How to rid Ick???

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CleverBs

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Aug 21, 2011
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So I got ich in my Planted tank...So im trying to figure out the best way to rid this. Should I increase my heat to 86 or 89.5 I read that 86 will destroy ich in 10 days but 89.5 will kill it in 3 days then you keep your tank at 86 for the remaining 7 days.

Fish In tank
5x Pearl Gouramies
6x German Blue Rams
9x Cardinal Tetras
2x Pelvicachromis Rubrolabiatus (it a Krib)

Ick as of right now is only on the Cardinals and the Pelvicahromis

I just dont know if all the fish can handle water at 89.5 degrees nor do I know if I can even get it that hot. I have 2x Fluval 300watt heats in the tank thats 75 gallons

I read that you want very good O2 in the tank while treating this and to turn off Co2 if using it, do I really need to do this because my plants pearl and create a large amount of O2 I would think and I can always add a Air Stone or put my spray bar above water level? Iv already moved my power head so it hits the surface of the water making a rippling surface
 
Come on guys help me out so I can get this treatment going for my fish Asap

Also I cant use salt in my tank beings its so planted I dont want to hurt my plants and I read that the heat treatment will work w/o salt
 
This is a link to a page on AquariumAdvice.com

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/articles/articles/29/1/Freshwater-Ich-Yuck-/Page1.html

Here is a part I pulled on other ways to treat the disease:

"High temperature is an effective treatment.

Ich appears not to be able to survive temperatures above 86F. By raising temps to above 86F one can kill all the parasites; generally, 4-5 days after the temps have been raised above 86F you will see a reduction in white spots on your fish. It is best to continue temps above 86F for at least 2 weeks to ensure all the parasites have been killed. Do not raise temperatures too quickly. 1 to 1 ½ degrees F every 12 hours is best, although if you keep your temps very low you may need to shorten that to 1 degree F every 6 hours. Raising temps too quickly can stress fish. Keep in mind, Ich multiplies more quickly at higher temps below 86F; it is necessary to find a balance between raising temps slowly enough not to stress the fish and quickly enough to keep the fish from becoming too infested with the parasite. Also, be sure all the fish/invertebrates in the tank can handle temps that high; if you’re not sure, do some research and ask.
**High temps reduces the amount of oxygen in the water. Increasing surface agitation, either by lowering water levels if one has a hang on back filters so the water falls further, or adding addition aeration is recommended.

Salt is another effective treatment.

By raising salt levels to 2-3 ppm or 1.002-1.003 specific gravity above what one normally keeps the tank at can destroy the Ich parasites. It has a strong effect on osmosis, and dehydrates the parasite to the point the parasite can no longer function and dies. Again, raising levels slowly but not too slowly is key here; raising salt 1 ppm per day is recommended. Generally 7.6 grams of salt per gallon is equal to 2 ppm or 1.002-1.003 specific gravity . However, it’s the chloride ions which are necessary for the treatment, and different salts have different levels of chloride. It’s best to purchase a hydrometer which measures low levels of salt to ensure proper dosage.

2 weeks at those levels sure eradicate all the parasites. Again, be sure all the fish in your tank can deal with those levels of salt. On that note, most scaleless fish CAN handle these levels of salt. Plecos and loaches especially do fine despite internet rumors to the contrary. It has been noted some tetras and corys do not do well with salt, however.

Once treatment is finished, regular water changes will remove the salt and return the tank to its usual levels.

** It is recommended to use pure salts such as aquarium, kosher or rock salt, NOT regular table salt. There are some concerns the chemicals added to table salt (such as iodine, and iron cyanides which are sometimes added as an anti-caking chemical) can be injurious to fish. Salt is also not a recommended treatment for planted tanks.

Water changes during treatment.

A mentioned in the medication section, water changes can reduce levels of meds and they may need to be adjusted accordingly. The same goes for the salt treatment as one wants to keep levels the same. Obviously, it is not an issue for the high temperature treatment. However, water changes are NOT necessarily a bad thing; in fact, by doing water changes and gravel vacs, you are removing some of the theronts swimming in the water and the tomonts encysted in the substrate and reducing the overall levels of parasites in your system."

Hope this helps!
 
I don't think you have to turn off CO2. The higher heat leads to decreased O2 sat, which is why you have an airstone, but I don't think CO2 hurts or helps.


I would probably be very wary of salting the cardinals or the rams, as they probably won't appreciate the high TDS. They are both, however, high temperature friendly. I don't know about the kribs or gouramis though.
 
well I wont be using salt, I lost one ram today...first fish Iv lost =/ but he seemed to be the carrier because he had the worst ich and far worse then any other fish in the tank has it. Very sad to lose one of my beloved rams :(

I hope I dont have any other loses, My Kribs seem very happy and my cardinals are bright in color and dont seem to be hurting, The pearls dont show any ich however I wonder if I just cant see it because of their color, And only 2 of the rams have any ich and its only on thier tail fin. the one that died seemed to be covered in it having it on his gills and everything. Lesson learned I will be QT all my new fish from here on out.
 
I have 3x 300watt heaters in my tank trying to bring the temp up to 86. Will be leaving it that way for 2 weeks does everyone think this is my best route to take?

-Cant use salt because of the Rams/Cardinals
-Could Put the other fish in a QT tank and treat them with heat/salt but honesty dont want to stress them out and make it worse then it is.
-Any thought how I can help the fish to minimize stress?
 

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