One proven way to treat ich/ick

[ChrisG23]

I just checked my salinity with my elcheapo marineland hydrometer and its currently at about .002 . If the concensus is that it should be higher, i will raise it more tomorrow, as well as the temp. I am only at hour one of treatment, and want to do this gradually.
Although i have only one fish with a high monitary value, (the sabertoothed p) i absolutely dont want to loose any fish cause i would feel like i didnt do a good job as a hobbyist. I try to take pride in my tank.

 

[ChileRelleno]

I just checked my salinity with my elcheapo marineland hydrometer and its currently at about .002 . If the concensus is that it should be higher, i will raise it more tomorrow, as well as the temp. I am only at hour one of treatment, and want to do this gradually.
Although i have only one fish with a high monitary value, (the sabertoothed p) i absolutely dont want to loose any fish cause i would feel like i didnt do a good job as a hobbyist. I try to take pride in my tank.

Salt:
Salt is not required but it is IMHO very helpful and I recommend the combination of Heat & Salt.

By raising salt levels to 2-3 ppm 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 ppm per day is recommended. Generally 7.6 grams of salt per gallon is equal to 2 ppm 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).

 

[ChrisG23]

water temp is 86
Salinity is .002
Ich as spread to my flower horn, green terror, 3 out of 5 convicts, red terror, pike, and even my bushynose plecko..... im screwed...

 

[ChrisG23]

UPDATE

I raised the tanks temp to 88 degrees, and added more salt, the current specific gravity is .0045 . Things have deffinitely gotten worse since last night. i dont know what else to do.

 

[ChileRelleno]

UPDATE

I raised the tanks temp to 88 degrees, and added more salt, the current specific gravity is .0045 . Things have deffinitely gotten worse since last night. i dont know what else to do.

All of your fish can handle 88'F, and that temp should suffice nicely, be sure to add more aeration at higher temps.
I would recommend bringing the salinity right up to BW salinity, your at .0045, take it up to 1.000>.

My fish...
I'd go to 89'F and 1.000> an hit'em with ICH-Attack, all the while my tank'd be practically boiling with additional aeration to counter lowered O2.

 

[guppy]

Something to bear iun mind is that the infestation looks worse before it gets better. the higher temps cause the encapsulated stage to hatch faster releasing more parasites, these new parasites will go through the feeding stage quickly then will release and die before producing more. The main thing is don't panic, the first couple days of treatment always seem the worst.

 

[lewa9918]

I hav 1ick infected golden gourami

waited 4 a week but virus did not spread


need answer urgently

 

[guppy]

I hav 1ick infected golden gourami

waited 4 a week but virus did not spread


need answer urgently

As long as you know it is ick you should start the salt/heat treatment, it can spread quickly and can kill even tough fish like gouramis, which can easily handle the salt and the temps.
Are you sure it is ick? Appears as salt like grains on fish?

 

[ChrisG23]

***UPDATE***

It appears there is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. All my fish excluding the pike are ich free, and even he looks much better. I am on day 5 of treatment, but will keep up the salt n temp till sat., when a massive water change and tank cleaning will be done. The tank got pretty cloudy today, so i did a 15g w/c, we"ll see how it looks in the morning once my RO filter refills the tank. I think the salt may have killed of much or all of the bacteria that converts the nitrate to nitrite ( i think thats how it goes that always confused me ).

I will give another update later in the week once more progress is made.


Once again, thanks to all for their help with my tank.....Chris

 

[ChileRelleno]

ChrisG23,
you must keep the Heat & Salt treatment going for two (2) weeks after the last visible sign of infestation. You can lower the salt a bit if you must, but definitely keep the heat above 87'F.
ICH may not be readily visible in the gills and others areas, sustained treatment will eradicate all the little buggers.
Not following thru will very likely result in another bout and could result in any surviving protozoa becoming resistant to heat/salt.

Salt doesn't kill beneficial bacteria. Likely that heat has resulted in a bacterial bloom, nothing that water changes/vacuuming & rinsing media can't fix.

You must maintain the treatment for two (2) weeks after last sign of infestation or face re-infestation!