Ick

[kimley]

My fish have picked up ick, think one of the newbies had it when I bought it from the pet store. Have heard that I should put salt in the water and change the water daily, as I am treating them for the problem, is that a good idea?? I am using Quick Cure and was told it is a good idea to use it for fourteen days, just to make sure you get all the eggs the parasites could have laid, is this a good idea??
Thanks Kim:sick: :sick:

[sumoschro]

yes you can use salt, and it is my personal favorite way of ridding ich from the aquarium. However you should also raise the temp to 82 - 85 degrees because this makes the ich eggs that have been laid hatch sooner, causing it to be cured faster.

Never used quick cure, but with the medicines i have i use it for an extended period of time...

dont use both together though, either salt or meds.

[LMOUTHBASS]

vacuuming the gravel helps cause when the ick falls off and forms itself into a cyst waiting to hatch if you suck it out this will help

[beviking]

Depending on fish and ingredients of the med, you can use salt and meds in conjunction. If you're not sure, don't. Some meds already have salt so you end up overdoing it with the salt.

[leibniz]

I picked up a Foxy Lady the other day, and now it has ich. I have Tiger Barbs, and a Pleco also (they don't have it). What's the best treatment? I have a med called "Super Ich Plus," but I'm not sure if it will be safe for the Foxy Lady and Pleco. I also have some aquarium salt. Any suggestions?

BTW, I have done a water change and vaccum.

[beviking]

Bookmark this site:
www.skepticalaquarist.com
this will give you info on treating ich and a LOT more info on everything else.

kimely-yes, treat for 14 days. It is a good idea. Make sure to perform a partial water change b4 each treatment.

[kimley]

Thanks beviking, the web site you posted is very good, lots of info on it..... also when I am done with my treatment of ick, how long should I put the charcoal filter in to remove any meds, have heard 2 days and some say 2 weeks??


Kimley:p

[beviking]

Depends on the size of the charcoal in relation to the amount of water it is removing meds from. Most likely, 2 days will be sufficient, especially if you do a partial water change before adding the charcoal. As long as the charcoal isn't displacing a large volume of current filter media, you could leave it in for 1 to 2 weeks.