Lets talk ICH...

[RevDjDee]

I have Ich in my tank...75 gallons. I have read a ton of Ich threads in here and have questions specific to my case.

1. I am on day 3 of elevated heat. 86-88 degree range, I have a little fluctuation. Fish seem to be dropping white spots off. There is only 1 fish I see that is still holding 3 tiny spots, which is less than before.
Question, how long do I keep the temperature elevated? The full 2 weeks I am treating this or do I drop the temp after I see all spots are gone?

2. Current water stats:
GH= 120
KH=240
PH=8.0-8.5
No2=0
No3=0
Hows this look?

3. Salt...I added 15 tablespoons of salt brine on the 11th. I have done no water changes...How many days should I let the salt water stay in the tank?

Lets start there. Whos an expert?

[imagirlgeek]

I'm not an expert, but maybe this will help. First, the reason you are increasing the heat is to speed up the lifecycle of the ich and maybe kill some. Supposedly, at around 86 F, it stops reproducing, and at around 90 F, it dies. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable kicking my tank water up to 90+ though. Anyway, if I were you, I'd carefully (without stirring up the water too much), syphon your gravel to get the trophonts and tomites that have detached from the fish out of the tank, and keep doing what you are doing for a total of 10 days..

[RevDjDee]

And maybe kill some!? PFFT! I am in full blown camo over here, even have my face painted! I am in Kill Mode! Siphoning Phase 1 will begin soon, Do I need to replace water I have removed? I also have salt in the tank to aid in the battle.

[suicune]

yes you do need to replace the water you siphone out. Make sure to also replace the amount of salt lost through water change. I have treated my tanks for ich twice. Each time I lost 1-2 fish, usually the one that is too far to save. I use heat and salt method, it worked well for me. except that I often have plants dying off during the treatment because of the salt.

[imagirlgeek]

And maybe kill some!? PFFT! I am in full blown camo over here, even have my face painted! I am in Kill Mode! Siphoning Phase 1 will begin soon, Do I need to replace water I have removed? I also have salt in the tank to aid in the battle.

LOL...camo and facepaint...awesome.

Yeah, replace what you remove....I wouldn't siphon more than 25% of the water though. And then add a little salt to replace what you removed with the water change. Sounds like you are doing good though since your fish are looking better already.

[mistahoo]

I'm no expert either, but here's some useful information I gave over on another forum.

Ich does not infect new fish at 29.4°C/85°F, stops reproducing at 30°C/86°F, and dies at 32°C/89.5°F. Ich can definitely survive temps over 86°F, but they will eventually die off since they stop reproducing.

Salt impacts Ich in any stage (parasitic, intermediate, reproductive, infectious). Salt basically disrupts their ability to control their fluids since salt water is hypertonic and will absorb the water from its cell. This is also why many planted tank hobbyists try to keep away from adding salt to any planted tank because it will affect them in the same way.

You don't have to use aquarium salt. Just plain old table salt or kosher salt will do. Just make sure it doesn't have "anti-caking ingredient" in it.

Increasing surface agitation is a good idea. It increases oxygenation (oxygen exchange). You can achieve this with an air pump or a powerhead pointed towards the surface. Heat doesn't lower O2 in the water directly, but it does lower it indirectly. Heat increases metabolism of the fish, which then increases their respiration rate, which brings us to lowered O2 levels.

Siphoning the cysts off the substrate daily helps to alleviate your ich problem. Daily 25% water changes will help remove free swimming ich. The fish would appreciate the clean and cool water too.

Sent from my spaceship using Tapatalk 2.

[RevDjDee]

Ich does not infect new fish at 29.4°C/85°F, stops reproducing at 30°C/86°F, and dies at 32°C/89.5°F. Ich can definitely survive temps over 86°F, but they will eventually die off since they stop reproducing.

Thanks for the response...I have had multiple people advise against raising my tank temp to 90°F...If I can get to 88 with out the fish dying, whats 2 more degrees?

[mistahoo]

Honestly, I would advise against rasing it to 90°F as well. 2 more degrees makes a huge difference. Ice melts at 32°F, but at 30°F it's fine. 2 degrees does seem so minute because it's a small number, but the difference can have undesired outcomes. Some fish can't handle that high of a temp. If you don't mind taking the risk, I say go for it.

[RevDjDee]

Update- Still cooking at 86 degrees, all spots are gone, however the 1 fish that was struggling the most has a good day then a bad day. fins clamped shut one day, the next...open and swimming fine. She started eating a little, but still visits the corners.

I have noticed an increase in PH after my water change. It has risen to 9. Ammonia = 0. All other water specs will be updated when I get home.

[RevDjDee]

Secured a pH meter from work...

Water condition update: 5/1 API test strip - 8.5 pH, Gh 120, Kh 240+ ( it appears to be a deeper shade of green than the chart), No2 0, No3 0.

API Ammonia Test Strips: 0

Now what? White spots have been gone for a day or so, gonna vacuum some gravel tonight, Still hold the 86 degrees temp until I dont know when.

Should I clean out my filter media as well?