# Getting rid of ich in a planted tank?



## Jaguar

The typical treatments are usually either medication (malachite green, formalin, and copper are a few) or aquarium salt & high heat, the latter of which will hurt your plants. I've successfully used a combination of Kordon's Rid-Ich+ and raised temp (about 82) in my planted tank with little effect on the plants. It does stain things blue, though it looks like your silicone is already stained. 

Most commercial medications will kill shrimp and snails, and some scaleless fish such as loaches and some tetras are really sensitive to it, and will need a half dose. Just follow the directions on the bottle.

Kordon also makes an all natural herbal medicine called Ich Attack, but I don't know how well it works.


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## Studman0143

I've used the Kordon natural Ich Attack in my 10G which has more plants in it that I see in yours and I saw no effect on the plants whatsoever. I think I dosed 5-7 days and didn't lose a single fish. So I would +1 Kordon products.


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## TankZen

Kordon natural Ich Attack... I second this is what I use as well....nice that it is a all natural product and not a carcinogen.


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## cardgenius

+1 for Kordon Herbal Ich Attack.

Im just finishing up my treatment for Ich. I started off by raising the heat to 86*. I added a UV sterilizer and was doing 50% water changes daily. I did this for about two weeks and it got most of it removed. Unfortunately I kept noticing just one or two spots on a certain fish that wouldnt go away, or if they did, a new spot would show up the next day. So thats why I went out and bought the Herbal medicine. Its been 4 days since I started dosing and havent seen any spots since. Ill be done with my treatment in a day or two as long as no spots come back.

My tank is planted and I havent seen any bad effects from the Ich Attack.

I didnt go with salt or Rid-Ich because I hear its hard on plants and sensitive fish.


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## JasonG75

While you're add it you might want to remove these.


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## beardedcharmer

yeah that is not a planted tank just treat as normal with high heat, salt or formalin/MG


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## Kisa

Good luck! Hope you can eradicate it. Glad I found this thread because my cardinals seem to have ich so I'll try this natural remedy.


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## GeToChKn

I usually rather take out the fish and treat in a small container. Less meds to use and doesn't leave anything in the tank or effect anything else in the tank. I find aquarium salt does it 95% of the time too. My roomies last batch of LFS had ich and started to spread it. Took out all the infected fish, treated for 2 days with salt, done. Before that, he had it in a different tank and I tried 2 different ich meds for like a week, blue-green water, kept coming back, removed and salted for a few days, done.


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## DarkPhoenix

I'm glad I found this thread. My brand new Discus have ick so I, thinking I'm going to treat them for a couple days with salt in a separate tank since mine has a LOT of plants. But one question:

How much salt should I use?


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## eat2muchrice

I treat Ich with heat only, by raising the temp to 86+degree’s, increase irrigation as heat lowers oxygen. In about 2+ weeks search for signs of white spots. When all is cleared kept the temperature raised for another 4-5 days to ensure hatching eggs are killed off eliminating the full life cycle. Depending on the plants and fish you might lose one or two as a casualty of war. From my research heat ,salt and/or meds will work faster, I personally try not to use meds unless it’s an emergency and salt can be hard on some fish/plants.


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## g4search

If I had ich in my planted tank, the first thing I would do is to take all fish out of the tank and treat them in a hospital tank, similar to what GeToChKn did. (I know it may be difficult at times and stress the fish, but I would do it anyway). 

The advantage that I see tough is that I wouldn't have to treat my plants (and snails) at all, since they are NOT susceptible to ich. Ich needs fish or frogs to propagate and does not go through a resting or hybernating stage. Therefore, the planted tank will be free of ich in about 2 weeks. However, just to be on the save side, I would re-introduce my fish after 4 weeks. Of course during that time I would maintain my planted tank with the usual routine.


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## KatherineL

I dislike staining with meds. Also the heat-salt method never worked for me and killed half my plants. I like using fenbendazole powder at 84-86 deg, the safeguard for dogs at petco. Took away the spots overnight but I treat for two weeks just in case. No casualties including plants, otos and dwarf cories.

Dissolve 1 packet into 200ml water. 
shake water in tupperware or bottle
Treat 1 ml per gal


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## caique

http://www.petco.com/product/105336/8-in-1-safe-guard-4-Canine-Dewormer.aspx

Same idea as KatherineL above post says, but I would only dose 1/10 of a gram per 10 gallons a packet holds 1 gram so about half of packet for a 55. I would stick recommended dose in cup grind with a Mortar and Pestle
then add water into cup then pour into tank.

This is what I use 1/10 of a gram per ten gallons, based on water volume not tank size, if ich isn't gone in one day go ahead and treat again, I would do a 30 to 40% water change after second treatment and treat again if necessary. I used this one time and ich was gone after one dose, haven't seen it since. The active ingredient is fenbendazole. It is safe for Invertebrates, fish, and plants.I learned this trick from Aqua Forest in San Francisco. 

This stuff works for planaria or flatworms also. For planaria I have dosed 1/20th of a gram for 10 gallons and have had success.


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## Oceangirl

JasonG75 said:


> While you're add it you might want to remove these.



+ A million! Those are going to rot in your tank, they are not aquatic. You can only have the roots in the water the rest must be above water.

Also I used Paraguard by Seachem to treat for ich. I had plants, Shrimp, Corys, Celestial pearl Danios. They were just fine, didn't stain the tank and I raised the temp to 85 degrees. Everyone was fine in 4 weeks.


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## BMueller777

caique said:


> http://www.petco.com/product/105336/8-in-1-safe-guard-4-Canine-Dewormer.aspx
> 
> Same idea as KatherineL above post says, but I would only dose 1/10 of a gram per 10 gallons a packet holds 1 gram so about half of packet for a 55. I would stick recommended dose in cup grind with a Mortar and Pestle
> then add water into cup then pour into tank.
> 
> This is what I use 1/10 of a gram per ten gallons, based on water volume not tank size, if ich isn't gone in one day go ahead and treat again, I would do a 30 to 40% water change after second treatment and treat again if necessary. I used this one time and ich was gone after one dose, haven't seen it since. The active ingredient is fenbendazole. It is safe for Invertebrates, fish, and plants.I learned this trick from Aqua Forest in San Francisco.
> 
> This stuff works for planaria or flatworms also. For planaria I have dosed 1/20th of a gram for 10 gallons and have had success.



Hey guys,

Bringing a thread back from the beyond but I have two tanks with ich now  long story but I found this thread and I'm wondering if this treatment works still. I clicked on the link above and I saw the 10lb dog version is like 10$.

So .1 grams per 10 gallons of water. I'm guessing this is in pill form so it'll need to be grinded up some how and then dissolved into a cup of water, 8oz. or so and then just added right to the tank? 

Raise the tank temp any? It's 79-80*F now. 

Thank you


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## jeepguy

Paragaurd, while a expensive compared to the heat and salt method has zero risks. It is safe with inverts, scaleless fish, safe for plants. You don't need to worry about oxygen levels from high temps, you don't have to worry about salt percentages. Dose every day until you see no more spots, then continue dosing for a few more days.


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## Oceangirl

I second the paraguard. I have like a 1/2 a gallon of the stuff, it works great!! I use it for everything! I have used it for Ick in my planted tank with shrimp, Cories, and plants. Nothing melted, turned a funny colors or died. I highly suggest this for any medicine cabinet. Also treats fungus/cloudy body in Shrimp.


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## Culprit

I`ve used paraguard successfully also has the benefit of killing ur algae too.
I prefer heat at about 86 degrees though, works like a charm !


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## Tokemoke

eat2muchrice said:


> I treat Ich with heat only, by raising the temp to 86+degree’s, increase irrigation as heat lowers oxygen. In about 2+ weeks search for signs of white spots. When all is cleared kept the temperature raised for another 4-5 days to ensure hatching eggs are killed off eliminating the full life cycle. Depending on the plants and fish you might lose one or two as a casualty of war. From my research heat ,salt and/or meds will work faster, I personally try not to use meds unless it’s an emergency and salt can be hard on some fish/plants.


Same here. Heat takes a while but has always worked for me. Doing so right now actually. Going on week three and I see a tetra scrape against a leaf,STUPID ITCHY TETRA. I'm starting to wonder if I have some cold spots where the Ich is finding sanctuary. Two heaters on top read 88ish...

Always remember to keep up with those water changes a few times a week.


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## Coralbandit

BMueller777 said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> Bringing a thread back from the beyond but I have two tanks with ich now  long story but I found this thread and I'm wondering if this treatment works still. I clicked on the link above and I saw the 10lb dog version is like 10$.
> 
> So .1 grams per 10 gallons of water. I'm guessing this is in pill form so it'll need to be grinded up some how and then dissolved into a cup of water, 8oz. or so and then just added right to the tank?
> 
> Raise the tank temp any? It's 79-80*F now.
> 
> Thank you


 OP of the quote also said they raised the tank to 86-88?
I have never heard of fen killing ich?
Most quick searches on it only led back to here?
I'm MG and formulin,but every tank has different needs.
Might be best getting those tanks up to 86+?


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## BMueller777

jeepguy said:


> Paragaurd, while a expensive compared to the heat and salt method has zero risks. It is safe with inverts, scaleless fish, safe for plants. You don't need to worry about oxygen levels from high temps, you don't have to worry about salt percentages. Dose every day until you see no more spots, then continue dosing for a few more days.





Oceangirl said:


> I second the paraguard. I have like a 1/2 a gallon of the stuff, it works great!! I use it for everything! I have used it for Ick in my planted tank with shrimp, Cories, and plants. Nothing melted, turned a funny colors or died. I highly suggest this for any medicine cabinet. Also treats fungus/cloudy body in Shrimp.





Culprit said:


> I`ve used paraguard successfully also has the benefit of killing ur algae too.
> I prefer heat at about 86 degrees though, works like a charm !





Tokemoke said:


> Same here. Heat takes a while but has always worked for me. Doing so right now actually. Going on week three and I see a tetra scrape against a leaf,STUPID ITCHY TETRA. I'm starting to wonder if I have some cold spots where the Ich is finding sanctuary. Two heaters on top read 88ish...
> 
> Always remember to keep up with those water changes a few times a week.


That's awesome guys, thank you for the quick replies, I bought a 250ml of Paragard by Seachem, dosed my one tank (2.5 gallon) which houses the worst of the fish, my half-moon betta and 3 ghost shrimp with 1.5-2.0ml, was kind of hard to get exact measurement in the cap =/ 

My other tank had a few ember tetras and ottos that have only a few tiny grains of white on them and I dosed that tank with 6ml after a 7.5+/- gallon water change. It a 12 gallon Fluval edge. Both tanks are planted and I have the heater mats (hydor 7.5 watt and 15 watt, respectively) rather then adjustable ones due to tank sizes and visual appeal. Both tanks will stay at 80*F unless I don't see any signs of improvement within a few days.



Coralbandit said:


> OP of the quote also said they raised the tank to 86-88?
> I have never heard of fen killing ich?
> Most quick searches on it only led back to here?
> I'm MG and formulin,but every tank has different needs.
> Might be best getting those tanks up to 86+?


I don't really understand your reply, sorry.. However I went with the aquarium product rather than the dog anti-worm etc product.. My main concern with treating this ich problem was the fact I have a lot of plants, snails, shrimp, pygmy corys, and ottos. I'll update in a few days either raving or ranting about this  lol

Thanks again for all the helpful information!!

-Brian


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## jeepguy

When increasing heat as treatment expect things to get worse before they get better as heat speeds up the life cycle. Please read the directions as you do need to dose every day, religiously. Good luck!


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## HybridHerp

I've used malachite green to great effectiveness.


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## dzega

ive tried https://www.jbl.de/en/aquatics-freshwater-products/detail/5589/jbl-punktol-plus-125

no ill effect on plants and invertables


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## BMueller777

dzega said:


> ive tried https://www.jbl.de/en/aquatics-freshwater-products/detail/5589/jbl-punktol-plus-125
> 
> no ill effect on plants and invertables





HybridHerp said:


> I've used malachite green to great effectiveness.


Thank you, I'll keep those in mind if the Paraguard doesn't work



jeepguy said:


> When increasing heat as treatment expect things to get worse before they get better as heat speeds up the life cycle. Please read the directions as you do need to dose every day, religiously. Good luck!


Nice. Thank you. Yeah I'm dosing the tank every 24/hr


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## kman

Tagged for future reference. I've had great results from Kordon's Ich Attack (all natural, safe for plants and inverts), but perhaps I'll check out Paraguard if ich raises it's ugly head again...


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## BMueller777

Just finished dosing with Paraguard, this stuff is awesome. Works great, my Betta who had it the worst looks 100% already. Although I must say a few of my shrimp took on some darkness to them... My ghost shrimp, and these red and white-ish ones, not cherries, kinda clearish, now it has a black/navy color trace to it lol... they seem fine but definitely something interesting


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## jeepguy

I would continue to dose the tank 3-5 days after seeing last spot or you may end ip with another outbreak.


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## elo500

So if you removed the fish to treat outside of the tank, then the Ich in the tank would die out completely without sny hosts in 3 days?


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## Kathyy

Spots falling off the fish doesn't mean the meds are working. Ich's life system is complex like that of many parasites. We see the cysts, that is the feeding stage. Cysts drop off and ich develops into another stage. Hatch from the cyst and those swimmers go out looking for more host fish. Meds don't work on the spots, they work on the swimmers. 

Once spots have dropped off the fish do a water change vacuuming the bottom of the tank to get the developing cysts before they develop into infectious swimmers and be sure your choice of weapon is in the tank ready to kill the swimming ich.

I've been lucky and only seen a few spotty fish since I started up aquariums properly. All I have done is watch and do a couple water change/vacuums when spots fall off.


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## Coralbandit

elo500 said:


> So if you removed the fish to treat outside of the tank, then the Ich in the tank would die out completely without sny hosts in 3 days?


 7-10 days is a safer bet to be host free.
You should treat the fish from that tank that long at least anyways.


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## Oceangirl

if you remove the fish from an ich infested tank and cranked the heat up, you should atleast leave it without fish for 3 weeks. That way ANY ich cysts would have hatched and died. I always leave the fish and treat the whole tanks, its in your filter, your substrate and on any decor. I now keep enough Paraguard on hand to treat my largest tank.


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## Fishkillmoon

KatherineL said:


> I dislike staining with meds. Also the heat-salt method never worked for me and killed half my plants. I like using fenbendazole powder at 84-86 deg, the safeguard for dogs at petco. Took away the spots overnight but I treat for two weeks just in case. No casualties including plants, otos and dwarf cories.
> 
> Dissolve 1 packet into 200ml water.
> shake water in tupperware or bottle
> Treat 1 ml per gal


How often do you treat? Once? More?
Thanks. 
I'm assuming you're talking about a 1gram packet?


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