wooza

Guys,

Unfortunately my 3 clown loaches appear to have ICH. Water para's are ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, ammonia 10. I have read to turn the tem upto 86F. Mine is currently at 78F and I am a little concerned at turning it up because my thermometer has a green 'safe' zone marker on it. The 'safe' zone is between 70 and 80. is my current temp too low? Should I turn it up to 86?

matt6765

78 is a good temp...... to get rid of ick turn up the water to 86 and do gravel vacs every day...... on your water parameters it said ammonia, nitrite, ammonia...... I think for the last one you meant nitrate

aquarist48

Hello. Agreed. Sorry to hear your fish are ill.
Turn your temperature to 85 or 86 degress and leave it there for a period of 2 weeks. Ich cannot survive in temperatures over 82 degrees. If possible, add an additional air supply as warmer waters require more oxygen. Vacuum the substrate to get rid of the spores that fall off of the fish and to the bottom. Best of luck for a full recovery.

wooza

Thanks guys, Yes sorry I did mean nitrates. Will it be enough to split the air supply over two stones from the same pump? Or will I need a second pump? Do I need to adjust the temp gradually, or can I just whack it to 86?

aquarist48

Well, the oxygen is actually created by movement at the top of the water so I would say that splitting the air line would work just fine...more bubbles more movement. Increase the temperature gradually. You never want a drastic change in temperature up or down too quickly.

wooza

Swwet, I will do them things now. One more question sorry to be a pain. Will the temp have a bad effect on any of my other fish?

aquarist48

Wooza that's something that I really can't answer for certain. However, they are more likely to survive the higher temperatures than the ICH. I know for certain they will not survive the ICH without treatment.
You're never being a pain by asking question.

Butterfly

Clown Loaches are absolute ICH magnets. The least chill and sometimes for no reason at all they will come up with ICH. But you gotta love them. Clowns especially enjoy water temps about 80f. Your aquarium information doesn't say what other fish you have but most tropical fish can handle the higher temps just fine.
Questions are always fine, we've all asked our share and are still asking. Let us know what you need and please keep us posted.
Carol

harpua2002

If you use a hang on back filter, another thing you can do rather than buy another air pump is to lower the water level in your tank. The extra splashing from the filter return = extra aeration. I'm not familiar with the filter listed in your info, so I don't know if this helps you or not.