Hi all,
I was watching my fish today, with my nose up against the glass, and noticed what looks like a few ich spots - there are two spots on my bristlenose's body and one on the tail fin of one platy.
The tank is absolutely stuffed with live plants, and the inhabitants include shrimp and snails, tetras and scaleless fish. I'm dreading the thought of treating for ich - I don't want to hurt the plants, shrimp or snail, and it's virtually impossible to remove any of the fish/invertibrates without ripping the tank apart.
I'm wondering:
1. Is it safe to treat with salt (up to 1tsp/gal is what I see recommended for ich) in a planted tank with snails/shrimp?
2. Is it necessary to treat? I'm assuming these few spots may turn into a full-blown case of ich when the cysts drop off and multiply, but then again, maybe not? None of the fish are flashing, no one looks unhappy - I only noticed the spots because I was looking so closely.
I've never had to deal with ich in a planted tank, I'd appreciate any ideas/opinions.
I was watching my fish today, with my nose up against the glass, and noticed what looks like a few ich spots - there are two spots on my bristlenose's body and one on the tail fin of one platy.
The tank is absolutely stuffed with live plants, and the inhabitants include shrimp and snails, tetras and scaleless fish. I'm dreading the thought of treating for ich - I don't want to hurt the plants, shrimp or snail, and it's virtually impossible to remove any of the fish/invertibrates without ripping the tank apart.
I'm wondering:
1. Is it safe to treat with salt (up to 1tsp/gal is what I see recommended for ich) in a planted tank with snails/shrimp?
2. Is it necessary to treat? I'm assuming these few spots may turn into a full-blown case of ich when the cysts drop off and multiply, but then again, maybe not? None of the fish are flashing, no one looks unhappy - I only noticed the spots because I was looking so closely.
I've never had to deal with ich in a planted tank, I'd appreciate any ideas/opinions.