Someone gave me a Peacock Bass a few weeks ago,this fish has yet to eat,so all of a sudden all my fish start "Flashing",i am pretty sure it is ick(caused by the new fish)Is raising the temp and adding salt the best way to get rid of the ick??Water has seemed to get a little cloudy(but i do frequent water changes)what could be happening??
Everyone is "Flashing"......
- Thread starter DCOWBOYS
- Start date
DCOWBOYS;4466667; said:
Yes. Just raising the temp isn't going to do anything except kill your fish faster. Need to add the salt to kill the Ich parasites as they hatch, before they can attach to your fish. Raising the temp just speeds up the ich lifecycle so the fish spend less time infected.
Add 1 tablespoon per gallon, and leave it for a week. You can still do water changes, but remember to add salt to the new water to keep the same level in the tank. After 3 or 4 days, you shouldn't see many spots on your fish anymore. After 7 days the ich lifecycle should be complete and all new hatched parasites dead. I'd probably leave it for 10 days to make sure. Can then start doing water changes with just fresh water.
if there's no visable sign of ick...just add salt.raise the temp slightly.. if you want. I woldnt personally. just treat with salt for a day or 2 and see how things develop.
Yeah, probably just keep a close eye on them for any other signs. If you do see spots form, jump on the treatment fast. The sooner you catch it the better.
gregg;4469123; said:
No, raising the temp just speeds up the Ich lifecycle, causes it to reproduce faster. While the spots are on the fish, Salt won't kill them. When they are done on the fish, they form a hard cyst that drops off the fish and will land on the bottom or float in the water column until it hatches and hundreds of new ones come out. It is right after the cyst hatches that salt will kill them. Without salt, the new ones will just attach themselves to the fish again and start the cycle all over. Extra heat speeds up that cycle, but without salt (or another medication) in the water to kill the Ich as they hatch, you're just helping the Ich kill the fish faster.
Salt would work by itself without raising the temperature, it just takes longer cause the ich lifecycle is slower. The combination will have you pretty much Ich free within a week.