Yet another icky ich situation...

[Chikadee]

Alli was right when she said that dwarf puffers are ich magnets. I noticed one spot on a puff's tail. :? None of the other fish are showing spots yet. I read the article on using salt and heat to treat ich, but I just want to be sure that everything it says will be fine for my fish. (I have 12 dwarf puffers, 2 otos, 3 tiger barbs, 1 pleco) I should hike the temp up slowly to 86 and add a tablespoon of salt per 5 gallons, gradually... Anything else I should do? How long should I continue treatment for?

Thanks!!

 

[QTOFFER]

The heat treatment for ich really works!
Just be aware that as the temperature rises, the ich life cycle is accelerated - meaning that you will most likely see many more white spots, even on fish that are now clean.
Temps above 87F is lethal for ich - just be sure to increase your surface agitation to compensate for the lower solubility of oxygen in warmer water.
After a week or so, you should no longer see any spots.
It is generally recommended to continue the elevated temp for a week after the last white spot disappears.

I hate ich - I hope you kill it good!