some of my fish have ich.I've treated with ich tablets bought from pet store.Should I also add salt to water?

Answer 1

Some salt certainly won't hurt things, but depending on what exactly is in the ich tablets it may not be as much benefit as it would under other conditions. I would suggest you add a teaspoon per 5 gallons.

Salt along with heat is a very good ich treatment, but doesn't combine well with some ich medications. here's the details of two treatment methods that work very well.

Change a large portion of the water, about 50-60% while cleaning the gravel very well.
Clean the filter and change all the media but leave out the carbon.
Add 2 tablespoons of salt per 5 gallons of the tank.
Raise the temperature to 88-90 F. Raise it slowly, about 1 degree per hour. You may need to add an air stone or two depending on the type of fish and how heavily the tank is stocked. Threat for at least 7 days after you see the last white spots on any of the fish. After the treatment return the tank temperature to normal.

OR

Use a good ick medication as directed on the bottle. Try to find a medication that used Malachite Green as the active ingredient. (CAUTION: Malachite Green is a known carcinogen. Be careful not to get it on your skin!)
Change 25% or more of the water daily being sure to clean the gravel as you do so.
Continue the treatment for at least 7 days after you see the last white spots on any of the fish. After the treatment, return the carbon to your filter.

This will work and will remove the ich from your tank.

Salt is a valid ich treatment you can find literally 1000's of hobby related links that support this and some that don't, but here's support from veterinarian conferences, research labs, government publications and and various University Fisheries and Biology departments. It's science and it's proven.
veterinarian support of salt treatment
http://www.aquariumfish.com/aquariumfish/detail.aspx?aid=15788&cid=3806&search=
http://www.vin.com/VINDBPub/SearchPB/Proceedings/PR05000/PR00343.htm

General resource
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichthyophthirius_multifiliis

Scientific research links
Supports salt treatment with heat
http://sciencesearch.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?DocumentID=276.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/BODY_FA006
http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/bio354l/Projects/2000/ginger_hsieh/index.html
Supports heat treatment:
http://www.ces.purdue.edu/extmedia/AS/AS-459.pdf.
Download the Ich pdf here:
http://www.aces.edu/dept/fisheries/aquaculture/Health.php

If you have access:
http://www.haworthpress.com/store/ArticleAbstract.asp?sid=U2TAADUBS1GM8G3RFACUJ1R2G00C3U91&ID=36388
http://afs.allenpress.com/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1577%2F1548-8454(2001)063%3C0293%3ATFIIIC%3E2.0.CO%3B2

MM

Answer 2

It's a tough call. The chances are that seahorses would be severely outcompeted for food resources. Try something benthic, that will not compete as much, like a shrimp goby. You could even pair him with his pistol shrimp, if you'd like. Mixing with other tube-mouths, assuming you can provide the food in sufficient quantities, can also work. Adding in a small species of pipefish would work, as would the urchin clingfish (Diademichthys lineatus). To be honest, though, if your tank is large enough, and your able to feed enough without compromising water quality, a small fish like some Talbot's damsels, cherub angel, or a royal gramma would probably be just fine. I'd suggest sticking with TINY things, though...2" and under, preferably. Keep in mind these suggestions are for some of the moderate sized seahorses. I'm just assuming you don't mean the dwarves.

Answer 3

I would, it coundn't hurt. And salt in the water is good for the fishes coat, and that is where this ich is found.

Answer 4

I always add salt when treating for ich and also for any other skin abnormalities on my fish.

Answer 5

Ich is worsened by stress, Aquarium Salt will help partially sedate the fish, therefore, the ich will heal faster and more efficiently

Answer 6

keep in mind many scaless fish and catfish cant handle salt, depending on your fish types salt is a wonder drug for ich. what do you currently have for fish? also alot of those ich treatments contain copper which is terrible for fish and once its put in will remain slightly forever. ich works in cycles..the eggs will drop to the bottom, hatch and go to the fish, so cleaning the gravel with a siphon will definatley help as well. also depending on your fish of course, high temps will also kill the disease. think about it like this tho, if you wouldnt put it in your body (because of the chemicals) , it probably isnt that good for your fish either -=oP

Answer 7

I treated ick with quickcure for 14 days, higher the temperature to 80 degrees to speed the cycle of ick, added coppersafe (but you don't have to), non iodine salt 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons. I was also recommended to treat my fish with medication - maracy (not maracyn-two). It worked well my fish are ick-less.

Answer 8

never add salt to any water containing fresh water fish. they will die. they are very fragile animals and will not adapt.

Answer 9

I have yet to find ich tablets to ever work properly. A liquid medicine is what you need to treat your tank properly.

Since your fish are already stressed due to the ich, itis best to treat for the ich with the proper medicine and not add a bunch of additives to the tank. If you choose to add salt at a later time that is up to you, for now, deal only with the problem at hand.

More on ich:

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 help If you need further info feel free to email me.