View Full Version : Eel tank Ick infection


cheferson
08-19-2007, 09:02 AM
Anyone ever have there tank get an ick infection?? My eels are all showing the classic white dots. SHould i just use the ick meds from the fish store or are eels sensitive to these meds???

5/0
08-19-2007, 11:21 AM
I've never had that happen to my eels,it has happened to my fish tank critters before.Some of the meds they offer for Ick control is for most fish,& it can kill invertebrate species such as eels,puffer fish,shark and more I just don't know them all.If you go to the pet shope just ask them.
I wouldn't try to cure them 1st it'll take to much time for the meds to fix them 2nd I would think the eels might have a different smell/taste to them & that would just suck JMO;)

5/0

cheferson
08-19-2007, 12:03 PM
How about slowly raising the salinity??

baldwin
08-19-2007, 06:39 PM
Slowly raising the salinity to about 10ppt will help. Raising the temp also helps, but I don't know if I'd do that with eels.

cheferson
08-19-2007, 07:30 PM
Just gonna fire up my other barrel and use up this batch of eels. I released all the smaller eels to the saltwater this afternoon. And hopefully feed the rest to some cows the next few nights.Gonna toss some bleach in the barrel and let it run for a day to disenfect. Then iam going to start adding some aquarium salt to the barrel from now on too.

5/0
08-19-2007, 07:41 PM
Chef after you bleech yur tank make sure you douche it good or you might regret it down the road also when you're ready to put eels back into it put some pond water a 30/70 mix,the pond water will have good bacteria in it which will be beneficial when starting a new cycle.


5/0

cheferson
08-19-2007, 07:52 PM
Wouldnt the pond water possibly introduce some new nasty critters??

ThrowingTimber
08-20-2007, 06:31 AM
chef cycle your new tank with a few goldfish for a few days they'll help establish healthy bacteria.

Back Beach
08-20-2007, 07:59 AM
Sure you didn't spill some marsala in there?

Seriously, I use tap water in my eels and have never had much loss. Last week I had the foundation sprayed for ants and the exterminator unplugged my aerator to access the foundation. Needless to say, he didn’t plug it back in. When I went home for a PM dump and noticed this potentially devastating situation unraveling:shocked: I acted quickly, saving nearly 36 lives. Lost one good one though and fed him to the squirrels. They love eels for some reason.:topic: Sorry.Carry on.

Bronko
08-20-2007, 09:19 AM
Sure you didn't spill some marsala in there?

Seriously, I use tap water in my eels and have never had much loss. Last week I had the foundation sprayed for ants and the exterminator unplugged my aerator to access the foundation. Needless to say, he didn’t plug it back in. When I went home for a PM dump and noticed this potentially devastating situation unraveling:shocked: I acted quickly, saving nearly 36 lives. Lost one good one though and fed him to the squirrels. They love eels for some reason.:topic: Sorry.Carry on.


Seriously?

Back Beach
08-20-2007, 09:44 AM
Seriously?

Don't want to hijack Tyler's thread any further, but squirrels will take eels with abandon. I hang my rigged eels on the bird feeder outside my back porch to dry them out before disassebling them and the squirrels have snatched a few from me, hooks and all.:devil:

RIROCKHOUND
08-20-2007, 09:52 AM
When I went home for a PM dump and noticed this potentially devastating situation unraveling:shocked:

Mike thanks for the heads up on your Bowel Movement situation... I know it kept me up at night wondering

chef..
you know how to find me if you want help using up some eels :pop: :pop:

Back Beach
08-20-2007, 11:00 AM
Mike thanks for the heads up on your Bowel Movement situation... I know it kept me up at night wondering


I meant the trash you sicko.:usd:

Tyler,

How many eels are you trying to keep here and how big of a container are they in?

cheferson
08-20-2007, 11:22 AM
Its a 50 gallon barrel, mostly have around 30-50

RIROCKHOUND
08-20-2007, 11:26 AM
Sure sure sure...
And now asking about Chef's eel..
not sure I could fish with you alone Mike :smash:

Chef,
get a bunch of ice and a colander and put them in your cooler with the drain open. Should hold them fine for a day or two if you need to change the water. alot less work than firing up a new tank...

Back Beach
08-20-2007, 11:46 AM
I keep about 30 at a time in a marine 60 qt cooler. I drilled a hole through the lid for the air line and change the water daily. Keep it in the shade and use tap water. I can keep them for a few weeks at a time with little attrition. I think the cooler keeps the water temp more stable too. I can't explain the spots though.

bart
08-20-2007, 12:17 PM
white blisters on your eel? you're f'd dude. penicillin won't even help that...

cheferson
08-20-2007, 02:19 PM
:tooth:

Circlehook
08-20-2007, 06:43 PM
Be careful what you use for ich treatments. Some of the ones meant for freshwater will have copper in them and are lethal for most saltwater fish and invertebrates. Your best bet is to remove any infected ones, it is a parasite, not an infection.

Saltwater ich is actually a different strain than the freshwater one, and you don't want to raise the salinity. If anything, drop the salinity. Jacking the salinity will harm the eel more than any parasite.