ick help, please!?

paula023

paula023

AC Members
Dec 21, 2005
23
0
0
Louisiana
Ok, first I'd like to say that I have read all the posts and info on this site (and others) pertaining to ick and its treatment thereof. I have been treating for three weeks, and still have this problem..........what's the deal?

All my levels are normal, temp is at 82 and holding, I have added 2 tsp. salt per gal of water, and watching my fish and levels very frequently......

What am I doing wrong? My fish keep getting this junk on them.... :rant: .....it doesn't want to go away! What else should I try? :huh:
 
paula023 said:
Ok, first I'd like to say that I have read all the posts and info on this site (and others) pertaining to ick and its treatment thereof. I have been treating for three weeks, and still have this problem..........what's the deal?

All my levels are normal, temp is at 82 and holding, I have added 2 tsp. salt per gal of water, and watching my fish and levels very frequently......

What am I doing wrong? My fish keep getting this junk on them.... :rant: .....it doesn't want to go away! What else should I try? :huh:
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Just to touch all bases, are you SURE it's ich? Sorry, but I have to ask that.

On to your problem:

Edit: my bad, the treatment says 2 tsps. I use 3 tsps. You can probably try that as you probably have some stubborn strain. 3 tsps per gallon, up the temperature to 86*

Roan
Before you do this, wait to see what Daveedka or RTR or someone else says.
 
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thanks Roan, you're always a big help... :bowing: ......I'll wait to try that after a few of the others put in their 2 cents, but thanks a ton............I'm just getting so frustrated..... :rant2: ..





btw - I gotta get PS so I can get one of those really cool avatars like yours! :laugh:
 
Paula, I will agree with roan that upping the salt and heat some more will help, on two conditions. One your sure that ich is really the problem, and two you dont have any salt sensative fish. HTH
 
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ok, maybe I am mis-diagnosing my fish..........they appear to have grains of salt or sugar on their bodies and fins that slowly get bigger then seem to suddenly disappear..........sounds like ick to me, but could it be something else? If so, what could it be?
 
No, that's ich.

Please wait for Daveedka before you up the salt, just to make sure. If he doesn't jump in by late tonight, maybe send him a PM?

I'd up the salt, but they're not rainbows and not my fish. Bows can take a *lot* of salt.

Just want to make sure it's not bad advice.

Roan
 
Ok, I didn't think of gravel cleaning.... :duh: .......I've been doing it, just didn't think about needing to be REAL thorough..........I'll try that for sure...........Thanks.
 
paula023 said:
Ok, I didn't think of gravel cleaning.... :duh: .......I've been doing it, just didn't think about needing to be REAL thorough..........I'll try that for sure...........Thanks.
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It's probably a better way of changing water..slow, up and down motion when digging the cleaner end deep into the gravel...then when it goes clear, move to the next spot. You don't want to turn it up too much because it can release too much garbage for the fish to handle..just go slow.
 
Get yourself a hydrometer/refractometer (I use the marineland instant ocean one) and raises your specific gravity up to 1.006. That should wipe out the toughest strains of ich safely. My fish have dealt with a specific gravity of 1.011 for 36 hours and I did not have a single loss due to that salt level. I always treat ich at 1.005 specific gravity with no problems but if you have a resistant strain 1.006 is fine.

Edit: if you treat with salt don't go over 1.008 specific gravity otherwise you risk dehydrating the fish. Anything over 1.006 is dangerous in my opinion.
 
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