Which ich med is most effective?

I just started treating my tank with API super ich cure. It seems effective based on comments I've seen, but for a 60 gallonaquarium, it is pretty inefficient to have to use an entire $7 bottle to just for one dose. (I mean, half the bottle for the first 2 days, them the other half for the next 2).

I'm just curious what everyone else uses since I'm going to have to buy more medicine eventually.

You can give medicine like ich x or preventative treatments like almond leaves. I would like to know specifically:
1. What is the brand and name of the product?
2. What is needed to use it (for example: "dose once a day, and do a 30% WC every 12 hours, then 5 handstands, and a jumping jack to keep your back limber" :happy
3. Why do you like it? ("I like my product because it gives me excercise AND helps my fish")

 

I'm going to call in the guy with a fishroom. coralbandit ?

 

Temperature!

 

Kordon Rid Ich Plus .
They sell a 1 gallon bottle.
Science has PROVEN that the combo of malachite green and formalin is the best .

 

Kordon Rid Ich Plus .
They sell a 1 gallon bottle.
Science has PROVEN that the combo of malachite geeen and formalin is the best .

I should have mentioned that I will have shrimp soon. According to their website, you should "(a) Remove any invertebrates you wish to save."

Is that true, or are they saving themselves lawsuits?

 

Lawsuits ? That's rich .
You going to sue them for killing your shrimp in your infected tank?
I don't keep inverts ,those who do rarely cure anything ..They just let their fish suffer for a shrimp IMO while they claim to do their best [which greatly lacks ].
I certainly would not get any shrimp till you learn how to keep your fish healthy .
Once you introduce inverts almost meds that work for anything are out and then your fish are screwed .

 

Ich-X by Hikari.

 

Ich-x by HikarI hands down

 

Lawsuits ? That's rich .
You going to sue them for killing your shrimp in your infected tank?
I don't keep inverts ,those who do rarely cure anything ..They just let their fish suffer for a shrimp IMO while they claim to do their best [which greatly lacks ].
I certainly would not get any shrimp till you learn how to keep your fish healthy .
Once you introduce inverts almost meds that work for anything are out and then your fish are screwed .

Good to know. Do catalpa leaves or Indian almond leaves help prevent ich or is that a myth or just really not enough to help much at all?

 

Good to know. Do catalpa leaves or Indian almond leaves help prevent ich or is that a myth or just really not enough to help much at all?

Tanic acid will help fight of fungus but not ich (not to my knowledge)

 

Know your enemy ;

 

Ich-x by HikarI hands down

I am using it for first time and have been dosing for 6 days and white spots are almost gone (3 left in total, only on one fish). I am wondering how long I have to dose after all white spot has cleared? Finding a lot of contradicting info online.

 

Know your enemy ;

I'm not planning to sue anyone, but I live in California and there were lawsuits here a few years ago that found favored a lady who sued McDonald's for having too hot of coffee that burned her mouth... So yeah, there are DEFINITELY people who will go to court over their shrimp! LOL

 

I am using it for first time and have been dosing for 6 days and white spots are almost gone (3 left in total, only on one fish). I am wondering how long I have to dose after all white spot has cleared? Finding a lot of contradicting info online.

3 days, then naturally water change the meds out.

 

3 days, then naturally water change the meds out.

The instructions I saw for it said to dose once a day, and do a 1/3 WC before dosing....
Are you saying to leave it in for 3 days, THEN do a water change? Or follow those directions, then stop dosing and wc the meds out?

 

Oh yeah, does salt count as a “med”

The instructions I saw for it said to dose once a day, and do a 1/3 WC before dosing....
Are you saying to leave it in for 3 days, THEN do a water change? Or follow those directions, then stop dosing and wc the meds out?

Do the directions then stop

 

Lawsuits ? That's rich .
You going to sue them for killing your shrimp in your infected tank?
I don't keep inverts ,those who do rarely cure anything ..They just let their fish suffer for a shrimp IMO while they claim to do their best [which greatly lacks ].
I certainly would not get any shrimp till you learn how to keep your fish healthy .
Once you introduce inverts almost meds that work for anything are out and then your fish are screwed .

According to a separate part of the Kordon website, "Rid·Ich+ is not recommended for use in aquariums containing invertebrates and may cause severe stress or death to some of these animals. If Rid·Ich+ must be used in aquariums containing invertebrates, tests should be performed to determine a particular animal's tolerance to this medication."
So it sounds like they strongly recommend NOT using it for invertebrates, but that it might not kill some...

 

Ich x is even invert safe

 

Oh yeah, does salt count as a “med”

I really dropped the ball with my intro to this...

I have a fish only cichlid tank and a planted guppy and platyfish tank that I'm going to add shrimp to soon (yes, some will disappear, but I have lots of moss and other plants that will provide cover for them).

Yes, salt counts but I'm specifically looking for the planted guppy and invert tank, since I'm slowly adding fish and eventually shrimp to it.

 

According to a separate part of the Kordon website, "Rid·Ich+ is not recommended for use in aquariums containing invertebrates and may cause severe stress or death to some of these animals. If Rid·Ich+ must be used in aquariums containing invertebrates, tests should be performed to determine a particular animal's tolerance to this medication."
So it sounds like they strongly recommend NOT using it for invertebrates, but that it might not kill some...

From my experience it will kill inverts. Not sure about shrimp, specifically, since I removed them before dosing. The "pest" snails that were left in, more or less,"dissolved" or disintegrated. If you're planning on adding shrimp after the medicating is all done, then you shouldn't have an issue. Just make sure that you do a few large water changes before doing so.

Not a fan of Ich-X, making tea with Catappa leaves, or other natural remedies a few ppl mentioned. So what if it's herbal and natural? It doesn't mean it's effective. For me and a lot of other ppl, it didn't work at all. Effective is something that should work nearly every time and work quickly, when dosed within a reasonable amount of time. Why use something less effective that ppl keep using even after 2 weeks, when you can see results as quickly as a couple of days?

 

From my experience it will kill inverts. Not sure about shrimp, specifically, since I removed them before dosing. The "pest" snails that were left in, more or less,"dissolved" or disintegrated. If you're planning on adding shrimp after the medicating is all done, then you shouldn't have an issue. Just make sure that you do a few large water changes before doing so.

Not a fan of Ich-X, making tea with Catappa leaves, or other natural remedies a few ppl mentioned. So what if it's herbal and natural? It doesn't mean it's effective. For me and a lot of other ppl, it didn't work at all. Effective is something that should work nearly every time and work quickly, when dosed within a reasonable amount of time. Why use something less effective that ppl keep using even after 2 weeks, when you can see results as quickly as a couple of days?

So your vote is to get the Kordon stuff and pull out any shrimp I wanted to keep right?

 

I have Ich-X but I've never had to use it... salt, temperature and vacuuming work for me. Touch wood I've only ever had ICH once..

 

Does anyone know if API super ich cure is shrimp safe? Just curious since I'm currently dosing that right now...
(This thread is basically prep for next time, and anything I buy will hopefully go the way of Elkwatcher's

 

Treating Ich is not something to experiment with since time is critical. If you decide to treat with meds you need to hit it hard with a decent (not herbal) med and get it in quickly. By the time Ich is visible to the eye it has already been affecting the fish for days. Everyone who buys fish regularly should have some Ich treatment on hand. Brands vary worldwide, but the most effective (IMO) are still those that combine malachite green with formalin.

 

Treating Ich is not something to experiment with since time is critical. If you decide to treat with meds you need to hit it hard with a decent (not herbal) med and get it in quickly. By the time Ich is visible to the eye it has already been affecting the fish for days. Everyone who buys fish regularly should have some Ich treatment on hand. Brands vary worldwide, but the most effective (IMO) are still those that combine malachite green with formalin.

Ok, but what is BEST of I have shrimp?
The tank will have guppies and shrimp amd lots of babies of both. I know I ought to have a quarantine tank, but it was a stretch to get a 55 gallon and 60 gallonin a "pet free house" (I still don't get why 60 gallonof dirty fish water is less dangerous than a well trained dog... )

So, moving the fish or shrimp is not gonna happen. Therefore, I need a medicine that is safe for fish, shrimp, and plants (unless I can pull the plants out and keep them in a 5 gallon bucket for a few days?)

What do you recommend?

I'm not trying to be pushy and I totally agree that the malachite green stuff is more effective. But I also want shrimp in the tank.

 

I'm not trying to be pushy and I totally agree that the malachite green stuff is more effective. But I also want shrimp in the tank.

You could try the heat method, but might not be best when your fish had ich for a while and look like they've been well seasoned.

 

I certainly would not get any shrimp till you learn how to keep your fish healthy .
Once you introduce inverts almost meds that work for anything are out and then your fish are screwed .

I guess it needed to be repeated ..
The way meds work is they kill life by size .
Single cell creature go first with the next most simple form of life following ..That would be inverts in most cases .
The stuff that works for fish kills inverts .

 

I guess it needed to be repeated ..
The way meds work is they kill life by size .
Single cell creature go first with the next most simple form of life following ..That would be inverts in most cases .
The stuff that works for fish kills inverts .

Ok, that makes sense. Thanks

 

I have used Ich treatments containing MG & formalin in a tank containing shrimp and the shrimp have survived, however it’s not guaranteed. Also I used it at half dose since I have loaches.

Kordon Ich attack is supposedly shrimp safe but it’s herbal and less effective. Seachem Paraguard contains a low concentration of MG and a less harsh form of formalin and is supposedly shrimp safe. But it also is not a strong treatment and is mostly recommended for general quarantine purposes. So you see, most ‘shrimp safe’ treatments will be a compromise and in my view not the best choice for an Ich outbreak.

 

I have used Ich treatments containing MG & formalin in a tank containing shrimp and the shrimp have survived, however it’s not guaranteed. Also I used it at half dose since I have loaches.

Kordon Ich attack is supposedly shrimp safe but it’s herbal and less effective. Seachem Paraguard contains a low concentration of MG and a less harsh form of formalin and is supposedly shrimp safe. But it also is not a strong treatment and is mostly recommended for general quarantine purposes. So you see, most ‘shrimp safe’ treatments will be a compromise and in my view not the best choice for an Ich outbreak.

Ok. That makes a lot of sense. So maybe I'll try paraguard.
I'm just looking for an effective solution for when the problem arises.

 

Ok. That makes a lot of sense. So maybe I'll try paraguard.
I'm just looking for an effective solution for when the problem arises.

If you're going to use Paraguard you'll need to treat as early as possible and dose daily for at least 2 weeks which, btw, can work out to be quite expensive relative to other treatments.

 

If you're going to use Paraguard you'll need to treat as early as possible and dose daily for at least 2 weeks which, btw, can work out to be quite expensive relative to other treatments.

Thanks for the info. That doesn't sound like a good option then.

 

There is a lot of research for new ich treatments due to the FDA banning MG in food fish.

Probably one of the most novel:

https://sci-hub.tw/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00436-012-2893-y

As far as I can tell, it's a food coloring you can buy.

My personal preferences are:

• UV (safest treatment of all)
• metronidazole (oral)
• quinine (oral--toxic in water)