what is the right way to treat ich!?

So... It started again, I see white spots on my electric blue Jack Dempsey. I pretty much killed all my fish last time I had ich in my tank and I'm wondering what is the right way to treat ich!?
You read that ich is in the water, when fish are stressed and their immune system gets weak ich appears.
25% water changes for 7 days and increasing the temperature, adding air stones, etc. Wouldnt all that stress the fish even more? What will changing 25% of the water will do if ich is in the water?

I'm so disappointed, I was hoping for better luck this time around, but I guess I just have to master this stupid parasite. If ich is so common why is it so hard to eradicate?

I went to a very reliable pet store to buy my fish this time around, they told me that ich is normal just to feed my fish more often, and let it be, no water changes, no increasing the temp. No nothing, just apply medicine if it doesn't get better.

What should I do?

 

Welcome to fishlore!

The first thing you should do is remember the advice that was given to you at the petstore...and know that it is wrong. ICH, if untreated, will kill your fish. Plain and simple.

There are a few different ways to treat ICH so you will likely get different information, but most of the time, the people on this forum choose the heat no medication method.

Basically, raise your temperature slowly to 86 degrees. Leave it there for two weeks and do a thorough gravel vac every 2 to 3 days. The reason for this is to get any ICH that has fallen off of the fish and onto the substrate.

I have no first hand experience with ICH but many people on this forum do. I will refer you to this thread until someone can come along with a better explanation.

https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/ich-ick-life-cycle-and-natural-treatment.153206/

 

I've successfully treated ich using the method tyguy7760 just described. I couldn't give a better explanation than he just did.

 

The temp raising is the best way to go about it - even my more sensitive tetras handled it beautifully - water changes removes the ich parasite from the gravel and water column, heat makes the parasite go through its life cycle faster so you can vacuum it out of the tank and replace with clean water to help your fish feel better. The air stone helps with oxygen in the water, which ill fish normally have a harder time getting - it also is needed when the tank is heated up.
Ich normally comes in on new fish that often are resistant to the parasite, while your other fish are possibly not. While it might be in the water, it doesn't survive without a host - if there are no fish in the tank for a few weeks (without temp raising) all of the parasite should die off.
Medicine is often a last resort to a heat resistant strain of ich, which can happen, you also have to add an air stone when adding medicine and take out the carbon (as it will remove the meds) from your filter - water changes are good because they get rid of the parasite faster - aka, suck the little buggers out to help the fish feel better.
I don't see how feeding your fish more often will help with anything unless they are starving - which is another issue entirely - just letting it be often makes you fishes become covered in ich because they aren't able to just fight it off themselves. Good indicators of your fish having ich is them swimming a little weird and rubbing against decorations and gravel (to "scratch" off the ich parasite - which can harm them and leave them open to other diseases).

 

THANK YOU!! @ Great info
I appreciate you chiming in and taking the time.

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I've successfully treated ich using the method @ just described. I couldn't give a better explanation than he just did.

He actually gave a great explanation! Thanks for the validation Geoff , I started today, slowly raised the temp to 86F. Hopefully I will be successful as well|!

The temp raising is the best way to go about it - even my more sensitive tetras handled it beautifully - water changes removes the ich parasite from the gravel and water column, heat makes the parasite go through its life cycle faster so you can vacuum it out of the tank and replace with clean water to help your fish feel better. The air stone helps with oxygen in the water, which ill fish normally have a harder time getting - it also is needed when the tank is heated up.
Ich normally comes in on new fish that often are resistant to the parasite, while your other fish are possibly not. While it might be in the water, it doesn't survive without a host - if there are no fish in the tank for a few weeks (without temp raising) all of the parasite should die off.
Medicine is often a last resort to a heat resistant strain of ich, which can happen, you also have to add an air stone when adding medicine and take out the carbon (as it will remove the meds) from your filter - water changes are good because they get rid of the parasite faster - aka, suck the little buggers out to help the fish feel better.
I don't see how feeding your fish more often will help with anything unless they are starving - which is another issue entirely - just letting it be often makes you fishes become covered in ich because they aren't able to just fight it off themselves. Good indicators of your fish having ich is them swimming a little weird and rubbing against decorations and gravel (to "scratch" off the ich parasite - which can harm them and leave them open to other diseases).

I believe the pet-store guy was probably suggesting that feeding them more would make the little fellas happier... take the stress away and make them strong? I don't know... that's how I interpreted it when he said it
Thanks Mcasella for the advice. I started today, raised the temp, installed the air stone. Everyone seems ok so far. It has not gotten bad, some fish have no spots some have very little, but they are swimming a little weird as you mentioned and rubbing against the sand and decor.
I'm glad to read I don't have to do gravel vacs every day, It makes complete sense to suck the parasites out, but it seemed quite excessive when I read in other publications that it had to be done every day for two weeks... I really don't have the time, working full time with a 3yr old toddler and less than 1 yr old twins is quite hectic!
I picked up this hobby thinking this would be something I would do for myself on my free time, but I had a streak of bad luck, a series of bad things one after the other, then watching fish die, was not my idea of enjoying a fish tank at all. I was hoping not to go through this nasty little parasite again, but I guess its inevitable! LOL
I tried soaking their food in garlic as the info tyguy7760 shared, but they spit it all out... I will keep trying.

 

I haven't ever tried garlic with mine - mine are just happy with whatever I drop in (including frozen brine shrimp).
I've lost a number, a couple to ich as well as just plain bad luck (like a murderess betta that only get along with guppies. :/ ) Them rubbing is the fish trying to get the parasite off, which is one reason you want to treat as soon as possible, even sanded down decor can scratch or create wounds that might get infected.

 

They sell food with garlic in it but it's really not necessary. As long as you raised the temp very slowly then the fish will be fine. I battled ich using heat only method and gravel vacs (I vacuumed everyday because I'm a germaphobe) and within 4 days the spots were gone! Just remember it will get worse before better since the heat speeds up the life cycle!

 

This hobby can be extremely rewarding but at the same time equally as frustrating. I myself am going through a bit of frustration with my tank as I have planned for months to get a pair of blood parrots. now that I actually have them it appears I bought two that are infected with something as there are what appeared to be lesions on their gills. I had to set up a hospital tank to treat them one has successfully completed the treatment with no spots left on their gills so he has went back to the large tank. the other however is still being treated and I'm hoping that he will make it through

 

When I started this hobby, thanks to my daughter and those wonderful goldfish she won at a fair... It took me back to my childhood and made me remember how I had to be responsible of feeding, cleaning the tank and collecting cans to sell in order to buy my fish! I thought it would be a good way to start teaching my 3yr old about being responsible, and showing her to care for something, obviously she can't do more than feed the fish, but that's a start right!!? I did not recall things like cycling, ich, ammonia spikes, ph, etc.
(I guess my parents were replacing fish as they died! LOL)

Needless to say the fair goldfish lasted a week, I didnt think a 3yr old could understand "death" yet, so daddy brought home a blue betta on his way from work, and we said the fishy changed colors because he was hot! (God bless 3 yr olds!!) She named him Tito, couple days later she was asking for more friends for Tito because he was all alone... Next thing you know I went from a 5gal tank to a 30gal tank,cycling it, etc.
The guy from the first pet-store I went to initially sold me sand for saltwater tank! (I told him I was setting up a freshwater tank) So you can imagine me without knowing any better starting a freshwater tank with live sand!! I learned the hard way about water hardness, ph, PH buffers, etc. We overcame that then the constant tetras caught in the filter, then the betta having some sort of illness (his stomach got HUGE, not dropsy) and dying, Tito#2 came into play!
Everything was going nicely, until I bought 4 platy's that were sick, brought ich to the tank and some sort of internal parasite (my newbie mistake of not QT)
I feel your pain tyguy7760
I lost 6 neon tetras, 1 pictus catfish, 1 cory catfish, 1 snail, a Betta, 4 platy's only my chinese algae eater survived.

The first time I had ich, I was not able to raise the temp. I went through 3 different heaters and even though they stated they were for larger tanks than what I have, followed the temp guide, the temperature never got above 78! Finally I got a FINNEX 500w Titanium tube with electric controller, and it finally did the job! I thought it was an overkill, since It's supposed to be for 100-120gal tank, but hey...

@Ifabb, I can handle worse, but I really hope it gets better!! I really want to have a win over this horrible ich, I need a Victory!! Some sense of accomplishment or something before I can battle all the other little pests that may come

 

I'm back!
Need a little more help here... Everything is going well with the fish, the heat has not affected them, they look fine, swimming nicely. Only my EBJD seems to be the one affected by the ich, all the others don't have spots.
I did the first water change yesterday, but i've noticed some tiny little specks in the water all over. Never payed attention to it before, thought it was air from when the water from the filter cascades and breaks the water. But yesterday I stared at it long enough and looks more like little dust particles, sand or salt...
Water is nice and clear, checked it with the master kit, and ammonia, nitrates and nitrites are ok, ph is at 7.2-7.4. Just these little specs floating all over. I tried to take a picture, but not clear enough.
Is this normal?

 

when is the last time you changed your filter pads or did any filter maintenance. I notice little things floating in my tank from time to time and a lot of times its either uneaten food specs or junk coming out of my filter. When it's junk out of my filter it usually means I need to do some maintenance (cleaning out the filter pads/replacing filter pads if I need to/making sure the biomedia isn't clogged, etc)

 

I have treated ich, even on sensitive fish, with just 86F water.

 

when is the last time you changed your filter pads or did any filter maintenance. I notice little things floating in my tank from time to time and a lot of times its either uneaten food specs or junk coming out of my filter. When it's junk out of my filter it usually means I need to do some maintenance (cleaning out the filter pads/replacing filter pads if I need to/making sure the biomedia isn't clogged, etc)

Filter pads are new, last time I had Ich since I could not increase the temp. I medicated so had to remove the pads that were on the filter. When all my fish died I did a 100% water change, washed everything, new filter pads and cycled the tank. Fish have been in there probably 2 weeks now, I don't think the pads would need to be replaced.
Water is clear, is just a lot of those little dust like particles floating around like crazy, I don't think ich is visible in the water right?

 

I have treated ich, even on sensitive fish, with just 86F water.

Did you do water changes as well or just temp increase?

 

Its been a week today of having the temp at 86F. Doing water changes every 2 days. The EBJD is still full of spots and the only fish in the tank with it. All the others appear to be ich free, could it be possible or could he have another type of disease that I'm confusing with ich?

 

Can you get a closeup pic of the EBJD?

 

Are the spots fuzzy?

 

Are the spots fuzzy?

No fuzzy spots, they look like little salt grains, but I find it odd that none of the other fish got it..
I will try to take a pic of it later.

 

Here some pics, little booger moves too much, it was hard to take a pic

 

It does look like ich to me but we can certainly wait for others' opinions.

 

Sorry... Having a hard time posting the pics! Lol

 

Looks like ich to me as well. How long has your heat been at 86?

 

Looks quite like it

 

Looks like ich to me as well. How long has your heat been at 86?

I started Monday last week, so 9 days today.

 

Hmm I'm surprised to see still spots honestly. Doesn't look horrible though. How well are you gravel vacuuming every 2 days? Some ich strains are known to be heat resistant but based on the results on your other fish and the pics it may just need a few more days kick it. I would try to really really vacuum next time and do a nice 50% water change and see how it then looks 2 days later. If by 14 days he still has spots you may need to use rid ich

 

Ich is clearing!! The EBJD has a couple spots left, but is looking much better, no other fish has caught it, so far heat at 86 and sand vacuums every other day is a success!!Just one loss... One of my von rios died today, I'm pretty sad about that, after the water change I measured the ammonia 0, nitrites 0, PH 7.8.

 

I had an ich outbreak and the heat has worked for me as well. No meds. Just heat. And I always have to large circle bubblers running in my tank anyways so it was a win win for me. Everything is gone. It's been 2 weeks today. I don't feel safe yet so I'm gonna go a few days longer. Stupid ich!!