Ich treatment over...now what

[Shana0310]

Hello, I treated my goldfish tank first with high temps and salt. But my LPS recommended if I didn't see improvement after 3 days (I waited 5) to use Super Ich Cure - malachite green and remove the filter cartridges. The directions say basically to treat, wait 48 hrs then treat again. 48 hours after that do a 25% water change. But that's it.

I would think I should vacuum the gravel. Do a larger water change and reinstall the filters (although I threw mine away for fear of contamination)

I had also removed all the decorations, scrubbed them with really hot water and let them air dry for about a week now.

My questions are: should I stick with the package directions?

Or clean the gravel and do a large water change? There is no signs of ich and I had planned on keeping the temp high for another week.

Should I assume that since I used medication that the ich gone?

What is your method after an ich outbreak?


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[ImACoolguy]

Best thing is waiting at least 2 weeks after the last sign of ick. Personally I would have stuck with heat treatment because you threw your filter pads away and unless have filter media to keep your cycle then you will be recycling the tank.


Caleb

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[Shana0310]

Yeah, I knew I'd have to recycle the tank. My punishment for not QTing the tank. When I threw the old ones out I put the new filters In my healthy tank. Figured it couldn't hurt. Do you think it would safe to keep them swimming in the medicated water for another week?


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[ImACoolguy]

I would follow the directions. If there is none I would do some water changes.


Caleb

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[Matt68005]

Best thing is waiting at least 2 weeks after the last sign of ick. Personally I would have stuck with heat treatment because you threw your filter pads away and unless have filter media to keep your cycle then you will be recycling the tank.


Caleb

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Malachite Green does not kill benifical bacteria, but you know what it does kill well....parasites.

 

[ImACoolguy]

Malachite Green does not kill benifical bacteria, but you know what it does kill well....parasites.

What? I was saying because he threw away the pads he would need to recycle the tank


Caleb

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[Matt68005]

Ohh. OK Caleb. Sorry. I am ...thought this was gonna be another one of those heat only treatment lectures. Its so easy to use a little heat and "quick cure" to kill parasites, when people say just use heat only and daily PWC, I laugh and think to myself to that they are totally nuts!

 

[ImACoolguy]

Ohh. OK Caleb. Sorry. I am ...thought this was gonna be another one of those heat only treatment lectures. Its so easy to use a little heat and "quick cure" to kill parasites, when people say just use heat only and daily PWCI laugh and think to myself to that they are totally nuts!

Actually I've done a heat only treatment the one time I got ick in my community tank. 3 weeks and it was gone. No sign of it ever since and a healthy tank now.


Caleb

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[Matt68005]

In the future I plan on "going green" and only keeping some quick cure and maybe primifix.......im tired of all the chemicals, and with guppies, its not like it matters much, they don't live that long anyway.

 

[shark21]

Just got over a bad Ich outbreak I mean bad...and honestly 82 deg. With 2 tsp/per gal of Salt worked great...no chemicals needed...It took about 2 weeks to completely rid the tank....but was worth it...most fish recovered quickly within a few days & 2 angel fish had a spot or two of it for an extra week....I dont agree with heat treatment becouse you have to get your tank up to around 86-90 deg to kill Ich and thats way to warm for fish they will suffocate even with airstones etc....anyways I found safe heat 82-84 speeds up the Ich process and the Salt definitely kills any free floaters....plus constant W/C are key!...Salt is of course only a good option if you dont have live plants!

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[sinibotia]

Don't know what's so funny about heat-only. It's been shown the parasite can't reproduce above 86 degrees. It outright dies at around 90 degrees. It's science.

On any fish that can handle the heat it's my go-to treatment. Otherwise, salt and heat does the trick.

 

[shark21]

Heat is not funny it is out right dangerous! ...I don't know of many fish that can survive in 86-90 deg temps...it is cruel and stresses the fish out tremendously! Science may say Ich dies at 90 but it also says fish suffocate at those temps too....just my opinion heat is just as stressful as chemicals...its a Fact the Salt kills Ich and is safe for fish even healthy so thats my recommendation through experience. ..

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[Delapool]

Just got over a bad Ich outbreak I mean bad...and honestly 82 deg. With 2 tsp/per gal of Salt worked great...no chemicals needed...It took about 2 weeks to completely rid the tank....but was worth it...most fish recovered quickly within a few days & 2 angel fish had a spot or two of it for an extra week....I dont agree with heat treatment becouse you have to get your tank up to around 86-90 deg to kill Ich and thats way to warm for fish they will suffocate even with airstones etc....anyways I found safe heat 82-84 speeds up the Ich process and the Salt definitely kills any free floaters....plus constant W/C are key!...Salt is of course only a good option if you dont have live plants!

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Out of interest was that salt level for two weeks and with what fish? Any problems with the salt? Just curious.

 

[ImACoolguy]

Then there is cases where salt cannot be used. It killed my one and only pleco because salt harms and can kill scaleless fish. I didn't know at the time.


Caleb

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[Delapool]

I've used both separately (meds or heat). Also combined which is generally a no-no.

Planted tank so no salt.

My experience is either works fine. Although I stick with MG and formaldehyde. I prefer heat method over summer or if I catch it early. But in a new tank with new small, stressed fish I feel you need some luck as well no matter what method.

 

[Delapool]

Then there is cases where salt cannot be used. It killed my one and only pleco because salt harms and can kill scaleless fish. I didn't know at the time.


Caleb

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Thanks for the post. Young one? Was there a bad reaction to the salt or do you think infection killed it?

Always learning on salt. I've used salt with established neons and catfish and they have been fine at say 3 tablespoons per 5 gallons. So I think fish can take more salt than we think but I've always wondered if that is age related and I would assume the reverse is true.

 

[shark21]

I treated a 10" pleco and Angel fish 2 raphael and a midnight cat fish which is completely scaleless all did great with salt...only fish I lost was one angel and a Molly that were badly infected by Ich

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[ImACoolguy]

Thanks for the post. Young one? Was there a bad reaction to the salt or do you think infection killed it?

Always learning on salt. I've used salt with established neons and catfish and they have been fine at say 3 tablespoons per 5 gallons. So I think fish can take more salt than we think but I've always wondered if that is age related and I would assume the reverse is true.

Yes it was young. I've read quite a bit about salt harming and even killing scaleless fish like loaches/pleco's/ and some catfish including corydoras.

If I had to guess, I would say younger juveniles are more susceptible to salt that adults.


Caleb

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[ImACoolguy]

Larger pleco's and even the Raphael cat that bigger are more resistant to the salt than smaller species.


Caleb

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[sinibotia]

Heat is not funny it is out right dangerous! ...I don't know of many fish that can survive in 86-90 deg temps...it is cruel and stresses the fish out tremendously! Science may say Ich dies at 90 but it also says fish suffocate at those temps too....just my opinion heat is just as stressful as chemicals...its a Fact the Salt kills Ich and is safe for fish even healthy so thats my recommendation through experience. ..

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For a period of a week or two, 86 degree temperatures with plenty of oxygenation is fine. Fish in fact have biological pathways to deal with heat stress, something they do not necessarily have for the chemicals that they are treated with.

Salt arguably causes just as much stress, but instead of heat stress it's osmotic stress. I don't think any one method is superior. Whatever the fish can safely take that also kills the ich.