# I can't get rid of this ICH. PLEASE HELP!



## kat1103 (Apr 21, 2007)

I have a 20 gallon tank that includes 2 mollies, 1 tiger barb, 1 glass fish, 1 blue dwarf gourami, and 1 pleco. My tank has been infested with ICH for a little over a week now. First I raised the temp and put salt in. I let it sit for a few days and it didn't seem to get any better. So I bought a book on freshwater fish problems and it said to transfer them to another tank and clean out the infested tank. So I did. Three days later, I moved them back into the original tank and I also added some ICH medication. And I still haven't seen any improvement. Yesterday, I added more salt and turned the temp up again to about 85 F. When I last checked my PH was 7.2, ammonia 0, nitrate 0, and nitrite 0. I don't know what else to do but wait. Now it seems as though my black dalmation mollie has brownish bronze patches on him! I feel like I've tried everything and I'm getting no where. Any advise would be nice. Thank you.


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## Age of Aquariums (Apr 13, 2007)

You should have nitrates, if you don't then your tank isn't cycled.


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## kat1103 (Apr 21, 2007)

Well I just recently cleaned out the whole tank and pretty much started from scratch again, so that's why it probably didn't have any yet. I still don't know what else I can do to help this.


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## Trishfish (Feb 18, 2007)

Did you read the sticky on ich at the top of the forum? Great information. You need to turn up the heat and leave it there.


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## leifthebunny (Mar 13, 2007)

What ich meds are you using? I just recently got ich in my tank with GBRs and used Para Guard with Melafix and they got over it pretty quickly. Also, does your filter have any carbon in it? If so, it will leech the meds out of the water.


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## mr.bojangles (Mar 11, 2007)

crank the temp as high as possible ... then if u dont have plants give em a double dose of copper ... if u have live plants or scaleles fish do the regular dose


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## kat1103 (Apr 21, 2007)

I definetly did read all of that stuff on Ich. And I also raised the temp to 87 F. How long should I leave the temp raised?


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## mr.bojangles (Mar 11, 2007)

until the ich is gone


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## Trishfish (Feb 18, 2007)

The sticky gives all the info: TWO weeks

4. Why is it recommended to treat the fish for at least two weeks? 
The combination of the temperature and medication/salt can kill most ich parasites but do note that ich is not vulnerable in cyst form and under the fish's epidermis. They are at their highest vulnerability when in free-swimming stage where they are exposed to the conditions they cannot tolerate rather than in cyst or under the epidermis of the fish. Two weeks is long enough to guarantee the elimination of most ich parasites while they go on with lifecycle stage triggered by the high temperature. Ich will most likely reappear when the fish becomes stressed again.


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## Falina (Feb 25, 2007)

This is a bit offtopic but I notice you have a glass fish. Glassfish require brackish conditions unfortunately. Mollies will do well in brackish or freshwater but your other fish require freshwater conditions.

The sticky gives all the information needed about itch. The only thing I will add though, is that I have had no sucess in the past with salt. I have found medication to work better. When I had itch I used Protazin, but I have also heard great things about Formalin.


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## kat1103 (Apr 21, 2007)

Well I do put aquarium salt in my tank after each water change. Someone at the pet store told me that it woundn't hurt any of fish but that some require it and it helps keeps them healthy, so I just use it. At the pet store they had gouramis and glass fish in a big tank together. I haven't noticed anything wrong with my glass fish, and he seems to be doing very well thankfully. But on the other hand, all of my fish (except one) seem to be improving. I am going to leave the heater cranked up for a total of two weeks. But my black mollie now has brozne colored patches on him. I might move him to a another tank by himself. What is this and how can I get rid of it? Will this affect the other fish in the tank?


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