relieved because I did not want to do this. I told the girl I did not want to flush him and she told me to bring him to her and she will flush him!

Thank you again everyone. I will begin treatment ASAP.

Jeannine

aunt kymmie

We're glad you decided to go that route. Be sure to get back to us with any questions and your progress. Best of Luck!

willow

good luck,i hope things turn out ok.

iamntbatman

In addition to the medication, you should also slowly raise the temperature of your water to 85 degrees. You can do this over the course of several days. As long as you have adequate water movement to keep the water oxygenated, the fish won't mind the higher temperature. I'm not sure if the medication you're using contains any salt, but if it doesn't, you could also add aquarium salt to the tank.

Also, never flush a fish, live or dead! I don't understand why people think that flushing a live fish is a humane way to euthanize it. Willow mentioned the reason why you shouldn't flush a dead one, either. If any of my fish die, I usually bury it in the yard where it can act as fertilizer.

Here's a thread about ways to humanely euthanize your fish:
http://www.fishforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=943

However, I do not believe you need to euthanize your danio, as ich is definitely treatable and has already been introduced to your aquarium.