How Long To Cure Ich With Salt?

[scrappinjaime]

I raised the temp to 82 degrees and put 9 tbsp of aquarium salt in my tank. I only had two fish with a few spots on them and they still have a few left. It has gotten better but not gone. My water parameters are all good. Wondering if I need to break down and use the meds? Thank you, Jaime

 

[deftuch]

my fish are suffering from this disease also. i have learnt that the only way to kill the disease is when they are not living on the fish. they have a complex life cycle and eventually the white spots disapear completely or just show great signs of clearing up. ( im not too sure ) but this is actually the diseas deciding to abandon the fish in order to multiply. i am adding salt slowly and waiting for the spots to drop off ( if i manage t spot it ) then im gunna wack the temp up and add 20 percent of the recommended dose of white spot. i am unsure how to use white spot meds without running the risk of decycling my tank.. good luck mate

 

[winmore]

I raised the temp to 82 degrees and put 9 tbsp of aquarium salt in my tank. I only had two fish with a few spots on them and they still have a few left. It has gotten better but not gone. My water parameters are all good. Wondering if I need to break down and use the meds? Thank you, Jaime

It should take 1 to 2 weeks mine tuck 1 week.

 

[squeeky_jane]

I would use a treatment and follow the instructions on the bottle. Take out any carbon filters from your tank as they will remove the treatment. You have to be very careful adding salt to your tanks and it can harm some some fish (Corys don't like salt one little bit). Raising the temperature of the tank will speed up the cycle of the parasite (which you have already done), allowing it to be exposed to the treatment quicker. As long as you follow the instructions on the treatment you buy for Ich, your tank should be fine!

 

[deftuch]

I would use a treatment and follow the instructions on the bottle. Take out any carbon filters from your tank as they will remove the treatment. You have to be very careful adding salt to your tanks and it can harm some some fish (Corys don't like salt one little bit). Raising the temperature of the tank will speed up the cycle of the parasite (which you have already done), allowing it to be exposed to the treatment quicker. As long as you follow the instructions on the treatment you buy for Ich, your tank should be fine!

agreed. since when has salt alone been efficent enough to treat ich anyway lol

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Freshwater Ich
Symptoms: Fish look like they have little white salt grains on them and may scratch against objects in the tank. White spot disease (Ichthyopthirius multifiliis) is caused by a protozoan with a life cycle that includes a free-living stage. Ich grows on a fish --> it falls off and attaches to gravel or tank glass --> it reproduces to MANY parasites --> these swarmers then attach to other fish. If the swarmers do not find a fish host, they die in about 3 days (depending on the water temperature).

Therefore, to treat it, medicine must be added to the display tank to kill free-living parasites. If fish are removed to quarantine, parasites living in the tank will escape the treatment -- unless ALL fish are removed for about a week in freshwater or three weeks in saltwater systems. In a reef tank, where invertebrates are sensitive to ich medications, removing the fish is the only option. Some people think that ich is probably dormant in most tanks. It is most often triggered by temperature fluctuations.

Remedy: For most fish, use a medication with formalin and malachite green. These are the active ingredients in many ich medications at fish shops. Some products are Kordon's Rid Ich and Aquarium Products' Quick Cure. Just read the label and you may find others. Check for temperature fluctuations in the tank and fix them to avoid recurrences. Note that tetras can be a little sensitive to malachite green, so use it at half the dose.

Use these products as directed (usually a daily dose) until all of the fish are spot-free. Then dose every three days for a total of four more doses. This will kill any free-swimming parasites as they hatch out of cysts.

Another remedy is to raise the tank temperature to about 90 deg F and add 1 tsp/gallon salt to the water. Not all fish tolerate this.

Finally, one can treat ich with a ``transfer method.'' Fish are moved daily into a different tank with clean, conditioned, warmed water. Parasites that came off of the fish are left behind in the tank. After moving the fish daily for a week, the fish (presumably cured) can be put back into the main tank. The disadvantage of this method is that it stresses both fish and fishkeeper.

From http/fins.actwin.com/aquariafaq.html