Ich advice required

[ZomB]

Hi all

I've just noticed that one of my mollies has ich & i just want a bit more information on the best form of treatment for my tank please. Currently i have a 50g freshwater planted tank with the following fish;

8 mollies (3 adult & 5 smaller ones) - Only 1 molly currently has the disease
2 pictus catfish
2 red torpedo's aka puntius denisonii
2 zebra loaches
1 chinease algae eater

I dont have another tank to treat the fish & im not sure if raising the temp or adding salt would effect the fish listed above (some have scales some dont etc). Im not too concerned about the plants either as i only have a few & i could easily replace these. So can anyone advise me on the best treatment please?!?

 

[LyndaB]

If caught early on, ich is very treatable using this natural method:

Raise the temp slowly to 86 degrees F

Add an airstone to increase oxygenation in the water column

Do gravel vacs every 2-3 days to remove ich spores from substrate

Maintain this schedule for minimum of 2 weeks

Ich can get much worse before it gets better. Don't lose hope.

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

or in my case a small dose of anti-ich once a day for a week. gone in 4 days, the extra 3 were a precaution.
but i agree with Lynda as the natural way is much better for the fish!! x

 

[BBradbury]

Treating "Ich"

Hello Zom...

Before you go to the trouble of treating this parasite, you will want to confirm your fish has the disease. Below are the symptoms:

Tiny white spots like grains of salt scattered over the fish.
Slimy, oily looking skin.
Frequent rubbing on tank objects or substrate.
Abnormal swimming.
Breathing difficulties.
Cloudy eyes or frayed fins.
General lack of appetite.

If your fish has the disease, it's best to treat the entire tank. In addition to the treatment information you've already gotten, you should keep the lights off in the tank and in the room too. The "Ich" parasite, finds a host by seeing it. Get some standard aquarium salt in the tank. Up to a tablespoon per every 5 gallons of your water change water. Most fish skin diseases can't tolerate even a trace of salt in the water. Stop feeding the fish, if they're sick, they'll stop eating and uneaten food will pollute the tank water.

I'd avoid using store medications, those can be harmful to your plants. If you've caught the disease early enough, many times a few days of heat, super clean water, salt and darkness will be enough to kill the it.

B

 

[Bubble_B0y]

I didn't know about Darkness being an effective treatment!!
i'm guessing it stops them from photosynthesizing?

thanks for the heads up

 

[Bubble_B0y]

* keep the tank in darkness by switching the light off and covering it with cloth or paper.
The theory behind how this treatment works is this:
* Ciliated protozoans cannot find new hosts easily in darkness and therefore more of the tomites die before they can latch on to the fish.

so i guess it is like starving them from feeding on the light....
darkness is also a treatment for velvet, and often (but not always) the treatments for ich and velvet are very similar, if not identical.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_ich2.php
Here is an article that explains what ich is, it's life cycle, how to treat it and how to prevent it.