TBH I'm not gonna go buy meds (now that I think bout it) unless the problem gets unmanageable.
TBH if you wait for the problem to get unmanageable there really isn't much that you can expect meds (natural or otherwise) to do.
Like I've had immense success with raise temp/salt in the past and want to do that, but not sure if I can with shrimp and snails. So any natural options?
Salt is a "natural option" & if you've used it before with success & feel comfortable using salt over meds then why not halve the regular dose of salt from 2 TSP per gallon to just 1 TSP per gallon as is done with salt sensitive species such as cories, plecs
etc. 1 TSP per gallon still gets the job done, it just prolongs the treatment period. Observe your snails to see how they react to the salt (I think the shrimp will probably handle the salt just fine, the snails would be my concern). If you don't like what you see you could perform a water change & give another option a try at that time.
If you are "pretty broke" this will probably be your most cost effective option.
My LFS said to just feed the oto more and he would fight it off himself, which make sense since to my knowledge ich is always present and only affect fish when they are having immune problems from, in my case, stress from acclimation and otos are super sensitive.
Ich is not an ever present opportunistic parasite residing in your tanks water column as has been inaccurately conveyed to many hobbyists over the years. It is a
cyclical parasite & as such can go dormant for a time however it doesn't stay dormant for very long, it needs a host to continue its' cycle & survive. Ich is introduced into your tank by a host & if your tank has no fish in it (
i.e. an invert only or plants only tank) it cannot continue it's cycle & will die off on its' own without the use of meds or other treatments.
Also said garlic oil, but as I always complain about, i'm pretty broke...
Opinions? I found another spot show up in the last 8 hrs
I've heard of garlic oil being used to treat round worms in fish (an intestinal parasite), you mix it in with food during feedings. Never heard of it used (successfully or otherwise) on Ich. Hopefully someone else can attest to garlic's effectiveness or lack there of for treating Ich.
Good luck :thumbsup: