platies with ich

[Umberle]

So, my red wagtail platies have ich... or at least I'm pretty sure they do. Going on a chemical run in the morning. Planning to get salt and...? What do you guys suggest specifically for treating ich?

 

[MikeWinLDS]

Aquarium-safe salt. That's all you really need. Maybe a hydrometer if you want to get techie. I go by 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons, dose for 3 days and then just wait. I didn't increase the temperature, just makes you wait a little longer. I don't want to expose my fish to extremes. Worked out just fine for me, and I had catfish and loaches in there. Nothing bad happened to them.

 

[Umberle]

for ich? I didn't know salt was all you needed for that....although is kinda good to hear

 

[MikeWinLDS]

Unless you want to dose meds. Most meds contain formalin or malachite green though (they are poisons) and I've heard they have bad long-term effects on fish. I'm sticking with salt. Yes, it's all you need. There is a FW Ich article on here too: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=32

Salt is another effective treatment.

By raising salt levels to 2-3 ppm or 1.002-1.003 specific gravity above what one normally keeps the tank at can destroy the Ich parasites. It has a strong effect on osmosis, and dehydrates the parasite to the point the parasite can no longer function and dies. Again, raising levels slowly but not too slowly is key here; raising salt 1 ppm per day is recommended. Generally 7.6 grams of salt per gallon is equal to 2 ppm or 1.002-1.003 specific gravity . However, it's the chloride ions which are necessary for the treatment, and different salts have different levels of chloride. It's best to purchase a hydrometer which measures low levels of salt to ensure proper dosage.

2 weeks at those levels sure eradicate all the parasites. Again, be sure all the fish in your tank can deal with those levels of salt. On that note, most scaleless fish CAN handle these levels of salt. Plecos and loaches especially do fine despite internet rumors to the contrary. It has been noted some tetras and corys do not do well with salt, however.

Once treatment is finished, regular water changes will remove the salt and return the tank to its usual levels.

** It is recommended to use pure salts such as aquarium, kosher or rock salt, NOT regular table salt. There are some concerns the chemicals added to table salt (such as iodine, and iron cyanides which are sometimes added as an anti-caking chemical) can be injurious to fish. Salt is also not a recommended treatment for planted tanks.

I used Aquarium Pharamaceutical Aquarium Salt, but I think I'm going to use this kind if there is ever a next time (I still have a lot of AP salt left, so I'll have to use all of that too), but I'm sure it is a lot cheaper: Morton Canning & Pickling Salt.

 

[Umberle]

Yeah I already know that the apple snail can handle at least that much salt.....hmmmm

thanks....I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[MikeWinLDS]

I remember when I was a little kid I would find some snails in my parent's garden and sprinkle salt on them, and man would they dry up. I don't know if it has the same effect on aquatic snails though, since they're immersed in water, but I do know that some medicines (not sure if it was the copper one) says it will kill inverts and crustaceons, so I'd say that is a bad thing if you had a tank with some shrimps, crabs, or snails, unless you wanted to kill them off, your tank being rampant with snails or something. Good luck with the Ich!

 

[Umberle]

*nods* but apple can handle salt in the water....at least in small amounts as long as they don't come in contact with the solid crystals....looked it up earlier.

 

[Umberle]

So noticed this morning that there was about twice as much ich as last night....decided to go ahead and risk the meds *sigh*

 

[Menagerie]

IMO, the salt and heat treatment would be just as good--actually better. Heat speeds up the ich life cycle. Keep in mind that the meds are deadly to everything in the tank--the idea is to kill the ich first. Good luck.

 

[Umberle]

hee...yeah had to rescue paco the snail...he seems to be doing fine in a cup for now....

but...

on closer examination looks like one of my females has signs of both an internal bacterial infection (bloated, clamped fins, dim eyes) and fin rot of all things......I don't really know what to do since I don't have much that I could use as a QT and I'm pretty sure she's a goner. Male isn't bloated...his color's good, but has some very little fin rot? maybe....can ich do that to the fins?

so...aside from never ever ever getting fish from that place again...is there anything I can do for my platies?