Ich; some clarification needed

[swifty]

I have had my 29g tank setup for about 8 months now. A week or so ago I added a small 2" BNP, which I believe is what introduced it to my tank. That or some skirt tetras I added a week or so before that from petsmart (first time I bought from petsmart).

Anyhow, a few of the 10 tetras have anywhere from 2-6 spots, and the pleco has the worst of it. Thankfully it hasn't spread to my juvenile cichlids; a firemouth and blue acara. This morning I bumped the temperature up to 86, but the tank was only reaching 82, so I bought another 150w heater. The tank is now at 87, and a lower water level to increase aeration in the tank.

I feed NLS exclusively, with an occasional frozen blood worm/mysis shrimp treat. Two Aquaclear 50s and weekly 33-50% water changes.

I have a lot of plants, so medication/aquarium salt was out of the question. A few things I needed cleared up:

-I read 86 and above is what's best; will 87 be enough to prevent reproduction or kill any of this parasite?
-How long should I keep the tank at this raised temperature?
-I have a sand substrate, and since yesterday have been doing 33% water changes; increase/decrease frequency and how should I deal with the sand?
-Any other tips from others that have been unforunate to battle ich?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I have had my 29g tank setup for about 8 months now. A week or so ago I added a small 2" BNP, which I believe is what introduced it to my tank. That or some skirt tetras I added a week or so before that from petsmart (first time I bought from petsmart).

Anyhow, a few of the 10 tetras have anywhere from 2-6 spots, and the pleco has the worst of it. Thankfully it hasn't spread to my juvenile cichlids; a firemouth and blue acara. This morning I bumped the temperature up to 86, but the tank was only reaching 82, so I bought another 150w heater. The tank is now at 87, and a lower water level to increase aeration in the tank.

I feed NLS exclusively, with an occasional frozen blood worm/mysis shrimp treat. Two Aquaclear 50s and weekly 33-50% water changes.

I have a lot of plants, so medication/aquarium salt was out of the question. A few things I needed cleared up:

-I read 86 and above is what's best; will 87 be enough to prevent reproduction or kill any of this parasite?
-How long should I keep the tank at this raised temperature?
-I have a sand substrate, and since yesterday have been doing 33% water changes; increase/decrease frequency and how should I deal with the sand?
-Any other tips from others that have been unforunate to battle ich?

Sounds like you have it under control. At 86f ich stops reproducing so 87 is fine as long as your fish are handling it. You need to keep the temp up for at least one week after the last spot is seen then slowly decrease it. 1/3 daily is good for water changes. You could probably do them every second or third day and be fine. Hover over the sand and that will help remove it. It's not necessary to vac but it does help speed up treatment.

 

[swifty]

Sounds like you have it under control. At 86f ich stops reproducing so 87 is fine as long as your fish are handling it. You need to keep the temp up for at least one week after the last spot is seen then slowly decrease it. 1/3 daily is good for water changes. You could probably do them every second or third day and be fine. Hover over the sand and that will help remove it. It's not necessary to vac but it does help speed up treatment.

Yeah they seem to be ok. My cichlids however seem to have got a bit more aggressive as they're attempting to nip at the tetras, rather than the normal burst of speed to get them out of the way. No damage though, so they should be fine.

Looking ahead, when I (hopefully) remove this infection from the tank, should I decrease the temp back to 80 over a few hours or a few days?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Over a few hours is fine. When you turn it down the temp will slowly decrease on its own. Unless its very cold in your house or its a small tank it won't drop too fast. 80 is a bit high IMO. They will be fine at 76f.