I think my mollie has ICH

[Jmd]

If that's what it is does the treatment I see online work well?

 

[Calypso77]

Can't really say if the treatment you are reading is correct or not. Could you share what it is you a reading work?

 

[Jmd]

I can't find name of it I think it was called rid ich. I've seen MANY things from increasing temp to salt to medications. I'm new to this & not sure what to try. Only 1 fish showing signs.

 

[Calypso77]

Ya there are a lot of different ways to treat it so it is hard to know if it's a correct way without knowing. There is a thread on here about treating with just AQ Salt and temp rise I will find it a paste it here for you.

It's hard for me to see if she has it with her being white. Does she look like she is covered in salt?

 

[Jmd]

Awesome thanks. Ill look at thread. I can only see little white spots on her fins. Can't tell cause she's white. None of the others seem to have spots just her.

 

[Botanica]

It's hard to see white spots on a white fish in a photo...but if it is ich...the best treatment IMO is heat and salt...especially with a Molly since they love a little salt anyway. What else is in the tank? I would slowly increase the temp to 84 and add aquarium salt...if its ich...that and water changes should take care of it.

 

[Calypso77]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f17/ich-225886.html

This article also talks about salt and heat

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/freshwater-ich-yuck/

 

[Jmd]

I have 2 small angels, 3 platys, 5 mollies, 3 neons, 2 serpae tetras, and a pleco. Is salt & increasing temp ok for those?

 

[Jmd]

It's a 75 gallon tank BTW.

 

[Botanica]

We keep our tank in the low 80s with aquarium salt at half strength all the time...and my stocking list is similar enough...with pants. I do not have a pleco...but have taken care of them and had to add salt for ich treatment to their tank with no adverse effects...to the fish or plants...but the ich was gone in no time. I truly believe its harder for bacteria and fungus to survive and attack my fish in the warmer slightly salty environment. Using the ich treatments has never worked for me without fish loss and/or staining everything in the aquarium blue or green.

 

[Calypso77]

Here is another good thread on ich treatment

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f17/why-me-i-did-things-right-224662.html

 

[Jmd]

Ok I will try that. Now to increase temp I've heard different things. 1 degree/hr and 1 degree/day. Which is correct? Also do I just follow directions on the salt and do I remove carbon filter?

 

[Calypso77]

1 degree an hr is good. No you can leave that filter in I believe, it's not medication you are adding. Not sure how much salt to add just make sure it is Aquarium Salt and that it dissolves before you add it to the tank.

 

[Jmd]

Great! Do you know if the salt I will need to add will bother the pleco? I was just searching it & some day yes & some say no. Just wondered if you knew better one way or another.

 

[Botanica]

I believe the amount safe for plants and cats (so safe for most) is 1 level tablespoon of aquarium salt per 10 gallons. Dissolve it completely in a container of either tank water or conditioned tap water and then add the first half of it over the first 24 hours and watch the fish to be sure you have no reactions (I've never seen any...so don't really know what to watch for...just relaying excellent advice I received from here when I asked these questions). If all goes well...add the second half of the container over the next day. Did that make any sense?

 

[Jmd]

Yes it does. That was next question. Lol. Add all at once or no so u beat me to it. I have one more thing. Do I do water changes during this process? Have read to do it & not to. If so it's going to be hard to add water that warm back to it. Suggestions?

 

[Botanica]

It is hard to temp match warm water...but 84 isn't as warn as it sounds. As long as you're close it should be okay. You should do a few pretty big water changes to take as many of the free swimming critters out as you can. I'm pretty sure they have a hard time attaching to the fish at 84...but you will want to get rid of them. If you're lucky...you caught it early and there won't be many water changes to do. Do remember this tho...salt does not evaporate. If you remove 10 gallons doing a pwc...you will need to replace the salt for that 10 gallons...but no more. I don't usually worry about adding it over days if I'm replenishing it...the fish are used to it already is how I see it...

 

[Botanica]

It's a 75 gallon tank BTW.

You use a python for water changes for a tank this big don't you? If not...that's a lot of buckets...lol...yikes!

 

[Jmd]

Yes I do. Lol.

 

[Jmd]

Ok so when I got up this morning my mollie is swimming around with other fish & no white spots. I used quICK cure yesterday morning & did half the regular dose since I have tetras. So was it really ich? Nothing I read says spots can fall of in a day.