10 Gallon Tank I’ve got some questions about ich.

So I’ve finally gotten ich in my quarantine tank with new fish that I picked up a week and a half ago. It’s luckily been many many years since I’ve had ich in my tanks. So i’ve forgotten the proper way to have treatment work effectively.
I also realized that my ich medication is expired, so i’m going out to get new medication. Im on a search for ich-x but if I can’t find it at my LFS i’ll pick up API super ich cure, since i know my LFS sells a lot of API products so i’m confident they’ll have that.
I have nerite snails in this quarantine tank, and also plants.

So my first question is, will the treatment kill my plants and snails?

the plants are not rooted because I originally was keeping them there while completely re-doing my 5 gallon, so i can take them out easily and keep them in a container of water for the time being if required.

My second question: Should i turn my filter off and replace the pads?

The tank is almost cycled but not quite complete.
I’ve already turned my heater up

Last question: Will aquarium salt help?

Note: I’ve caught the ich early, the most spots I’ve seen on one fish is 3. the rest so far only have one or 2, or none at all as of yet.

Since i have to go to work, I did some research myself.
For now i’ve vacuumed the gravel and changed the water 50% with aquarium salt included in the change.
Looking closer at one of my dalmatian mollies and it looks like he actually has more spots than originally anticipated so my first instinct was to do whatever I can right now before work and then when I get home I start treatment.

So I’ve finally gotten ich in my quarantine tank with new fish that I picked up a week and a half ago. It’s luckily been many many years since I’ve had ich in my tanks. So i’ve forgotten the proper way to have treatment work effectively.
I also realized that my ich medication is expired, so i’m going out to get new medication. Im on a search for ich-x but if I can’t find it at my LFS i’ll pick up API super ich cure, since i know my LFS sells a lot of API products so i’m confident they’ll have that.
I have nerite snails in this quarantine tank, and also plants.
So my first question is, will the treatment kill my plants and snails?
the plants are not rooted because I originally was keeping them there while completely re-doing my 5 gallon, so i can take them out easily and keep them in a container of water for the time being if required.
My second question: Should i turn my filter off and replace the pads? The tank is almost cycled but not quite complete.
I’ve already turned my heater up.
Last question: Will aquarium salt help?
Note: I’ve caught the ich early, the most spots I’ve seen on one fish is 3. the rest so far only have one or 2, or none at all as of yet.
Since i have to go to work, I did some research myself.
For now i’ve vacuumed the gravel and changed the water 50% with aquarium salt included in the change.
Looking closer at one of my dalmatian mollies and it looks like he actually has more spots than originally anticipated so my first instinct was to do whatever I can right now before work and then when I get home I start treatment.

Also took my plants out before adding the water with salt and put them in a separate container

 

First dose of API super ick cure added. Did half the recommended dose as instructed with “scaleless fish”, but I read that tetras are more sensitive to ich medication. I’ve got 5 little neon tetras that are stress fighting already with only half a dose. poor guys.
Carbon filter pad was removed and transferred to the same container of water as the plants to keep bacteria thriving for now.
Also read that nerite snails tend to be okay with ich medication so i kept those guys in the tank.
The fish still ate and my hands are stained blue hahaha
Dalmatian lyretail molly is the culprit since he seems to have the most progressed ich. He’s beautiful, I’d hate to lose him :/

 

Hi alexk77
I have had to treat ich a number of times.

First off plants can have ich on them , but the ich will die out after 3 weeks without a host ( fish).

Any medication with malachite green and formaldehyde is what I use. I personally don’t worry about half doses with the Australian brands of medication. My local club members have also found it’s not a problem. Multiple water changes with gravel vacuuming and new medication each time water is changed. Add new medication to the volume of the new water.

Continue treatment for 10 days after the last spots are seen. This will kill those parasites that were only eggs at the time of the first dose.

Be careful using fish nets in other tanks. Better not to use the same net/ vacuum hose.

 

Hi alexk77
I have had to treat ich a number of times.

First off plants can have ich on them , but the ich will die out after 3 weeks without a host ( fish).

Any medication with malachite green and formaldehyde is what I use. I personally don’t worry about half doses with the Australian brands of medication. My local club members have also found it’s not a problem. Multiple water changes with gravel vacuuming and new medication each time water is changed. Add new medication to the volume of the new water.

Continue treatment for 10 days after the last spots are seen. This will kill those parasites that were only eggs at the time of the first dose.

Be careful using fish nets in other tanks. Better not to use the same net/ vacuum hose.

Awesome. Should I gravel vac daily? the instructions on the specific medication I bought says to dose and then wait to dose again after 48 hours, but i’m wondering if daily water changes and dosing would work better since ich likes to accumulate in gravel?
Hoping i don’t have to use any nets.. (ahhh) but I made sure the hose I used was brand new.
The plants are currently in a small water-filled container because I don’t have a tank for them that don’t contain fish. Praying they stay alive, if not, oh well. it’s only 2 plants and a moss ball.
If this API stuff doesn’t work (it’s blue like the other ich medications I used to use but we’ll see) then I’ll look at the malachite and formaldehyde products. tomorrow i will also check the ingredients in this stuff i’m using.
Thanks for the reply Flyfisha

 

It’s 5 pm Australian time , sorry for the late reply , my excuse is it’s partial water change day.

Following the instructions is always a good idea. Doing a gravel vacuum and water change at 48 hours is fine.

Ich spends one stage of is its life cycle as an egg ( cyst) in the gravel but if you didn’t do any vacuuming at all the medication would kill those ich that are at the free swimming stage before the find a host.

Malachite green is pretty much a green colour . The blue you have may be methylene blue?

Continue treatment for 10 days after the last spots are seen. That’s pretty important or you will just have them hatch out and come back as more spots in a weeks time or so?

 

It’s 5 pm Australian time , sorry for the late reply , my excuse is it’s partial water change day.

Following the instructions is always a good idea. Doing a gravel vacuum and water change at 48 hours is fine.

Ich spends one stage of is its life cycle as an egg ( cyst) in the gravel but if you didn’t do any vacuuming at all the medication would kill those ich that are at the free swimming stage before the find a host.

Malachite green is pretty much a green colour . The blue you have may be methylene blue?

Continue treatment for 10 days after the last spots are seen. That’s pretty important or you will just have them hatch out and come back as more spots in a weeks time or so?

Will do, thanks. Wish me luck!

It’s 5 pm Australian time , sorry for the late reply , my excuse is it’s partial water change day.

PS. I’m all the way in Canada so it was actually almost 1am here when you replied, quite the time difference LOL
Ingredients in API Super Ick Cure is Benzaldehyde Green (which I learned is a reduced version of malachite green) and povidone/colloid mixture, which I think helps with slime coat
If methylene blue is an ingredient it isn’t listed

 

Ingredients in API Super Ick Cure is Benzaldehyde Green (which I learned is a reduced version of malachite green) and povidone/colloid mixture, which I think helps with slime coat
If methylene blue is an ingredient it isn’t listed

Hi, malachite green should be ok at full dose for the tetras. I used SeaChem Paraguard at full dose for my black neons and they were fine. It is also malachite green.

Your molly should be ok, seems like you’re catching it early enough.

 

Hi, malachite green should be ok at full dose for the tetras. I used SeaChem Paraguard at full dose for my black neons and they were fine. It is also malachite green.

Your molly should be ok, seems like you’re catching it early enough.

Yeah, I agree based on their behaviour. all acting normally and eating well.
The only fish i see spots on now is that molly, but I’m keeping a close eye on the others and will continue treatment 10 days after the last cyst falls off as Flyfisha suggested

 

Today’s Update:

Twin Bar platy started showing some tiny spots today. Looks like a danio or two has one as well, the rest look okay.
The Lyretail molly still has some spots.

Vacuuming and Redosing early tomorrow, once I learned that i could give a full dose to the tank I added the other half of the meds yesterday. So going from that, tomorrow will mark the 48 hours instructed from the bottle to re-dose.

 

Luckily I've never had to deal with ich, it seems to be much less common here in the UK, that or fish have become resistant to it here.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the preferred method of dealing with ich to up the temp to 86f and dose with salt since they don't tolerate it? Any sort of treatment that doesn't involve antimicrobials is normally better and much less invasive for your ecosystem. If your medical treatment is working, of course, don't change it now.

Speaking of which, I haven't read every single post in detail so I'm not sure if you've done this already, but if your fish can tolerate it, turn the heat up. This will make the ich progress through its life-cycle faster, making the current cysts detach faster and hatch from the substrate quicker, exposing them to the meds and killing them faster.

 

Luckily I've never had to deal with ich, it seems to be much less common here in the UK, that or fish have become resistant to it here.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the preferred method of dealing with ich to up the temp to 86f and dose with salt since they don't tolerate it? Any sort of treatment that doesn't involve antimicrobials is normally better and much less invasive for your ecosystem. If your medical treatment is working, of course, don't change it now.

Hey Cryoraptor,
The heat and salt method is another well known method for treating ich. Personally, I only up the temperature slightly, to about 81-82F because i’ve read that although added heat decreases the lifespan in ich, it also does the same for fish.
With every gravel vac and water change i’m doing I am adding aquarium salt, 1 tbsp per 5 gallons as instructed, as well as dosing with ick cure.
The medication seems to be working, the fact that still only a few fish are showing cysts indicates something is happening and there is resistance there. Also noticing a decrease in the number of spots on the Molly who was the first to catch it. Curing ick often takes time. Crossing fingers!

 

I think the use of salt at the level you’re using plus the anti-protozoan meds (ick cure), and the slightly increased temp is the perfect treatment. If using medicine you never want to increase the temps past about where you’re at as it effects the medicines also. These medicines work best (malachite green) in an alkaline PH with good aeration.

 

I think the use of salt at the level you’re using plus the anti-protozoan meds (ick cure), and the slightly increased temp is the perfect treatment. If using medicine you never want to increase the temps past about where you’re at as it effects the medicines also. These medicines work best (malachite green) in an alkaline PH with good aeration.

Great. I actually added an air stone before treatment but it was because in my research i found that ich doesn’t like oxygen. Glad to know increased oxygen does double benefit

 

Just passing on information to you CryoraptoraA303.

In Australia all ich can survive heat because of our hot summers I assume? Our tanks often sit at 30 degrees centigrade/ 86 F without heaters for a few days in summer.

My understanding is some varieties of ich have evolved to live in warmer water in SOME other parts of the world as well. I don’t remember exactly where but it was in North America somewhere.

 

hey all. water change and 2nd dose just finished. I’d like to send this picture, it’s a sample of the medication i wiped on a paper towel to show the colour.
I know flyfisha was saying earlier that malachite/benzaldehyde (etc) green was a more green colour, but this is definitely more turquoise/blue. does anyone have any idea as to why? I couldn’t find methylene blue anywhere as a listed ingredient.

hey all. water change and 2nd dose just finished. I’d like to send this picture, it’s a sample of the medication i wiped on a paper towel to show the colour.
I know you flyfisha was saying earlier that malachite/benzaldehyde (etc) green was a more green colour, but this is definitely more turquoise/blue. does anyone have any idea as to why? I couldn’t find methylene blue anywhere as a listed ingredient.

PS. Fish look great today. Platy and others no longer have spots, at least none that are visible. Molly is doing much better as well with maybe only a spot or two left.

 

Malachite “green” can also look blue, not green. Both of my medicines that have it are blue.

 

Update: We are 5 days in now and things are looking great. The only remaining spots are on the molly’s pectoral fin, very close to his “armpit” region so it took a lot of looking since he’s white in that area, and it was hard to spot.
Been looking for about 10 minutes at the other fish to see if i can spot any tiny thing and I’m not seeing anything.
Very happy, and crossing fingers that it’s only up from here. definitely is looking like it.
Thanks for all the advice everyone! Will come back to this thread when the ich is confirmed cured.

 

Hi everyone,
Still doing treatment but everyone is looking good. Trying to figure out whether there are actually ich spots on that molly’s pectoral fin or if it’s just his markings. really hard to see since he keeps flapping them around, but from what i can see there’s still something there and it’s been a while now. I’m thinking that the presumable ich cysts would’ve fallen off by now
Plus, still no ich has been found on any of the other fish.

Have some bad news though, this morning i found my smallest neon dead in the cave i have set up. I found this extremely bizarre, he had no ich spots at all.
Also, the carcass hadn’t deteriorated much other than the fact that it’s stomach was completely gone. it looked like something took a big bite out of it, which is also very strange since all these fish are community and i haven’t seen any quarrel other than slightly between the same species.
Are stomachs usually the first to decompose? I’m thinking the neon died sometime yesterday since I was busy with a lot of things and wasn’t really around the tank much other than briefly for feeding. Didn’t really have time to look around.

With concern, today was my last water change involving aquarium salt. This is because i’m afraid the tetras are becoming sensitive to it and i’m noticing slight white fraying on their analfins. will post pictures.

Still dosing with ich cure for 10 days unless i see any other ich otherwise.

Note: just noticing now some bullying from the danios. yikes, i’m not sure what to do about this.

Sorry for the poor quality pictures, but is the white on the analfin normal? the fin also looks slightly frayed as mentioned even though it’s hard to see in the photos. Perhaps it’s fin nipping from the danios?
Not too familiar with tetras, to be honest.