how do i treat ich!!!

[shalafi04]

all of the loaches I bought from the LFS have ich now! HELP!!!

[Lady Hobbs]

Turn temps to 84 and add 1 T. of tank salt per every 5 gallons of water. I would add half now and the other half tomorrow.

[jbeining75]

yup if that doesn't break the cycle malchette green but thats kinda last resort.....

[shalafi04]

what about the ich clear tablets??? Do they work??

[jbeining75]

no no not yet heres what you do put your tank upto 84 and salt the tank.... that should help thefish clear it........... and no matter what don't use the tabs........ if that doesn't work I can post the malchette treatment if youd like..... i will warn you though malchette green WILL turn hoses ans silicone in your tank a bluish color but it will also kill the ich... If you want me to post the treatment schedule I will but try the salt and heat first that usually works unless you got a really bad case in your gravel...................

[shalafi04]

so this can wait until tomorrow right?? Because there is no pet store open right now, and I dont have any salt. :(

I dont think its that bad, they seem really happy and healthy still... i think I can wait it out one more day.

Whats wrong with the tablets... do they just not work???

[jbeining75]

they don't work all so great.. to beat ich you have to understand it... there are three stages... stage 1 gravel respawn, stage 2 freeswimming to attach to host stage 3 attach to host.... when they are attached to the fish they are burrowed and can't be treated but when they are free swimming is when you have to get them.. the tabs are gonna cloud the water and just make you more frustrated...... the salt can wait until tomorrow yes... ich is not extremely horrible... it is the most common of tankbourne disease. its like our common cold and can be very easy to treat......

[shalafi04]

okay. I feel much better now. I'll go buy the salts tomorrow. Any special kind I should look for or is any aquarium salt just as good as the other??

[jbeining75]

I use API its in a blue box.......it says aquarium salt. don't get like instant ocean or anything.... when you salt your tank, don't dump the salt straight in..... take your net and dump the needed amount in there. open your lid slide the net in and close your lid so it holds the net suspended in the water column not touching anything,...... the closer you get it to the filter the better so the salt circulates and doesn't overtake one area all at once..... I usually put the net in thestream where the filter puts the water back into the tank........

[jbeining75]

oh also since you are increasing the heat you are decreasing the oxygen in the tank... if you got an airstone I suggest blasting it..... good luck if the salt doesn't work after a week or two repost and I'll post the malchette green treatment cycle up for you./......

[shalafi04]

awesome thanks so much. and its like lady hobbs said 1 tablespoon per 5 gals.

How often do i add salt?? Every day???

[jbeining75]

no no you'll make the water brackish and torment the fish. Once you salt it the first time only resalt it with water changes and only put the amount of salt in needed for the amount of water you took out/put back in.... ie 50% wate change used 25 gallons then only add enough salt for 25 gallons when doing the water change............

[Tigerbarb]

There is ich treatment available and it's pretty cheap. Have you tried any of that?
And yeah, I've heard aquarium salt works too.

[bubble_bee]

Hey, I recently beat ich just by doing water changes, raising the temp, and adding salt. I've heard that loaches are really sensitive to changes in environment, and very susceptible to ich.
I was told that it's important to do lots of water changes (I think I did 20% every second day) in order to help reduce the number of parasites in their freeswimming and egg stages, and to keep the tank clean so that there aren't secondary infections in the wounds that the parasites create.
Also, make sure you add the salt slowly like jbeining75 suggested. I'm not sure if you have any other fish in the tank, but if you have anything sensitive like catfish it's probably better to dissolve the salt in water before you put it in the tank, because it can burn their skin.

Hope it works for you too, good luck!

[Lady Hobbs]

And you are absolutely correct! Loaches are extremely sensitive to Ick meds and it must be used with great care and only in half doses. That's why I mentioned to use salt. And while you are waiting to get these meds, you fish are only getting more covered with ick. It does kill them if it gets too bad and gets inside their gills.

[jbeining75]

yeah I'd always use salt before nuking the tank with malchette green. 85% of the time the salt will work with increased heat.....

[shalafi04]

thanks you guys. I wish I could go to the pet store now, but we're a poor military family, and my husband has the car during the day. Luckily I have an orthodontist appt. so I'll be getting the car early today. Ill keep you all posted. Everyone with the ich seems fine for now... I'm watching.


do i need to remove any parts of my filter media or anything, like with meds you remove carbon right? But with salt, do i have to??

[Lady Hobbs]

With salt the filters are fine as they are. You can also use Kosher salt(pickling salt) in place of tank salt. Same thing without the price. I disolved my salt in hot water. Takes a while to dissolve well.