One proven way to treat ich/ick

[MoNsTeR FiS]

In my experience the best way to treat freshwater ich is to have carbon in a filter for a tank 5 times the size of yours and use 5 times the recommended medication and if you have prime dose at what it says for your tank every other time you treat it, and use salt with 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons. In my Quarantine tanks i get ich weekly (i don't use heaters in quarantine tanks) and i will treat african cichlids 50 fish ranging from an inch to 8 inches in a 40 gallon tank at 68 degrees F. in a week and a half. I did not do a water change for that week and a half until the ich was gone and then did a 80% water change.
I have done this on plecos, rams, african cichlids, pseudoplatystoma corruscans, frontosa, oscars, geophagus, raphiel cats, iridescent sharks, and more (totaled up to about 70 fish that i have treated this way) i can't remember because this is normal when you Quarantine fish and have NEVER LOST ONE FISH.
The key lies at the biological bacteria being killed with medications and too much salt, but the carbon makes the water safe for the biological bacteria. So when you do this you will keep your tank cycled and treat the ich, and not loose any fish. This sounds too good to bet true but its not. A great way to test this is to buy a goldfish for 20 cents with ich. Try this when the tank is cycled and it will work.

 

[hms01]

got a qn, im in day 4 of using meds to treat ick and have raise the temp to (88 degF / 31 degC) my fish 2 of my fish are breathing heavily (yes i have added air stone) they seem rather active which is normal from what i have read, the 3rd fish is having buoyancy issues and is at the top of the water surface lethargically swimming. I have been doing WCs of 50% and have not fed, should i not WC and start feeding a little?

 

[hms01]

there are still WS on some of the fins so i guess im going to have to treat them for quite awhile thus though that i should feed abit to let them get back some strength

 

[Ryu Hayabusa]

Hey all new to the hobby and want to confirm one thing thing for ick treatment. When people mention salt, it's aquarium salt not salt used on salt water or brackish aquariums right? (Instant Ocean)

 

[jeaninel]

Hey all new to the hobby and want to confirm one thing thing for ick treatment. When people mention salt, it's aquarium salt not salt used on salt water or brackish aquariums right? (Instant Ocean)

Yes, aquarium salt not marine salt. I have also used iodine free table salt with success. I know people may gasp at that but it worked great for me and is so much cheaper especially when treating a large tank.

 

[Ryu Hayabusa]

Yes, aquarium salt not marine salt. I have also used iodine free table salt with success. I know people may gasp at that but it worked great for me and is so much cheaper especially when treating a large tank.

Can I use non iodized Morton salt?

 

[jeaninel]

Can I use non iodized Morton salt?

yup, thats what I used.

 

[Ryu Hayabusa]

yup, thats what I used.

Hey bud, I'm a little desperate right now and not sure how to handle this. When I first saw signs of ick, I actually treated the tank for 4 days with some chemical. It was recommended by a local pet store. Now I know that I should've treated the tank longer. The past week I've done a ton of water changes. I now have raised the temperature to 88 degrees and added a ton of salt in the past two days. My 10 Midas cichlid is still in the same condition. Barely eating, his body is filled with the white spots and just hanging out at the top. How long should the salt and temperature raise before I see results or this his condition a lost cause right now?

 

[jeaninel]

Hey bud, I'm a little desperate right now and not sure how to handle this. When I first saw signs of ick, I actually treated the tank for 4 days with some chemical. It was recommended by a local pet store. Now I know that I should've treated the tank longer. The past week I've done a ton of water changes. I now have raised the temperature to 88 degrees and added a ton of salt in the past two days. My 10 Midas cichlid is still in the same condition. Barely eating, his body is filled with the white spots and just hanging out at the top. How long should the salt and temperature raise before I see results or this his condition a lost cause right now?

How big is the tank and how much salt did you add? Are you replacing salt for water you've removed during water changes? When I had to treAt my 150 gallon I used 2 teaspoons per gallon predissolved in a 5 gallon bucket and added gradually over the course of a day. So that's a total of about 4 cups of salt for my 150. I treated for about 2 weeks doing my regular weekly water changes and adding back any salt I had removed.

That sucks about your fish. Keep up the treatment and be sure to keep treating for a few days even after you see no spots on the fish to kill any parasites that may be in their free swimming stage. Hope your fish recovers. Good luck!

 

[duanes]

Just a little info, salt is salt (as long as the contents of the package read NaCl) its all salt, table salt, aquarium salt, rock salt, its all salt. Table salt may have a tiny amount of an anti-caking agent (usually <0.1% that keeps it free flowing, but its still salt. Rock salt may have a few impurities, but its salt.
I use water softener salt to treat ich, a 50lb bag for $5, mostly because its rated for human consumption, meaning there may be fewer impurities, but it is salt.
As long as the salinity of tank water reaches 3ppt (parts per thousand) it will work.
At 3ppt the cell walls of newly emerging ich collapse from osmotic pressure.
2.5ppt, will irritate them, but not rid your tank.