# Ahhhh! Ich! Ick! Ich!



## hiyamoose (Nov 27, 2010)

Okay, Ich has hit my 20 g tank. First time in 2.5 years of the tank running. Tetras, gouramis, platies, and plecos. 1 has died, and at least 1 other has signs. 1 platy is way pregnant. Lots and lots of plants - val, anubia, amazon swords, red ludwigia, java fern.

What can I treat with that won't kill the fish or decimate the plants? I've got pressurized co2 on during daylight hours and hob filter w/carbon. Do I remove carbon, and the media it's in when I treat? Do I go salt? Do I go medication, e.g., maracide?

I've noticed a snail outbreak too...can that be a cause/contributor? If so, what fish do I get to eat all those suckers?

Help!!! Quick, please? :-?


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## vicky (Feb 18, 2010)

My best success for ich has been with a uv sterilizer - didn't harm fish or plants and stopped the ich from spreading. 

Snail outbreak usually means overfeeding or some other food source. Maybe dead fish or dead/dying plants. You may have too many fish, check ammonia, etc. I've used Ich-X successfully in a planted tank, but the UV was more effective. 

So sorry, hope the rest of your fish recover.


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## cbwmn (Dec 18, 2007)

I have a tank with cardinals & neons that I bought at Petsmart. ICh made an ugly appearance the day after I bought them.
I raised the temperature to 90 d F. ,lost 6 fish but the others recovered. Ich cannot exist in high temperature.
Charles


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## vicky (Feb 18, 2010)

Certainly the ich may have come in with a new purchase, but op didn't mention that. In the absence of new acquisitions, I look to overcrowding or other issues that must be solved for healthy fish. A snail outbreak usually means an excess of food. That tends to mean poor water quality. That stresses fish, sometimes leading to ich. If that is the case, treating the ich alone is unlikely to save the fish.

When you bring infected fish home and put them in a healthy tank, they sometimes recover without any additional treatment. Clearly that is not the case here.

Sometimes raising the temp works. But some ich is temperature resistant, and even 90 will likely kill his plants. Some ich is chemical resistant, so in a non-planted tank using Ich-X or similar *and *raising the temperature usually works well. In a planted tank, a UV sterilizer breaks the ich reproductive cycle without harming fish, shrimp or plants. It is certainly more expensive than a bottle of Ich-X or raising the temp, but if you can afford it, it is very effective and can safely save many fish and plants. I keep one for my quarantine tank.

If you do use Ich-X or similar chemical treatment, remove the carbon, but leave the rest of the media. Follow the bottle directions for water changes. If you raise the temp, consider adding an airstone as warmer water holds less oxygen.

As for the snails, getting something to eat them doesn't fix what caused them. Once you fix the food oversupply that caused them, you can use a trap to remove the excess snails so they don't die and foul the tank further.


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## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

i don't recommend the use of medications. they contain high copper and will kill shrimps and snails. the copper is also absorbed by your tank's silicon. Either get a uv sterilizer or use garlic. if you choose to use garlic ill post how to use it.


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## bartoli (May 8, 2006)

neilshieh said:


> Either get a uv sterilizer or use garlic. if you choose to use garlic ill post how to use it.


I too believe that UV sterilizer is the best treatment. However, I am curious as to how garlic can be used to get rid of ich.


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## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

its effective and feeds the fish too. since garlic stings... it causes them to shed layers of their slime coat. therefore if there is ich/ick feed slightly blanched sliced garlic. it shouldn't be raw but not regular blanched either. this usually works for catfish, shrimp, fish that like to nibble blanched foods. however if that doesn't work, add garlic juice to food or ground it up an feed. just get them to eat semi blanched garlic. there is actually a garlic medication... i believe by kent? but i concocted this treatment myself and it works like a charm... as well has feeding.


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