What's the plant-friendly ich treatment?
I set up my 75-gallon tank 8 days ago. I put 1.5" potting soil in the bottom covered by 1.5" gravel. Then I added a bunch of plants to see what would take, as well as 8 new platies and a few "old" danios (from another tank).
Three days later, one of the platies was covered with ich. I removed it and crossed my fingers, but of course the ich spread to the other fish. I have been treating for 3 days with RidIch (fomaldehyde and malchite green), along with 25% water changes and 80-85 degree temps, no carbon filter and darkness after adding the meds. I have not been vacuuming the gravel though, because of the soil under layer.
When I had ich in my 55-gallon (plain gravel), I started with salt and it was hell on my Vallisineria. (tall grassy things). I switched to RidIch but the plants still took a long time to recover.
I don't want to lose all my new fragile baby plants. Plus, I really want to add a few more, but I don't want the plants to be a money sink (because they die from ich meds). In the future, I will quarantine all my new fish in my 10-gallon (once this 75-gal is safe and I move some fish around). Is it possible that new plants could introduce ich? If so, how can I stop that??
I set up my 75-gallon tank 8 days ago. I put 1.5" potting soil in the bottom covered by 1.5" gravel. Then I added a bunch of plants to see what would take, as well as 8 new platies and a few "old" danios (from another tank).
Three days later, one of the platies was covered with ich. I removed it and crossed my fingers, but of course the ich spread to the other fish. I have been treating for 3 days with RidIch (fomaldehyde and malchite green), along with 25% water changes and 80-85 degree temps, no carbon filter and darkness after adding the meds. I have not been vacuuming the gravel though, because of the soil under layer.
When I had ich in my 55-gallon (plain gravel), I started with salt and it was hell on my Vallisineria. (tall grassy things). I switched to RidIch but the plants still took a long time to recover.
I don't want to lose all my new fragile baby plants. Plus, I really want to add a few more, but I don't want the plants to be a money sink (because they die from ich meds). In the future, I will quarantine all my new fish in my 10-gallon (once this 75-gal is safe and I move some fish around). Is it possible that new plants could introduce ich? If so, how can I stop that??
As far as the plants introducing ich, it is possible with ich cysts attached on anything even the plants. The only way of stopping ich is to increase temperature to increase speed rate of ich's life cycle. They are most vulnerable in their free swimming stage in which meds and salt can destroy them.