Ich

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mambee

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Oct 14, 2015
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Location
Hartsdale, NY
I bought some emperor tetras and got lazy and only quarantined them for a week. Of course I introduced Ich to my 90 gallon tank. I tried the heat method and kept the temp at 86 for at least a week but it had no noticeable effect. I tried Kordon Kick Ich and my rummy noses got even more covered in Ich and have been dropping like flies. Since I have dwarf loaches and other sensitive fish, I tried to stay away from the harsher medications. I've been using Kordon Rid Ich Plus since Saturday with no noticeable difference. I used the last of the medication tonight and will have to purchase more tomorrow.

Several members of another forum recommended Esha Exit which is not available in the US. I ordered some on eBay on January 2nd but it has yet to arrive.

What should I do?


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Did you go with the standard dosage or did you up it to every 12 hours?


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I have used full strength and then even more on individual doses.
With dye based meds IMO the 'darkness' of the color is a indication of meds strength.
So I may add more if I think it is fading fast.

Are you making large water change before you start treatment?
Most meds effectiveness/strength will be reduced possibly greatly by dissolved organics in the water.
I do my weekly wc,then dose 1/2 strength day one then go full strength next day.
I do this due to stocking(cards,rummy,cories,loaches)...

I really like kordon rid ich plus and the link says still today( I believe) that MG and formalin are one of the best treatments for ich...

Add things like driftwood can absorb meds or degrade them (like doc)and lower their impact...
 
I perform 40% water changes once per week. I do have a lot of driftwood in my tank.

This morning was a disaster. 4 dead dwarf loaches and another dead rummynose. I would have taken a vacation day if I wasn't so busy at work.

I had about 18 dwarf loaches before the 4 that died. The remaining ones are in hiding or severely stressed. All of my fish look like they want to jump out of the water. I'm afraid as to what I'm going to find when I get home.

My plan is to do another big water change tonight and dose again with Rid Ich Plus. I have to go buy more tonight.

I've had some of these fish for 10 years or more. It seems like ich has become more virulent and resistant to medication. Back in the day, you dosed with medication and you were clear in a week.
 
Are you 100% sure it's ich? I'm still very new to the hobby, but there could be something else going on, right? Seems strange for the ich to survive the high temp+meds without showing any signs of going away.

Just a thought. Best of luck!
 
I hope things are looking better when you get home.
When you do your big water change do a little extra AND make sure there are no dead fish hiding tucked away...
Ich GAINS super powers by being allowed to feast on dead fish as well as increasing the risk of other fish eating dead fish which is another huge issue.
Good luck and check in.
 
Still fighting the ich with Kordon Rid Ich Plus. Most of the fish are clear except for a dwarf loach which is still covered. I euthanized a rummynose which was completely covered with ich. So far, I've lost about 6 rummynoses, 6 dwarf loaches, a nice L pleco which was about 12 years old, a BNP and several other miscellaneous fish.

Very disgusted with myself for allowing this to happen. I'm on a knife's edge between adding enough medication to kill the ich but not kill the loaches. Most of the retailers were useless with advice. The one realist that I spoke with advised that you have to do what needs to be done to stop the ich, no matter how many fish that you kill in the process.

I'm still waiting for my Esha Exit to arrive from the UK. Should I continue with the Rid Ich or try something new?
 
I don't want to give bad advice but I would myself keep increasing the dose and water changes till I saw a positive or negative effect that I know I had caused.
I feel your pain of doing so well and falling off the cliff.
If beyond the ich the fish looks to be healthy(not on deaths door) I would pump the meds in!
Hope this works out.:popcorn:

Tom
 
At this point I have switched over to Esha Exit, and it seems less stressful on the fish. The ich seems to have cleared up. However, I have one dwarf loach which was heavily covered in ich who still looks bad. It almost looks like the cysts are covered by slime. I can't tell if it is ich or a secondary infection.

Should I try salt and high temperature for a week?
 
Two weeks at 86F while gradually increasing salinity to 1.005 did the trick for us.
 
How many tablespoons per gallon do you need to get to that level?
No idea. A pint (dry measure) of aquarium salt came out to around a .002 salinity rise in our 190g tank.

Is this safe for plants, corydoras, plecos, and loaches?
The pygmy corys don't seem to mind, but can't say about those other things.
 
This method is fine as long as your fish dont die in the process.
Remember, ick grows FASTER at higher temps.
I would never try this method personally, id just put some formalin, malachite or acriflavin in the water and forget about it.
Im too worried my fish would die in the process.
Then again ive never had much problem with ick.
Seems to be my water around here they just dont like ick but its great for bacterial problems (hard water)
 
Speed Kill

Where did you hear this? Every source I've found says ich dies in temps higher than 84°F.... :what:
Well, either way is good. Dead is good, and the sooner they complete their life cycle and finish dying, the better.
 
This method is fine as long as your fish dont die in the process.
Mine never even looked stressed the least bit. I'm sure some species might, but that's a detail for the icky owner to determine on an idividual basis - not a blanket condemnation of the process.
Remember, ick grows FASTER at higher temps.
which is a GOOD THING, at least as far as killing it quickly is concerned.
I would never try this method personally, id just put some formalin, malachite or acriflavin in the water and forget about it.
I try to avoid chemicals, except as a last resort - and keep a close eye on things all the time. Forgetting about a health problem is something I would never do.
Then again ive never had much problem with ick.
1st time in 15 years for me. The lesson learned is NEVER put fish from the pet store right in the tank upon arrival home.
 
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