[UniQuaria] Ich treatments
Trevor Holyoak wrote: > I recently found a good deal on baby clown loaches and bought 4 > of them, intending to take them home to my 80 gallon tank when they’ve > outgrown the 10 gallon one. Unfortunately, they came down with ich, This is not an unusual occurrence for clown loaches, no matter what the size. I had gotten some 2.5″ to 3″ ones, and they too came down with ich. They just do not take the stress of capture and shipping very well, it seems. When mine came down with this, I treated them with salt (1 ppt to 2 ppt (about 1 level teaspoon of granular salt per gallon of water) as a continuous bath ) and malachite green (0.05 ppm for three treatments, one every other day). This did the trick. I did not elevate the temperature (although that would have sped up the life-cycle of the parasite and probably help to kick the fishes’ immune system into gear). The salt and malachite levels are both safe for loaches and just about any other fish you can think of. You used one TABLESPOON of salt per gallon of water, which is three times the amount of salt needed. So you ended up using a 6 ppt salt solution, which is too high for many freshwater fishes as a long-term bath. 1 ppt to 2 ppt is as high as you should have to go. > However, the salt is taking its toll on my plants. What plants are being affected? Normally, plants can tolerate a 1 ppt to 2 ppt salinity without a problem but since you are at 6 ppt, this could be part of the problem. > I’m curious as to how much success others have had with just the elevated temperature, and not salt, as an effective treatment? This may work if the fishes’ immune system kicks in to fight off reinfection. > (And I’m not interested in using any chemicals or medications beyond salt.) > Why not? If the proper medications are used at the proper dose and for the proper duration, it will most likely effect a cure quicker than not using anything. What drawbacks do other medications have that you were worried about?
Frank
Category: Philippines Internet Koi Society
