# Please Please Help, What is the Best Ich Treatment?



## WarRam (Jan 14, 2011)

Two days ago I added an additional von rio tetra to my school of four von rio tetra in my 30 gallon tank. Now I'm seeing signs of ich and I'm very worried because I had no luck saving my rummynose tetra that I had in my 10 gallon tank when they caught ich a couple weeks ago.

Ick Guard by Tetra seemed to have zero effect on treating the ich on my rummynose tetra. They lived for four days into treatment and the ich just got progressively worse everyday until they all died  I removed 20% of the water everyday via gravel vacuum, I kept the temperature at 80 degrees, and I was consistent with adding the recommended dose of medication at the same time everyday, but they still died.

In my 30 gallon tank I have 4 german blue rams (I'll be getting rid of 2 of them if they survive  ), 5 von rio tetra, 2 cory cats, 1 african dwarf frog, and 1 mystery snail. The tank has a sand substrate, so I presume it should theoretically be easier to vacuum any ich tomites.

The guy at my LFS recommended I use Rid-Ich. Has anyone had any positive experiences with this? I also read on a couple different threads that adding salt is a good treatment for ich, is that true? And if so, is it supposed to be used as the exclusive treatment or in addition to another ich medication? Also, would it be better if I bought a 10 gallon tank without substrate to treat them in instead of the 30 gallon? I could just crank up the heat in the 30 gallon and let the ich die on its own and treat the fish somewhere else, right?

I'm really just looking for some help from someone who has found a reasonably successful method for ridding their tank of ich with the least amount of casualties possible.


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

raise the temp up a little bit. Im not sure how much but I know this works. Maybe somewhere around 80 would do the trick. I have some stuff that works good also im going to go check the name of it right now
EDIT: The stuff I used was Rid ich by Kordon...combined with +temp


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## flowmsp (Feb 6, 2010)

Ive always come out on top by SLOWLY raising the temp to 85ish. Watch the fish as you do this though.


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## Moody636 (Oct 24, 2009)

+1 on raising the temp. I ran an airstone when I had my last case. 


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## majerah1 (Nov 6, 2010)

I raise my temps to 89.Ive done this for bettas,and im sure that since tetras are tropical and all they can handle it.Not sure about the snail though,you may need to move him.


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## WarRam (Jan 14, 2011)

flowmsp said:


> Ive always come out on top by SLOWLY raising the temp to 85ish. Watch the fish as you do this though.


While you're raising the temp are you also administering ich medication? My understand is that raising the temp just decreases the length of time between each of the phases of the ich's development. I don't understand how that alone would rid the tank of ich. It seems as though raising the temp would increase the problem if the fish are still in the tank without ich medication. Or am I wrong about that?


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## zdnet (Aug 13, 2010)

WarRam said:


> I also read on a couple different threads that adding salt is a good treatment for ich, is that true?


Tetras are very sensitive to the salt level. Thus, the increased salt may kill the tetras.

IME, UV sterilizer is the best treatment for ich.


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## BruceWatts (Feb 27, 2008)

Slowly raise the temp to 86 degrees and leave it there for 12-13 days. That will be long enough to kill all the ich in your tank. The ich that you see on your fish is imbeded under the skin and meds will have no effect on them. At 85 degrees the ich can not infect your fish at 86 they die during free swimming phase.

Forget the meds as they will only stress your fish. I would increase water movement and stop any co2 fertilization. I just had the same problem myself and this method took care of the ich with no losses.

Bruce


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## WarRam (Jan 14, 2011)

Thanks so much everyone. I'll start increasing my temp right now. I currently have the temp at 78 degrees. How quickly should I be increasing the temp?


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## nalu86 (Oct 19, 2010)

BruceWatts said:


> Slowly raise the temp to 86 degrees and leave it there for 12-13 days. That will be long enough to kill all the ich in your tank. The ich that you see on your fish is imbeded under the skin and meds will have no effect on them. At 85 degrees the ich can not infect your fish at 86 they die during free swimming phase.
> 
> Forget the meds as they will only stress your fish. I would increase water movement and stop any co2 fertilization. I just had the same problem myself and this method took care of the ich with no losses.
> 
> Bruce


+1 raising temp to 85F
If you keep your temp of the tank above 80F all the time, you will probably never see any ich anymore!!

Also Ich cure is: make a bad of salt in a bucket, put them in there for 1-5 min, check ur fish all the time. Take fish out and put them back in tank, no lights for 2 days keep an eye on your fish. 

Never use medication for ich, it doesn't work!!


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## nalu86 (Oct 19, 2010)

WarRam said:


> Thanks so much everyone. I'll start increasing my temp right now. I currently have the temp at 78 degrees. How quickly should I be increasing the temp?



just put your heater on 85F it will take over 2h for the heater to get the temp there. use an airstone for extra oxygen!!


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Raise the temp 2 degrees every 4 hours or so, till you get into the mid 80s F.

I'd also dose salt at 1/2 teaspoon per gallon. The salt will both help kill the ich and also help prevent 2ndary infections left behind from the wounds the ich parasites create on the fish. 1/2 tsp per gallon is a very low dose of salt and safe for most salt-sensitive fish and also ok with most live plants for short periods of time.

Temperature alone can kill many forms of ich, but there are some temperature-resistant strains out there. Using salt will increase the chances of killing the ich.

You can do all of the above AND use Rid-Ich too if you want.


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## amcoffeegirl (May 26, 2009)

I agree raise the temp to 85 or 86. ich cannot breed at this temp. add salt 1 teaspoon per gallon. add an air stone or lower your water level if you have a hob filter. this makes more turbulance in the water to add oxygen. i use aquarisol also 1drop per gallon. but it contains copper which may hurt the cories and the snail. maybe the frog. the temp and salt should take care of it alone. also adding heat speeds up the lifecycle. but 86 stops the breeding. over 89 kills it all. 5-10 days. or 3days after you stop seeing symptoms


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## WarRam (Jan 14, 2011)

lauraleellbp said:


> Raise the temp 2 degrees every 4 hours or so, till you get into the mid 80s F.
> 
> I'd also dose salt at 1/2 teaspoon per gallon. The salt will both help kill the ich and also help prevent 2ndary infections left behind from the wounds the ich parasites create on the fish. 1/2 tsp per gallon is a very low dose of salt and safe for most salt-sensitive fish and also ok with most live plants for short periods of time.
> 
> ...


What type of salt should I use? I'm assuming I shouldn't use iodized table salt.. Would sea salt from the grocery store work? Also, for how many days should I be adding the salt? Or is it just a one-time dose?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Sea salt, kosher salt, pickling salt, aquarium salt... all pretty much the same, plain old NaCl.

You want to maintain a dosage of 1/2 teaspoon per gallon. So 15 teaspoons for your 30gal tank. The salt won't go anywhere unless/until you remove it with water changes. So can be a one time dose.

If you do water changes during treatment, remember to replace the salt you remove (ie, if you do a 30% water treatment, replace 1/3 of the salt (5 tsp), etc).

I treat for a week past the last visible spot, then start doing large water changes to remove the salt.


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## fitness2go (Oct 13, 2005)

How does the salt and high temp affect plants for 12 - 13 days? Can you just do it on temp alone?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Most plants should handle it OK, at least for a short period of time.

There may be some meltage, but most should grow back.

Temperature alone will kill most strains of ich as it prevents the ich from reproducing. It won't affect the parasites that are already latched onto the fish or help with the wounds, though- that's why I also use salt.


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## jgmbosnia1 (Oct 18, 2010)

Are you sure it's Ich? There are some fungi out there that look the same. as Ich. In my experience using Kordon ich attack has worked wonders. It contains no copper. Just a bunch of garlic. You might also want to look at getting some Pimafix and Melafix to treat for any infections. You don't need to worry about raising the temp. Just take any carbon out of your system. For long term guard against Ich I would think of investing in a UV filter....nothing huge....maybe 8W. 
I would not use salt due to the Tetras in your tank. And salt is never good for plants.


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## WarRam (Jan 14, 2011)

I've raised the temp to 88 degrees and it looks like the ich is still getting worse :\ I haven't added the salt yet, though I have some "ancient sea salt" on hand. Should I use it or shouldn't I?

And jgmbosnia1, I have Kordon Rid-Ich+. It says it "controls ich and other external protozoan, dinoflagellate and fungal disease of fishes" So I'm assuming that if it was a fungal infection, the Rid-Ich+ should still be able to treat it. The ingredients listed are formalin and zinc-free malachite green.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Yes, the ich will get worse before they get better. The main reason to raise the temperature is that this dramatically speeds up their life cycle. They are only susceptible to meds in one stage in their cycle, so the more quickly the ich cycle/mature, the more quickly they are exposed to the med at the correct life stage, and then will die.


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## fitness2go (Oct 13, 2005)

This all good info...thanks!


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

OP, you mentioned in your first post that you have Cory cats. Corries do not do well exposed to salt.FYI


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## jgmbosnia1 (Oct 18, 2010)

I'm familiar with the Rid Ich plus. I didn't get great results with it. Kordon Ich-Attack is one of three Kordon organic herbal treatments with multiple ingredientsfor elimination of external single-celled infections of fishes -- whether protozoan parasites (amebae, ciliates or dinoflagellates), or fungal. All three treatments are based on the uniqueuse of patented naphthoquinones exclusively used by Kordon as the basic ingredients. The three organic treatments can be used interchangeably, with Kordon Ich Attack particularly directed against all external protozoan infections, including white spot disease (Ich); Kordon Rid-Fungus particularly directed against all types of external fungal infections; and Kordon Prevent Ich as a strong preventative that also serves as an effective external treatment of protozoans, dinoflagellates, and fungi.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

The salt dosage I'm recommending is one I've used successfully with cories, tetras, and other salt-sensitive fish for years.

For salt-tolerant fish (bettas, livebearers, etc) I use much more salt- 1 tablespoon per gallon.


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## jgmbosnia1 (Oct 18, 2010)

Oh yeah.....+++ on the no salt.


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

lauraleellbp said:


> The salt dosage I'm recommending is one I've used successfully with cories, tetras, and other salt-sensitive fish for years.


Got ya, when I went back and read post #15 again there it was. That's the max dose recommended with Cory's involved. Does take more than one MAJOR water change to flush it all out (imo). Prefer when I have to use it to do it in a bath or quarantine though and not a planted system. (That's why I practice a 45 day introduction cycle but thats another thread.:icon_wink)


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## zavikan (Jan 5, 2009)

I've had a few ich outbreaks in the past and have solved it EVERY time by simply slowly raising the temp. I wonder if the people who suggest doing that inconjunction with something else (meds, salt, ect) ever tried the temp change alone....

Ich is one of those problems that shouldnt really be considered a problem seeing how easy it is to solve...


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## jgmbosnia1 (Oct 18, 2010)

OK Laura....I see what you are talking about now. for some reason my eyes were seeing 1/2 tblsp. My bad. 

Yes at this type of dosage you should not have any real problems.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Yes, I've treated it with temperature alone before... only to have it crop back up a few months later. Obviously I didn't get it all. I'm sure it can be done, but I prefer to be safe rather than sorry. I also happen to love some of the most ich-sensitive fish (small tetras), and it does not take ich long at all to wipe out an entire school of small tetras. I've lost probably hundreds of fish over the years to ich- I despise the stuff and do my best to be sure to eradicate it. I also quarantine all new fish without fail, and am happy to report I haven't had an ich outbreak in any of my main tanks in probably close to a decade or so?

Like I said previously, there are some temperature resistant strains that made their way through the fish farms in Florida (and most of the fish stores in the USA have had Florida farmed fish in their tanks at some point...)

Here's one of the best articles I've found on ich: http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/ich.shtml

There's also been a strain of ich running around koi circles that hobbyists started calling "Super Ich" because it proved very resistant to heat, salt, and several meds. Just an FYI to research later down the road if this treatment doesn't work for whatever reason. Fortunately, I haven't heard much about Super Ich among tropical fish hobbyists. (May perhaps be a coldwater strain?)


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## WarRam (Jan 14, 2011)

lauraleellbp said:


> Yes, the ich will get worse before they get better. The main reason to raise the temperature is that this dramatically speeds up their life cycle. They are only susceptible to meds in one stage in their cycle, so the more quickly the ich cycle/mature, the more quickly they are exposed to the med at the correct life stage, and then will die.


But I thought that at 88 degrees the ich shouldn't be able to reproduce any longer..? I'm not using the ich medication right now, should I? Or is raising the temperature and adding the recommended salt dose good enough for treating the ich infestation?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

WarRam said:


> But I thought that at 88 degrees the ich shouldn't be able to reproduce any longer..?


That's correct. The increased heat also means that the ich that are present will die off more quickly, which will give relief to the fish.




> I'm not using the ich medication right now, should I? Or is raising the temperature and adding the recommended salt dose good enough for treating the ich infestation?


It's a judgment call on your end. If you already have meds I'd probably go ahead and use them, though.


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## TRD_Power (Aug 6, 2010)

86*F and the Ich will most likely never be a problem again.


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## fitness2go (Oct 13, 2005)

Have you used this? Anyone else? I don't want to use salt because of my plants and would prefer heat only for right now and maybe the Kordon Ich-Attack if it doesn't mess with my plants.

David



jgmbosnia1 said:


> I'm familiar with the Rid Ich plus. I didn't get great results with it. Kordon Ich-Attack is one of three Kordon organic herbal treatments with multiple ingredientsfor elimination of external single-celled infections of fishes -- whether protozoan parasites (amebae, ciliates or dinoflagellates), or fungal. All three treatments are based on the uniqueuse of patented naphthoquinones exclusively used by Kordon as the basic ingredients. The three organic treatments can be used interchangeably, with Kordon Ich Attack particularly directed against all external protozoan infections, including white spot disease (Ich); Kordon Rid-Fungus particularly directed against all types of external fungal infections; and Kordon Prevent Ich as a strong preventative that also serves as an effective external treatment of protozoans, dinoflagellates, and fungi.


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## fitness2go (Oct 13, 2005)

What's the general consensus for the amount of days to keep your aquarium temp at 86 degrees? Is 86 the optimum temp?


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## 2drtahoe4x4 (Oct 14, 2009)

I have used the salt heat method with great success. 86 degrees with 1tsp or a little more per gallon. I don't end treatment till a week after the last sign of ich. Some people stretch it longer. Here is a great read on treatment http://www.badmanstropicalfish.com/forum/index.php?topic=1285.0 although I believe the responses in this thread have covered it pretty well. Hope this helps.


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## zdnet (Aug 13, 2010)

zavikan said:


> I've had a few ich outbreaks in the past and have solved it EVERY time by simply slowly raising the temp. I wonder if the people who suggest doing that inconjunction with something else (meds, salt, ect) ever tried the temp change alone....


Ich had been reported to survive and kill fish at 92 F (33 C). At such high temperature, many of the more delicate fish would have been dead already!




zavikan said:


> Ich is one of those problems that shouldnt really be considered a problem seeing how easy it is to solve...


For a parasite that can cause massive fish death within a short period of time, Ich is a very serious problem requiring immediate attention. 

Do NOT fool around, _if_ you value your fish. Add a UV sterilizer as soon as possible!


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

2drtahoe4x4 said:


> I don't end treatment till a week after the last sign of ich.


Ditto.

And once you do start dropping the temp back down, do it slowly. No more than a few degrees per day.


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## aquyenl (Apr 9, 2010)

i have fantail goldfish and i see a prominent white spot on one of its fin. if it ends up being ich, what's the best way to eliminate ich from the tank? goldfish are coldwater and i am worried that raising the temperature will have other adverse effects on them and am not sure if they can handle 86 degrees


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Salt. One tablespoon per gallon.

Goldies generally do very well with salt treatment.

Or you can go out and buy a commercial med.

You can also still raise the temps for the duration of treatment.


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## aquyenl (Apr 9, 2010)

should i raise the temperature as mentioned in this thread? is 86 degrees okay? thanks laura hopefully this poor goldfish won't have to suffer much


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## TRD_Power (Aug 6, 2010)

I would imagine everything in there would be fine at around 86* for a while. My tank has been 86* for 8 months and I have: one yellow tail barracuda, one giant pleco, 4 cory cats, 10 ghost shrimp, and 3 clown loaches. Everyone has been just fine the whole time. Slowly boost it over a week or so and closely monitor the behavior to make sure nothing out of the ordinary happens. Good luck!

Edit: I was getting the names all mixed up. aquyenl - I don't think 86* would be the best for a goldfish. Like lauraleellbp said, salt and a slight temp raise would probably be your best bet at first.


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## rover123 (Feb 9, 2012)

nalu86 said:


> +1 raising temp to 85F
> If you keep your temp of the tank above 80F all the time, you will probably never see any ich anymore!!
> 
> Also Ich cure is: make a bad of salt in a bucket, put them in there for 1-5 min, check ur fish all the time. Take fish out and put them back in tank, no lights for 2 days keep an eye on your fish.
> ...


hey would the salt work for my fresh water tank and i used ich medication do i need th do a 100% water change? please reply i love my fish


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## sockfish (Jul 11, 2007)

I used *API Super ICK Cure powder *in my endangered species tank where the fish were covered with Ich after transport. Salt, heat, and a full round of Mardel didn't seem to do a thing. This is a cool water species so I didn't raise the heat all the way to 84 deg.

The fish were looking exhausted and my breeder contact for the endangered list recommended it. The Ich was actually completely gone by evening. They've stayed well since then with normal temps [though I'm always using salt now.] I also increased aeration with an airstone during treatment.

Plants and snails are also ok.

I got it at Petsmart.


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## sockfish (Jul 11, 2007)

Rover--what's going on with your fish?

sox


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