ich and snails

[dsbrasw]

I had two baby guppies in a one gallon tank that got ich. The guppies came from a breeder box in my main tank so I knew the ich must have originated in the main tank. Sure enough I found two ich spots on one clown loach. I am currently treating the main tank with higher temps and salt. Everyone seems fine.

The baby guppies died though. They were too small to overcome the stress of the ich. I keep snails (ramshorn and MTS) in this tank at all times to keep it cycled so that it is available if I need to isolate a single small fish. I added salt at 1tsp/gal to this tank when I saw the ich. I know ich can't survive without a host, but are snails a suitable host for the parasite? Will my tank be safe if I let it run for a couple of weeks 'fishless' but not 'snailless' ?

Thanks!

 

[LakewoodEngine]

I have a similar question. I need to treat my Betta for ich. He lives in a 2.5 gallon tank with one large (1.5") apple snail and at least two baby (1/4") apple snails.

I plan to treat by adding 2 tsp of salt per gallon, so I'm adding 5 tsp total over a few hours. How will adding the salt affect my snails?

Thank you.

 

[TheZoo]

Your snails should be fine. Have you read this?
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39759
Be sure to dissolve the salt in tank water before you add it!

Not sure about snails hosting ich, it may be in the article though, so give it a read.... Treating it anyway shouldnt hurt. Heat alone should also kill ich, if you want to do that instead.

 

[plah831]

ich parasites need a fish host, however their cysts (and other stages that don't inhabit fish) can form on any surface: gravel, plants, snail shells. They will not burrow into the snail flesh and infect it, though.

I am not sure how the salt treatment will affect snails themselves, however. Maybe you should remove the snails during treatment, as sprinkling salt is a sure way to kill snails and slugs, I'm inclined to think the increased salinity will dehydrate them. If you leave the snails away from the fish, the ich parasites will develop past the cyst stages and will die without a fish host. The article linked will give you an idea of the duration of a complete ich life cycle (hence how long you should keep the snails away from fish), which is accelerated with higher temperatures.

 

[TheZoo]

If you leave the snails in, they shoud be fine. Go slow when adding the salted water, if you see any signs of stress (floating, not moving) stop and change out some water with fresh, or move them to another tank. But, they should really be ok, the amount of salt youll use for ich treatments isnt that much.