Ich question

[Len]

I have a 15 gallon tank with some tetras and a couple of corys. The
catfish have come down with ich. I am familiar with the method of
raising the temperature to speed up the life cycle of the parasite and
adding salt. My LFS recommended 1 teaspoon of salt and raising the
temperature to about 78º which I think is too low. I have raised it to
80 degrees so far. I also have some Maracide which is supposed to be a
good cure for ich. Which treatment would you recommend? Any other
suggestions. Thanks.

[Denise]

I've had good luck raising the temp to 84-86 and adding 3 tsp salt to a 10
gal tank. Also frequent water/filter changes help. Keep an eye on your
parameters so you don't inadvertently stress your fish. I'd try that before
I'd medicate and I'm not sure about Maracide for ich - seems like overkill.
Good luck.
Denise

"Len" > wrote in message ...
> I have a 15 gallon tank with some tetras and a couple of corys. The
> catfish have come down with ich. I am familiar with the method of
> raising the temperature to speed up the life cycle of the parasite and
> adding salt. My LFS recommended 1 teaspoon of salt and raising the
> temperature to about 78º which I think is too low. I have raised it to
> 80 degrees so far. I also have some Maracide which is supposed to be a
> good cure for ich. Which treatment would you recommend? Any other
> suggestions. Thanks.
>

[Flash Wilson]

On Wed, 11 Aug 2004 13:10:46 -0400, Len > wrote:
>I have a 15 gallon tank with some tetras and a couple of corys. The
>catfish have come down with ich. I am familiar with the method of
>raising the temperature to speed up the life cycle of the parasite and
>adding salt. My LFS recommended 1 teaspoon of salt and raising the
>temperature to about 78º which I think is too low. I have raised it to
>80 degrees so far. I also have some Maracide which is supposed to be a
>good cure for ich. Which treatment would you recommend? Any other
>suggestions. Thanks.

Given you have tetras (delicate and they hate salt) I would raise
the temp, but I would NOT add salt. I would go for a proprietary
cure (I use King British White Spot treatment) and add half the
daily dose in the morning, half in the evening (so as to be easier
on the tetras). Treat the whole tank, so keep all the fish in there.
Remember to remove carbon from the filter if you have any, and
complete the course exactly as it says on the bottle so you kill
the Ich at the right stage of its lifecycle. If you can supplement
oxygenation (eg get the filter outflow to gyrate the water more
than usual, or add an airstone) that will help.

Worked fine for me - good luck.

Sorry to be terse, typing in a hurry! But please don't be afraid
to respond :-)

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