Help!! Have Ick!!

NewbFreshwater

Registered Member
Jun 1, 2006
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I Currently see white spots on my neon tetras i have just gotten from lfs and was wondering if it was ick probably anyways was wondering what to use to get rid of it?




1 20 Gal High
7 Neon Tetras
2 swordtails
2 Dwarf flame Gouramis
1 Bristlenose Plecostomos

1 55 Gal
6 Angelfish
7 Neon Tetras
1 Albino Sailfin Plecostomos
 
I'm quoting SuperD:

"Ich can only be cured in the free swimming life stage of the protozoan. There are two main approaches to curing Ich, and opinions vary on which is the more effective. Malachite green and formalin is sometimes used to cure the disease (note that malachite green is hard on scaleless fish like catfish and loaches, and also other fish such as tetras). Some alternative medications are based on copper and formalin. The other method is to add salt to the tank (gradually), up to a level of 1-2 tsp per gallon. Note that fish vary in their tolerance of salt, and for more sensitive soft-water species, it may be better to use 1 tsp per gallon maximum. If you are treating in a planted aquarium keep in mind that higher salt levels may affect plant growth. In either case, increasing the temperature to no more than 86°F should kill the parasite off more quickly. However, increasing the temperature means there will be less oxygen dissolved in the water (some medications can lower it too). Due to the life cycle of the parasite, the whole tank must be treated, in order to kill the parasites which are not attached to fish. Therefore it is not appropriate to treat only the affected fish in a separate isolation tank. Note that when a fish has been cured from Ich they will usually form an immunity to the infection."

I would start with the salt treatment, gradually adding the salt & raising the temperature slowly.
 
Yes I had the same problem too. Used Mardley's Coppersafe and the problem dissapeared. I treated for a few days to be safe- and the medication apparently is effective for up to a month per dose.
 
Ich


This link will contain a little bit more accurate information. I did not read the entire linkPosted above but did read enough to know that whoever wrote it has no idea what they are talking about. Hopefully it's not too late for folks trying to learn.
Dave
 
daveedka said:
Ich


This link will contain a little bit more accurate information. I did not read the entire linkPosted above but did read enough to know that whoever wrote it has no idea what they are talking about. Hopefully it's not too late for folks trying to learn.
Dave
I read it all, Dave, and it's pure garbage.

Please read Dave's article and not that other link. They have no clue what they are talking about.

Re: Copper

Please! Do not put copper products in your tank! Copper is toxic to all life, especially invertebrates, and *cannot* be removed from the tank. It will bond on the molecular level with the silicone, the decorations, your filter and anything else it comes into contact with. There are instances where people who have used copper years ago in their tanks and they cannot keep any invertebrates alive.

So please, do not use copper.

Roan
 
Just adding my 2 cents..... I treated oscars for ick. Just got rid of it, infact, but I followed the steps in dave's article that Roan Art is talking about, using salt and temperature. I didn't let the temp get over 85, but I used 2 tsp per gallon. I have to say, our ich is gone!!! And my fish are fine.
 
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