Ick treatment question

**Compass** · 12-18-2012, 11:52 PM

So I had Ick pop up last week and I used the API Super Ick Cure. The treatment called for "Dose-48hrs-Dose2-48hrs-water change. After the first dose the ick cleared up, and I went ahead with the second dose and before I did the water change I noticed the ick was back. Well I continued with the water change and replaced my carbon. There is however ick still present. My question is, is this normal and those are just dead ick that haven't detached yet? If not, would it be safe to go through the procedure again so soon? I have a 20 gallon tank with 10 Tiger barbs. Ammonia 0, Ni 0, Na 5ppm. 80 degree water.

**Strider199** · 12-19-2012, 12:26 AM

Ick has three stages. The white spots you see can not be killed while they are on the fish. The white spots will fall off and go to the bottom, again they cant be killed off. When the little (you cant see them) guys start swimming looking for a host( your fish), thats when the medicine will do its work. The warmer the water the quicker the life cycle of ick.
Take the carbon out, start the medication over again and dont stop until the complete treatment time on the bottle has been fulfilled. Just because you cant see them doesn't mean your in the clear.
Carbon reduces the medicines ability to do it's job. Add an air-stone and pump to help keep the O2 up if you increase the temperature. Some say killing the lights during this period will also help.
Just like anti bio-tics, keep up the treatment and dont cut it short.

**Indian Woods Angels** · 12-19-2012, 01:15 AM

Yup good advice, the only time you can kill them is when they are swimming and larval.

**Compass** · 12-19-2012, 09:43 AM

Thanks, that clears that up for me. I've already started the second round of treatments, hopefully it'll get it all.

**ddavis1979** · 12-19-2012, 10:05 AM

When my fish got ich, I raised the temperature to 84 degrees F, added aquarium salt and waited 2 weeks. I cleared up and I havent seen it since.

**Hardy85** · 12-19-2012, 11:21 AM

I have had ich twice in a month and a half... finally got rid of it, and got it again from a LFS (I know, I know, I need a quarantine tank)

But both times raising the temp to 82-84 plus a bit of salt has worked. I don't like the meds personally, at least with higher temps and salt you can go an extra week of treating without harm

**fishmommie** · 12-19-2012, 12:40 PM

Just another note on this: if you treat with an ick medication that contains copper, the copper will kill any invertebrates you have in the tank - snails, or shrimp. And because copper lingers in the silicone sealing the glass, often you can't return snails to the tank for a very long time.

If you treat with heat and or salt, continue the treatment for at least 4 days after you see the last spot on your fish. Then slowly reduce the heat and at the end of the extra 4 days, do back to back 25 to 30% w/c to get rid of the salt and vacuum the substrate thoroughly to pick up any ick fall off,

I followed this to the letter on my one and only outbreak of ick and it has not returned. The key is waiting those extra days.
Good luck. It's horrible stuff to combat and get rid of.

**imma24** · 12-19-2012, 12:52 PM

When I had ick in my tank, I couldn't turn the heat up because I had cooler water fish in there that would have suffered so I added meds. I ended up losing about 3 fish but the others did well. I waited a loooong time to make super sure it was all gone and then I added new fish. Good luck!