# I think I have Ich in the Tank! HELP!



## Danyel (Mar 20, 2006)

One of my fish had dots on his tail, I couldn't tell if it was his colorings or Ich(he is normally orange/white). Well today when I looked at him, he is covered in white spots!!!!! None of the other fish have these spots, and I am so worried! I dont know what to do?

Is Ich harmful to humans? I need to know the right way to treat this! I have heard about gravel cleaning as part of the treatment- is it safe to stick my bare hand in the tank? 

I really need some help here!

EDIT: if you need a visual, he looks like he rolled around in sugar. He looks really stressed and swiims in one place in the corner.
EDIT2: where is every one?? How well does a salt cure work, versus a chemical cure?
EDIT3: Some stuff I have been reading suggests raising the temperature to speed up the lifecycle of the ich(so you can kill more when you treat the tank), is there any DIY ways to do this, as I don't have a heater imediately?


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## Danyel (Mar 20, 2006)

I have a 12gallon tank, and it says 1TBS salt per 5 gallons. Should I put 2 1/2 TBS of salt in a cup of warm water and mix it up to dilute it, then dump that in the tank. I can use table salt that is "non-iodized"?

Is this what I should do, what next?


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## Danyel (Mar 20, 2006)

No one knows how I should treat the ich?


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## ch2linda (Dec 19, 2006)

Hi Danyel there is a whole sub-category here on this site devoted to disease.
Within that is an entire list of disease sites.
Go buy a heater.


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## Danyel (Mar 20, 2006)

Ok, The soonest I can get a heater will probably be friday-monday. What can I do in the mean time? 

I found an article on ich http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/ich.php I was going to do the just salt method, but what should I do? I am so confussed/worried. Will some one post a method that has been tried and worked?


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## Ringo (Apr 10, 2006)

Add some salt to help reduce the stress in the tank, and seeings how you cannot get a heater till later add chemicals to your tank.
What kind of ick treatment do you have?


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## Danyel (Mar 20, 2006)

I currently have no chemicals to treat ick, which is why I was using the salt. The only thing I have is water conditioner. A couple of hours ago I added salt, then I found that other article that said to add more salt. So far there are 5tbs salt in my 12 gallon. 

I would also have to wait until later to get chemicals...


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## Puffer Pita (Jun 16, 2006)

You do not need any chemicals. Do not add anymore salt. What you have in there is actually quite a lot already. Usual dosage is 1-2 tablespoons for every 5 gallons. Just use the salt and leave it alone for a week. Add a heater as soon as you can and slowly raise the temp to the mid-80s. After a week, vacuum the gravel and do at least a 50% water change. Add salt only to the water you are replacing. Make sure it us thoroughly dissolved before adding it to the tank.

What kind of fish do you have? Orange and white could be any of a very large number of fish.


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## Danyel (Mar 20, 2006)

The one with the ich is the ballon molly, none of the other fish have the spots and are acting normal. The molly is normally an orange with lighter pattern(white to clear). The white spots are newly formed and not normal!

The other fish are a lyretail molly(similiar coloring), a betta, and 3 cory cats.

OK boxermom, I will do! Thank You!

EDIT: Can anyone recommend a good heater? Also is it safe for skin to come in contact with the infected tank water?


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## Puffer Pita (Jun 16, 2006)

Ich won't hurt humans. I use Visitherm Stealth heaters, as they have plastic casings rather than glass so they don't shatter, are fully submersible and auto-shut off if I forget to unplug it during water changes.

Those other fish you have shouldn't be harmed by the salt, but even if they don't show signs, all have to be treated.


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## Danyel (Mar 20, 2006)

Okay I am going to look around for heaters online. Thanks for the advice so far! 

I thought you guys might like to know my molly is acting a little better.

My molly was really scaring me, but he look like he is doing better since adding the salt! He still has the spots, but he isn't holding his fins tight to his body- and is swimming around the tank more.


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## Puffer Pita (Jun 16, 2006)

Livebearers such as mollies normally do better and tend to be healthier with salt in their water. The betta and cories, however, won't appreciate it as much.


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## mayastarocker (Dec 29, 2006)

I would get some ich treater like Maracide for freshwater tanks. Unforunately, the only way to get it is to call your vet and him/her that your fish have ich and they should prescribe it. That is how my friend got it and I borrowed it from her. I don't think that QuICK Cure that you can get at Wal-Mart doesn't work. When I treated my tank with Maracide, I think that got rid of my Ich problem.


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## Puffer Pita (Jun 16, 2006)

I repeat, chemicals are not needed. They often kill more fish than the ich does. People have been successfully treating ich for decades using salt and heat alone.


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## rcomeau (Apr 23, 2006)

My tank also has its first case of Ich. This thread and this article helped...http://aquafacts.net/wiki/index.php/Ich

I already lost two fish. It is now running at 86 deg with 0.3 teaspoons of salt/gallon. Is that enough salt? I'm also worried about the salt hurting the plants. How much salt can the plants (Swords and others) tolerate?


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## Puffer Pita (Jun 16, 2006)

Some plants are more salt-tolerant than others. Swords can actually live in low end brackish water. Few plants will have problems with the amount of salt used to treat ich. The normal dosage is 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons, increased to 2 tablespoons per 5 gallons after a few days if no change has been noted.


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## bre8162 (Jan 17, 2007)

*just treated ich myself*

i used coppersafe and it worked instantly in my tank. If you have invertebraes they would have to be removed.


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## Puffer Pita (Jun 16, 2006)

Products containing copper should never be used in the main display tank, only in bare quarantine tanks. Copper does not evaporate, it leeches into stuff like rocks, substrate, driftwood, decor, etc.


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## StarLab (Jan 14, 2007)

Not to mention you should use a copper test kit to ensure proper concentration. Get it too high, you open up new problems. (Namely, dead fish) Personally, I don't like copper for treatment. 

Salt and heat, as mentioned above, should be all you need. I continue to have success with this method. I find Quick Cure to be hit 'n' miss as far as success goes. 

Not to mention, you can continue to use your chemical filtration (carbon) with the salt method. Most "remedies" require your remove any chemical filtration.


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