# Safe to treat my tank with salt for ich?



## SomeDudeAtHome (Feb 19, 2011)

So I have a 40g breeder that is just starting to show signs of ich. Only a few fish are effected at this point I believe I managed to catch it early on. The fish are emperor tetras, black widow tetras, cories, angel fish, bolivian rams, checker board cichlids and a sword tail. Can these fish handle a small dose of salt and raised temperature to kill the ich? If they can how much do I add and for how long? Water changes every day? This is my first experience with ich so it's all new to me and any information is a huge help. Thanks.


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## liz26914 (Oct 26, 2011)

Salt can be used to prevent ich but it will not cure ich. get some medication for ich


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## Tazman (Jan 15, 2012)

It is very easy to treat Ich with salt. You’ll need a concentration of 0.3% salt (3 teaspoons per gallon) to eradicate the Ich. To reach 0.3% salt you would add 1 teaspoon of salt per gallon of water to your tank 3 times, each 12 hours apart. Predissolve the salt in tank water and then add slowly to a high water flow area.

Vacuum the substrate daily to remove any cysts that fall off...raise the temperaure slowly to 80F this will speed the life cycle of the ich parasite up...the cycle usually lasts 3-5 days and will keep multiplying if left untreated.

You can get ich medications, rock salt which you can buy at a food store is milder on the fish and in most cases very effective...DO NOT USE TABLE SALT...it can harm your fish.

You want to treat for a full 7 days and then monitor for another 7 after that, it can return so be prepared to act if it shows signs of coming back.


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## SomeDudeAtHome (Feb 19, 2011)

Thanks Tazman I will follow your instructions exactly. Once the ich is gone should I do a huge water change to get rid of all the salt or just little consistent changes? I bought API aquarium salt and my LFS so I assume that's safe correct?


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## SomeDudeAtHome (Feb 19, 2011)

A couple other questions. When I vacuum the substrate since I will be removing water and adding fresh water should I replace the same amount of salt? I have a 5g bucket I use so that would be the amount the would be getting removed. Also I just added the first amount of salt and the water looks a little hazy I guess is the best way to describe it. It's not cloudy but it's kind of like looking through someones eye glasses when you don't need them if that makes sense. Is this normal?


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## Tazman (Jan 15, 2012)

Correct on the salt...

Keep up with the water changes but make sure to try and keep the salt content at 0.3%, it is vitally important to vacuum the substrate daily and keep the temp high, you can get rid of the ich within a week doing this.

After you notice the last cyst drop off, keep the treatment going for 7 days after that. If you notice no re-occurance after that period then lower the temp back to your "normal" running temperature and continue with your regular water changes. A little salt in the water will prevent any ich from coming back and will be gradually removed over time with your water changes.

Try as well to reduce feeding a bit, you need to keep the water quality high during treatment, the fish with the raised temperature will be slightly more hungry. Resist the temptation to overfeed. They will be totally fine not eating as much.

Best of luck and hope everything works out well.

If after say 7 days the salt is not showing any signs of treating it or it is getting worse then get a bottle of ich medication and follow the instructions on the bottle EXACTLY.


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## Tazman (Jan 15, 2012)

I just saw your other post...yes it is totally normal for the water to be cloudy adding the salt...try and dissolve it before adding it or add it somewhere near a filter output or area of high flow. That way it will help it dissolve quicker.


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## SomeDudeAtHome (Feb 19, 2011)

Thanks again Tazman you've been a HUGE help. I will keep up with the water changes and feed every other day until everything is back to normal. I did dissolve the salt completely in a cup of tank water like you said to before adding but but looking in the tank still saw some of the waves. Guess I'll wait a little longer next. 

Two more questions, you said to keep the treatment going 7 days after I notice the last cyst drop off. Does this mean keep the salt content at .3% an entire 7 days afterwards? Also will adding salt for this long have any adverse effect on my fish?


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## yyankeeyankeefan (Feb 1, 2012)

what causes ich?


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## Tazman (Jan 15, 2012)

SomeDudeAtHome said:


> Thanks again Tazman you've been a HUGE help. I will keep up with the water changes and feed every other day until everything is back to normal. I did dissolve the salt completely in a cup of tank water like you said to before adding but but looking in the tank still saw some of the waves. Guess I'll wait a little longer next.
> 
> Two more questions, you said to keep the treatment going 7 days after I notice the last cyst drop off. Does this mean keep the salt content at .3% an entire 7 days afterwards? Also will adding salt for this long have any adverse effect on my fish?


Welcome for the help.

With the small amount of salt you are adding it will not affect the fish, if you notice anything unusual other than ich..ie behaviour then discontinue the treatment AFTER you notice the last cysts drop off. If you can keep it at .3% the whole week after, then it will be beneficial as it will likely totally eradicate the ich parasite. The water will be rid of salt in about a week or two if you keep up with water changes after the treatment is done.

Monitor the fish as well for any other signs of secondary infection...when the ich parasite drops off the fish, it actually leaves a small hole in the fish, with a fish stressed due to ich anyway they can be prone to secondary bacterial / fungal infection. That is partially why you continue the treatment as salt will help heal the wounds.


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## Tazman (Jan 15, 2012)

yyankeeyankeefan said:


> what causes ich?


It is caused by a Protozoan Parasite, It goes through 3 stages and will continue it's endless life cycle if left untreated. 

It can be brought in on new fish added to your tank, this is why it is HIGHLY recommended to quarantine a new fish for 3-4 weeks before adding it to your tank.

This way, if you notice ich, you can treat it before it gets into your main tank, same goes for other diseases as well.

Never treat a fish for something you are not sure what it is, chances are you will do more harm than good. Never also treat on a whim of "well I might have it"...NO, DEAD fish quick if you do that.

Think of it as going to a doctor and they having no clue as to what you have, they give you medication and it kills you....harsh but same goes for fish!, thing is they cannot reply to you.


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## MinaMinaMina (Aug 28, 2011)

*STOP!*

Tazman, I think in many situations you're right with the advice you've given. HOWEVER, in this siutation I'm concerning about the Corydoras... they don't do well with salt OR high temps, much less both together. The high temp/salt bath might just kill them, whether they have Ich or not. 

So... what to do? Since I'm generally against chemical treatments unless absolutely necessary, here is what I would recommend- remove the Corydoras to a bare bottom hospital tank*. Treat the main tank as Tazman suggested with salt (but use only 1 TEASPOON PER GALLON BUILT UP OVER THE FIRST 8 HOURS) and high temps (86 derees F) and aggressive gravel vac, but also *add extra aeration*. The higher the temp of the water, the less its able to hold oxygen. We don't want to stress the fish out any more than we already are, so use an airstone or lower the water level so that the filter creates more splashing. 
Then treat the hospital tank with a formalin/malachite green drug like Kordon's "Rid-Ich" or Aquatronics' "Formalite II" or Mardel's "Maracide" (see link below) exactly as directed. Be sure that formalin and malachite green are the only ingredients. Put the tank hospital in darkness by covering it with a blanket. (Light lessens the efficacy of these drugs.) Be sure to siphon off the bottom of the tank daily.
Continue BOTH treatments for 3 days after the last cyst drops off.

(*If you don't have a hospital tank, let us know and we can help you rig one up cheaply and quickly.)



Know your enemy: Ich | The Skeptical Aquarist


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## MinaMinaMina (Aug 28, 2011)

Also, forgot to add-

It is imperative to determine the reason for the outbreak of Ich. The fish are stressed for one reason or another, and illnesses will continue to happen until you figure out the root cause of the stress and correct it. Causes could include but are not limited to- poor water quality (i.e. ammonia or nitrite in the water, nitrates over 40ppm), aggression, infrequent water changes, water changes that don't remove enough waste, overstocking, decaying plant matter, overfeeding, insufficient hiding spaces, gregarious species kept in insufficient numbers, etc).

liz26914- Salt is not a good preventative for anything, and should not be added to freshwater fish.


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## SomeDudeAtHome (Feb 19, 2011)

MinaMinaMina, thank you for all the information. First about the cories, I hate to say it but they're going to have to just fight through it this time. I don't have a hospital tank and don't have the option of setting one up either unfortunately. So far their behavior seems normal but I know that means they're probably still not happy. Hopefully they'll make it through the next week or so. They are unaffected by the ich so far. Right now it's the emperor tetras and checkerboard cichlids that have it I don't see spots on any other fish. 

Now about the root of the problem. I believe it's a couple different things. My parameters are all ok (zero across the board) and I do weekly 30% water changes. I just bought some hornwort that's been droppin needles like crazy which I believe is fouling the water since I can't keep up with them. Will probably just toss the plant. 

Also it's a fairly new tank and I probably added all the fish too quickly in the excitment even though I know better. It's possible that one of them was carrying although showed no signs when I bought it but I'll never know because I added them so close together. The tank is med. to heavily planted though and with the water changes I think that's what has kept the ammonia and everything down. 

One more possibility is the aggression between the different cichlids although I haven't seen any aggression between any species so I don't think that's it.


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## MinaMinaMina (Aug 28, 2011)

The Ich can come in through water, so if there were fish/Ich in the hornwort tank at the store, it could have been in the hornwort water. Just one possibility

If you have an extra air pump, heater and airline tubing, that's all that is really needed to set up a hospital tank. You can make a make-shift sponge filter out of a plastic water bottle and various stuffing with the air pump and airline tubing, and you can use a plastic storage bin (like a "Rubbermaid" or something) or a plastic trash bin (if clean) for a tank. Quick and cheap.


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## SomeDudeAtHome (Feb 19, 2011)

Ya, that's how I'm thinking the ich got into my tank since I don't have the option of setting up a quarantine tank. I actually have all the necessary supplies for setting up a small tank (10g) for the cories but the space is the problem. I really have no where to put a tank at the moment. Hopefully they make it. 

Another question I have is when doing a water change do I put in 1 teaspoon per gallon of salt for water changed or 3 teaspoons per gallon changed? So for example I change 5 gallons do I add 5 teaspoons of salt or 15?


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## MinaMinaMina (Aug 28, 2011)

From what I studied, the minimum dose is 1 teaspoon per gallon of water. The dose can be increased up to 3 teaspoons per gallon for fish who are better able to tolerate salt. This dose is slowly titrated over the first 8 hours, and maintained from that point until the end of the treatment.

Just like in cooking, make sure your teaspoons are level teaspoons, not heaping.

What salinity are you at now?


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## SomeDudeAtHome (Feb 19, 2011)

Before the first water change I had it up to 3 teaspoons per gallon. I did add 1tpg over 36 hours until it got up to 3tpg. I did the water change of roughly 15 gallons and added 15 more teaspoons to the water. Should I have added 45 teaspoons to keep it at 3tpg? And yes I've been very careful with making sure the scoops are level.


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