# Uhhhhgggghhh!!!! ICK!!!!



## Chidori-Noodlez (Dec 15, 2012)

My Convicts have ick... I got some ick medicine and raised the temp up...and now mine convict is on the bottom acting lethargic...two questions what should I do and where does ick come from I haven't introduced anything new except this pleco?????

































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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

plecos can carry ich without showing spots as the ich lives in the gills. But ich can also be present in low levels in a tank and fish will be fine until the water temp drops (it happens a lot this time of year, even well-heated room get cool spots and unused rooms get cool at night) and then suddenly ich will attack fish with a vengeance. Something about cooler water makes fish more susceptible to ich. Convicts, being cichlids, are very tolerant of many meds and salt, so go ahead and treat aggressively. Start with clean, warm water and then treat.


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## Chidori-Noodlez (Dec 15, 2012)

I have plenty of meds should I do a 25%-35% water change and retreat/over treat ...and thanks for the info and responding...your info and help may make a wife happy...cause she's pissed with me the aka mr.fixit...lol


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## Chidori-Noodlez (Dec 15, 2012)

And put salt in there?


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## Chidori-Noodlez (Dec 15, 2012)

I've heard that Kosher and Epsom salt will work?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Read up on salt and heat ich cures. You can use one or use a med. Salt is not good for plecos, so if one is in the tank, a med may be better, but some meds are not good for plecos, either, so do some reading, you may have to treat them separately. Many meds kill ich, Copper meds, dye/formalin blends, read the fine print and be prepared to change water and redose if you get to end of the treatment before two weeks are up.

Kosher salt is just NaCl w/o some of the anti-caking and Iodine additives. Salt cures can use table salt, aquarium salt, kosher salt, rock salt, they are all mainly the same. The key w/ any salt use is not to lower concentration to suddenly as that can kill. Epsom salt is a totally different chemical, usually magnesium sulfate. It can often be good for fish, but its not what is used for a ich salt cure


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## Chidori-Noodlez (Dec 15, 2012)

Ok...looks like its gonna be a long night of reading.../ oh well a swollen brain from knowledge is better than a swollen brain from water....well see 


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## weedkiller (Nov 18, 2012)

i have a salted tank with both my pleco's, its dosed as to what it says on the packet, 1 tablespoon for every 20L, as long as you dont suddenly whack a load of salt in you would probably be fine, add it gradually... my bristlenose is thriving, has grown very fast 
ich is (from what ive read) less common in a salted tank and with a combination of a temp steady at about 80 it (fingers crossed and so far so good) seems to be staying away.
when i make my r.o water and tap water i add the salt to the bottle as i go rather than put the salt straight into the tank as my acaras have got a habit (sure all fish will do it) of thinking its food as you put it in and i know i dont think it tastes good if i stuck salt in my mouth lol.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Salt cures for ich usually work well on cichlids, but they use a much higher level of salt.


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## Fuzz (Jan 27, 2012)

Ich is easy to take care of compared to Camallanus worms. The only actual cure is a dewormer that the FDA deemed harmful to animals (its called Levamisole) and you can no longer get it in the US. You can get it shipped from other countries, but be prepared to pay for the shipping. They can spread through all your tanks from using the same siphon or even from dipping your hands in the infected tank and then a different tank. My fiance got it from a fish store and we treated 5 - 40+ gallon tanks even though the others didn't show signs of the worms.

Another bad one is fungus, which at first I misdiagnosed it as Ich. Treated for Ich for a few weeks, which didn't work(because it wasn't ich). Then after some research, decided it was some kind of fungus, and got Maracyn2, which is pretty expensive for a 40+gallon tank. 

I still haven't learned my lesson and started a hospital/quarantine tank...but I haven't added any fish/plants in quite a while


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## Maine_Fish (Apr 7, 2012)

Fuzz said:


> Ich is easy to take care of compared to Camallanus worms. The only actual cure is a dewormer that the FDA deemed harmful to animals (its called Levamisole) and you can no longer get it in the US. You can get it shipped from other countries, but be prepared to pay for the shipping. They can spread through all your tanks from using the same siphon or even from dipping your hands in the infected tank and then a different tank. My fiance got it from a fish store and we treated 5 - 40+ gallon tanks even though the others didn't show signs of the worms.


It is my understanding that Levamisole is back on the market here in the US. It is a livestock wormer sold under the name "Prohibit". Just google "Prohibit Levamisole Hydrochloride" and you'll find it being sold by several sites. Here's a couple I found:

http://www.jefferspet.com/product.asp?pn=a2-pi&camid=liv

http://www.caprinesupply.com/levamisole-wormer.html

It is highly concentrated...use with caution:

http://www.loaches.com/disease-treatment/levamisole-hydrochloride-1


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