fish have ick...

[SHIFT_Unique]

im most postive its with the severe fluctuations of pH and ammonia and nitrite spikes.

the pH, ammonia, and nitirite are back to normal

now i need to get rid of the ick

 

[justrelax]

hope you have a good heater! crank that puppy up (slowly crank, mind you) to above 86 degrees for a few weeks, that should do it. there's an article about ich and how to get rid of it in the articles section here, too. you can read that for more info. good luck!

 

[Zagz]

Yes turning up the heat to 87F and leaving it that way for 2 week after the last spot of ich is gone will cure ich. Also either lower the water level or add an airstone to increase aeration in the tank.

 

[SHIFT_Unique]

that wont kill the fish?? thats like cookin them isnt it? how can they stand that hot of water for so long?

 

[justrelax]

Ever heard of "sweating out" a high temperature? It works the same way. You make an environment that is unliveable for the parasite and it dies.

 

[SHIFT_Unique]

isnt that temperature "unliveable" for the fish?

 

[justrelax]

As long as you SLOWLY raise it to 87 to avoid shocking them, they will be fine. This method has been used successfully by many people, you should feel confident using it.

 

[SHIFT_Unique]

how slow is slow? i turned up the heater lastnight it was at 80, now its at 89. was that too fast? overnight?

 

[justrelax]

This is a good article about ich. I've heard a degree every 2-12 hours, depends on who you talk to. My brother-in-law just had to raise temps overnight for ich right before going out of town and his fish did fine. Just keep an eye on them. I'm sure 89 is not neccessary, 87 is just fine.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Actually the temp should be turned up to above 86 degrees over a 2 or 3 day period. Just turn it up a couple notches in the morning, a couple more in the evening, and do again the next day, and a 3rd day if you want to spread it out a little longer. Overnight is actually too fast, IMO. But I've seen my tank go up past that in a day without stressing the fish too much when I accidently forgot to turn the A/C on before going to work. From what I've noticed, you want to turn the temp down slower than you turn it up, as going to colder temps seem to stress the fish a little faster than warming them up. But you should do it over a 2 or 3 day period. I use 89 degrees myself for treating ick, and run an air bubbler. And my reasoning for 89 degrees is so the minimum temp doesn't go below 86 degrees when the heater turns on and off.

 

[SHIFT_Unique]

it has been at 90 for 2 days now, hwo long shoudl i leave it that high, one still has white dots

 

[justrelax]

And my reasoning for 89 degrees is so the minimum temp doesn't go below 86 degrees when the heater turns on and off.

Boy, you're a thinker!! lol I guess the temp gets harder to keep stable the bigger the difference between tank and room, huh?

hwo long shoudl i leave it that high, one still has white dots

At least two weeks. Did you check out that article?

 

[SHIFT_Unique]

no where is the article

 

[justrelax]

Here

Just keep that temp at 89 or lower... 90 is too high. Do you have a digital thermometer or are you going by what is on the heater?

 

[SHIFT_Unique]

i have a glass tube inside the water, its right at 89-90

EDIT: article was good. had no idea the chemicals are nearly 0% effective

hehe somethign to brag to my assistant manager that swears by chemicals, he doesnt want to raise temperature, he said he will stick to chemicals.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

The temp needs to be left up for 2 weeks past the time you see the last spot disappear. That way you know all the ick is gone, even what might still be in the substrate. When you see no more white spots, start your 14 day countdown, then lower the temps over 2-3 days after the countdown is complete.