max amount of salt for ich treatment

[Wat2Go]

Our ten gallon tank has a recurrent ich problem.
I treated the first cycle with malachite green, but I think it stressed the fish too much as some of them died anyways. Tank was free of ich though.

Then - two weeks later - we introduced a couple of guppies and wham..ich again.

So I opted for salt. I raised the temp to 82 and added one smallish tablespoon per gallon. I added it mixed in with tank water over a period of 24 hours. Whenever I did a water change I added salt to keep salinity (sp?) up. Fish were free of white spots so I figured I was now effectivily killing the free swimming what-ever-they-are-called.
BUT NO. 5 days later and the ich returned on two of the guppies!

Two questions:

I have raised the temp a bit more (but the guppies seem stressed, plus there is a lot of guppy fry in the tank so I don't want to go a lot higher). What is the max amount of salt that is guaranteed to kill the ich?. I can "see" the parasites leaves the fishes bodies, so they will be free swimming soon. I really would like to kill them all this time!
As I am feeding fry I am slightly overfeeding, which means I gravel vacuum every other day and do a PWC every other day.

There is a pleco in this tank. Can I take it out and put it in another tank, even though he comes from an ich tank? I certainly DO NOT want to introduce ich in our new 29gallon tank. This 29gallon is also not fully cycled yet (we set it up about a week ago and 5 danios are cycling it. They are very healthy and happy (they came out of the ich tank and I took them out when I thought I had killed all the ich). Waterlevels in the new tank have been stable all along, but do I risk killing the pleco if I put him/her in this new tank?

L.

 

[liv2padl]

try salt at 2 teaspoons per actual gallon of water. this will give you a good solid level with a 1 tsp. per gallon buffer zone in both directions.

to add salt, mix it with some of your tank water in small volumes and add to your tank. never dump salt in directly as a solid. add ¼ tsp. per gallon once an hour for four hours. this will bring your tank to a level of 1 tsp. per gallon in four hours. then increase it to 2 tsp. per gallon in ¼ teaspoon increments every 3-4 hours. always watch the fish closely for reaction. when you reach a level above 1 tsp. per gallon, watch for signs of increased stress and if noted, slow things down and allow the fish more time to adjust.

carbon will not remove salt from the water so if you are using it you do not need to remove it as you do with meds. table salt, pickling or canning salt, kosher salt are all fine to use. the levels of iodide or flow agents are too minute to be a factor.

during this treatment, increase the tank temperature to at least 82°F. note that 86°F is usually fatal to ICH, and if your fish will tolerate this temperature this alone can kill the parasite. important note ... warmer water does not carry oxygen as well as cool water. increase oxygen concentrations in your tank during treatment by (a) lowering the tank water level to increase splash, (b) raising the spray bars above the water line, or (c) add an air pump to your system with a good bubbler.

maintain this treatment for two weeks minimum.

you can use salt with cories, catfish, sharks, loaches, tetra’s pleco’s etc., ... basically any fish can tolerate the level of salt recommended for the time involved in treatment.

will this treatment affect your plants? frankly i don't know. to be safe, consider removing them temporarily.

it's important to continue a water change regimen during treatment and i'd recommend twice a week ... but remember to replace what you remove. just add whatever your target level is to the change water. for example, if you have 2 tsp. of salt per gallon in the tank, and you change 10 gallons of water then add 20 teaspoons to the change water as it goes back in. the total level of salt in the tank will remain the same.

 

[Wat2Go]

Thank you!
I read your post before but I must have missed the 2 teaspoons per gallon!
Even the fry has signs of ich now.... I am assuming they will tolerate the salt?

 

[TKOS]

Fish that don't tolerate the treatment would not be able to tolerate any treatment. Salt and heat are a change and potentially could harm a very weak fish, but meds won't be any easier on their system.

Ich can hang in there. Keep treating until 1 week following the last visible sign and you should be sure then that you have beat it.

Also consider a qt tank. That way your display tank won't have ich problems again. It can be a simple 5 gallon setup or even a rubbermaid container with a heater and cheap filter. Anything that would allow you to watch new fish prior to them entering your main tank with a possible sickness.