Ick question

[duanes]

The spots on the fish are a stage of ick, they each produce hundreds more ick. Just because they are invisible doesn't mean ick is gone, it just means the protozoa has morphed into another stage, it is when in that" next" stage ick is vulnerable to the osmotic stress of salinity. Heat speeds up the stage morphing enabling the salt to kill the vulnerable young ick.

 

[duanes]

The spots on the fish are a stage of ick, they each produce hundreds more ick. Just because they are invisible doesn't mean ick is gone, it just means the protozoa has morphed into another stage, it is when in that" next" stage ick is vulnerable to the osmotic stress of salinity. Heat speeds up the stage morphing enabling the salt to kill the vulnerable young ick. This is why treatment should last weeks.

 

[Lilyann]

The other aspect of why it is important to add salt when using a heat treatment for Ich is because the salt makes the areas in tissue where the Ich parasite burrows in inhospitable to the growth of bacteria. The high heat can promote a more rapid growth of both the cycle of the Ich parasite as well as the spread of bacteria- salt is needed to counteract this.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; I often do not get involved with ich (ick) threads anymore. Too many opinions and I am not expert. I do tend to think of Duanes as among the more knowledgeable members on this forum about ick. I would tend to follow his suggestions if I had an outbreak.
Some things to consider.
1) do not use more than one chemical treatment at any one time. Pick a medication and use it alone.
2) Ick outbreaks can and often do last weeks.
3) Keep up with any treatment for at least 10 days (prefer 14 days) after the last visible white spot.
4) Do not use any equipment in other thanks that has been in an ick tank.
5) get and use a quarantine tank (QT) for all future new fish.

Good luck

 

[pops]

sorry and no offence but I do not think adding salt effects ICK it self but irritates scaled fish to causing them to create a thicker slime coat. Again has no effect ICK itself. IMHO. salt or no salt heat take it out just fine.

 

[duanes]

New young ick are lysed at a salinity of 3ppt and above, the young ick are not able to handle the osmotic pressure.
Many aquarists find adding salt doesn't work, but that's because they add too little, and the amount they add does not add up to the correct dosage 3ppt.
To bring a 100 gallon tank to the correct salinity, at least 3lbs of salt must be added, any concentration under 3ppt, is not lethal to emerging ick.

 

[duanes]

This fish and a few of its siblings came in with a bad case if ick.

I only added the appropriate salt (3 lbs of rock salt per 100 gallons), and did not raise temp.
Within 7-10 days, here is the result.

Beside that any temps above 82'F are especially problematic, because they allow many pathogenic bacteria to become more virulent. Bacteria such as columnaris are often a secondary infection as a result of ick, the salt also helps resist such bacteria.

 

[MrsE88]

I’m with duanes on treatment.
My flowerhorn had to be treated for ich. At first I used my go-to kordon ich attack, but it had gone bad and the ich returned in full force.
Bumped the heat and added salt. No more ich. My plants took a slight hit, but my crabs did fine with the heat and salt. I’d imagine a cray would too.

 

[Predator07]

Early stage of ick??