ICH!!

[rjrossi88]

I have ich all over!! Everything has it. What do I do to treat?? I have kuhli loaches so I know I need a special med but I have no idea what to use!! Please help!

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[MissGurnus]

Turn the tenp above 86 degrees f, that should kill it. At first you will see more ich as the temp rises. Watch it closely after it hits 86 to make sure it's killing it (there are heat resistant strains) and if it's not working get ich meds from a lfs and HALF dose your tank for a few days


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[rjrossi88]

Raising the temp that high won't hurt the fish?

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[MissGurnus]

It shouldn't as long as you turn it back down once the ich has been gone for a few days. You have tropical fish right?


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[rjrossi88]

Yea. Rainbows, mollies, swordtails, tetras, keyholes, kuhlis.

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[MissGurnus]

In any case, the ich will be far more deadly than the temporary heat increase. You may see some signs of your fish being uncomfortable but don't be alarmed, heat is the most benign and least stressful ich treatment. Actual medication at prescribed dosage will kill your khuli's, heat shouldn't bother them at all (never bothered mine)


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[MissGurnus]

Yea. Rainbows, mollies, swordtails, tetras, keyholes, kuhlis.

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Yeah you should be fine then!


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[rjrossi88]

Thanks! I assume I should raise the temp slowly over a few days? Or should I just push it up now?

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[Nygbrian9]

Push it up now.

 

[debbie66151]

I'm having the same ich problem I turned my heater up to 86 degrees. I have mollies and neon tetras and a sucker fish. How long does it usually take to cure with heat? I really don't want to use medication I've read mixed reviews on meds.

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[Reefer James]

IF you plan to treat it in your display, raise the temp to 80-82 so ich moves through the phases of its lifecycle quickest. Feed the fish well so they remain healthy to fight of illness. Clean water daily. Keep it real clean of fish waste... Ich can naturally die off over time and fish can be healthy so they do not catch ich again once it's fallen off..

If you want to treat ich with medication while also keeping a clean display, I'd recommend the proven method with data. 86 degrees and copper in a QT tank.

 

[Mebbid]

Raising the temperature up to 86 degrees is the tried and true method of removing ich from a display tank with fish in it. No medication or salt is required for this method. Keep the temperature elevated for 2 weeks after the last sign of ich is gone and then slowly reduce the temperature back to the desired levels.

It is important to note that the temp shouldn't suddenly be cranked up to 86 degrees as the rapid temp increase is stressful for fish. Instead, increase the temperature by a degree or 2 every hour.

It's also very important to increase aeration with the heat method because it will decrease the available oxygen in the water which can suffocate fish. An air stone or lowering the level of the water creating more filter splash is generally effective enough for aeration.

 

[coralbandit]

IF you plan to treat it in your display, raise the temp to 80-82 so ich moves through the phases of its lifecycle quickest. Feed the fish well so they remain healthy to fight of illness. Ich can naturally die off over time

Would like to see some written proof of this!
Not the speeding up part(duh)
The ich can naturally die off part(or is CAN) the only true part?

 

[Mebbid]

Would like to see some written proof of this!
Not the speeding up part(duh)
The ich can naturally die off part(or is CAN) the only true part?

This can happen for marine ich (Cyrptocaryon Irritans) It doesn't seem to be as aggressive as an infection as Freshwater ich (Ichthyophthirius multifilis) Generally, in saltwater with pristine water parameters and healthy fish the ich infestation can be kept at nearly imperceptible levels allowing the fish to remain healthy. It's suggested that over a period of approximately 11 months marine ich will "wear off" in an aquarium.

I am not aware of any instances of this happening with freshwater ich however. With the generally high stocking levels of freshwater aquariums and higher levels of nitrates, I am not sure if those are the cause or if it's just because the parasite is more aggressive than its marine counterpart. In all the cases I've seen with fresh water; if it's not treated then it isn't going away.

 

[Reefer James]

Would like to see some written proof of this!
Not the speeding up part(duh)
The ich can naturally die off part(or is CAN) the only true part?

This is a good read. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa006

It is not the study that states 80-82 that had actual studies with different tanks and they were doing controlled studies. This once actually suggests lower temps even 76-79 will move it through the stage quicker.

If ich cannot find a host it will die. This is simple. If fish are healthy they will not be come a host. And if they do it will not be a huge outbreak... Maybe one "white spot".

I am also familiar with the difference of marine and freshwater ich :/ I do not know how that was brought up.. I am also curious how your theory on nitrogen in aquaria works in respect to ich? I would be curious to see how nitrate concentrations effected ich but would assume it has little effect before it plays more negative role on fish health. This is also why I previously encouraged daily cleaning removing of fish waste and to keep the tank clean. There's no reason a freshwater tank cannot have lower nutrients.

Also my saltwater tanks are extremely high nutrient, above 100 nitrate and 1ppm phosphate. Theres not an issue with ich.. My fish are healthy


___
Just read this from that and it was an interesting idea that would work just bad for fish haha

Water temperature can be gradually raised to 90°F, maintained there for 24 hours, and then gradually dropped to 70°F for 48 hours. The infective juveniles (tomites) will be killed while the water temperature is at 90°. When the temperature is dropped, the adult organisms will fall off the fish and begin to reproduce. As the young begin to emerge 48 hours later, the temperature is again raised to 90°F, causing them to die. Repeating this process continuously (24 hours at 90° F followed by 48 hours at 70° F) for two weeks should control the disease. Cleaning the tank every second day will help remove cysts before they rupture and thereby help to prevent completion of the life cycle. If you decide to use temperature to control "Ich" in your home aquarium, be sure that the type of fish in your tank can tolerate the temperature extremes involved

^^ That's a gnarley method for fish and would kill most fish. It makes them very stressed. We can see how this could kill ich but it will kill our fish too. So focus on the fish first, then ich.

 

[Mebbid]

If ich cannot find a host it will die. This is simple. If fish are healthy they will not be come a host. And if they do it will not be a huge outbreak... Maybe one "white spot".

Statements that you are making such as this is why I brought up marine ich. Marine and freshwater ich do not behave the same way.

I am also curious how your theory on nitrogen in aquaria works in respect to ich? I would be curious to see how nitrate concentrations effected ich but would assume it has little effect before it plays more negative role on fish health.

Nitrate levels have a direct correlation with decreased efficiency of the immune response with fish. I'll try to find the study when I get some time.

This is also why I previously encouraged daily cleaning removing of fish waste and to keep the tank clean. There's no reason a freshwater tank cannot have lower nutrients.

There is no reason for it, you are correct. But it's a rarity. Couple the increased nitrates with heavily stocked tanks creates a perfect breeding ground for ich.

Also my saltwater tanks are extremely high nutrient, above 100 nitrate and 1ppm phosphate. Theres not an issue with ich.. My fish are healthy

Then you are the one out of a thousand reefers that have a healthy tank with very high nitrate levels.

Just read this from that and it was an interesting idea that would work just bad for fish haha


^^ That's a gnarley method for fish and would kill most fish. It makes them very stressed. We can see how this could kill ich but it will kill our fish too. So focus on the fish first, then ich.

Yikes, that's not something I would like to try myself.

You are 100% correct in that if ich cannot find a host that it will die off. However, the low level infections where you aren't seeing spots on your fish because they have healthy immune systems. The myth that ich is ALWAYS in aquariums came about due to this single fact. People will go 6 months to a year or more without adding any new fish and then suddenly something happens to stress fish out and there's suddenly a huge ich outbreak. Ich can be controlled with healthy conditions (I do the same myself with my reef tank) but due to the differences with freshwater Ich this is a very very rare occurrence. Ich will not go away consistently without treatment and that's just a fact that cannot be avoided.

 

[rjrossi88]

Well I turned it up before I went to bed last night and then I bumped it again this morning. I'll see what it's looking like when I get home. Hopefully everything survives this!!

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[coralbandit]

I think I will step aside on this thread as I thought we talking about proven /factual treatments not "it would be nice in theory" stuff!
And if anyone else thinks marine ich is easier to deal with or close to the same thing as freshwater ich....go back to first sentence.
OP if your NOTat 86 then you risk losing your fish before the ich life cycle is up.
I am the cancer causing med guy(my scaless10-15 year old fish,discus,cardinals rummies).
Thank God none of them are "sensitive".
Someone said earlier it is funny the most common disease is the easiest to treat.
Treat it don't dance around it.


Good luck!

 

[rjrossi88]

I think I will step aside on this thread as I thought we talking about proven /factual treatments not "it would be nice in theory" stuff!
And if anyone else thinks marine ich is easier to deal with or close to the same thing as freshwater ich....go back to first sentence.
OP if your NOTat 86 then you risk losing your fish before the ich life cycle is up.
I am the cancer causing med guy(my scaless10-15 year old fish,discus,cardinals rummies).
Thank God none of them are "sensitive".
Someone said earlier it is funny the most common disease is the easiest to treat.
Treat it don't dance around it.


Good luck!

The only posts I see from you are criticisms of the way other people have dealt with this issue. If you would like to input your opinion I'd be happy to hear what you have to say as I am knew to fish and have no knowledge of what to do. My tank is at 85.2, on the way up to 86. And that's where it will stay until the issue is fixed because that's the only solution that has been offered up to me so far. If it works without meds than fantastic. I really don't want to use chemicals, but I will if it comes down to it.

 

[coralbandit]

The only posts I see from you are criticisms of the way other people have dealt with this issue. If you would like to input your opinion I'd be happy to hear what you have to say as I am knew to fish and have no knowledge of what to do. My tank is at 85.2, on the way up to 86. And that's where it will stay until the issue is fixed because that's the only solution that has been offered up to me so far. If it works without meds than fantastic. I really don't want to use chemicals, but I will if it comes down to it.

Hey sorry OP .
Ich post come up all the time,thought I posted here before;

Ich | The Skeptical Aquarist
Know the enemy.
I wonder if skeptical and critical or closely related?
I'll where that name tag!