How do you treat ich with salt if you have scaleless fish in the tank?

Question

One of my 2 clown loaches has ich and I would imagine the rest of my fish may be soon to get the same. In the tank I also have 2 irredescents, 2 balas, and 2 rubberlip plecos. Is it possible to treat ich with salt, having catfish in the tank? Some meds say "not suitable for scaleless fish" does that mean it will kill mine or simply be ineffective in treating them. Water properties are very good and I keep the temp at 80deg C. Everything seemed fine in the tank unitl I put the loaches in and they're the only ones showing signs of the parasite.

Answer 1

Don't use anything labeled as unsuitable, that really means "yeah, it will kill your fish". The best treatment is as you guessed, salt and heat. First, I would say this: This will be a long treatment. The fish will not get well in just a few days. It may take a month.

Water should be changed every other day from the gravel. about 25% or so.

Add 2 tablespoons of salt per 5 gallons. I have used this level on clown loaches with no ill effects and it is a level high enough to kill most ick.

Raise the temperature to 88-90 F That temperature will also kill most ick.

Between the two and the frequent water changes to help remove the ick, you will see some progress within a few days, but don't stop even if you see no signs of ick. Continue the treatment for 5 days after you see the last of the ick. That could be as little as a week or as much as 3 weeks but stick with it, it will work.

You may wish to increase aeration during the treatment as the high temperature can cause low DO levels.

MM

Answer 2

When it says not suitable for scaless fish, invertabrates, etc..its not that it wont work, its that scaless fish are more sensative to medications because the meds permiate right through there skin, and it burns them usually giving them a secondary infection. (sort of looking like there skin is coming off with white guck).
There are medications that are safe for scaless fish. You can use Ick Guard 2. its made specifically for fish without scales. I use it as a preventative every time I do a water change or add new fish to the tanks when they are scaless, like loaches, sharks etc. You can use salt, but it takes longer. Also the life stages of ick can be pushed faster,(because you can only kill ick when its in its free swimming stage) by raising the tank temp. Most tanks are at 78-80, yours is already at 80 and up to 82 is good, but dont go above that, cause its pretty warm. It makes the ick hatch out faster from the gravel, helping your medication kill more at once. Good luck.

Answer 3

Your Clown loaches are scaless also. Your Irredescents are the only other scaleless fish on your list. Seems Clown loaches bring ICK along more than not. Yes you can treat with salt and high temps, with CL's and scaleless cats. Last time I treated it(4+yrs ago), thats how I did it( had Syno Mutlis= a scaless cat and CL's). Remember neither will kill all strains of ICK, just speed the cycle of it. So do water changes often(gravel vac everything you can), and keep your water well airated, as both lower oxygen in the water. IMO its alot more natural then using copper or malcite green. Start treatment as soon as you can. BTW, higher temps speed the cycle and salt acts as an irritant, helping the fish create more slime coat. ICK cysts(fall to gravel) mainly can ONLY be killed in free swimming stage(thats why the complete gravel vacs)to get them out as cysts. Add appropriate amount of salt to NEW water added.

Answer 4

I am going to disagree here with steve only because to kill ich you would have to raise your tank temp to above 90 to kill ich. He should know this if he was a shop owner, better yet a good shop owner would run UV sterilizers and not worry about ich. Also he should know, cleaning your tanks have nothing to do with if your fish get ich. Geez Sorry, truth hurts

Is it white spot disease or is it Ich? You need to know the difference between the two since they are treated differently.

Cryptocaryoniasis, White Spot Disease or Marine Ich is caused by an infestation of the ciliated protozoan Cryptocaryon irritans. Although Cryptocaryon becomes a parasitic organism at one stage in its life cycle like Oodinium and Brooklynella do, and it progesses less rapidly than these other ich diseases, in a closed aquarium system it can reach overwhelming and disasterous numbers just the same if it is not diagnosed and treated upon recognition.

Unlike Oodinium and Brooklynella that typically attack the gills first, which allows these ich diseases to advance into life-threatening levels quickly as they go unnoticed, Cryptocaryon usually appears at the onset as salt-sized white spots visible on the body and fins of a host fish, and when the organisms become parasitic, it is then that they move inwards to the gills. Because crypto is more easily recognized in its beginning stage, this makes it much easier to treat and cure before it gets out of control.

Aside from the appearance of the white spots, fish will scratch against objects in an attempt to dislodge the parasites, and rapid respiration develops as tomonts, mucus, and tissue debris clogs the gills. Fish become listless, refuse to eat, loss of color occurs in patches or blotches as the trophonts destroy the pigment cells, and secondary bacterial infections invade the lesions caused by the trophonts.

Although copper is very effective on Oodinium, and it works well to eliminate crypto organisms in their free-swimming tomite stage, it is not as effective on the Cryptocaryon trophonts that burrow deeply into the tissues of fish. A combination of freshwater and formalin treatments adminstered by means of dips, baths, and prolonged treatment over a period of time in a QT is recommended

Reinfection will occur no matter how effectively the fish have been treated if Cryptocaryon is not eradicated from the main aquarium, which can be accomplished by keeping the tank devoid of any fish for at least 4 weeks. For fish-only aquariums hyposalinity can be applied, and to speed up the life cycle of the organisms, elevate the tank temperature to 85 degrees for 10 days to 12 days. For treating reef tanks, FishVet No-Ich Marine, Ruby Reef Kick-Ich, and Chem-Marin Stop Parasites are Cryptocaryon specific remedies that are said to be "reef safe". Several days prior to returning fish to the main aquarium, clean all filtering equipment, change any filtering materials, and do a water change.

Remember to remove all filters media and turn off protein skimmers when treating for any types of Ich.

Although many over-the-counter remedies contain the general name Ich or Ick, carefully read the product information to be sure it is designed to specifically target and treat "Cryptocaryon"

Brooklynella hostilis - these protozoa reproduce asexually by means of simple binary fission through conjugation, which is why they are able to multiply so much more rapidly than Cryptocaryon (White Spot), and Oodinium (Velvet Ich), and why it can kill fish within a few days and even hours upon recognition

Most similar symptomatically to Oodinium, this too is a parasite that primarily attacks the gills first. At the onset fish may scrap up against objects, rapid respiration develops, and fish often gasp for air at the surface as the gills become clogged with mucus. Fish become lethargic, refuse to eat, and colors fade, but the most noticeable difference that sets Brooklynella apart from Oodinium is the heavy amount of slime that is produced. As the disease progresses a thick whitish mucus covers the body, usually starting at the head and spreading outward, skin lesions appear, and it is not uncommon for signs of secondary bacterial infections to arise.

Suggestions range from copper, malachite green and other remedies, with some recommended being used in conjunction with formaldehyde. However the general consensus is these types of medications are either largely ineffective or do not work at all, and that the best and most effective treatment for Brooklynella is formaldehyde alone. Typically a standard 37% formalin solution (shop & compare prices) is mixed with either fresh or saltwater in a separate treatment container, initially all fish are given a quick dip or a prolonged bath, followed by continued treatment and care in a QT. Of course the longer fish are exposed to the formalin treatment, the more effective it will be at eliminating this "disease". Whether to administer a dip or a bath to start with is something you will have to determine yourself, but there's a very simple way to do this.

Since these are Free swimming parasites which are in watersources, come attached to our fish etc. The only way to ensure NO ICH is to get a UV Sterilizer and addit to the tank. The UV Sterilizer kills the free swimming forms of various ich and other parasites.

Hope this helps

Answer 5

80deg C= 176 degrees F

aka you have fish soup.

i found that catfish can stand a little treatment from meds..but only half dose. use a little salt and keep the temp up a little higher....hopefully you meant 80 F...god i hope you meant 80 F