Treating ich with heat acceptable protocol?

Happy Sunday!

I noticed ich on my cardinals 6 days ago, and immediately treated with theAPI ich treatment available at the LFS, and raised the temp from 82 to 84.

I followed the label of dosing 1ml per gallon, doing a 20% water change 48 hours later, and treating again.

Towards the end of the second treatment, I hadn’t noticed complete recovery, so did another water change, doses again, and started reading alternative options online.

I have cupramine from quarantining SW fish, and performing preemptive treatments, but read that would zap the plants I’ve got, so I settled in on using heat.

I performed another water change, totaling 30% of the aquariums capacity, added in carbon to remove residual ich meds, and began raising my temp from 84, up to 90.

In the last 24 hours, I’ve gotten up to 88, and have added insulation to the sides and rear of the tank in hopes of getting above 88.

the internet has some conflicting information in regards to heat treatment, so I’ve hobbled the below plan together on the premise that the 90 degree days should kill the ich, and the 10 days at 87-88 just as bit of a fail safe. I’ve lowered the water level enough for the output of the canister filter to splash, and added in an air stone to aid inoxygenation.

So here’s the plan:

Cease medications for ich, and remove with several changes of carbon.

Finish raising the temp to 90, hold at 90 for 72-84 hours, then drop temperature to 87-88 for 10 days.

Drop temp back down to the 82 that I’d like the system to operate at over a period 60-72 hours.

Are there any holes in this plan?

Will I need to remove all fish, and allow the system to run fallowed for 72 days like we do in saltwater, or should the several days at 90 effectively kill any spores?

Should I medicate as well? Some sources warned against using multiple options at the same time.

Am I missing something that I need to being doing, as well, other than being as judicious about QT for freshwater as I have been for SW?

 

I believe 86 is the highest it has to be. Ive never heard 90 before on any Ich thread. I would just do the heat no meds. Dont you have to leave the fish in to cure the Ich on them too? Ive never had saltwater so I dont know how you do it on that side.

 

I have never been able to use heat as Australia has a heat resistant strain of ich. As you live in FL not Melbourne Vic.( Australia) the heat treatment may work. I suggest that if your climate is anything like ours ich somehow lives thought hot summers in your town? Many people on fish lore swear by the heat method. Don’t use both at the same time as both methods consume oxygen. A fish with damaged gills and parasites sucking its blood it is already in a compromised state.

Its necessary to continue treatment for 10 ish days after the last spots are seen. As medication only kills ich in one of the three stages of its life cycle.

My understanding is salt water ich is a different beast. ( creature)

I am currently treading a tank with ich ( Thanks Petbarn) .
We do a 45% water changes every 3 days and add more medication. That is following the instructions on the package to the letter. No doubt ever medication has different instructions?

More answers.
Its 3 weeks without fish for fresh water ich to die out( so they say).
You have to kill it on the fish as well?

My opinion.
Continue with the medication you are using if it’s sold for fresh water ich but continue for at least 7 - 10 days after the last spots are seen.

 

StarGirl, there was information from a research paper that indicated loss of infection ability at 85 degrees, loss reproduction at 86 degrees, and dies at 89.5 degrees. So the hope for the 90 degrees is to achieve complete death of the protozoan. It would be necessary to leave the fish in the display. SW quarantine is as varied as the people who pursue it as a hobby, but the typical route is to simply treat all fish for parasites. Not many medications are coral/invert safe, and since most SW fish are wild caught, best to simply treat for everything, and keep the display safe.

 

I have never been able to use heat as Australia has a heat resistant strain of ich. As you live in FL not Melbourne Vic.( Australia) the heat treatment may work. I suggest that if your climate is anything like ours ich somehow lives thought hot summers in your town? Many people on fish lore swear by the heat method. Don’t use both at the same time as both methods consume oxygen. A fish with damaged gills and parasites sucking its blood it is already in a compromised state.

Its necessary to continue treatment for 10 ish days after the last spots are seen. As medication only kills ich in one of the three stages of its life cycle.

My understanding is salt water ich is a different beast. ( creature)

I am currently treading a tank with ich ( Thanks Petbarn) .
We do a 45% water changes every 3 days and add more medication. That is following the instructions on the package to the letter. No doubt ever medication has different instructions?

More answers.
Its 3 weeks without fish for fresh water ich to die out( so they say).
You have to kill it on the fish as well?

My opinion.
Continue with the medication you are using if it’s sold for fresh water ich but continue for at least 7 - 10 days after the last spots are seen.

Flyfisha, I have no clue which sort of ich it is. I haven’t heard of a heat tolerant version until today! I guess I’ll find out which I’ve got soon enough.

The medication simply instructed a second dose at 48 hours, and had no information available about additional treatments. It also didn’t have a listing for daily dosing, only every other day. At almost $4 per dose, it would make more sense to tear the tank down to remove the fish, quarantine them, and bleach the display.

I had heard that SW ich was a different species. Sadly, the fallow period for SW ich is 76 days, and 76 days with zero fish is a long, and boring wait.