Does ich medicine kill the beneficial bacteria?

[boyohboy]

I've just set up a new aquarium for not too long. I just noticed a fish been scratching its body aginst the leaves/wood for abit. I'm suspecting ich at work :shake: 1-2 fish may have 1 white-spot on them but it's difficult to tell at this point. What's the best way to treat ich? does the ich med generatlly kill the beneficial bacteria as well? Need to remove the carbon from the filter when applying med? I'm thinking about quarantining the suspected fish, but i don't have any other tank setup for this. Thanks

[JSchmidt]

The best way is to use the salt and heat method. The Skeptical Aquarist has a great discussion of ick at http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/ich.shtml . Look for the Remedy section to see about dosages and heat settings. Must reading for anyone dealing with ick...

HTH,
Jim

[boyohboy]

Thanks, I read the article, very helpful.

It's good to treat a problem earlier for sure. But I'm still not sure if I should start adding ich med or not :confused: ? I've only seen 2 fish scratching their bodies couple of times in the last 3 days, is that enuff a diagnosis for having ich? All the fish seems to be eating fine. I guess the question is back to does adding ich med "just in case" have any side-effect, like killing off the biological filtration bacteria?

I've seen ich be4 in other aquarium but that was when it's clearly visible as white-spot, so really not quite sure what to do this time. Thanks

[beviking]

Some ich meds don't harm the bacteria. The others I haven't used so don't know. It's generally NOT a good idea to treat your fish w/o knowing exactly what the problem is. Keep an eye on your fish (that's easy right!) and wait to see white spots. If your temperature is in the 70's, you should be able to tell if those suspect spots are ich within a day or two.
The problem with treating "just in case" arises when you begin treating and the fish get a little stressed. Whatever the real problem is (if it wasn't ich) now can take a firm hold and you realize it's something different than ich. Then you have to clean out the old meds in the tank (we don't want to mix meds!) with carbon (for a day or two)and/or water changes which leads to more stress so by the time you can actually treat your fish for whatever it is, it's half dead!
Of course, if it is ich, then you're ahead of the game. They sell fish everyday so it's your call. The question is...are you a gambler?:rolleyes: :D

[boyohboy]

Originally posted by beviking
Some ich meds don't harm the bacteria. The others I haven't used so don't know.
So from your experience which particular brand/type ich meds don't harm the bacteria? Good to know about it regardless.

Keep an eye on your fish (that's easy right!)
lol take about that...my work done lately has been reduced to like 10% as I'm just looking at the aquarium all day along with my cats :)

Of course, if it is ich, then you're ahead of the game. They sell fish everyday so it's your call. The question is...are you a gambler?:rolleyes: :D
Hum, I guess i'll keep checking for a day or two before using med, if so it needs. While they sell fish everyday, my bank account isn't in the positive balance everyday :D