Best medicine for ich?

[SalviniCichlidFan]

Have you tested your water?

Yes

If yes, what is your ammonia?

0

If yes, what is your nitrite?

0

If yes, what is your nitrate?

0

If I did not test my water...

...I recognize that I will likely be asked to do a test, and that water tests are critical for solving freshwater health problems.

Do you do water changes?

Yes

What percentage of water do you change?

41-50%

How frequently do you change your water?

Every week

If I do not change my water...

...I recognize that I will likely be recommended to do a water change, and water changes are critical for preventing future freshwater health problems.

I just joined a new lab that works with electric knifefish (BGKs and Eigenmannia).

The lab has a medicine cabinet with different ich meds but my grad student mentor told me that they have never been able to save a fish infected with ich (even if it was a tiny bit on the tail only)

Some brands I identified are:

- super ick cure/white spot cure (API)
- copper power green

Are these medicines effective against ich in your experiences?

Personally as a fish keeping hobbyist, I've used Ich-X successfully but that was mostly for cichlids.

Im wondering if Ich-X tends to work better than the brands that my lab has been using or if its just because cichlids are hardier than BGKs and eigenmannia so the medicine wasn't the deciding factor for whether the fish survived or not?

Also, what other medicines work great in your experiences especially with less hardy fish?

 

[Deadeye]

Old fashioned salt and heat is the best way to go.
Ich is fairly straightforward to treat. Trying to be as nice as possible, you’re doing something very wrong if you can’t successfully treat ich.

Copper power is good, but I really would only use that in saltwater (where copper is the heat option).

 

[SalviniCichlidFan]

Old fashioned salt and heat is the best way to go.
Ich is fairly straightforward to treat. Trying to be as nice as possible, you’re doing something very wrong if you can’t successfully treat ich.

Copper power is good, but I really would only use that in saltwater (where copper is the heat option).

Alright I'll try salt and heat. Hopefully I'll be the fish doc to save the day!

 

[duanes]

When using salt, the key is to reach a salinitty of 3 ppt or higher, if that salinity is not reached ich laughs it off.
To reach that salinty use at least 3 lbs of salt per 100 gallons.
I don't the use tsp or tbsp method because grain size differs and its too easy to under dose.
With the weight method, 3 lbs, is 3 lbs.

 

[troublesum]

The few times i have had ICH just dose with salt and crank up heat but that has been for cichlids. OP said electric knifefish (BGKs and Eigenmannia)
Never had or owned any of those fish but i have heard some fish especially catfish cant handle salt