# Ick Attack



## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

I recently added some new Cardinal Tetras to my SA community tank and they brought an Ick infestation with them.

The tank is heavily planted with Java Fern, Anubias and Cryps and the ph is 7.2. I have had the temperature cranked up to 86 for the last 5 days and have been using Super Ick Cure at half strength (per the recommendations regarding treating tetras) and many of the fish are still heavily infested. More recently, I have been upping the treatement to every 12 hours.

Is there anything else that I can do?

Mike


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

> Is there anything else that I can do?


Fit in as many partial water changes and gravel siphonings as possible. The parasite only spends a short period of it's life actually on the fish where you can see it, the rest of the time it's in the tank so removing water removes parasites. It's not a cure all on it's own but it will help.

Stay with the treatment and be patient. Meds are only effective when the parasite transitions off of your fish so you have to let their life cycle-cycle in order to get to the stage where the meds can work. (Raised heat speeds up the life cycle and if high enough will also kill the parasite)

Make sure you have plenty of aeration going in the tank while treating with raised heat. Drop the water level down an inch or two so that the filter return creates a waterfall/splash and perhaps add a jet for increased water movement.

Robin


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## PsYcHoTiC_MaDmAn (Dec 26, 2005)

the biggest thing you can do is quarantine..... but +1 on everything *Robin* said

this is no help now, but try to remember it for adding any more fish. all you need is to have some media for a small filter in your tank all the time (I normally stuff it in one of the filter baskets if I need to - though I normally have small filters running in the big tanks anyway)


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

I really have to setup a quarantine tank. It is just difficult to keep a tank empty.


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## PsYcHoTiC_MaDmAn (Dec 26, 2005)

mambee said:


> I really have to setup a quarantine tank. It is just difficult to keep a tank empty.


you dont have to. just have a small filter and a heater available. run the filter on the main tank, and then when needed fill a rubbermaid box with freshwater, add heater and filter = instant Q tank


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

Still fighting ick after a week and a half. The Black Neons and Cardinal Tetras are the only fish heavily peppered with ick. I am using AP Super Ick Cure powder after using one of the one drop products. I also added some salt and Aquarisol. The temperature is still at 86.

Unfortunately, all this medication that I am putting in the water wiped out my 3 Glass Catfish which I have had for several years. I would think that the high temperature would have killed the ick by now.

Next steps?

Mike

PS-The empty tank in my spare room is becoming a full-time quarantine tank in which I am going to house some cheap/tough fish.


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

Looks like I'm finally over the hump after 2 week of treatment. There are no visible signs of ich. The latest treatment that I tried was Ich Attack by Kordon. It was recommended by the staff of a local chain. It seems to be less harsh than some of the other treatments. I'm going to continue to dose for another 4 days.


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

I have a wicked case of Ich since September. Every time that I think it is over, I see new spots on my Cardinal Tetras. They seem to be the only fish affected. I'm still using Ich Attack but I should probably go to something harsher. I just don't want to lose my remaining glass catfish.

I also have an Amano Shrimp that I didn't realize was still alive in the tank. I'll have to try to remove him before I treat with anything harsher.

Any ideas?


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

I have been fighting an ich infestation since September. I had been treating with salt and heat for 2 weeks. My Cardinal Tetras had no spots for several days. I did a partial water change this morning, and the spots are back this evening. As before, only my Cardinal Tetras are affected. It seems that the salt suppressed the ich, but it bounced back as soon as I changed some water and diluted the salt level.

What else can I do? I have one remaining glass catfish that I don't want to kill with harsh chemicals.


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## toume (Oct 7, 2010)

Take the catfish out--put him in his own tank to treat (I just use salt with them). If you're still having the same problems, you need to do some serious work to get rid of this stuff. This is the one problem with bottom feeders (sensitive skin)--I have cories, so I totally understand.

Ich Attack really sucks IME. I had ich with goldfish--two died before I changed product (they'd had ich for two weeks by then).

I used Ich Clear (got it at Walmart b/c both the LFS and box pet stores didn't have anything different)....it cleared the ich in one dose. Of course you continue for the required period but I saw a change in 24 hrs.

I would do daily Water changes (annoying, yes, but necessary). Make sure there is no carbon in your filter(3) b/c it will absorb the meds. Mix in the meds with the new water.

And mainly follow the previous advice from Robin--do you have a bubbler? It helps with aeration, but you can also drop the water level an inch and let the filter(s) splash. Keep the temp up.

I have no idea why it keep recurring...that's awful


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

I'm running a couple of airstones in the tank. For some reason, only the Cardinal Tetras show any sign of the disease. Somehow through all of this treatment, I've had an Amano Shrimp survive. I didn't even know that he was still in the tank. I can't believe that I have been fighting this for 3 full months. I've been in the hobby over 35 years, and I've never had to deal with such a resistant strain before.


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## toume (Oct 7, 2010)

Seriously. I've had cases that lasted a month (came back once), but nothing like this.

I know this is a stupid question, but are you it is ich? I feel like it should respond to the meds better than this....


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

Pretty sure. White spots on the fins and body. Some of my other tetras had spots during my first outbreak, and they all responded to treatment. It was scary how fast it came back this weekend after I diluted the salt treatment by making a water change. Morning-nothing. Evening after the water change, spots on the Cardinals. The local chains here (Petsmart and Petco.) keep plastic containers with rocks of salt in all of their tanks.


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