How many days to reat ich

[twoodrough]

I am on day 11 of treating with Rid Ich+. Only lost the one fish that actually showed spots. The others seem fine with no spots, but one of them is a dalmation molly and it is hard to tell if the white is from coloring or if it is spots. I am going cross eyed watching him because he never stops so I can get a really good look.

How many more days should I treat the tank?

10 gallon - current residents are dalmation molly, cockatoo cichlid, zebra danio, ruby barb, snail

Thanks!

 

[calfishguy]

It will say how long to treat on the package . Just wanted to let you know that of you would raise the temp to 86 the ich should go away on its own. IMO you should ditch the meds keep the water very clean and raise the temp also keep the water at that temp for 10 days after the last of the ich goes away.

 

[twoodrough]

What about salt? Is it really needed with the heat? Also, what about the 24 hours it takes to get up to 86? The parasite could do damage in that time. It is advisable to use meds for a couple days, then once the heat is up do water changes to get the med out?

 

[calfishguy]

No the salt is not needed and you don't need 24 hrs to get to that temp I raise a degree every half hour so if you have a good heater it wont be an issue. To take the meds out put activated carbon in your filter and it will do it for you. What type of fish do you have in your tank.

 

[twoodrough]

Cockatoo cichlid, zebra danio, ruby barb, dalmation sailfin molly

So, you don't recommend using meds for a couple days because I can raise the temp in a few hours? And, that is fast enough to keep the parasite from doing too much damage?

I used carbon to get the med out this time. It has been two days and no signs of spots. Should I go ahead and raise the temp now for the next 10 days to make sure?

 

[calfishguy]

Yes you should your fish will be fine without the meds for even a couple of days. All your fish will be fine at that temp I you have no longer been swing spots 7 days will be enough time for the high temp.

Ps: most diseases can be treated with clean water heat salt or some other thing you have around the house. IME meds are rarely needed.

 

[twoodrough]

Thanks - I will start upping the temp now.

 

[twoodrough]

Also...what about water changes when you use heat? Do you still need them to clean up the substate and get what parasites you can out of the water? How often, or just the usual once a week?

 

[calfishguy]

Yes you have to do a regular water change once a week will suffice but do thrifty percent. Just make sure to add warmer water than usual to the tank cause the tank is warmer than usual

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Cockatoo cichlid, zebra danio, ruby barb, dalmation sailfin molly

So, you don't recommend using meds for a couple days because I can raise the temp in a few hours? And, that is fast enough to keep the parasite from doing too much damage?

I used carbon to get the med out this time. It has been two days and no signs of spots. Should I go ahead and raise the temp now for the next 10 days to make sure?

First off, and I'm sorry to point this out-but your tank is way overstocked. None of those fish should be in there, they all get too big for a ten gallon.

Ich usually comes from poor water quality. What is your ammonia, nitrites, nitrates concentration exactly?

IME the best sure-fire method to get rid of ich is a combination of really high temperatures, along with a little salt and meds (I wouldn't rely too heavily on these).

Also...what about water changes when you use heat? Do you still need them to clean up the substate and get what parasites you can out of the water? How often, or just the usual once a week?

I would do water changes every day. Ich is not going to go away once the fish don't have it any more. Ich is a parasite and it can still be roaming around. You will still want to be treating for ich even after it is gone, to make sure any leftovers are terminated.


I hope that helped you out. Good luck!

 

[twoodrough]

It is hard to say what my water numbers are right now. I did 30%+ water changes for 12 days while treating with Rid Ich+. The last was only 2 days ago so things have not settled out. I had just added one of the fish a few days before the ich hit, so had not had a chance to see what things were going to be with the fish I had.

I know the fish that I have will be big for the tank I have. They are smallish now and maybe by the time they get bigger I will go to a somewhat larger tank. Or, I will do more than one water change each week to compensate.

For now, I need to make sure the Ich is gone. So I raise my temp to 86 for a week, drop my water level, and watch.

 

[twoodrough]

If you are still out there - I tested my water today:
Ammonia .25
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 5 * but....whenever I have my LFS test water their numbers are always higher than what I find at home, don't know why, but to be conservative I always add at least 10 to whatever result I get, today I got the 5 result so I assume nitrites are between 15 and 20 *

My fish are are still new and little right now (expcept the zebra, he is 2 years old). The biggest of any of them at this point is 2.5 inches, so having these 4 fish in a ten gallon does not seem to be a big no-no right now. If they all live and all get to be full grown, that will be a different story. I am still a relative newbie to this hobby, and still make mistakes, and have yet to take a fish from store to full grown (or not re-homed). I am hoping this group makes it.

I am concerned about the .25 ammonia. Last water change (50%+) was Thursday (5 days ago) at the end of ich treatment. I do have carbon in my filter for this week to get meds out. Any ideas on the ammonia? I know fish can tolerate .25, but I don't like it.

BTW have my temp up to 86 now and will hold until the weekend. I like this method so much better than medication. I hope I don't have to do it again soon, but next time ich shows up heat will be my main treatment.

 

[ocminpin]

Do a 50% PWC now to get rid of the ammo and bring nitrites down... You may have to do a back to back PWC to get it down to a healthy level..

 

[skywhitney]

if you are treating for Ich you should be doing daily water changes. This helps to get the parasite out of the substrate and can help thin the numbers of the free floating ones.

IME with a 10g tank you should probably be doing at least twice a week water changes anyway. I had less stock than you do and thats what I was doing. Just my two cents.

 

[twoodrough]

I already did 11 days of treatment, where I did water changes each day. I am doing heat now just to make sure, and to see how the fish respond to treatment this way and how long it takes to get it up and down.

Tomorrow is my normal clean day, but given the recent ich and existant ammo I may just do another big change today.