# Ich Question



## kristian18f (Oct 31, 2005)

I know I am supose to keep treating for 3 days after the visible ich is gone, but how long should I wait before putting shrimp back in the cage? It's a 1 gallon with a betta, I used Rid Ich, so far for 3 days. The ich seems to be almost gone..

Also, is there anything special I need to do to make sure it's not in the tank? I haven't ever done a 100% waterchange on this betta, always just 25%.


And one more thing, does rid ich usually mess with ammonia levels? It wouldn't make sense to me for it to but after I started treating my amomonia went through the roof, had to do several water changes to get it back down.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Rid-ich will suppress the functioning of the bacteria growing in the bowl, so yes, it could possibly have an effect on the ammonia level.

Bettas are tough fish, and they can handle a 100% water change as long as that water is in good condition for them, that is, dechlorinated, aerated, and warmed to the correct temperature. Preparing water a day or two ahead of time and using it only when it's ready can work just fine.

Now the bad news. There is no way that rid-ich has cured your betta in only 3 days. What you are seeing is not what you think it is. All the ickies which have jumped off of the fish are now sitting on the bottom of the tank, reproducing. Keep the rid-ich strength up, and it will kill the new baby ickies when they hatch.
Keep treating for at least a week, and for best results, siphon some water out from the bottom every day for water changes. This is to remove parasites. It's kinda tricky to readjust the rid-ich, though.

Do not put the shrimp back until you've replaced all of the water.


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