# How to treat ich?



## NC Frank (Aug 24, 2009)

I have ich in my community tank... or rather I have 4 or 5 spots on the fins of ONE fish in my community tank (unfortunately it is my discus). The discus looks to be in great health otherwise and is eating and swimming normally.

55 gallon tank
current temp - 82 degrees... raising to 85 or 86.
ammonia - 0
nitrite - 0
nitrate - 5
ph - 6.9
dozen or so assorted live plants (mostly swords)

Inhabitants:
1 discus
3 angelfish
1 German blue ram
1 Bolivian ram
7 Blood Fin Tetra
1 cory
1 misc. goby
1 kribensis
2 otocinclus
2 platies

How should I go about treating... especially since it looks to be in the very early stages. None of my fish... not even the discus... are displaying any stress. Water conditions have been consistent... all are swimming, eating and otherwise acting normally.

Thanks,

Frank


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## Rohland (Aug 20, 2009)

I believe to treat ich is to raise the temperature and add some salt.
However, I am not familiar with some of your fish, and know their temperature range. However I can tell you that your cory cannot deal with high heat and salt. Salt burns their skin.


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## NC Frank (Aug 24, 2009)

Rohland said:


> I believe to treat ich is to raise the temperature and add some salt.
> However, I am not familiar with some of your fish, and know their temperature range. However I can tell you that your cory cannot deal with high heat and salt. Salt burns their skin.


I can place my cory in a 10 gallon holding tank if need be. I always have one setup to house a fish short term. Are there any store bought products that actually work?


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

I have used product.. Quick Cure ,,found at walmart assuming the walmart sells fish and accessories.
Directions on bottle say to use at half strength for sensitive fish such as tetras but I have always used it at half strength for all fish. It is formalin and malachite green and will stain the silicone blue but this eventually goes away in a matter of weeks. Temp of 82 degrees is fine. Remove carbon if carbon is used in filter and replace carbon with new carbon after treatment is concluded.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

When ich is bad, by which I mean several spots on several fish, I have used Aquari-Sol with excellent results; gone in 4-5 days. It is stated to be OK for sensitive fish, and I will admit my corydoras, Farlowella and pencilfish have shown significantly less stress with Aquari-Sol than any other medication.

I would be tempted to wait a bit before medicating, especially with discus. I sometimes see a spot on one fish, and after a couple days it usually is gone and no others appear. Fish that are in good health can fight off such things, and maintaining good water quality is the key. This is much more preferable to adding any medication/chemical to an aquarium. But if the spots increase, I would use Aquari-Sol; it suggests raising the temp, I never do.

Byron.


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## NC Frank (Aug 24, 2009)

Byron said:


> When ich is bad, by which I mean several spots on several fish, I have used Aquari-Sol with excellent results; gone in 4-5 days. It is stated to be OK for sensitive fish, and I will admit my corydoras, Farlowella and pencilfish have shown significantly less stress with Aquari-Sol than any other medication.
> 
> I would be tempted to wait a bit before medicating, especially with discus. I sometimes see a spot on one fish, and after a couple days it usually is gone and no others appear. Fish that are in good health can fight off such things, and maintaining good water quality is the key. This is much more preferable to adding any medication/chemical to an aquarium. But if the spots increase, I would use Aquari-Sol; it suggests raising the temp, I never do.
> 
> Byron.


I waited 3 days before medicating. The discus has 4 or 5 spots (all on fins). My German blue has 1 spot on his fins now. I am using API Super Ich Cure at less than 100% dosage. My temp was raised to 84.8. I wish I would have read this before I medicated this morning. I hate using medication on fish.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

NC Frank said:


> I waited 3 days before medicating. The discus has 4 or 5 spots (all on fins). My German blue has 1 spot on his fins now. I am using API Super Ich Cure at less than 100% dosage. My temp was raised to 84.8. I wish I would have read this before I medicated this morning. I hate using medication on fish.


I think I wold have used medication under your circumstance (several spots, more than one fish, several days). Most of these ich remedies won't kill fish, obviously, but they are stressful due primarily to the copper, and moreso to some fish than others. Aquari-Sol has copper but presumably less since it does not appear to affect the fish as much in terms of obvious stress. However, Super Ich Cure will I'm sure work; I've used it before I found Aquari-Sol. And raising the temp will not harm discus or rams, they are both warm water fish; I never bother with this because I have fish that do not like those high temperatures, and that means more stress to them.

Byron.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

Discus usually do not get ich especially as the temperature they live in, is not favorable to ich which prefer a much cooler environment. Frank, which fish did you buy most recently? Was it quarantined? If so, how long did you quarantine your new fish? If you have not, I suggest that when you buy your fish, they should be placed under quarantine in a separate tank to avoid repercussion of issues that could affect your current stocks especially as a lot of fish from stores are disease carriers. Flukes, protozoans, flagellates, bacterial and viral diseases are a common occurrence nowadays hence this is why quarantine procedures must not be taken for granted.

Rohland, I partly disagree with your statement that salt can kill the corydoras. It does kill but a lot of people forget that DISSOLUTION is a very important step when you administer salt. Salt must be dissolved thoroughly and added slowly to the tank to avoid osmotic shock. Go with a 0.3% solution which is 3 teaspoons per gallon. Treatment must be done for two weeks at least. Whether it is table salt or aquarium salt, it does not matter as the iodide issue is pure bunk. As for corydoras intolerant to high temperature, it depends. Sterbai corydoras are one of the few that truly can tolerate high temperature.

Frank, do you have photos of the affected areas? Are you sure you are talking about ich? There are many diseases that can look spotty in appearance.


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## willieturnip (Aug 30, 2009)

Just bring the temperature to 30°C/86°F or higher. Ick stops reproducing at this temperture.

Anything up to this temperature only speed the life cycle of ick however.

Your temp is actually at the optimum level for ick reproduction at current. Either increase it to 30°C/86°F+ or decrease it as much as possible, to slow the cycle down.


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