# how do you treat ich in your tank?



## bratyboy2

okay im just wondering if anyone has ich break out in there tank and if so how did you treat it?
my two BN's have it and an angelfish on the fin...whats your take?


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## kakkoii

IMHO, PIMA FIX and MELA FIX are the only things, that I have tried(10+ other med.), that work.

get Pima Fix and Mela Fix.:-D:-D:-D


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## guppyramkrib

Quick Cure for ick. Melafix & Pimafix for bacteria& fungal infections .They do not hurt plants at all.Raise the temp a bit some times but i already have it at 80-84 in my tanks so ick is very rare.


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## DonaldmBoyer

NoxIch is great!! Works very well, doesn't harm plants....

You can try adding aquarium salt to your tank, instead. There should be directions on the the container instructing how to dose for treatment. Also, increase the temperature to the mid-80's for a week or two. That usually will do the trick!


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## ranchwest

The crucial thing is to get the temperature above 78 degrees. With experience, you'll learn how high your plants and fish can handle for 2-4 weeks. The higher the better as far as getting rid of the ich. Salt helps a lot, too, but again it depends on how much your plants can take.

I'll accept the opinions others have given on medications. I'm sure they're conveying what has worked for them.


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## bratyboy2

well the temp is now at 84 of 86 idk and im going to dose the tank with a pinch of salt see what happens


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## ranchwest

Ich may not completely go away quickly. There may still be some ich present even after the visible symptoms on the fish are gone. You might try leaving the temperature up high for a couple of weeks and then back it off a little to maybe 82 or so for about two more weeks. Hopefully it will be under control after a month.


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## dwalstad

Dear BB,

Sorry, I didn't get to this until today, but I've been on vacation.

Raising temperature and adding antibiotics, anti-fungals and dyes may help. However, they won't cure Ich. Here's an earlier post (from "Red Turk") on using salt that I would consider.

"Just wanted to add my two cents. I picked up some neon tetras from a local fish store and two days later, I noticed white spots on all their bodies. I placed them in a hospital tank and raised temp to 86 degress F. Over the next day I slowly added non- iodized salt to bring it up to 2 teaspoons per gallon. Six days later all fish were well and no signs of ick. They are now back in my community tank and doing fine. Thanks for the treatment."

Red Turk's method is a good one. First, he got the fish out of the water that was contaminated with the "Ich swarmers". That helped the fish by reducing their exposure to the pathogen. Second, the salt probably killed the remaining swarmers AND those later released from the fish's Ich "pimples".

If you increase temperature (to ~83F), this will speed up the parasite's life cycle and cause the pimples to drop off the fish sooner. Each pimple releases 200-1000 highly infectious swarmers when it drops off the fish. If the salt (or any other medication) is truly killing the swarmers, you should see no new pimples appearing on your fish. I would wait a day or two after you see no new pimples before returning fish to the main tank.

Note: You can decontaminate your main tank by removing all the fish and increasing the temperature to 85F. At this temperature, the ich swarmers will die if they don't find a fish host within 3-5 days.

Finally, UV light will kill the Ich swarmers and easily take care of this disease. I keep a UV sterilizing filter handy for situations just like this.

Keep us posted!


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## bratyboy2

thank everyone and ecspecially diana...i inceased the temp and im adding a bit of salt to the tank each day...i dont think the plecos have it anymore...maybe im seeing stuff but im dosing anyway because the baby platy group has a few here and there...well wish me luck ill be back with results


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## kenny1tothe6

I have NEVER had ich before it attacked my 29G goldfish tank (I almost lost them too!!) Im still fighting it and they are doing better. LUCKILY that tanks NOT planted! Im sad when I see MelaFix because It didnt help my now dead betta who was my absolute favorite fish. Im treating the Goldfish with salt and their water temp is HIGH ~90 Degrees! (it was 82 degrees!)


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