ick help needed quick, please....

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J

JP!

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 5, 2006
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I also posted this in the disease forum.
Got a baby(2-3") Pbass that has it and want to treat it by using salt and raising temp to 85-87*. My question is, can my other tank inhabitants handle the heat? I have 2 airstones running for extra oxygen.
Other fish include:
Arrowana 4-5"
Oscar 3"
Dovii 1 1/5"
Shovelhead cat 4-5"
Pleco 6"
2 other Pbass around 2-3"
 
Yeah they will be fine. If they start gasping for air just add more airation, but it sounds like you have it coverd.. I would go up to 90*F, that is what I do and it works great, but that is up to you.
 
thanks for the quick reply. I'm gonna try 87 or so and see how he looks in 24 hrs.
 
I agree... small cichla need high heat and a lot of O2...Crank the heat to 90 and add a powerhead...
 
Keep in mind cranking the heat will make the ICK LOOK worse for the first few days because it will speed its life cycle up. DO not be discouraged continue heat and salt treatment for at least a week.

Good luck I think you are taking proper actions
 
That's pretty much what I've done in the past for ick. It has always worked out real well for me. And your other fish will definately be alright, just keep an eye on them to make sure that they aren't breathing too hard.
 
Yeah, it wont' look any better in one day. If anything it will look worse before it is better. It will take at least 10 days for it to clear up if not more.
 
Ok, temp is at about 87.5 and it does look worse like mentioned. How often should I add salt to the tank and do I continue on my normal once a week water change or should I do more during the treatment?
 
Don't just keep adding salt to the tank. Only add more when you do a water change and take some water out. The salt that is in there now will not evaporate out of the water, so if you were to just keep adding more doses without removing any of the water, the concentration of salt in the water would eventually become too much.

When I've treated for ick, I always try to bump the water change schedule up a bit, but I don't know how necessary it really is (as long as the ammonia and everything else is ok). I've also treated successfully without increasing water change frequency.

That temp sounds pretty good though. BTW, how much salt are you adding to the tank?
 
I added 1 table spoon per 10 gallons. Roughly 8 tablespoons for a 75 gallon.
 
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