Help!!!! We have ich!!!

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Big C

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Mar 9, 2005
Messages
380
Location
Ontario, Canada
Well "we"meaning my fish. I just come back from a business trip and found that my 30 ga has ich. Which means that the brand new 75 ga must have it too, because I already moved two guppies there a week ago before my trip.

I don't know when it started, nobody at home looks at the fish as closely as I do. It's very obvious on the rummy nose, and some of the other tetras are getting a few spots. I went to BigAl's and got a bottle of ich-x from Aquarium Solutions. After that I read BrianNY sticky and now I don't know what to do. My tank has srimp and plants, so I may not be able to use the med or the salt method. I'm going to change the water right away and start getting the temp up, slowly.

Please, let me know if you have any suggestions. I never had this problem before. I thought that the UV filter would take care of all parasites.

Thank you!
 
Stick with turning the temp up to 86 F, do this slowly 1 degree every 12 hours. If the ich is really bad, then you have to increase the speed of the temp increase. I wouldn't use the meds. I didn't do that recently with ich and the ich claimed a few lives before I got the temp up to 86. Once the temp is up leave it that way for 2 weeks after you see the last spot on your fish! Good luck
 
im on the same train Big C...so far i havent lost any fish with the heat method...i hope it stays that way...good luck!
 
it's a pain, but heat really works--it takes about a month though--2 weeks to kill the ich--and another 2 to make sure it's really gone. good luck!
 
Thank you guys. I have more questions.

Do I need to do pwc more often while they are in heat treatment or should I stick to the regular schedule?

Once the ich is gone I wait for 2 weeks and then I start bringing the temp. down slowly once again?
 
Extra water changes never hurt and could very well help. Yes lower the temperaturee as slowly as you raised it.
 
Also when doing pwc's make sure to get the temp of the new water the same as the exsisting water. Otherwise you will have a nightmare getting the temp to what it was.
 
water changes are a good idea because they help remove the free-swimming theronts from the water...not that you can get them all though...every little thing helps...
 
I go with 88 F. Ich is gone in two days (I leave it there for a week and a half anyway), I've never lost a fish during treatment (except a carpet surfer), and I have never had a breakout that was not associated with adding new fish. You also want to add extra aeration.
 
When I raised my temp, I raised it 3-4 degrees every 6 hours. Same for lowering it. I had my temp at 86 degrees in 2 days. Didn't hurt the fish at all. :)
 
And when at the higher temps, definitely want to use a bubble wand or air stone, or like me, I opened the air line for my powerhead a little to mix air with the water as it exits the powerhead output.
 
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