Loaches Online Forum

Hi,

i've been given new loaches, but they have developed ich
I'd like to avoid malachite green if possible since the tank they are in has lots of fish, and filtration is sump tanks.

i want to avoid recycling if possible.
i've read that salt is bad for loaches?
can i use malachite green? and elevate the temperature of the tank a little?

thanks.

Hi there,

Read this post on ick. It should answer most of your questions.
http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=2599

Certainly the short version is:

1.) Do a water change with vacuuming.

2.) Turn up the temperature to at least 82 F degrees, maybe a few degrees more.

3.) If you have a Hang on Back filter, drop the water level an inch or two in the tank to increase aeration, since ick often attacks the gills making it difficult to breath.

4.) Read the article carefully. It gives step by step instructions.

Good luck. Tanja.

I don't know if it's available to you but I've used Kordon Rid-ich with good results and no problem with my bio filter.

I forgot to mention that since loaches tend to be scaleless, many medications are given at half strength. Watch them carefully during treatment for signs of stress: hard breathing, erratic swimming, . . .

Melafix will not do anything for or against Ich.

thanks.
How about salt? I'd like to avoid medications with malachite green or ones that will mess up my bio filtration if possible, since my tank is quite loaded.

Can i use salt as treatment for ich?
currently dosed my 300 gallon tank with 10 tablespoons. I'm planning to add another 10 tablespoons tomorrow., I'll have to ge another heater, curreently only have 1 in my 300 gallon tanka nd its not enough
btw my tank is barebuttom, and has lots of aeration

I'll also read up on the link. thanks.

mmmm will try to look for Kordon Rid-ich if its available

I've added another 10 tablespoon of salt to their tank. tomorrow i'll try to add 20 more tablespoons.

starsplitter7 wrote:Hi there,

Read this post on ick. It should answer most of your questions.
http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=2599

Certainly the short version is:

1.) Do a water change with vacuuming.

2.) Turn up the temperature to at least 82 F degrees, maybe a few degrees more.

3.) If you have a Hang on Back filter, drop the water level an inch or two in the tank to increase aeration, since ick often attacks the gills making it difficult to breath.

4.) Read the article carefully. It gives step by step instructions.

Good luck. Tanja.

Squid- Please read the entire article at the link Tanja posted for you earlier regarding Ich treatment. You'll see that it specifically says NO salt to treat loaches. It will also answer pretty much any other Ich related questions.


Kate

Kate

I have used as a last resort I used Sera- Costapur. It worked well I had a case of super ICH it killed of a colony of 9 L-239's and the loaches and baby Datnoids I had in there recovered fast. The L-239's were gonners from the start

Not to highjack but salt even added to the tank with water changes is not a good idea??

No salt!! Freshwater fish are... well.... Freshwater!!

Where are you located squid? Trollsville.....

Hi,

Because i've also read other post where salt was used even for clownloaches. and they've had good rresult with salt. that was why i was wondering if this could work for me.
and also I'm just thinking of using salt as treatment which will only be temporary.

thanks.

squid wrote:Hi,

Because i've also read other post where salt was used even for clownloaches. and they've had good rresult with salt. that was why i was wondering if this could work for me.
and also I'm just thinking of using salt as treatment which will only be temporary.

thanks.

Again I would agree with the above and not use salt- I don't like to use medications myself but one that I have found to be reliable is 'Protozin' made by water life, I have used this in half doses and its worked very well on the ocassions I have, it does not mess with your filters either. I would only use it though if you have tried the above suggestions and the ich is still persistant.

Starsplitter is right in saying to increase aeration, bump up the temp and vac the bottom of the tank daily and see how that goes. There is no point in dumping in a bit of salt here and there and further stressing your fish.

Ashleigh

thanks, I will perform water change and dose with a little malachite green instead

malachite green is pretty nasty stuff. I wouldn't use it.

If you have a UV sterilizer, use it in addition to bringing up the temperature.. No need for salt or meds.

Here's the best Ich article on the net written by Daveedka-

http://www.aquariumboard.com/forums/articles/25.htm

The problem with salt is that it causes osmotic shock when added and removed too quickly.

If you started adding salt already it is best not to remove it. Weakened fish do not deal well with osmolarity changes.

I usually don't recommend using salt because most people panic and do massive water changes when fish have ich. Doing large scale water changes after the salt is added is a huge mistake that will probably kill the fish.

The dosage in the Daveedka's article works fine with clown loaches, if it is administered properly. It needs to be added slowly; over the coarse of a few days. After the last ich spot is gone, give the fish 2 more weeks of treatment. This will give the fish time to recover. The salt should be removed very slowly through small water changes. I'd do no more than a 2 - 20% water changes per day.


*2 teaspoons of salt per gallon of water is the proper dosage. If you try much less, the concentration of salt might not be strong enough to kill the ich parasites.