ICK treatment regimen

[gm72]

Have been treating Ick in the 40-long since Saturday. Using half-strength Melafix. No more visible white spots, although I have lost some fish in the process. My question is, how long should I treat the tank? I think I remember reading 2 weeks total? My other question is, should I change the water in the meantime? Thanks, folks!

[Chrona]

Have been treating Ick in the 40-long since Saturday. Using half-strength Melafix. No more visible white spots, although I have lost some fish in the process. My question is, how long should I treat the tank? I think I remember reading 2 weeks total? My other question is, should I change the water in the meantime? Thanks, folks!

Yep, two weeks is the ideal length, because the ich parasite life cycle varies by A LOT depending on water temperature. I believe at 80ish degrees, it is about 3 days, but a few degrees less increases the life cycle by quite a bit (how much I can't recall). Because ich is only susceptible to medications when it's free floating, it's recommended you treat for 1-2 weeks to make sure all the cysts are out or dead and that means having ich go through at least 1-2 life cycles. A loss of white spots just means the cysts fell into the gravel, and you are now at the stage when the parasites are free floating and can be removed/treated. If any fish get ich again, you start the whole cycle over.

Water changes is always a good idea. It removes free floating parasites.

If you haven't already, raise the temps to 80 degrees slowly and add 1 tablespoon of salt per 10g of water (unless you have fish that can't tolerate it)

[Lady Hobbs]

I highly doubt that metafix is effective in treating ick. This is a tough parasite and I feel needs proper meds.

[Chrona]

Oh, my mistake. I misread the post. I thought you were adding Melafix as a supplement for the main ick med. Melafix and Pimafix do not treat ick, Hobbs is right.

If you have fish sensitive to salt and/or ich meds (like those loaches), then I'd say go with Kimmers approach, which is just to ensure the fish do not get reinfected the second time around. I believe all she does is add stresscoat and raise the temps, but check with her first. I have used Rid-ich with no problems, but then again, I've never kept fish sensitive to those meds and have heard cases where the meds killed more fish than the ich.

[Drumachine09]

Ive only had ICK in my tank once (knock on wood). I used a med called ick away. It turns your water blueish green, but by morning it is clear again. I have had great sucess with it.

[gm72]

Oh, my. Well, I'll get some additional meds then. I have been SO lucky in all of my years of keeping fish to never have had to deal with this! Water changes though--this will obviously take out the meds. I am due for a water change this Saturday. Go ahead with my regular water changes and continue medicating with the proper meds? BTW, this is the tank that has the corys in it, and I believe them to be sensitive to meds/salt. This whole situation is making me feel so stupid I can't believe it. Thanks so much for the support. I don't like my fishies to be sick!

[Chrona]

Oh, my. Well, I'll get some additional meds then. I have been SO lucky in all of my years of keeping fish to never have had to deal with this! Water changes though--this will obviously take out the meds. I am due for a water change this Saturday. Go ahead with my regular water changes and continue medicating with the proper meds? BTW, this is the tank that has the corys in it, and I believe them to be sensitive to meds/salt. This whole situation is making me feel so stupid I can't believe it. Thanks so much for the support. I don't like my fishies to be sick!

In your case, since you have cories, it's a tough situation either way. The meds will be the most effective cure, for sure (aside from cranking temps up to 86 for a few days, which I'm not sure if your fish can tolerate in the state they are in) but they also hurt the cories. On the other hand, large water changes, stresscoat, and melafix will improve the health of the fish and decrease the chance of the parasite reinfecting the fish (as well as secondary bacterial infections in their weakened state), but it doesn't actually kill the parasites. After a few days of not finding a host, the ich will die off, but again, it's still in the water for a few days. I guess it is up to you in the end. Doing daily 75% water changes in a 40g tank for a week is no fun, I must say. :(

[cocoa_pleco]

Ive had ich twice. When my old celestial goldfish got it, i used that mardel ich and parasite treatment, and within 10 hours all the fluff had died off.

The second time was on a ropefish and I didnt know how to treat it before i knew what it was. I thought that polywool stuck to him