how to treat "ick" in my fish tank?

Question

i recently been getting these white dots on my fish and was told by a friend it was "ick". how do i treat this without harming fish? already cleaned out tank.

Answer 1

It would be VERY helpful to know specifically how you cleaned your tank. Also, let us know what type of fish you have. If you'll provide this information, we can give you good advice on how your fish got ich in the first place!

Ich and other common disease are usually caused by poor water quality. High levels of ammonia and nitrites will be present in your water if you are not performing proper partial changes and tank maintenance. Also, if your water is not the correct temperature for your fish or if your water temp is varied too much by water changes, this will stress the fish. Poor water quality and temperature fluctuations can stress your fish. Stressed fish become susceptible to illness.

Ich is highly contagious and it sounds like all of your fish have it. Purchase an Ich remedy from a pet shop and follow the instruction. Don't get the least expensive nor do you need to purchase the most expensive. API has good products and so does Mardel. Avoid Coppersafe as it may not be appropriate for your specific water chemistry and can be harmful to plants, some fish and invertebrates.

Follow the instructions on the packaging and complete the entire treatment even when the ich disappears. You'll need to remove any charcoal filters, and you'll need to do a partial water change and add new charcoal if you removed any (don't re-use the old).

Again, it would be very helpful to know how you cleaned the tank, what size of tank and what all you have in your tank.

Hope this helps & Good Luck!

Answer 2

I've always found the best treatment is sea salt. NOT table salt. lol. The salt bath is a good idea also, but be VERY careful. If you don't do it right, it will kill your fish. Also, increase the temp. in your tank to slightly above 80, and do a 20-30% water change EVERY DAY until all visable signs are gone. Don't do the rid ick or anything of the sort except as a last resort. Putting unnatural chemicals in your tank usually does more harm than good. Sure, it'll probably get rid of your ick, but your fish are swimming and breathing in chemicals!

Oh, and one more thing! I don't know how you "cleaned out the tank," but if you took out all the water... don't do that ever again!!! Even if you have a sickness in your tank. Again, it does more harm than good. Only do partial water changes with a gravel vac and replace the water with chlorine free, room temp. tap water... ever.

Answer 3

Do a little more research. There are several ways to treat ich. But you can never get it out of the tank. This is because of the life cycle of the parasite. The spores that hatch into ich are always present,and there is no treatment for them,only the"active" stage can be treated. The ways to avoid outbreaks are to keep the tank temperature consistent,and keep the water quality at the very best it can be. Look for websites that describe the various methods of treatment and prevention.

Answer 4

Ich is a parasite. Because ich is contagious, it is preferable to treat the whole tank when one fish is found to have it. Ich is temperature sensitive: Leave fish in the community tank and raise temperature to 85 F and add one drop of Aquarisol per gal every day until cured. It will only take a few days.

Answer 5

treat ick fish tank

Answer 6

Well first make sure your tank has good water conditions such as 0 ammonia.
I would also make sure your ph is stable as well as your gH, the reason I mention gH is that the minerals in gH are important for buffering malachite green (which is found in most ich remedies) and is also helpful for electrolytes need especially during times of stress such as disease.

I would try Quick Cure or Paraguard for more sensitive fish.
I have also read good things about those Medicated Wonder Shells for this as well.

I would recommend reading this site for some really good information 'bout ich:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_Ich.html

I reference several of the above sites articles for great information.

Take care & GL

Answer 7

your best best bet is to

ich medicine

and

A salt bath is very effective for individual fishes. The higher concentration of salt will destroy embedded trophozoites on the body of the fish by preventing them from maintaining fluid balance. To prepare a salt bath for small-medium size fish, dissolve 2 Tablespoons Aquarium Salt in 4L/1 Gal. of conditioned tap water that is the same temperature as the tank water. Stir well to make sure all salt is dissolved before using.




Increase temperature to 30°C/86°F. With tropical fish, an increase in temperature to 30°C/86°F is usually very well-tolerated. Since this temperature prevents reproduction of Ich, it can theoretically cure the problem by itself. So the first step would be to increase the temperature slowly, 1°C/2°F per hour until the correct temperature is reached. This temperature should be maintained for 10 days, and then slowly returned to normal. Some fish can tolerate higher temperatures. If your fish are more heat tolerant, try increasing the temperature to 32°C/89.5°F for the first 3-4 days to kill the Ich. Then reduce temperature slowly to 30°C/86°F, and hold it there for an additional 6-7 days, or until a total of 10 days have passed. Gauge the heat tolerance of your fish by observing their reaction.


Increase aeration. Increased temperature leads to increased metabolism, which enhances the fish’s immune response but also increases oxygen demand. Oxygen is lower in warmer water, so it is very important to increase surface agitation during the treatment to increase oxygenation. In planted tanks with CO2 injection, the CO2 should be turned off and extra aeration should be provided. Carefully observe your fish, watching for signs that they are not getting enough oxygen. If fish are gasping at the surface, you need to provide more aeration. Aeration can be increased by reducing the water level so the filter return makes more of a waterfall and splash, and/or use an airstone placed close to the surface of the water.


Do daily partial water changes. 25% daily partial water changes will provide several benefits: It will keep the water very clean, which will help fish cope with the stress of the disease. It will remove some of the trophonts and tomites. It will add oxygen. This author also recommends the use of NovAqua+ to condition the change water. This product is a dechlorinator and has several additional benefits that help fish under stress, including sealing of the wounds caused by the Ich. If the water changes seem to stress the fish, reduce the size and/or frequency of the water changes.


Use a Micron Filter. The Aqua Clear Quick Filter used with a power head is an easy and inexpensive way to capture both free-swimming stages and the cysts of Ich in water that passes through the filter. A diatom filter can also be used. Both of these filters trap particles as small as one micron in size. The smallest stage of Ich, the free-swimming, swarming tomite, is approximately 30 microns, large enough to be trapped in this type of filter. Change the filter daily with the water changes. The Quick Filter cartridge can be cleaned and reused. Rinse thoroughly in very hot water, or boil for a few minutes to kill any stage of Ich that may be trapped inside. Or use a fresh cartridge. Make sure your fish are comfortable with the current caused by the additional filter.

Answer 8

it is very easy to get ick in your tank, you have to do a partial water change and go to your local pet shop and buy Ick medicine, follow the directions on the bottle and your tank should be back in order in a few days, however tho, if you dont treat the tank with the medicine, your fish will die,,good luck and do this asap

Answer 9

Do a 1/4 water change, treat with Rid Ich+ its about $4 for four oz thing of it...treat with one tsp. per 10 gallons..do this every day until 3 days after all visible signs are gone. This will do it :)

Answer 10

you can buy Ick Away at any pet store or even Walmart. it's only like $4 for a bottle & works pretty well.