# Have ich trying to remove meds and do natural cure



## saulat (Jun 19, 2009)

Hi,

I noticed my fish had ich 3 days ago, especially my clown loaches. I used Nox Ich which is half and half sodium chloride and malachite green. I decided I am just going to raise the temperature to approximately 84 or 85 to get rid of the ich along with water changes. My understanding is that will cure the ich. I just put carbon in my penguin 350 double sided filter. How long should I keep the carbon in the filter to remove the medicine?

Also should I always have carbon in the filter, it comes attached to the mechanical media and I am not sure whether I can just use mechanical. Anyone have advice on that? 

My water seems pretty cloudy or rather full of white particulate matter, some of it is bubles and the rest I think is from recently added substrate or perhaps plant matter. Is some of this ich??? 

Thanks.


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## Twistersmom (Dec 9, 2008)

I would leave the carbon in for at least a week. Its fine to start raising the temp while the carbon is in the filter.
I have used the heat/salt method a few times with good results. I use 1tab salt for each 5 gal water. Table salt is fine. The salt can be added over a few days time period to give the fish a chance to adapt. Slowly increase tempt, no more than 1 deg a day, 1/2 deg every 12 hrs would be best. I raise the tempt all the way up to 85-86 deg. At 82 the ick falls off the fish quickly. 86 deg kills the free swimming ick. Leave the temp at 86 for At least a week after all visual signs are gone.
Be sure to turn up the air, higher temps depreciate oxygen levels. Dropping the water line will increase air from the filter.
Water changes are fine and will help remove the free swimming ick, just replace removed salt after the water change. Always dissolve the salt in water before putting it in the tank. The salt is only needed during the ick treatment.
Using carbon on a regular basis is a personal choice. Personally, I do not use it. I buy bonded filter pad and polyester batting for my filter media. Some of my tanks, I have clam shell frames to hold the media in place. Other tanks, I have used the frame from old media and hold my own media in place with rubber bands. All of my fiters have bio-wheels for the biological filtration, but adding a sponge to the filter would work as well.

The water being cloudy, would not be the ick. The free swimming ick is to small to see. Is this a newly set up tank? Be sure to test your water for ammonia and nitrites. If you do not have a test kit, the API liquid test kit is a good one. Fish are more prone to ick if there is any amount of toxic ammonia or nitrites in the tank.


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## saulat (Jun 19, 2009)

Its still new, the ammonia and nitrites are pretty low but there the nitrates are not all the way there yet. I think lowering the temp is what caused the clowns to get ich. So I can use table salt from a salt shaker?? I have the tank up to about 84 now. Are sword tails, Siamese algea eaters, and clown loaches able to handle the temp and the salt? How about my plants I have a straight vallis, java fer, anacharis, water wisteria, flame moss, and hornwort?

My tank has gone through a lot of changes from me going from a 35 gallon hex to a 55 gallone, adding plants, adding some flourite, liquid fertilizer, and API stress zyme hopefully to help colonize the bacteria. I think most of the cloudiness is just bubbles from my air stone/bubble line. My PH is around 7.4, water is KH is about 80ppm and GH is about 300. I thinkn the general hardness and carbonate hardness or GH is I got that wrong changed since I added the flourite. I just added about 15 little snails from the petstore. I am hoping the loaches will appreciate the snails and not get ich again. I started my tank about 18 days ago.


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## Twistersmom (Dec 9, 2008)

The clown loaches will do just fine in the high temps. The siamese algea eater and sword tails, I have not kept, so you may want to read up on what they can handle.All the air bubbles, is just what you want right now.The amount of 1 tab per 5 gal, should not hurt your plants. 
When you are done with the ick treatment, just quite adding the salt and it will get removed during your water changes. With plants, carbon is not recommended, so you can remove when you believe the meds are gone.Regular table salt is fine to use even if it contains iodine, so don't waist you money on fancy salt.
Clown loaches are so ick prone. My clowns are what brought on my heat treatments. Be sure to keep ammonia and nitrites as low as possible through water changes. If you keep the water temp at 86 for a week after all the signs of ick are gone, and qt any new fish, you should remain ick free after the treatment.

I did leave spaces to make my post more readable, but some how they were removed when I posted. First time that happened to me.


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

+1 on Twister's advice. 
My clowns are who taught me ALL about ich.


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## saulat (Jun 19, 2009)

Sounds great, thanks. I'll add the salt today.


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## saulat (Jun 19, 2009)

Will Morton's salt work. The ingredients listed are salt, and calcium silicate.


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## Twistersmom (Dec 9, 2008)

Yep, I have used it, it will work fine.


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## saulat (Jun 19, 2009)

I added the salt and trimmed and rearranged my plants tied the java fern to a rock. My straight vallis was not healthy looking so I took those 2 plants out and trimmed them and their roots, felt something move and saw a worm in the plant. It was like in between a leaf of the vallis and was clear with green down the middle, yuck.


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## saulat (Jun 19, 2009)

Keep hearing and reading different opinions on ich treatment lol. I have the temp up to 86 and it looks like most of the ich has fallen off the clowns which were the primary infected fish. About to gravel vac and probably replace some salt, I added about 15 Tblsp to my 55 gallon yesterday and today. All my plants and fish seem as healthy as ever so apparently my oxygen is fine too. I am nervous as most people seem to be when they have different fish and plants that they are subjecting to some combo of heat, meds, and salt. 

Is the salt a necessity with my temperature raised up around 86 or, does it depend on the strain of Ich and whether it is resistant to the 86 degrees?


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## Twistersmom (Dec 9, 2008)

To be honest, I did once see a very mild case of ick in one of my tanks, only a few spots. I did the heat treatment without salt and it did work.
Fish are said to be much more tolerant of salt than ick, salt can also help the fish with possible infections from the ick. I do believe the salt to be beneficial with removing ick.
I am sure the plants are not loving it, but a couple weeks of it should not kill them and it sounds like the clowns are making a quick improvement.
I would just stick with it.


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## saulat (Jun 19, 2009)

Thanks, yes they are. Can't see any cysts at all so as long as there is not another outbreak I should be good in a few days.


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