# Treating ich/itches in planted tank



## Mew_chan (Jan 28, 2009)

What is the best way to treat/medicate a planted tank... as well as a tank containing sensative fish?

*Betta with ich*Ok so my boyfriends betta developed a few white spots the other day so we bought a medication to treat it which I think contained methylene blue, malachite green and something else(it was a general medication for healing whitespot, fungus etc)... she is in a tank with some fire embers and 2 peppered cories... the tank is planted and I had heard that these medications and most others will kill plants (and can hurt sensative fish) so before dosing them we removed part of the filter (had to remove the bit that contained the filter media as the activated carbon is contained in the same section) and placed it and the plants in a bucket full of dechlorinated water... I had also heard that they can carry ich which is why the whole tank needs to be treated.... So far the spots are gone after 3days of treatment but obviously we are continuing the treatment for several more days...

So how should I treat the plants for the ich? or how long will it take for the plants to be considered ich free without treatment while being kept separate from the fish? also for future reference how would I treat the tank without removing the plants?

Also will the bacteria still be present in the filter after being left in the bucket with the plants? it has only been 3 days so far. should he feed the filter with fish food?

*Betta with an itch*
On another note my betta has developed an itch and is rubbing himself on the gravel and other parts in a tank.. so i want to do a similar treatment maybe using the same medication or aquarium salt... but hopefully without having to remove the live plants... the tank is the same as my boyfriends but it has bristlenosed cat fish and hengali rasboras. He is still quite active and is eating like a pig and generally appears normal besides the rubbing... I tried looking at his belly for velvet with a torch and honestly couldnt see anything since he is very shiny and metalic normally...


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## SueM (Jan 23, 2004)

Ick (_ichthyophthiriasis)_ has a 3 stage life span that last aprox 30 days. If at the 3rd stage, the tomites do not have a host fish, the life cycle is broken and the ick dies naturally. 
So leaving the plants out for 30/40 days would do the trick. There are Ick meds that will not harm the plants, and for sensitive fish you cut the dose to 1/2 and treat twice as long. Remember to vacuum the bottom well between doses, as that is where eggs and larva are. 
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=16+2160&aid=2421


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## Mew_chan (Jan 28, 2009)

So is salt a no no for planted tanks? I have java ferns, java moss and anubis plants... I would like to maybe do regular salt treatments of smaller doses to prevent this sort of thing in the future... would it work in my planted tank? and it is safe for use while the activated carbon is still in the tank? and it wont kill off my filter bacteria?


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## SueM (Jan 23, 2004)

Salt is a bad thing for planted tanks, there is very few plants that can handle salt. You are better off curing the Ich and Keeping a good schedule of tank maintenance. 
Salt should be used as medicinal only, unless you have brackish fish. 
No it will not affect the carbon, or the bio media. Except in high doses.


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

Mc: I really hate to post here and incur the spanking from Sue but:

Please refer to *Ich Fighting - West Texas Style*

I did not observe adverse effects to any plants including Madagascar Lace.

TR


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

I too have found that javas and anubias are not particularly affected by salt treatments for short periods of time and SOME salt in the water at other times.


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