Help! (pics)

[tmb]

Hi, I'm a newbie to this hobby and have no doubt committed many newbie errors. The first and biggest mistake I did was to go out and buy everything (tank and 10 fish!!) in one go, expecting everything to be fine. Naturally disaster struck, and to keep a long story short, I'm now down to 4 fish and nearing the end of my fishy cycle. But now I think there is an ick outbreak waiting to burst.

1. Water Parameters:
a.) 72-76 Fahrenheit
b.) pH = 6.6
c.) GH = 2 degrees
d.) Ammonia = 0ppm
Nitrite = 0.25ppm
Nitrate = 5
f.) I change my water at least every other day and try for daily changes. Everytime i clean i use a gravel-vac and aim for about 50%-60% change.

2. Tank Size
a.) 10 gal
b.) white gravel (another newbie move which i hope to change once things settle down)
c.) Aquaclear 30 (2 sponge media)
d.) 1 driftwood, 1 rock, 3 plastic plants (all LFS bought)
e.) 3 skunk cories and 1 glass catfish
f.) It's been just a little over a month running

3. Symptoms

While observing one of my cories today i noticed some white spots on it; like little fuzzy specks. I'm guessing that its Ich because of what I've read online. One of my other cories has also begun to start itching himself although it doesn't have the same visible symptoms like the other. I'm afraid that if I don't take any action it'll spread to the other guys.

4. Action Taken:
For right now all I've done is keep up with my daily water changes. I am skeptical about commercial medications because I'm not sure about their effects and I dont want to cause any more harm than needed. I also didnt raise the temp yet because I don't want the Ich to grow faster without me knowing what to do.

various posts/sites have said that raising the temperature and adding one teaspoon of salt per gallon will help. However I have also read that cories don't do well with salt and high temps!

So right now I'm getting antsy because I know I need to do something yet I dunno which method would be more effective/easier on the fish/easier on my wallet.

How do you guys usually battle ich in a cory tank? I'm attaching pics of the infected cory; the specks are on his left side right under the dorasl fin. If its not ich, then please tell me what you think it is!

I love my cories and I don't want to lose them,
tmb

[Coryman]

Firstly I don't think it's ic. Corys are not know for suffering from ich,, they are used naturally to sudden temperature changes, and the parasite is not going to get much in the way of nourishment from the hard bony scutes that protect the fishes body. the only place I have seen ich on a Cory is on the fins. If anything it would be the glass catfish that would supper most.

From what I can see the white specs look a little furry, which would indicate to me that they are specs of fungus, which have come about from a little damage. The best way in my opinion to treat it would be to catch the fish and paint a little methylene blue on the infected areas, if it is fungus the specs will stain blue and disappear in a day or so. If it is ich the cysts should have dropped of by now and many more appeared, Then I would raise the temperature quite high (85º-90º F) for 48 hours, this in its self should kill the ich. There are of course commercial remedies but being in the UK I am not familiar with what you have in thee US

Ian