# ICH!!!



## jinithith2 (Oct 23, 2006)

I 'm sure this has come up a zillion times already but I just noticed one of my Von Rio Flame Tetras had small white spots all over it.
I did some research and found that it matched Ich.

so what should I do?
I have it in quarantine right now and i put in a small dose of external parasite killers.

thanks in advance!


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## girlofgod (Aug 22, 2006)

well, alot of people suggest raising the temp to 82 or higher and adding salt...but its questionable how much, some say 1 tsp per gallon, some say 1 tsp per 5 gallons...i dunno. but there are ALOT of ich(ick) medications on the market out there. just make sure whatever you do that you follow through with the medication for about 14 days. ick has several stages, and the only time that the ick will respond to medication is during the "free-swimming" stage...so the only way to make sure you've killed it all is to medicate for 2 weeks. you can buy ick medicine at your lfs. products such as "tank buddies" fizz tabs and such might not be the best since they suggest treating your tank only once, but then again, some say that brand works great. i think it becomes trial and error as far as which products work most efficiently, but again i would go for the one that says to treat for 10-14 days....anyways. someone a little more experienced might have some more info, but this is what i know. good luck!

bri


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## SimplySplendid (Aug 1, 2006)

Hi jininith2,
Slowly raise the temp of the tank to about 80-85Ã‚Â° F. Treat with ich medication or salt, as the parasites cannot tolerate salt. If you use medication be sure to remove the carbon from your filter. 
I hope you caught it in time...
Brie


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## girlofgod (Aug 22, 2006)

http://www.fishforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=1599

mike and dawn both have good advice for ick in this thread as well.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

Hi Jinithith2.:wave:

Sorry to hear about your fish.:blueworry:
Try to increase the temp by 28-30C. Use meds that can kill ich. As the fish is now isolated, you may consider using Methylene Blue although Malachite Green isn't bad.
Remember to remove the carbon when doing the treatment as carbon tends to absorb the medicine.
Do the treatment for 2 weeks so the ich will be completely eliminated.

Ich will always be present even in your main tank. However, if your fish are in healthy conditions, they won't succumb to ich easily. You can use meds in the main tank but make sure to research first on the particular medicine you are using. Some can only harm the beneficial bacteria thus resulting to mini cycles. I would avoid Methylene Blue as it can harm the beneficial bacteria especially when it is used in overdose amount.

I don't think salt will work considering tetras don't tolerate high TDS(total dissolved solids) easily. But they will tolerate the salt more than the disease anyway if they are in severe health conditions.

HTH 
Blue


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## jinithith2 (Oct 23, 2006)

thanks everyone.
My other fish don't seem to have any signs of ich, but I hope there aren't any swimming around in my main tank right now...


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## crazie.eddie (Sep 1, 2006)

You can increase the temp and continue the meds. I prefer not using any meds and just use aquarium salt to treat ich. Most meds kill the benificial bacteria in the tank. Ich cannot handle the changes in salinity level, but fish can.

Keep an eye on the fish on the main tank..I araise the temp in the main tank as well. Ich have several stages of ich...

1. Trophont (mature trophozoite) leaves the fish.
2. Trophont produces tomites, which fall to the subtrate.
3. Trophont bursts and tomites are released, which search for hosts.

The free swimming stage is the only stage they can be killed. So if you see ich on the fish, then there will be lots of tomites on the subtrate.

Make sure you keep up on the maintenance of the tank.


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## SimplySplendid (Aug 1, 2006)

Blue said:


> As the fish is now isolated, you may consider using Methylene Blue although Malachite Green isn't bad.


Methylene Blue is safe but not known to be very effective...

Oh, jininith, if you use the salt treatment, make sure to dissolve the salt in a cup or bowl before putting it in your tank. If the salt comes in direct contact with the fish it can cause burns.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

I would just love seeing a sticky thread full of information about ich.:mrgreen: Seeing as ich is a very common case, a sticky thread won't hurt but then again, some people like it better to ask help than reading informations anyway.:crazy:


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

Brie said:


> Oh, jininith, if you use the salt treatment, make sure to dissolve the salt in a cup or bowl before putting it in your tank. If the salt comes in direct contact with the fish it can cause burns.


That's what Eddie quoted once.:wink2: :tongue:


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## girlofgod (Aug 22, 2006)

> some people like it better to ask help than reading informations anyway.


LOL which is quite contradictory since they will have to READ it anyways...lol

<3 bri


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## SimplySplendid (Aug 1, 2006)

Blue said:


> That's what Eddie quoted once.:wink2: :tongue:


When? I didn't quote that from anywhere...


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## jinithith2 (Oct 23, 2006)

can i use regular salt or must i use aquarium salt?


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

jinithith2 said:


> can i use regular salt or must i use aquarium salt?


Any salt will do. Aquarium salt is unnecessary IMO and a waste of money when you just treat for ich.








I have used table salt and no problems with that. Don't believe in myths saying that salt containing iodine is dangerous. That's a myth. Fish needed iodine themselves to prevent goiter.:wink2:

@Brie: You aren't reading threads in this section then.:crazy:


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## jinithith2 (Oct 23, 2006)

I've treated the tank with about 2.5 spoons of salt and tried raising the temp but my heater isn't regulaing at ALL.

I can't do a water change just yet and it will be 9 hours before i can
is the high salt level going to cause probs?


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## caferacermike (Oct 3, 2006)

Table salt or marine aquarium salt? See that's what I don't like about folks telling people to use salt. Table salt is quite different than sea salts. Sea salts are the type you wanted. Salts can come from many sources and are different in their makeup.


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

Good advice mike, as table salt can be deadly to use in an aquarium.
I wanted to also mention, there is a big difference in iodine... among other minerals in salts. Epsom salts are often used for goldfish, to treat swim bladder problems, but for medicinal purposes, aquarium salt is the right salt to use in most cases... never table salt!


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## jinithith2 (Oct 23, 2006)

uh oh... I followed Blue's advice and put in 1 tablespoon of tablesalt...

the fish seem to be doing fine but the zebra is developing something that looks like an ulcer...

water change!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAGGGGHHHHH


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## Tracy (Aug 4, 2006)

Hmm, contradictory advice? I always use aquarium salt, thought that table salt was not safe :?: And yet, aquarium salt is quite different from 'marine tank salt', or so i believed?


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

Yes, marine salt and "aquarium salt" are a bit different, but close enough that either is safe. I will do some checking later today and see if I can find the particulars to share here with all of you. This is something that everyone should know about and understand, as many animals rely on this for basic body functions.
Thanks for bringing the topic through this route, Tracy...


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