fighting ich... need advice

[cogburn]

okay so my fish have ich... they arent all showing it... but a few of them are... figured out why... during my last pwc i unplugged the heaters... forgot to plug them back in so yeah suddent temp drop... ich... anywho... mon. night i raced to petsmart and for some reason actually listened to them... i got the jungle buddies fizzing ich cure tablets... had to buy a ton cuz of course its 1 tab per 10 gallons... i took the carbon out of my filters... changed 25% water... dissolved the tabs before i poured them in... yep did it all... waited 24 hours... doesnt really seem to have helped... i have enough for one more dose... but it looks like that stuff is staining my decorations... should i dose again or just raise the temp now that my heaters are plugged in... i dont want to lose any fish... i did put aquarium salt and stress coat in over the weekend before i realized its ich... so do you guys think i should dose those tabs one more time or just start raising the temp... my temp is currently 80 degrees so it wouldnt take me long to get it up to 86... speak up guys thanks in advance

 

[TheNamelessPoet]

raise the temp a little each day. I went 2-2.5 degrees but I have heard that may be too much. the suggested is about 1-1.5 degrees a day. get it to 86 degrees and just leave it for 7 days.

Thats what I did and my ick was gone in 3 days (left it for 7 just in case)

 

[TheNamelessPoet]

oh and from what I have heard her... throw out the medicated stuff. the temp works better and is better for the fish

 

[richiestang_78]

Yeah first time i had ick i used medicine, it worked so so but was more of a problem then a solution. Second time i did the temp method and it worked beautifully and less strain on the fish and had better results. I raise my temp about 2 degrees over the whole day and the fish seemed fine with it.

 

[jsoong]

It is not a good idea to start mixing treatments. I agree that heat (or salt, depending on fish species) is the best method of treating ich. However, you have started with the meds, and I think you are better off sticking with it rather that switching things in mid stream.

It generally take between 3-7 days of treatment before you see anything in treating ich. <You have to wait for the ich cysts to mature & fall off the fish before they can be killed.> Most treatment failure is from not treating for a long enough time.

I am not familiar with the instruction of the Jungle Fizz tabs, so I would follow the package instruction as to re-dosing. I think the main ingredient is melachite green & formalin. Melachite green is broken down by light, so for best result, you should turn your lights off. At any rate, it is usually necessary to re-dose every 24-48 hrs after doing a 50% water change. And you should keep this up for at least 7 days, even when no ich spots are visible. <Ich can live in the gravel ....>

As you found out, the fizz tabs are not economical, esp. if you follow a 7 day course ..... Quick cure is a better choice (same ingredients, much more concentrated & so cheaper.)

If you want to switch to the heat method, I would suggest removing most of the meds first by water change. Then bring the temp up by a couple of degrees a day.

 

[jim692]

First decide on how you want to treat the ick.
Treat the whole tank so both the tank and fish are good when you are through.
Here are some articles for you if your not sure how to go.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/articles/articles/29/1/Freshwater-Ich-Yuck-/Page1.html
Freshwater Ich
Using Heat to Treat Ich in Freshwater Tropical Fish - Article at The Age of Aquariums - Tropical Fish
Aquamaniacs :: View article - Treating "Ich" - by Dr. Barb and Clint Tisher
Like anything else in the hobby there are alot of views on what to do.
I perfer the heat method, and have had good success with it.
Increase aeration/agitation of the water to help with O2 levels when heat goes up.
Increase water temp to 87'F by raising the temp 2'F/1'C every 2-4 hours or so.
Evenly maintain heat in the tank by testing water temp in various places and levels in the tank.
I thinks this is a very important part of the heat method.
If one part of the tank is 87'F and another is 85'F the effect of the treatment may be in doubt.
Use a second heater in the tank if necessary to maintain an even temp throughout.
You will see the spots reduce in 3-4 days or so. Maintain the temp for 2 weeks after you see the last spot.
When finished reduce the temp slowly just as you brought it up.

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

i have never had an issue with the quick cure... the heat treatment didnt work for my fish =/