# Caught Ich early now need help bad!!!



## anonrider12 (May 8, 2011)

Okay so a new problem has broken out... so my gf bought me a pepper cory cat from the LFS she works at for a present for me. so i put the cory in and upon closer inspection my red/blue columbian tetras seem to becoming down w/ what looks like ich... little spots on there fins and tails... my other red minor tetras and dwarf gourmi dont look like there being affected at all by it just the red/blues and i read about the salt treatment i turned my tank up to 85 degrees and did a 40% water change. i wasnt sure about what kinda salt to use. the video said just regular table salt but i was always told that, thats not such a great idea. so im going out to buy regular aquarium salt tommorw and i was wondering if its to late to take out the Cory and put it in my 55gl tank till the dots go away or would i be putting my other tank at risk then wich i really dont wanna do! Please respond as fast as anyone can... i really need help/advise!!!!!


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

Here's a pic of Ick on a betta (for reference): Ick photo
Do the affected fish seem to be trying to "itch" themselves on the decor, plants or gravel? This is also a sign of Ick.

Now that he's been in with the affected tank, I'd treat him as "exposed." 

Do NOT use table salt in a tank. Lol, not a good idea! Aquarium salt is what you need. (Not recommended if you have shrimp or snails though). I have also read quite a few online threads that say Cory cats do not do well with salt in the tank. (But, for medicating purposes, it _could _be different... _you'll have to research that_). The last thing I'd want to do is tell you to use salt and then have it make the cory sick.

Everyone I've spoken to has always said to raise the tank temp' when fish are sick. It seems to help kill off whatever is making the fish sick, (so you're correct in doing that).

You could try an Ick medication. I've got "Ick-Ease - for all fresh water fish". It's by Mag-Float Labs. (It says it promotes the rapid relief of parasites on tropical fish, combines 3 preferred anti-parasitic ingredients and is safe for tetras as wells as most scaleless fish.)

As with any medication, check for copper if you have snails or shrimp, as it will kill them.

Hope this helps! Good luck! (Keep us posted!)


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I would just leave the Cory. Crank the temp up 2-3 more degress and hold it there 3 days since the last sign you've seen. Salt is good also, but I have had luck with just bumping the temp and keeping it there until it goes away. At 85 they can no longer reproduce and at around 89 they start to die. When they are attached to your fish they cannot be killed and they should release from the fish in 3-4 days.


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

That is really cool! I didn't realize that they would 'release' your fish in high temps. Do they just float to the bottom and die?


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## anonrider12 (May 8, 2011)

Sweet thanks everybody!!! ive bumped up the heat to about 86/87 now and hopfully itll work w/o medications. im going to my LFS to get some salt... the aquarium kind not table haha! but i guess ill stick to thurough water changes and keep an eye out for any more signs... is there such thing as to many water changes??? 


Thanks again everyone!!!


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## rtbob (Jul 18, 2010)

High temp = low oxygen increase your aeration to compensate.


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## anonrider12 (May 8, 2011)

i did. i dropped the water level by about 2-3 inches to stir up the water and have added to air stones to the tank at full blast to get the water choppy. do i need to do more or will that suffice??


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## Paladine9169 (May 6, 2011)

My little 10 gallon tank had an Ich problem as well. I live in Cali, and the tank stays about 80 degrees all the time. I used the Quick Cure medication for ich and protazoa.. It was all cleared up in about 5 days, and the fish look great. If heating the tank doesnt work fast enough for you, the medicine was only 3 dollars at "That major retailer with blue signage that I wont advertise for "

Oh, and yes, if you change the water too much, or too much at a time, it can mess with your PH and other levels.. Fish don't like to be shocked with too much change at once. Also, if your temperature rises or lowers too fast, it can also be a problem.


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## giddetm (Apr 30, 2011)

I have the same problem with some pink convicts, thanks for the advice. Buy the way how much salt do you add?


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

giddetm said:


> I have the same problem with some pink convicts, thanks for the advice. Buy the way how much salt do you add?


The box of aquarium salt should have a regular dosage label on it, (ex: how many tbsp per gallon). It should also have a dosage chart for using the salt as a medication.


I'm sure every salt has it's own measurements, so please, check the box that you are using but just as an example: I use "Nutrafin Freshwater Aquarium Salt." The directions say for the use of treatment of tropical fish, 1 level tablespoon per every 5 gallons of water. Then it says to gradually increase the water temp to 80 degrees and maintain the temp there for 24-36 hours. It also says that aeration and filtration should be at peak level. (So, for my 10g tank, I use 2 tbsp of salt and increase my temp, as well as the air stone and filter speed).

It also has directions for using the salt to hatch brine shrimp and for cleaning aquarium accessories - so like I said, just look for the appropriate dosage chart.

I realize that most people are saying to raise the tank temp above 80 and that's fine. I guess the makers of this salt are assuming tank levels are lower. (Mine is always at 79-81 degrees - so for medication, I'd just raise it a couple more degrees). 

Hope this helps.


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## rtbob (Jul 18, 2010)

anonrider12 said:


> i did. i dropped the water level by about 2-3 inches to stir up the water and have added to air stones to the tank at full blast to get the water choppy. do i need to do more or will that suffice??


That should be good.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

holly12 said:


> That is really cool! I didn't realize that they would 'release' your fish in high temps. Do they just float to the bottom and die?


The higher temp doesn't cause this to happen. This is just the normal cycle of the protozoa. The cycle last 3-4 days. I assume they are just free floating in the water, just like when they attach to the fish initially.

Also, if treating with a med, quick cure is the best I have ever used. Don't do high temp and a med together as both deplete oxygen from the water.


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

jrman83 said:


> The higher temp doesn't cause this to happen. This is just the normal cycle of the protozoa. The cycle last 3-4 days. I assume they are just free floating in the water, just like when they attach to the fish initially.


Hm. Interesting. I guess you learn something new every day! 




jrman83 said:


> Also, if treating with a med, quick cure is the best I have ever used. Don't do high temp and a med together as both deplete oxygen from the water.


Oh for sure. I just meant that if salt was going to be the medication, to raise the temp.


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## anonrider12 (May 8, 2011)

Well its been about 3 days now and the water temp is 86 degrees. Dropped the water level a few inches, bumped up the filtration and the air stone and did a 20% water change and added salt, but not as much as the box recommended because of the fact that Corys and sensitive to salt and that i heard plants are like that also, but all my fish look white spot free for the time being... how long should i continue doing what im doing??? Are the fish free and clear right now because of the free floating stages of Ich??*Conf*


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

If fish show no more signs of ich, you should keep it the same until a minimum of 3 days has passed. Some hold for a week beyond last visible sign. 3 days has always worked for me.


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## homerdave (Mar 24, 2010)

Do not use table salt, use aquarium salt. I have had ick and you do not have to panic. You did good with increasing the heat, use aquarium salt, if you have live plants do NOT use aquarium salt it will harm them. 

There is a product that works great by "mardel" . use maracide by mardel follow the instructions provided. It works GREAT!!! I have used it on several occasions.

1 drop per gallon repeat every 24 hours for 5 days. 

Good luck!


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

jrman83 said:


> If fish show no more signs of ich, you should keep it the same until a minimum of 3 days has passed. Some hold for a week beyond last visible sign. 3 days has always worked for me.


Agreed! I was going to suggest waiting at least 3 days.

Glad your Ich seems to be gone. Good luck. Let us know if it is indeed cured.


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## giddetm (Apr 30, 2011)

homerdave said:


> Do not use table salt, use aquarium salt. I have had ick and you do not have to panic. You did good with increasing the heat, use aquarium salt


How much aquarium salt do you use per gallon?


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## anonrider12 (May 8, 2011)

It looks to be almost all gone! ill just give it till thurs or friday to be on the safe side! it says 1tbl spoon per 5gallons, but ive been maybe using 1 per 10 or 15... if i use it at all just because of the plants. Will the constant high temps be damaging to the plants at all??? there still real small and just recently planted so i dunno if all this is stressing out the plants as well as the fish...


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## mike 1980 (Apr 9, 2011)

*pc


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

giddetm said:


> How much aquarium salt do you use per gallon?


See post number 10 in this thread.  (I posted instructions on how to figure out the amount based on the boxes listed different uses). Hope this helps.


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## anonrider12 (May 8, 2011)

SUCESS!!! well the Ich is all gone now! All the fish look great and my plants seem to be growing slowly but surely! I thnk i have mostly anubias or w/e and like its planted in gravel so i guess i need to get a piece of driftwood or rock?!?! I need some tips on the plants tho... i really dont want to fail at that ... 

Thanks Every One for the help and feedback!!! i owe it all to you!!!!!


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## mike 1980 (Apr 9, 2011)

I love happy endings!!!


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Good!


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## Rohkey (Apr 25, 2011)

Btw, when you raise the temperate of your tank in reality all you're doing is speeding up the life cycle of the ich parasite. This is beneficial because ich is only susceptible to eradication via medicine after it has reproduced and is freely swimming in the tank in search of a host. Ich parasites on the fish are immune to medicine, so your fish will have to endure the current amount of parasites and will only be relieved once they finish their feeding and reproduce.


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

Glad to hear it's cured! 

As for the plants, I'm using just gravel for mine, because when I first set up the tank I didn't intend to have live plants. All of mine seem to be doing fine. I use a good fertilizer on them once a week. I have a Java Fern that I've anchored to a piece of Lava Rock (since it's porous) because I don't have any drift wood or anything.


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## giddetm (Apr 30, 2011)

The ich is gone from the pink convicts. I have some Black Bar Endlers and one of the mature females got ich but none of the other fish are showing any signs. I used the aqaurium salt and it seems to be clearing up on the female but it got on one of her eyes and I don't no if the eye will recover. Does anyone here use Stress coat?


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## anonrider12 (May 8, 2011)

I always use stress coat... it seems to make the fish alot happier after water changes and when they are recovering from being sick


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