# Heat+Salt+Plants=you tell me



## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

So I need someone to tell me their positive...or not... experience treating ich with heat and salt in a planted tank. Not overly fond of medication, however am more than willing to go that route if need be. I have read a crap tonne of banter on the net for one side or the other, now I'm going to ask the people I trust. I got the heat cranked to about 86 right now and I want to introduce something to kill this off as it cycles but am cautious as to which approach. Plants are my secondary concern seeing as they aren't all that fancy and well, other than in exestencial arguments they aren't alive, life my fish. Any help is appreciated.


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## joeyk (May 30, 2016)

I typically only treat with heat and large, daily water changes (which include a bi-daily extensive substrate cleaning). No salt. It has about a 10-20% fatality rate. (much higher if you don't catch it early and/or don't quarantine)

Another option would be to remove and "quarantine" your plants in a separate tank (or you can use a plastic tote!) while you treat your fish. Easy and cheap to set up, and eliminates any risk of damaging them with heat/salt


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

So really heat and pray seems like a pretty big concensus. I only see 2 of 12 fish effected right now, which isn't to say the others aren't but only 2 have visable signs. It's only been since yesterday and my kid dumping food into the tank that I noticed. Clearly seeing visable signs tells me it has been there for some time but maybe the stress of that weakened them to the point it was visable? ?

I bought some api super ich but I hesitate to use anything that lists its medical ingredients and potentially carcinogenic.


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

My friend raised his temps to 86F and kept it high for 2 or 3 weeks and the ick disappeared, which considering how badly infected the fish appeared, he was surprised.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

my fish all seem as happy as can be. no gasping, they aren't rubbing on anything, they don't show any outward signs of stress at all. That being said I want to do as much as I can proactively to avoid getting to the point where they are stressed or dying. Water change and vac seems to be a fairly high concensus with other forms I have been trolling for information and with past posts from members here so I will keep on keeping on and see what happens 

I do not at present have a quarantine tank because sadly I sacrificed it to build my sump. That and if it is on my fish, it is in my tank. Insert sad face here


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Well today I woke up and I can't see any outward signs of the ick. Leave that heat cranked for another week or so and hope it out. If this ends well I will be very happy I did not dump the green bottle of death in there!


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