One proven way to treat ich/ick

[ChileRelleno]

You do not Need to use salt, though it does help IMO.
But...
Heat alone will kill most ICH infestations.
Also you can use a great Kordon product, 'ICH-Attack' in conjunction with heat/salt, or even alone, see more below.
This is a compilation of articles/facts I assembled.
http://www.oscarfish.com/index.php?page=6&mode=article&k=16

Read these articles, read the linked articles/documents in their links, the Skeptical Aquarist has some especially good links.
"Knowledge is Power" & "Know thy Enemy", read, read, read, read, read...
SkepticalAquarist article
AquariumAdvice article
Cichlid-Forum article

Lets dispel a common 'Fish Myth' right off the bat...
ICH is NOT always present in the water/fish...
It is not airborne, it doesn't travel by Spores, it will not come in via tap-water during a PWC and it does not lay dormant.
It must be introduced in some way as noted below.

If you follow through on the 'Heat & Salt Treatment' as specified, I practically guarantee the 100% eradication of ICH within your tank...
Unless you re-introduce it thru lack of quarantine/preventative treatment with new fish, unquarantined/untreated transfers of plants, decor, water or by cross contamination thru the use of equipment in multiple tanks.

'Heat & Salt', either of these treatments alone can/will kill the ICH protozoa, together they eradicate ICH very effectively and completely.
This treatment is especially safe with Oscars as they are very tolerant of both heat & salt.
Please be aware that some fish, inverts and plants may not handle heat or salt well and treatment may need to be adjusted to fit their needs.


Temperature:
Raise it slowly, but ASAP, to at least 86'f, preferably 87'-88'f.
One degree (1'f) every twelve (12) hours is the normally recommended interval for increasing heat, but in a emergency like ICH I'd raise as much as one degree (1'f)every six (6) hours.

Duration:
Hold temp for at least two weeks after the last sign of ICH.

Oxygenate:
This is extremely important because water holds less O2 at higher temperatures.
Filter outflow splash, spraybar or powerhead flow directed at surface, airstone/bubblewands are good ways to increase surface agitation.

Salt:
Salt is not required, but it is IMHO very helpful and I recommend the combination of Heat & Salt.
I recommend continuing the 'Salt treatment' for the duration of the 'Heat treatment'.
Use at your discretion.
Be aware that some Cats/Plecos (in particular Corydoras), Tetras, Loaches and etc, can have adverse reactions to salt.
Fishes that navigate by electric fields, like Elephant Noses, Knifefish, certain Eels should never be exposed to salt.
Many plants are intolerant-highly intolerant of salt.

By raising salt levels to 2-3 ppt or 1.002-1.003 specific gravity above what one normally keeps the tank at can destroy the Ich parasites. It has a strong effect on osmosis, and dehydrates the parasite to the point the parasite can no longer function and dies. Again, raising levels slowly but not too slowly is key here; raising salt 1 ppt per day is recommended. Generally 7.6 grams of salt per gallon is equal to 2 ppt or 1.002-1.003 specific gravity . However, it?s the chloride ions which are necessary for the treatment, and different salts have different levels of chloride. It?s best to purchase a hydrometer which measures low levels of salt to ensure proper dosage.
2 weeks at those levels sure eradicate all the parasites. Again, be sure all the fish in your tank can deal with those levels of salt. On that note, most scaleless fish CAN handle these levels of salt. Plecos and Loaches especially do fine despite Internet rumors to the contrary. It has been noted some tetras and Cory's do not do well with salt, however.

Based on everything that I’ve read to date, I would feel comfortable adding 2-3 tablespoons salt per 5 gallons if I were also using the high temperature treatment outlined above. If I were using salt alone, I would work my way up to 4-5 tablespoons per 5 gallons. We don’t want to skimp on our treatment if we hope to permanently eliminate this pest. Salt should be added slowly over the course of 24-48 hours or so (always dissolve in a small container of tank water first). Keep a close eye on your fish and perform an immediate water change if they show any additional signs of stress (beyond what the Ich is already causing).

For detailed info about salt check this out, SkepticalAquarist- Salt

Here are the conversions/measurements for dosing salt from a reliable source, see page four (4), table 3, units in parentheses.
conversions/measurements
Note; you may want to adjust your dosage +/- as desired.


Water Changes/Vacuuming SubstrateWater changes are very helpful in fighting ICH infestations.
Using a gravel vacuum, do a large water change and thorough vacuuming water on a daily basis.
This eliminates a great number of trophozoites and tomites from the water/substrate.

Other ways to combat ICH
A UVS, Ultraviolet sterilizer when properly setup will kill free-floating ICH.
A Diatom filter will capture and kill ICH too.
Micron filtration depending on the size may perform as Diatom does.


Medications:
I would only recommend the use of standard* medications as a last resort, and used in conjunction with the heat treatment at slightly lower temps, 80'-82'F, these temps will greatly speed up the life-cycle and shorten the time needed to medicate successfully.
IMO this is the last resort, a truly desperate measure for a ICH infestation gone unchecked...
I cannot recommend any of the standard* meds, use at your own risk.
Their effectiveness when used as directed is controversial, despite manufactures claims some still seem to affect a tanks bio-filter and many fish-keepers report undue stress related complications.
Many ICH meds will adversely affect/kill scaleless fishes and inverts.
Many ICH meds will also further deplete oxygen levels, take countermeasures as per above.

*A non standard med, ICH-Attack.
ICH-Attack is a 100% natural remedy that has proven anti-protozoal and anti-fungal properties.
Active ingredient is Naphtoquinone which is not known to be carcinogenic as many standard meds are.
Manufactured by Kordon, available at various retailers.
DrsFosterSmith

If you use standard meds the read this...

Do a water change prior to starting treatment and remove the carbon from the filter media; not the entire filter. If the carbon is part of the filter cartridge, make a slit in the side of the filter media and remove the carbon.
Be aware meds will most likely destroy the nitrifying bacterial colonies. Be prepared to measure ammonia and nitrite levels, and reduce the levels if necessary, by water changes or ammonia/nitrite reducers (this is the only time you?ll see me recommend their use!). Water changes likely will affect levels of meds in the tank, and you may need to adjust doses to keep the meds at the levels needed to kill the theronts.
Once treatment is finished, you?ll need to remove the meds from the water. Best way to do this is to run fresh activated carbon in your filter for a couple of days.
** Do note, the directions on the meds are generic; if you remember from the earlier discussion ich has a life cycle with only one stage susceptible to meds. Do not follow the directions when it comes to length of dosing times as some will claim to eradicate Ich in as little as one dose. The first treatment will only kill a percentage of the parasites (remember the Ich life cycle). It?s better to continue treatment till 3 days after seeing the last white spot on your fish; this way you can be fairly sure you have eradicated all the parasites.
AquariumAdvice article

Please realize that ICH like everything else in the world has it's exceptions, however rare.
There has been cases where ICH has been able to complete its full life cycle under the fishes slimecoat/skin, rendering it for all intents untreatable.
There are cases where ICH has survived salt as high as five (5) tablespoon per five (5) gallons. (Not sure as to what this dosage equaled when measured in 'ppm' or 'specific gravity'.)
There is one (That I know of.) reported and documented case where ICH survived temps beyond 87'-88'f.
These are rare exceptions, not the norm.


These are my opinions, this is how I would treat my fish, just my $0.02...
Goodluck!

 

[mike999g]

Thanks for that chilirelleno, i would much rather just turn up the heat than use salt and chemicals, i've eased the tank up slowly, she is up to 86 so far, so I was going to take it up to 90, how long should I leave it at that temperature for?
Thanks for the advice, Mike.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Here is some more info on understanding and treating whitespot;

"What is Ich?

This is a common question that is often asked, what is ich and how is it recognisable and what causes it?
The real term is ICHTHYOPHTHIRIASIS. OR commonly known as white spot.
It is an extremely comon parasite that affects aquarium fish. It is highly infectious and potentially lethal and manifests as tiny white spots all over the fish. The spots are no larger than grains of salt. The wide host range of this parasite is it's life cycle, and speed of mutiplication especially in a tropical aquarium. When you can see the white spot on your fish it's already too late for those ich particles to be killed, they can only be killed in the parasitic stage.

FISH parasite stage under the skin and fin. }TROPHONT exits fish and forms a reproductive stage(TOMONT) } The tomont then settles on the substrate and starts its division. The Tomont can reproduce 200-800 THERONTS The Theronts must locate a fish within 24 hours otherwise it will die.It is at this stage when the free swimming Theronts can be destroyed by treatment/chemicals. If it infects a fish the cycle starts again, if not and it is killed off by the treatment the cycle stops. Early signs of white spot are when fish begin to flick themselves against rocks. Other signs are your fish swimming in an odd behaviour as if they were trying to use the water to wash away an irratation. Then you have the white spots. There are many causes for white spot, fish catch white spot like we catch a cold! Some of the more common causes are stress, bad water conditions, live food that have been infected or you've bought an already infected fish without knowing it. The main culprit is the parasite Ichthyophthrius multifiliis
Treatment: There are many remedies out on the market, most are based on either Methylene Blue or Malachite Green. Salt can also be used(not table salt),but only with salt tolerant species and if you have a major outbreak than the "big guns" need to be brought in. The big guns being UV irradiation.

Treatment

Whitespot or ICH as it is known in North America is probably the first and most commonly encountered aquarium disease that hobbiests face. For many those first few ominous white spots that appear install dread and the reaction of "oh no my fish are ill, what do i do now?".

Luckily whitespot/ICH is one of the easiest aquarium diseases to treat and by following a few simple steps can be under control in a little over a week.

First step The parasite has a 3 stage life cycle, the first is spent attached to the fish, the second in the substrate and the third free swimming in the water column. To lower the ammount of the parasite in the water and substrate do a 50% water change and vacume the entire substrate really well. This will lower the parasites ability carry on infecting your fish.

Second step While in the first stage of its life cycle the parasite is immune to any treatment, to speed up its lifecycle so it enters its second and third stage of the life cycle turn your heater/s up to 29c (84f). This will cause the parasite to drop off of the host and enter its dormant and free swimming stages where medications can attack it.

Third step As soon as the first step has been completed add the measured dose of a recomended brand of commercial whitespot/ICH treatment. In the UK i recomend Interpet #6 Anti Whitespot+ or Waterlifes Protozin, follow the directions on the back of the bottle carefully making sure not to overdose or miss any part of the course. Repeat the course if the spots are still visable 4 days after the last dose.
During the use of any medication aeration should be increased as most medications lower the ammount of free oxygen available to the fish in the water.

Salt Many people recomend the addition of 1 tsp of salt per 10gallons of water when treating for whitespot. While this does not have any direct effect on the parasite it does aid in gill function which can be benifitial with species with high oxygen requirements and aid the fishes osmotic function to replace electrolytes lost during stress. Do not use where scaleless species (eels, loaches, catfish) are present.




So to sum up, to treat the parasite successfully you need to understand how the parasite works and to use the most effective med for treating it, but also the least stressful one for your fish. For many fish this means not using salt, there are plenty of non-salt meds out there which are just as effective at getting rid of ich but do not put a strain on the fishes internal organs like salt does to many fish"

 

[ChileRelleno]

The really beautiful thing about effectively treating ICH is that it is as simple as turning up the Heat.

1) Heat... Heat alone at proper levels can wreak havoc on ICH.
Generally 87'-88'F does the trick, but 88'> is lethal to all but heat resistant varieties.
The vast majority of tropical fish can handle these temps with little problem if due care is exercised to counter lowered O2 levels.

It has been found that Ich does not infect new fish at 29.4°C/85°F (Johnson, 1976), stops reproducing at 30°C/86°F (Dr. Nick St. Erne, DVM, pers. comm.), and dies at 32°C/89.5°F (Meyer, 1984), [1]

2) Salt... Salt kills ICH.

By raising salt levels to 2-3 ppt or 1.002-1.003 specific gravity above what one normally keeps the tank at, one can destroy the Ich parasites.
It has a strong effect on osmosis, and dehydrates the parasite to the point the parasite can no longer function and dies.

3) *A non standard med, ICH-Attack.
ICH-Attack is a 100% natural remedy that has proven anti-protozoal and anti-fungal properties.
Active ingredient is Naphtoquinone which is not known to be carcinogenic as many standard meds are.
Manufactured by Kordon, available at various retailers.

4) You do not need to use the popular & toxic OTC medications sold to the average ill-informed fishkeeper.
Meds which are oft carcinogenic both to our fish and us.

 

[fishbyoch]

ich treatment for corys? cant salt..just heat? should i get meds or is heat enough? also i have a large abino apple snail, can it get ich...should i move it from the tank? can snail tolerate the heat? sorry for the million questions...new to this tank addiction.thank you

 

[devlyyn]

Just to add my two cents.

Recently one of my silver dollars started showing signs of ich, ie. white spots all over. Within a few days all of my fish began flashing and showing other signs of discomfort, even if all did not display the characteristic white spots. I began treating the entire tank with ICH ATTACK on day 2 after noticing the spots and now, 1 week later, all the spots are gone and the fish are all acting normal.

A few notes, it may seem like its not working at first but you really need to follow the instructions and keep it up for at least a week. Second, it will darken your water and temporarily stain any white, porous (eg coral) decorations in your tank. Third, it can have a pretty nasty odor.

Other than that, I was very happy with how it worked. It did not seem to bother my fish whatsoever, which was a big concern of mine. Even my cories were perfectly happy. I did increase the temperature to about 82-83 degrees which may have helped speed up the process.

Just so you know, in my experience ICH ATTACK does exactly what it is advertised to do.

 

[ChileRelleno]

Just to add my two cents.

Recently one of my silver dollars started showing signs of ich, ie. white spots all over. Within a few days all of my fish began flashing and showing other signs of discomfort, even if all did not display the characteristic white spots. I began treating the entire tank with ICH ATTACK on day 2 after noticing the spots and now, 1 week later, all the spots are gone and the fish are all acting normal.

A few notes, it may seem like its not working at first but you really need to follow the instructions and keep it up for at least a week. Second, it will darken your water and temporarily stain any white, porous (eg coral) decorations in your tank. Third, it can have a pretty nasty odor.

Other than that, I was very happy with how it worked. It did not seem to bother my fish whatsoever, which was a big concern of mine. Even my cories were perfectly happy. I did increase the temperature to about 82-83 degrees which may have helped speed up the process.

Just so you know, in my experience ICH ATTACK does exactly what it is advertised to do.

Which is exactly why I recommend it.
I wouldnt recommend something I've never used at least multiple times with good results and no noticeable adverse impacts on fish/bio-culture.

I used it once to halt and cure a apparently resistant strain of ICH on some new fish, the ICH was displaying resistance to high heat (91"F)(no salt used) and when I finally broke out the ICH-Attack it stopped it in its tracks.

I had acquired a new shoal of Cardinal tetras and they started showing ICH almost immediately.
My standard quarantine preventative treatments at the time included, a salt dip prior to introduction to the QT, raising the heat from 77'F to 87'-88'F, Salt for those species which generally handle it well (I did not salt the Cardinals), Prazipro, and one round each of anti-bacterial/parasitic/protozoan foods.

The ICH showed no signs of slowing as the heat was raised, I took it up to 91'F and still no signs of the infestation halting, it was still spreading.

I was actually enthralled to perchance have encounter a resistant strain of ICH, I would've liked to have experimented a bit, but nice Cardinals had been hard to get in my area and I wanted these to round out the school in my Keyhole cichlid tank...
So I broke out a bottle of ICH-Attack and dosed at maximum (5X normal dosage), on appox the third day a noticable change in the number of ICH spots was observed, on approx the fifth day it was just about obliterated.

I maintained heat & ICH-Attack for two weeks after the last sign of ICH.

My standard quarantine preventative treatments now includes ICH-Attack.
I'll not risk a latent infestation hiding in the gills and being missed.

Never another sign of ICH, ICH can be completely wiped from any fish/tank with proper treatment.
ICH is NOT always present in fish/aquariums.

 

[guppy]

ich treatment for corys? cant salt..just heat? should i get meds or is heat enough? also i have a large abino apple snail, can it get ich...should i move it from the tank? can snail tolerate the heat? sorry for the million questions...new to this tank addiction.thank you

Snails can't get ich (niether can shrimp) but they can act as a carrier for the encysted stage. This is not really a problem. While I do not know if the snail can deal with the heat you don't need to treat the snail, just remove it to a small bowl or tank and keep it at standard temp. for about two weeks. this will allow any encysted ich parasite to hatch, releasing the motile stage. The motile stage must find a fish host within two days or it dies. 2 weeks allows time enough for all the cysts to hatch and enough time for all the motile stage parasites to die. Then you can safely return it to the main tank.

 

[NJ2toU]

Hi there!

Brand new here. I was googling Ich Attack to see if anyone has used it with success and it brought me right here. Well, not right here, but after a page or two I found you.

I have two bettas living quite happily, each in their own planted tank, one a 6 gallon Eclipse and the other a 5 gallon Aqua-tech, which is Walmart's less expensive version of the same thing (which you all may know already).

My boys are doing absolutely fine, but for the longest time I've been dying to get some otocinclus, first because they're so cute and nonaggresive, but also to take care of the algae in D'azzi's tank. Actually, the algae isn't bad at all, there is some but I actually kinda like it - it give the tank a more natural look.

So ok - I just wanted some oto's! LOL!

Anyway... after much research about them, I knew they really needed an established tank, but that like all new fish, I had to QT them. I got a very small tank with a filter, set up algae from my tank that was on a small piece of driftwood, some java moss that had it, some algae from my brother's algae encrusted guppy tank (I feel so bad for that lone guppy - he's been through hell...) and algae covered gravel. I also put in some of the veggies that they are supposed to like as well.

It seemed that they were doing fine, I was doing daily water changes, as the tank is so small (1 gallon) and was about ready to put them in their real home when lo and behold - the dreaded ich spots!!!

Yesterday I started treating them with salt and one dose of QuICK Cure so far, but I'm not sure that oto's are good with salt or the QuICK Cure. Right now I'm only using half the recommended dosage from the salt box - 1/4 rounded teaspoon instead of 1/2. I'm also having a hard time raising the temp of the tank, since it's so small. The junior heater I found says no smaller than 2 gallons. :-(

Ok, so now that I've told you all of this, I got a bottle of Ich Attack this afternoon, but wanted to see if anyone found that it worked. Oto's are sensitive and I wanted to make sure it wouldn't bother them.

Advice anyone?

thanks!

 

[ChileRelleno]

QuickCure and such meds... Nothing does well with'em, they are all toxic/carcinogenic chemicals for the most part.
Further, I've yet to see a standard/common ICH med with a dosing schedule that makes sense for breaking the ICH lifecycle.

No salt on Otos.
Slowly raise the temp to minimum 87'-88'F (max 90'-91'f)(No more than 2'F every 12hrs.), add double to max dose of ICH-Attack.