# how to treat an ICH?



## MRQuad (Jul 19, 2008)

guys, me and my friend have problems with ich.. i have read a lot of article that the best and most cheapest way to treat them is a kosher salt..

now, we like the idea.. the question is, how much should we put to treat the fish? he has 55gallon tank.. he kinda overcrowded his tank a little too much. i think there's 30 fish on it at 2in.

again guys please tell us what to do..

here's our question:

1. how often should we treat them with salt in a week?
2. how often should we do water change?
3. should we feed the fish regularly?

thanks for reading..


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

First do a partial water change of 30% and siphon the gravel.

If you're treating with heat AND salt:
Add 2-3 tablespoons of salt per five gallons
Raise heat to 82
Make sure you dissolve the salt first and then add it gradually over several hours time

If you're doing salt ONLY
Use 4-5 tablespoons salt per five gallons, and again, dissolve it first and add gradually.

After a couple of days do a 50% water change and gravel siphoning. RE-add ONLY the salt that was removed with the water change so that you still have the same amount of salt that you started with. 
Continue treatment for a minimum of ten days and then for at least three days AFTER you see the last white spot on one of your fish.

You can feed the fish as you normally do but as always it's best not to over-feed. One small feeding a day is usually plenty.
Once the ich is gone remove the salt gradually with parital water changes.

Good luck with the treatment 

Robin


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## MRQuad (Jul 19, 2008)

thank you sir for the quick response.. my friend bought a sea salt it says on the package:

SEA SALT 100%
- Iodized Table Salt (this salt supplies iodine, a necessary nutriment)

Nutrition Facts:
Sodium - 25%
Iodine - 45%

is the salt that he have is safe to use for treating the fish?

thanks!


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## MRQuad (Jul 19, 2008)

bump


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## gnomemagi (Jun 13, 2009)

Iodine is poisonous to fish. Some people say the amt in table salt isn't enough to cause harm, some people do.

Personally, I use Aquarium Salt bought at a fish store, which is 100% salt with no additives.


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

I'd skip any salt that has any additives, just to be on the safe side.

Aquarium Salt
Kosher Salt
Pickling Salt

The last two can usually be found at the grocery store and bought for considerably less than the Aquarium Salt, but any of them will work.

Robin


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## MRQuad (Jul 19, 2008)

thanks he did got another salt and it says Kosher Salt.. 100% Sea Salt

so, after we dissolved the salt, should we slowly add the salt to the water? if we have to, how much in each should we add to the tank? what is the difference between adding them slowly and putting all the required amounts to the tank?

sorry, for asking this..


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

Add the salt _gradually_--so take 6-8 hours to get the whole amount in the tank. What I do is I take a large container _I usually use a clean empty glass peanut butter jar--and I put the total amount of salt into the container. Then I add water and swish it around to get the salt to dissolve. Then I pour a little of the salty water into the tank every fifteen-twenty or so minutes.

The reason you add it _gradually_ is because you never want to change the tank water conditions abruptly. Fish stress with sudden change and especially when dealing with fish that are already stressing from an illness you want to do all that you can to minimize additional stress.

Robin


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