# ich in a 210 gallon



## jayc (May 23, 2010)

Hey guys I bought a few fishes a week or so ago of some guy on craigslist "which I will never do again" and woke up today and saw all my fish with ich when I looked closely. My fish are in a 210 gallon so what is the most cost effective way to treat my whole tank? I will try to do the temperature raise and water change. But what should I add to the tank to cure the problem which will not cost me an arm a leg? Please Help!!!


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Yeah, being that you pretty well to treat your whole tank, I'd start with the higher temps and some salt. I can't remember the exact dosage but that also really depends on what kind of fish you've got and their particular sensitivity to salt. Alot of people have been able to just let Ich run its course by doing that. If it is a full blown outbreak in the tank, you will need to medicate. Again, depends on your livestock. I know Charles had posted some of his own dosage recommendations for Quick Cure which I've personally used with success on my 135g tank before.


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## jayc (May 23, 2010)

ok i will add some salt soon then...as for medication, if i have to run the full course of medicating the whole tank, how much would that cost about. I have fish like oscar, green terror, texas, severums, convicts.


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

those SA fish can tolerate the high temps, ich isnt supposed to be able to reproduce over 85-86F so id start by raising the temp to that


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

i was able to rid my smaller tank from ich by just raising the temp, im sure if i salted the tank i'd have a much higher rate of survival. Its been over two months since they've been gone now. Im sure with 3 batches of guppy fry, i'd ahve seen it reappear by now


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## jayc (May 23, 2010)

thanks a lot guys...I feel like there is hope in curing this. I always thought that if it happens, the fish would be done!!!


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## Dough (Apr 21, 2010)

I just got over an Ich outbreak in my 210g as well. I raised the temp added salt and used Quick Cure that I bought from paul's. I took the very badly infected and put them in a 25g hospital tank and did the same. all good now. not 1 lost fish. This was the first time I have ever had ich. good luck. there is hope!!!


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

Mferko said:


> those SA fish can tolerate the high temps, ich isnt supposed to be able to reproduce over 85-86F so id start by raising the temp to that


raising the temperature is to speed up the cycle of the ich. It has nothing to do with reproduction.

Adding salt is supposed to burst them when they are free floating. Though without adding enough, it won't work.

Using quick cure (with the type of fish you) is the quickest way to go. A small bottle can treat 2000 g of water or so (about $5-$10 a bottle, I forgot what I paid for them).

The way I treat it is, do a 50% water change with gravel vac... then...
Day 1 - full dose
Day 2 - half dose
Day 3 - half dose
Day 4 - nothing
Day 5 - Full dose
Day 6 - half dose
Day 7 - observe and see if you need more treatment. If you see ick still, repeat the process by doing another 50% water change.

This is just the way it works best for me. Cut the dosage in half if you have and care about scaleless fish or tetra...


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

what do you mean by cycle?
i read it stops their reproduction here and on some other sites linked on these forums before Using Heat to Treat Ich in Freshwater Tropical Fish - Article at The Age of Aquariums - Tropical Fish

"With tropical fish, an increase in temperature to 30°C/86°F is usually very well-tolerated. Since this temperature prevents reproduction of Ich, it can theoretically cure the problem by itself. So the first step would be to increase the temperature slowly, 1°C/2°F per hour until the correct temperature is reached. This temperature should be maintained for 10 days, and then slowly returned to normal. Some fish can tolerate higher temperatures. If your fish are more heat tolerant, try increasing the temperature to 32°C/89.5°F for the first 3-4 days to kill the Ich. Then reduce temperature slowly to 30°C/86°F, and hold it there for an additional 6-7 days, or until a total of 10 days have passed. Gauge the heat tolerance of your fish by observing their reaction. "

the salt bursting them makes sense, this site says salt disrupts their fluid regulation and if something takes on too much fluid and doesnt get rid of it... pop


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

you can try googling the cycle of ick.


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

it also says "It has been found that Ich does not infect new fish at 29.4°C/85°F (Johnson, 1976), stops reproducing at 30°C/86°F (Dr. Nick St. Erne, DVM, pers. comm.), and dies at 32°C/89.5°F (Meyer, 1984),"
idk if your fish can handle 90F but it sounds like if you had fish that could, you could kill the ich just with that.


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## pisces (Apr 22, 2010)

best cost effective way is find a medium tank ( 25 G ~55 G) depend how many fish or how big u have, and rise the temperature 32C and 1 tsp Salt per 10 G ...*For just begin ONLY ich, it should be stop 1~ 2 days after rise 32C + salt*, high temperature will kill the ich,but if starting 2 more more days better add medication for ich drop fews into the tank!try the first one see how is work, good luck


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

There is really no point on using a small tank to treat ick. You have to treat your whole tank.

I have never found raising temperature only work. Even raising temperature with salt doesn't work too well for me. But I do find using quick cure works with just about every fish I have including clown loaches and tetra. I have tried just about every medication in the market. 

It is your fish. Do what you fell like works best for you.


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## 1843 (Oct 23, 2010)

My super safe and effective ich cure: Ich Attack by Kordon. I bought my last bottle at Roger's in Surrey/Delta. I had an ich problem a year or so ago. Even double dosing Ich Attack, all the shrimp and plants were fine. Yes treat the whole tank. If you have more than one tank, consider pre-treating them all. Be careful not to cross over using nets and hosing between tanks in cleanups. 

Prevent another outbreak with a UV system, keeping the water clean, the fish very happy, and running some sort of isolation tank system for newly purchased fishies. Like a hard drive crash, there's nothing like a disaster to encourage you to reassess your back up system.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Yeah, I've used Ich Attack before. It's good stuff and its all natural herbal. Depending on livestock, that may be an excellent choice. However, for severe outbreaks, its nowhere near as strong as true full strength drugs.


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

i think im definately going to invest in a uv sterilizer when i get a big tank


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## TCR (Jul 13, 2010)

Well as far as that website it increases the speed of the life style. reproduction stops at 30 degrees celcius. So in a way ur both right.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

I think the short of it is that heat will speed up the lifecycle of Ich so that it leaves the fish as fast as possible and then the drugs can attack it. The drugs only work once the Ich leaves the host and is only effective during that time. That's my understanding anyways.


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