# Ich, Plants and Shrimp



## gBOYsc2 (Nov 26, 2010)

Two days ago I purchased 2 male guppies from the LFS. I brought them home and acclimated them over the course of about 3 hours. I know I should have used a quarantine tank but I am in a tiny appartment and I really don't have much room for any more tanks. Today I have noticed a couple of white specks on the tail of one of the guppies. I have had ich years ago and I am pretty sure this is ich, but not 100% sure yet. It is only visible on this one fish.

I have been reading about different treatments for ich and have decided I would like to go with the raised temperature and salt treatment. I have decided this method so I could spare my bio filtration as well because I have some amano shrimp in the tank as well and iirc most ich medications are harmful to shrimp and bio filtration. However, I am worried about the shrimp, plants and other fish in the tank. The other tank companions are as follows: False Julii Corydoras(3 stripe), Otocinclus, Featherfin Rainbows, Furcata Rainbows, Amano Shrimp and 2 guppies. I also have some crypts, rotala, ludwigias, moss, pogostemon helferi and hemianthus "cuba".

Does anyone know if salt and a slowly raised temp will harm any of the fish, shrimp or plants in my tank? I would hate to lose any of them especially my HC which I have been growing to fill in for several months. /sigh I should have set up a small quarantine tank. I might have to learn the hard way this time.

Any thoughts or ideas regarding the situation would be greatly appreciated my my wife, myself and my fish/shrimp/plants.

Thanks!


----------



## huaidan (Mar 6, 2010)

Many plants are sensitive to salt, so I wouldn't go there. You might have to quarantine all your fish and treat them with malachite. UV sterilization worked for me in a similar situation when I couldn't quarantine, but you have to ensure you have high enough wattage and a high enough flow rate.


----------



## OVT (Aug 26, 2010)

I think you want slower rate through UV. I use RidIch 1/2 recommended dosage for 3 days, 1 day off, ~30% WC, repeat untill ich is gone. Good luck.


----------



## gBOYsc2 (Nov 26, 2010)

UV sterilizer is kind of out of the question. I don't have the funds for that at the moment with christmas and all coming up.

I don't understand. If I were to quarantine them in another tank then what would happen in the main tank? Doesn't it have to be treated? Or would I just have to give it time to let the ich run it's life cycle?? 
And then what about the shrimp? Are they susceptible to ich?

And if I were to use RidIch won't that harm my shrimp and my bacteria colonies in the filter?


----------



## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

i posted a natural treatment in the new to planted tank forum... you should try it
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/new-planted-aquariums/74925-ich-advice.html


----------



## mfgann (Nov 10, 2010)

I was in a similar situation (not ich though.. popeye I think), and moved my all the red cherry shrimp I could find to their own tank before bombing the 30G with the ich med walmart sells that is a mix of formaline and malachite green. I used a little more than half, but not full dose (20drops in the 30G). This tank only had a few plants in it, and I left the ghost shrimp and there were three RCS that I missed. I had no casualties in the shrimp at all. I also had no problems with any of the plants (wisteria, red ludwigia, subwassertang, java moss)

Don't know about your situation, but you might make it by using the half-dose of malachite green.

Good luck.


----------



## Gordonrichards (Apr 28, 2009)

Pull your fish out, put them into a holding tank.

Treat the holding tank for 4 days.

Ick should be dead in the shrimp tank.
Unless you have buttloads of snails... Hmmmm.


----------



## jinsei888 (Apr 20, 2009)

I've had the same problem happen twice in the past with inverts and planted tanks. I avoid salt completely and only do the temperature raise method, worked perfectly every time. Got the temperature up to 86F over 3 days time raising my standard temp only 2degrees per day until I reached the goal temp (86F). I let the temperature stay that high for 10 days (use a cheap air pump or raise your filter outlet pipe to keep water oxygenated as there is less oxygen in warmer water). After 10 days, I did the reverse and lowered the water by 2 degrees per day until I was back at my standard temperature again. Ich was gone for good. Never came back.

Best of luck to you whichever way you plan to go!


----------



## gBOYsc2 (Nov 26, 2010)

Ok sorry for the delayed reply.

So the fish I was supsected had ich died the night after I posted this. All of the other inhabitants seem to be doing fine so far and it is several days later. 

Thanks for all of the advice. If I do notice an outbreak I will try to raise the temp only, if not I guess I will have no other option to but set up a quarantine tank.

Theoretically if I removed all of the inhabitants and moved them to another tank for 10 days or so and cranked up the heat in the main tank would that kill all of the ich being that they have no hosts to live on?

Thanks for all of the replies I really appreciate it.


----------

