ugh, i think its ich.

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iamsquatty

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Sep 4, 2006
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huntsville, AL
i think a few of my fish have ich. ive noticed just one or two tiny white spots (looks like salt grains) on one or two of my fish in my 55 gallon.

ive been reading up on how to treat it, and so far ive learned to turn the temperature up and add aquarium salt.

what is a safe temperature to turn the heater up to? and as far as the aquarium salt goes, are there any specific fish that it would be harmful to at all?

also, what about melafix?
 
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iamsquatty

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Sep 4, 2006
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huntsville, AL
what about melafix?

and reading that page, it says to add one to two teaspoons of aquarium salt per gallon of water.....that just seems like alot. will it not harm any of the fish?

also how do you introduce the salt into the tank...just pour the teaspoons into the aquarium, dilute it in a bucket of water and put that in the aquarium? is there any way that would be less stressful than another?

do i only need to add the salt once and then wait for however long it takes, or do i need to keep adding the dosage for a 55 gallon every week or what?
 
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iamsquatty

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Sep 4, 2006
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huntsville, AL
also, is using the salt treatment method harmful for live aquarium plants? ive got those in both my tanks, and i just remembered the other day i transfered a few fish from my 55 gallon (which i noticed the ich in tonight) to my 29 gallon which just got finished cycling, so i am thinking i should treat that tank also, just incase. is that a good idea?
 
webcricket

webcricket

(So chill.) No wonder it's freezing
Mar 22, 2006
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Syracuse, NY
Turn the heat up to the 82-84 range at least - try not to raise the temperature more than 1 or 2 degrees ever few hours.

Aim for 2 tsp of salt per gallon - it is a lot, your water will taste salty. Unless the fish are a species that does not tolerate salt at all (i.e. corydoras) you'll be fine. Most plants will make it as well. It's best to add the salt slowly, and definitely dissolve it in water before adding it to the tank. Try to pour it near the filter output so it gets evenly dispursed. When I treated my tank I increased it by 1/4 tsp every 4 hours. So it took me 32 hours to get up to a concentration of 2 tsp per gallon. In your case start with 13 3/4 tsp salt dissolved, add to the tank and wait at least 4 hours. Then add another 13 3/4 tsp salt, wait another 4 hours...you get the idea...until a total of 110 tsp have been added to the tank. Treatment will probably last about 21 days. Go at least a week after you see the last spot disappear.

You can do normal water changes, just be aware of how many gallons of water you are removing and when you add new water, add enough salt to account for what you removed.

Definitely treat both tanks. I'm in the last days of a salt treatment in a planted tank, and my java fern, pearl grass, anacharis, wendtii crypt (much of the crypt did "melt" but it's grown back) all did fine.
 
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webcricket

webcricket

(So chill.) No wonder it's freezing
Mar 22, 2006
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Syracuse, NY
It's not a bad idea to do a 40-50% water change to start before you add the salt to make sure the water is extra nice and clean.
 
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iamsquatty

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Sep 4, 2006
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huntsville, AL
ok, i think i understand. the tank needs to keep the right amount of salt and the temperature up and steady until everything has been 'cured', correct?

and when the treatment is up (21 days or so) i can start doing waterchanges and just not add back the same amount of salt per gallon to get it down to regular water instead of salt in the water, or do i need to do a drastic water change to try to remove it after treatment is up?
 
plah831

plah831

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Apr 29, 2006
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Monterey Bay, CA
yep, to be safe I do the treatment for a full 3 weeks. After that time is over, just go back to normal water change schedule. Don't need to do a huge water change, as the sudden change in salinity will most likely stress your fish. Just do 25% or whatever your normal amount is.
 
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