Imo and Ime the best way to get rid of ick is to raise the temp to at least 86 deg. F and add 2 tsp of salt for every gallon of water you have in your tank. Do water changes as usual just when you do add salt back in to make up for what you took out. Do this for two weeks and all your ick should...
Is it a waste of time to try to treat the ich while the spots are present?
no as soon as I see spots I raise the temp to 85 then add 2 tsp of salt for every gallon of water.
add the salt slowly like over an hour or two. and watch fish for signs of stress.