Ick not clearing up?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo

iManipulate

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 14, 2009
175
0
0
Montreal, Quebec
I'm helping my friend with his 20 gal aquarium. It has a Senegal, 2 Cichlids and a Columbian Shark (We had 3, two died already)

I turned up the temperature, took out the plants etc, then I treated his water for ick 3 days in a row. According to the label on my ick meds, and from previous experience, it should be cleared up right now? All of his fish are still covered in it, and sickly.

Do I re administer the treatment? Any idea what went wrong? Help please! We don't want to lose any more!
 
Wow is that an over stocked tank!!! I hope you have plans for a MUCH larger tank really soon!

What are the nitrite and ammonia readings? If the water is foul, it won't matter if you treat for the ICH or not.

Is there any carbon in your filter?

I would vote for a massive water change and gravel vac, 60-75% of the water! Then raise the water temp (speeds up teh life cycle of ich) and use salt. 1-1.5 tsp per gallon. Measure the ammonia and nitrite daily. If they are over 1ppm, 50% water change, and be sure to add salt to the new water.
 
kdrun76;3465564; said:
Wow is that an over stocked tank!!! I hope you have plans for a MUCH larger tank really soon!

I love it when we make assumptions about things when we don't have all the information. Next you will burn me for having an endi, orino, and another poly I forget which in a 10g. Remember not everything is what it seems. Just remember when you assume it makes an *** out of you and me.

First and for most need more info like what is your temperature at? and what are the size of the fish? Raising the temperature will help a lot, and are your fish still eating? If they are still eating then just try to not stress the fish out as much as possible. Try small water changes a little more often then larger ones. I like to think of ICK as a cold, that could get worse or not and the fish gets over it. By adding the salt it will help thicken the fishes slime coat and kill the parasite in the free floating stage.
 
I know it's overstocked. We got all the fish when they were super tiny. He will be upgrading soon, no worries.

I didn't get to check the levels yet, I'm going to do that today.

Yes, there is carbon in the filter.

I figured we'd have to do a huge water change. He has sand as a substrate in his aquarium, could this also be affecting it?
 
The temperature is at 82, the fish are all under 2 inches, cept the senegal, he's about 3 inches. Yes, they ARE eating, a lot! I never knew salt helped with it, I grew up with like angelfish and neons and we never used salt to help with ich
 
Carbon removes meds from the water. If you added ich meds to a tank with carbon in the filter, you didn't add any meds.

Salt cures ich. Its safer, faster, cheaper and more effective than anything you can buy. And carbon won't remove it from your tank.

82 is high enough, no need to raise the temp.
 
Take the carbon out when you are treating the tank.
Bring your temp up to 86-88 degrees....at least 86 as this temp will kill the ich. Do the salt treatment (1 tbl spoon for every 5 gallons), dilute it in water THEN add to the tank slowly.
Keep it like this for two weeks and you should be good.
Remember to have lots of air in the tank because with the higher temp, the water will hold less oxygen.

good luck
 
what are you treating with? most people say treat for 10days with higher temps, 50% WC and 1-1.5tbs per gallon, then treat for another 10days. im battling ick in a 20g as well with my new pike. i've been treating for about 6 days and it seems to have gotten worse. i dont think i was using enough salt so i upped the salt to 1.5tbs, so 6tbs with the waterchange this morning
 
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