OH @*&! I have ICH!

BAH! went back a page and lost what I typed... Grrrrr!!!
So I read the article on ich and I understood more of it then I think I should have LOL (I get scared by my ability to understand science technobabble). I think I'm abit screwed though no matter what I do. The neons I have might not be able to handle the salt and meds but the white clouds might not make it past the high temps. No idea how the betta's going to fair, not that he's doing well as it is. The betta is still the only one showing ich , and he's REALLY showing ich. I'm medicating the tank with RidIch but I guess adding some salt might help more? You know this hobby is a "thing that holds back water in a river" difficult thing to get into!
-Neo Sithlord
 
White clouds are tough and should be able to handle the higher temps for a couple of weeks. The key is to make sure and oxygenate the water well. Cold water fish need the higher oxygen levels that cold water provides. Hot water off gases quickly. So lowering the water level to provide more splash from an HOB or else adding a small air pump and air stone will help keep things oxygenated.

The salt shouldn't hurt the tetras in that short of time or that small of concentration. Even adding 1 tsp per gallon is nowhere close to the levels of salt that brackish or true salt water have. Even salt intolerant fish like cories (they lack scales) do fine with this treatment.
 
Just an FYI that may help, My Pictus (smooth skinned no scales) is the one in my tank that got ich bad. Pictus cats are bad for not surviving anything and I have lost several to ich over the years. I know ich meds are very hard on them from past experience. I raised the temp very slowly, started with one tsp salt per gallon, and raised it to 1.25 over the course of two days. After another three days I raised to 2 tsp per gallon, and my pictus has come through very nicely. Last weekend he was so stressed he was swimming up and down the corner of the tank constantly and wouldn't eat. totally covered with white spots (real hard to see on a fast moving pictus) this week he is clean, and hiding out in his normal cave. Eating anything that floats by and occasionally cruising the bottom in search of more food ie. normal pictus behavior. I'll maintain the temp and salt for probably 3 more weeks (I'm an overkill guy) and then slowly bring things back to normal. After this experience, I will probably never spend money on ich meds again in my life.
HTH
Dave
 
Great to hear a success story with scaless fish. And it is great to see a story about salt that isn't a myth.
 
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