Ick. Would salt work?

[Kellz]

I have a tank with 3 clown, a RT shark and a bristlenosed Plecostumus.

I recently got 3 Swords. One female sword is showing signs of Ick.

I am hestitant to treat the tank as there are so many scaleless fish in there.

Would salt baths on the affected fish help?. if not want can anyone suggest as a safe alternative to put in the tank.

And yes I know how contagicous this is.

[Caryl]

I don't know about appropriate treatments but if it is just the sword, separate it and treat it in another container (float it in the main tank).

[Wayne]

Hi Kelly,

u can't use salt BATHS..they don't work on ick( presuming u've got the right diagnosis)

why? because the white spots = adult parasite buried DEEP within the skin. salt's not gonna touch it--at baths of 30-60min duration.

however, u have to use a PROLONGED immersion in salt at 0.3%, i.e 2 tablespoons per 10 L.

this low dose will kill any emerging larval stages swimming in the water...

the fish will have to survive the bit where the adults 'burst' through the skin n gills, this is most damaging n can b fatal..

But as long as u keep up with DAILY water changes, maintain salt at 0.3% for 3-4wks, and raise the temp to 28 - 30 celsius SLOWLY....u'll b sweet.

0.3% salt will help with osmoregulation too, n lots of other skin bugs( in case it's not ich)

for severe ich, u can use a combination of formalin/malachite green, but these are potentially toxic and still work in the same way as salt---kill the emerging babies....the fish will still have to ride through the erupting adult stage.

Key thing to remember with ich: U cannot treat the fish( unlike most other diseases), rather u have to treat the water.

hope this helps. grab some rock/tonic salt quick.

0.3% should b safe for most fish. gradually bring the conc up over 2-3 days.

[Matthew]

i have used white spot cure on my tank (i have six clown loaches) without any untoward effects on my fish. If you are still having problems you can try that.