Ick on Fish

[freshwaterfishlover]

Does it look like one huge or small white spot or many small small white spots? Has anyone seen ick on a swordtail fish? Can it be caused by high Nitrate? What should I do to help it or get rid of it? I hear you guys talk about adding salt to the tank how much and is it good for all fish?


I think I may have it. I see 2 Swordtail with may small small white spots. It looks like snow.

[freshwaterfishlover]

For now I rasied the Temp and turned of the light, nothing else.

[Lady Hobbs]

I would either add salt or get ICK medication. The meds can destroy the biological factor in your tank but adding some Stress Zyme (or bio spira) should bring it back quickly.

Here's an article reading ICK and the way that stuff works.

http://www.fishlore.com/Articles/CuringIch.htm

I am also of the belief anymore that the proper medication can do no more harm than high temps and salt for days. I have gone both ways and felt the med actually worked faster without subjecting others in the tank to salt. Loaches, corys and pleco's don't do well in salt and the amount required to kill the ICK is higher than I like to use.

[freshwaterfishlover]

Ok I read the article, you can't use regular table salt can you? Also I am going to do a water change right now.

[Lady Hobbs]

Table salt is OK is it is of the uniodized type but most people buy the iodized type. I use Kosher myself simple because it's so much cheaper but I do prefer regular aquarium salt. Koshler just doesn't dissolve well enough.

Salt doesn't leave the tank. The only way to remove it is thru water changes.

[freshwaterfishlover]

I have kosher. If I use Salt, I should do a water change every other day for like a week and add salt every other day that I do not do a water change or sholud I add salt every day and do a water change day?

[freshwaterfishlover]

I came home from work and one of Red Swordtail was dead. I have or had 6 Swordtails. 2 others have Ick. One also besides having Ick is getting VERY skinny. I have the Temp at around 88 and light off. I also just added 6TSP of salt to my 30 Gallon. Should I add 30TSP of salt or 6 is enough? Has anyone got rid of the Ick with just using salt or do you think I should use Medication too?

[Lady Hobbs]

Your temp may be a bit too high. I wouldn't turn the heat up any further than 84 max.
Problem with ick is that it can get in their gills and suffociate them too. 1 t per gallon of salt is what I've read but to me, that's a lot of salt. But, from what I've read, the recommend amount for killing ick.

Salt never leaves the tank and is only removed with water changes. Once you add the salt, I'd do no water changes for about 5 days then do a 30%. Ick's lifespan is supposed to run about that long on higher temps. Put off water change longer if you feel it necessary.

If you are uncomfortable with all that salt and those high temps, get some Jungle Lab drop in pellets for ICK and just let it remain in the tank for 5 days, do a water change of about 30% and treat one more time to get rid of any "hanger-ons". I almost wonder if the high temps and high amount of salt isn't nearly as bad as the medication....or as bad.

Once they have ICK, they may also get a secondary infection due to stress. Fin rot could appear then but not always. Good luck.

[freshwaterfishlover]

I will add 4 more TSp of salt(for a total of 10 and call it good), still keep the light off and drop the down 4 degrees. I will not do a water change for 5 days.

Should I be having the filter off during this time?

[freshwaterfishlover]

I woke up this morrning and another Swordtail was dead. I still have 2 Swordtails and a bannded Gourami that has ICK. I hope the whole tank does not get it.


Also this morrning I added 19 more TSP of salt to my 30 gallon to make it 1TSP pur gallon.

[Lady Hobbs]

Your may have to pick up some meds for it....Jungle parasite pellets or Quick Cure for instance. If they have the ick pretty bad, the salt and higher temps may not work fast enough.

[freshwaterfishlover]

the ones that still have it, the swordtail fiahes have it mild, but the Gourami has it bad. I will go to the fish store today.

Also I do not know the name of the Medication, but once like a year ago I had ICK and they gave me this small bottle with purple liquid in it.

Another Question, If I get the Medication should I leave the salt in the tank or do a water change then add the medication?

[freshwaterfishlover]

OW DAME I just remembered my fish store maybe closed because of Thanksgiving, but I will call first.

[freshwaterfishlover]

I called all 6 stores in my area. Only The biggest store is open today till 4PM.

[Lady Hobbs]

Walmart has Jungle Parasite tabs. They work very well. It will turn your water green. Remove any carbon filter, add the tabs and go by the directions on the box. This whole tank needs to be treated.

[freshwaterfishlover]

I went to the fish store. They gave me Fourmilin(I think thats how you spell it). They told me since I put salt in the tank, do a 50% water change and half treatment and tomorrow 50% water change and half treatment. After that do 3 more full treatments eveyother day. After the 3 full treatments do a 50% water change. Then you should be good.

Hopefully I only lost 2 Swordtail Fish nothing more.

[Lady Hobbs]

Good. Hope it gets rid of those pests right away.

[kimmers318]

Another suggestion is to use some stresscoat. Heat, stresscoat and water changes are all I ever used to treat ICK....and no recurrences at all. I dose at the rate for damaged skin/fins, which is twice the amount needed for dechlorination, and if possible, squirt it directly onto the infected fish. First ICK I dealt with was at the beginning of the year....said fish have been since moved to another tank...no recurrence. Second was a clown loach I purchased knowing it had ICK....but it was unusually marked so I bought it....again no recurrence, and never even saw more spots on it than it originally had. Clown loaches are notorious for ICK and other than that 1 fish, I have never even had it on my clowns.
Hubby treated his oscars with ICK meds (don't remember which ones) and they kept getting it over and over again. Once he gave up on meds and just did stresscoat and water changes they have been fine ever since.