# How long should I keep treating my tank for ich after fish death?



## iamgray (Jul 16, 2010)

I have a 10 gallon tank that used to have 2 guppies in it. One of them had ich and so I have been treating the water for the past week and a half. I've been using API Super Ick Cure and had the water temperature at approx. 84 degrees, and was also adding salt every couple of days after doing a 25% water change each time. The female at one point had a couple spots but they cleared up quite quickly. The male would start to look a bit better and then get worse again, and went back and forth like that until finally this morning I got to the office and he had died. Now I want to make sure the ich is gone before I add anymore fish. The female is doing great... she is growing and fully active and still is showing no signs of ich... I put the carbon back in the filter this morning... if I take the carbon out before and add medication to the water one more time today, and then put the carbon back in the filter on Monday, and then wait a week or so, is that enough to be fairly confident that the ich is gone?


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## kitten_penang (Mar 26, 2008)

with one fish in it.i think it will be ok.btw some people think it''s bad to add salt to medication.too much and it will probably kill the fish instead. chemical reaction thingi.


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## bones14 (Mar 19, 2010)

Continue to treat the tank for 10 days after the spots on the fish are gone.


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

This is my favorite article about ich and its life cycle. The two times I have treated my tank for ich I have medicated for three additional days after the last visible white spot had been seen. Both times the ich was brought into my tank by my not having QT'd new additions!
Using meds, salt, and heat all at the same time is very dangerous and can easily kill your fish. 

http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/ich.shtml0


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## iamgray (Jul 16, 2010)

thanks for the replies!

Kymmie that's a great article, super informative. Thank you!

Got to work this morning and Delenn (the remaining guppy) still looks healthy - no spots, good energy level. I turned the heat down and medicated the water again, and will quit adding salt. I'll wait until the end of this week before getting anymore fish.


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## LisaC144 (Oct 22, 2009)

Gray, I would wait longer than til the wnd of the week. Like Kymmie, I treated for an additional 3 days after all signs were gone. I didn't use salt or heat, just meds. After the 3 days of additional treatment after all spots are gone, do a partial water change on the 4th day and add carbon to remove any more meds. I'd wait an additional two weeks or so before adding more fish to make sure your current stock is healthy and no Ich returns. The worst thing you can do is rush things and go buy more fish before your current ones are healthy again.


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## iamgray (Jul 16, 2010)

Ok, I'll force myself to be patient and wait longer. Delenn looks so lonely in there... but a lonely Delenn for a couple weeks is better than a dead Delenn with dead friends.


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