Treating ich- temperature isn't high enough!

[gabysapha]

I've treated ich multiple times- every fish I've received from my awful LFS has come down with awful ich.

The 20g QT tank I'm using will NOT go above 82 degrees, even with 3 heaters in the tank! A 100watt, a 50 watt, and a 10watt heater are not enough. The room the tank is in is cool, but I'm very surprised nonetheless.

I assume ich can't be killed at 82 degrees without meds? I also assume keeping i at 82 degrees only speeds up the lifecycle of ich, which infests the fish more.

If 2 pearl gouramis, 5 von rio tetras, 1 neon tetra, and 1 bronze cory can live in a 10g tank for 2+ weeks, I guess I'll have to move them there. I don't like that idea though. However, the heaters should bring a 10g up to 86 without a problem.

 

[bs6749]

It doesn't surprise me since 170 watts is not that much energy coming from the heaters.

I would use one of the Quick Cure for Ick treatments. The are usually found for $1-2 per bottle and you only need a few drops of it. It typically consists of formalin and malachite green, which will kill the Ick in a few days.

 

[gabysapha]

It doesn't surprise me since 170 watts is not that much energy coming from the heaters.

I would use one of the Quick Cure for Ick treatments. The are usually found for $1-2 per bottle and you only need a few drops of it. It typically consists of formalin and malachite green, which will kill the Ick in a few days.

Oh dear, Im nervous about using meds.Thanks!

 

[bs6749]

These meds aren't a problem at all. I've used them countless times and they always do the job for Ick removal. About 2-4 drops per 10 gallons I believe...it will say on the bottle.

 

[blert]

Angle your heaters to about 30-45 degrees off of vertical, this will keep the heater from sensing it's own heat somewhat. Try putting them in direct flow of the filter, on the front glass if you have to. Try spreading them around the tank, small one on back glass next to the filter inlet, big one on front glass right in the outlet flow of the filter, medium one on the side glass on the other side from the filter.
You can also cover the tank with something like a large towel to trap in the heat. Make sure no part of the towel touches water or you could have a mess on your hands.
Is there a draft blowing on the tank? It should not take that much to heat a 20g tank up.

 

[Hholly]

Yeah, if you can't get the temp up, you might as well use the meds. The fish are probably miserable at this point. Good luck!

 

[dconner2]

I've treated ich multiple times- every fish I've received from my awful LFS has come down with awful ich.

The 20g QT tank I'm using will NOT go above 82 degrees, even with 3 heaters in the tank! A 100watt, a 50 watt, and a 10watt heater are not enough. The room the tank is in is cool, but I'm very surprised nonetheless.

I assume ich can't be killed at 82 degrees without meds? I also assume keeping i at 82 degrees only speeds up the lifecycle of ich, which infests the fish more.

If 2 pearl gouramis, 5 von rio tetras, 1 neon tetra, and 1 bronze cory can live in a 10g tank for 2+ weeks, I guess I'll have to move them there. I don't like that idea though. However, the heaters should bring a 10g up to 86 without a problem.

Ich has an unusual life cycle. Using quickcure is an effective way along with raising the temperature. Treat every 2-3 days for a minimum of three treatments. Mainly because when.you add quickcure, you are not killing the encysted stage of ich on the fish only the juvenile tomites that are in the water. By raising the temperature you speed their life cycle up and can effectively eliminate ich from your system. Just be sure to keep your tank with a good airstone. Once the adult ich leaves the fish, it will leave a whole and the fish will have to compensate for that hole for osmotic regulation. I hope this helps!!!

 

[LyndaB]

I'm a little confused. Why do you need to transfer the fish to the QT to heat treat? Doesn't the heater in the main tank go high enough?

Don't forget that with ich, you must treat the entire tank, not the individual fish.

It's possible I'm just misunderstanding something here.

 

[Ptah_Gib]

I think it's a question of the temp not going high enough in the 20G, so transferring the fish to the smaller 10G where the required temperature might be more easily achieved, is the intention.

 

[gabysapha]

I think it's a question of the temp not going high enough in the 20G, so transferring the fish to the smaller 10G where the required temperature might be more easily achieved, is the intention.

Thanks everybody!

I used a 20g as a QT tank for incoming fish, and all fish had ich just like all fish from my LFS usually do. I had not realized the usual heater I use in the 20g could not bring the heat up past 82. I added 2 more heaters for a total of 170 watts, and it still won't rise past 82! So, I was surprised. I thought 170 watts would be sufficient.

I have very active fish in the tank right now, and the ich gets worse each day. I did not want to move them to the 10g QT that i have, but I put them in anyway. With 150 combined watts from 2 heaters, the 10g tank is now at 87 degrees. Thank goodness.

However I would very much prefer to use the original 20g QT tank!!!

A fantastic comment I got was to move the heaters around the tank, and install them at an angle. That will probably help and I will certainly try that today! I never thought of that! It's so simple, and makes sense.

And yes, the room the tank is in is quite drafty and cold. It's an old apartment.

I'm still wary of using meds....

 

[CMN]

If your worried about med use salt it works great for fighting ick.

 

[gabysapha]

Update: 7 days after moving ichy fish to a 10g QT with 170 watts of heater power (sheesh, that room must be colder than I thought), fish look visibly awesome. 7 more days of QT ahead. Method used was heat only. Thanks everyone.