10 Gallon Tank Transported betta one ich spot, but gone now...dose? or not to dose?

A coworker asked me if I could babysit his betta for the summer. HIs fish was well (although he was kept in an unfliltered 1.89 gallon bowl--with a heater), but after he got to my place, I put him in a 10 gallon cycled aquarium and he developed an ich spot. Just one. I thought I'd wait it out because I figured the commute stressed him out. Well the ich spot is gone now, but I am left wondering if I need to dose the tank?

 

A temp of 86F will keep ich from reproducing in the gravel, and aquarium salt will I keep free floating ich from attaching to fish. I don't find ich meds to be all that effective, and potentially stressful.

 

Are you sure it was ich? Treating for things the fish doesn't have will just cause stress, especially where medications are concerned. They are not easy on the fish's body. If you think it really was ich, then I would suggest raising the temp slowly to 86 and leaving it that way for 2 weeks. Bettas do well with heat anyway, and the heat will kill off any parasites that happen to be present in the tank. Salt is unnecessary in my opinion

 

A temp of 86F will keep ich from reproducing in the gravel, and aquarium salt will I keep free floating ich from attaching to fish. I don't find ich meds to be all that effective, and potentially stressful.

I really would like to take a natural approach to this because the fish is clear of the spot and previously, I tried a chemical product and it stained my sealing blue. If I raise the temp to 86 how long will it take before I can lower the temp? Also, should I slowly raise the temp--I don't want to stress him out. Thanks.

 

Are you sure it was ich? Treating for things the fish doesn't have will just cause stress, especially where medications are concerned. They are not easy on the fish's body. If you think it really was ich, then I would suggest raising the temp slowly to 86 and leaving it that way for 2 weeks. Bettas do well with heat anyway, and the heat will kill off any parasites that happen to be present in the tank. Salt is unnecessary in my opinion

I agree completely about the meds. It looked like one ich spot, but it is gone now. I figured he didn't like the commute to my place and got a bit stressed. He looks happy in his home, and the spot is gone now. Thanks for the advice, I will raise the temp to ensure the ich goes away.

 

Raise the temp by a degree or two every hour. Leave it at 86F for a FULL two weeks.

What this is doing is killing the ich parasite in its free swimming "larval" stage before they find a host--your fish. The larvae can't survive the high temp, and it speeds up the life cycle.

Ich doesn't just 'come and go' the way you are describing though. If you see a ich cyst on the fish's body (the 'salt sprinkles') they will generally stay in place for up to a week. They don't just appear and fall off in less then a day. What the 'cyst' is is basically that there is a parasite dug in under the fish's scales, and the 'white spot' is like a pimple. ie the fish's body trying to protect itself from what is essencially a microscopic tick that burrows in under the scales or in the gills (where you can't see the signs of it)

Regardless, heat won't harm the betta. Good luck 'betta sitting'

 

I disagree about the salt. I never put salt in my tanks anymore. It doesn't do much good unless you have an open sore. Definitely bump up the temp to at least 86*F. Do daily waterchanges with gravel vacs. Here's a good guide for curing ICH - Curing ICH Naturally

 

Hopefully raising the temperature doesn't put him under more stress... Make sure you do it VERY slowly.

I find that vacuuming the tank is VERY helpful. Even 1-2 gallon water changes. Also, you could soak the betta's food in a garlic solution. Garlic helps boost their immune system. I mince garlic into a cup and then add a small amount of water. I then take a dropper and put some of the garlic "juice" onto the food. I store the juice in the refridgerator.

 

I also don't use salt, as I keep cories and snails. Temp works for me. I only mention salt to avoid the inevitable digression into the salt debate. Heat works great for me, raise temp slow and leave it for at least two weeks after the last spot falls off. In this case, two weeks, but I would go three to be on the safe side.

 

Raise the temp by a degree or two every hour. Leave it at 86F for a FULL two weeks.

What this is doing is killing the ich parasite in its free swimming "larval" stage before they find a host--your fish. The larvae can't survive the high temp, and it speeds up the life cycle.

Thanks very much for taking the time to share helpful advice. I just raised the temp slightly. Hopefully the heater will go that high--I've never tested it out before!

 

Hopefully raising the temperature doesn't put him under more stress... Make sure you do it VERY slowly.

I find that vacuuming the tank is VERY helpful. Even 1-2 gallon water changes. Also, you could soak the betta's food in a garlic solution. Garlic helps boost their immune system. I mince garlic into a cup and then add a small amount of water. I then take a dropper and put some of the garlic "juice" onto the food. I store the juice in the refridgerator.

I bought garlic juice for a fish rescue I did about a year ago, so I will begin with his next feeding. Your way is way more economical and fresher too! Live and learn!

 

With just one spot, I seriously doubt that it was ich. Are you sure it wasn't the start of a fungus, or possibly just some debris stuck to him?

 

I'm doubting that it was ich, also.

What I posted wasn't a cure. But, personally I would do water changes and the garlic and not raise the temperature. Just my opinion. I think raising the temperature would just stress it more, especially since it is in a new environment. If it presently has ich spots, I would recommend raising the temperature, but since it doesn't I'd just monitor him closely.

 

He seems really happy. There are no new spots. I did a 30 percent water change late this afternoon. Jdhef mentioned the possibility of fungus, but I have never dealt with fungus before and am unsure based on my lack of knowlege. I looked at some photos online too. Whatever it was, it is gone now--hopefully for good.