Best treatment for Ich..

[Mr. FishMan]

What is the best treatment for Ich in a tank with scaleless fish? I have an 120-130 gallon tank with a BGK, an Angelfish, 2 pictus, a Pleco and a Severum. It just started showing up this morning and the Severum seems to be the only one infected but I don't have a QT to put him in. I've raised the temp to 86° and I have some API aquarium salt on hand, but I have read some mixed information on whether or not it is ok to use aquarium salt with scaleless fish (Pictus, BGK and Pleco?). I also have some "Quick Cure" but again I have gotten mixed information on whether it is safe or not to use in a tank with scaleless fish. So what's the best treatment for Ich in a tank with scaleless fish?

Tank params as of yesterday:

PH - 7.6
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 15-20

P.S. I don't believe this to be an issue with the chemistry of the water, rather than due to the fact that I purchased a fish that was potentially a carrier of the disease.

 

[molliwopp]

The temerature alone will be able to cure your tank but will take alot longer than usual.

With only temperature treatment it may appear not to be working but over time theyll slowly die off, for example, you may see 50spots at first and each week you may see 40 then 30 then 20 .. until wiped out. But keepng the tank at 86 for long periods isnt a great idea.

And youre right, plecos and salt dont mix very well either.

 

[molliwopp]

P.S. I don't believe this to be an issue with the chemistry of the water, rather than due to the fact that I purchased a fish that was potentially a carrier of the disease.[/QUOTE]

Yep, this happens alot and is more than likely the cause.

 

[Mr. FishMan]

Thanks for the quick response. So the high temperatures alone should be enough to kill off all the Ich? It doesn't seem to be too bad right now.. I only see a few spots on the Sev but is there a better/faster way to get rid of it? I just remembered that I also have some Formalin MS and Metro MS on hand, which when used together is supposed to be a really effective treatment for a wide variety of external fish diseases and is safe for all different types of fish including scaleless. Worth a shot?

 

[Mebbid]

I agree with using heat alone to treat the ich. Only use medication when it's necessary and it'll save you from a lot of potential problems down the road.

 

[molliwopp]

And if you do end up using the meds, dont use all 3 in conjunction with eachother. Heat and salt or meds. Never mix heat salt and meds. Heat and meds is OKish and worked for me first couple of times i had ich back in the day. Id try heat first.

 

[Mr. FishMan]

Thanks everyone, this is my first time dealing with Ich.. And as said before, I have scaleless fish in the tank so using salt is probably not the best option. I've already turned up the heat so we'll see how that goes. As for medicating, I've been suggested by a well respected member on this forum to check out Paraguard by Seachem. After doing some lite research on the product, I have decided to go this route with treating the tank along with the raise in temperature.

 

[molliwopp]

Thanks everyone, this is my first time dealing with Ich.. And as said before, I have scaleless fish in the tank so using salt is probably not the best option. I've already turned up the heat so we'll see how that goes. As for medicating, I've been suggested by a well respected member on this forum to check out Paraguard by Seachem. After doing some lite research on the product, I have decided to go this route with treating the tank along with the raise in temperature.

Ok thats upto you follow the instructions on the bottle down to the note!

 

[Mr. FishMan]

Ok thats upto you follow the instructions on the bottle down to the note!

Will do. Thanks for the help

 

[krazyK]

I have a question, for tanks with like neon tetras that don't do well with heat, would you recommend increasing the temperature to kill the ich or just go meds alone?