Clown Loach Ich

[maigen]

my clown loaches have ich. i remember reading somewhere that ich meds can be deadly to them. what should i use & what should i stay away from? they are the only fish in my tank that have it.

[OrionGirl]

There are several options. I prefer to raise the temp to about 85 and treat with 1 tblspn salt/gallon of water, added slowly over the course of one day. Maintain this for 4-6 weeks after the last visible sign of ich. Do water changes every other day or so, replacing the removed salt each time.

There are ich treatments that are safe for scaleless fish. They will specify this on the label. Follow the directions carefully to prevent re-infection.

You should also figure out what introduced the ich (ie, a new fish that may not be showing signs), or if your tank has had a subclinical infection for a while, what stress factor caused the outbreak to reach clinical levels. Even if the other fish do not have visible signs, they are most likely infected as well, unless the clowns are a recent addition.

[maigen]

i introduced 2 new calico platys last week. a couple of days after i put them in 1 of them was showing signs of ich. i did a water change & treated with salt......it cleared up. then my loaches got it.

will a water change & salt treatment work if i can't raise my temp? my heater is a brand new submersible that's cranked & won't go past 80.

[OrionGirl]

The treatment will still work, but will take longer. The increased temp speeds up the parasites life cycle. At lower temps, it can remain encysted for longer. 80 should work, just not as well.

With ich, you must continue treatment for a minimum of 4 weeks after the last visible parasite. The parasite is only vulnerable to treatment while in it's free-swimming stage, so if there's a single cyst unhatched when you quit treating, the fish will become re-infested. Quarantining new arrivals for 4-6 weeks after purchase is highly advisable, especially with ich-prone fish like clowns.

[cblin]

Hmm, ich on clown loaches is common. Clown loaches don't ship well period. When I used to work at a aquarium store, after a few days of arrival, they get ich whether you like it or not.

I have plants in my tank when my clown loaches caught ich. I know Nox-Ich isn't the best for my plants, however, I halved the dosage (1 drop per 2 gallons) with no ill effects.