Re: [AGA Member] Ich in planted tank?

["S. Hieber" <shieber@yahoo.com>]

Many folks think ich is pretty much always (or very often)
around at least in small amounts and it shows up as sick
fish symptoms when the fish aren't able to resist it.  So
when ich shows up, it's thought to often be a sign of poor
water conditions that are stressing the fish.  When
conditons improve, the fish improve and their
susceptibility to the disease lessens.  This is one reason
that turning up the temperature to 83 or so degrees F is
controversial -- it speeds up the ich development cycle so
that it can be killed by meds quicker but it also stresses
the fish when stress might be the reason they are
susceptible to infection.

So a good thing to do if you suspect ich is to do a large
(say 50%) water change.  This improves the water condition
(temporarily) and removes some of the ich from the water
(temporarily).
 
Long term water improvement will depend on several things: 
too much fish food?  filter media is loaded up and needs to
be changed?  Infrequent or too small partial water changes?
 Too many fish in the tank?  No or not enough plants?

Malachite Green (which is an aniline dye), used at half
dosage if you have bottom feeders, is generally effective
at knocking back an outbreak, but it won't improve water
condtions.  Formaldehyde is also effective but it's pretty
nasty stuff (carcinogenic and it's used in embalming
fluid).  Malachite Green and Formaldehyde are both sold
under a variety of brand names and in a variety of
combinations as ich cures.

Sometimes when you introduce a new fish, an ich outbreak
can start but if the tank and the incumbent fish are
healthy, the outbreak will abate without reliance on
chemical cures.

Other non-med treatments include:

A UV lamp will kill the waterborne stage of ich as
effectively as any chemical.  It will also beat back a
greenwater outbreak because it destroys waterborne algae.

A diatom filter will filter the waterborne stage out of the
water!  It wil also filter waterborne alage out of the
water.

Diatom filters and UVs are expensive.  Chem/med treatments
are relatively cheap.

The life cycle of the ich critter is several days, give or
take a few, depending on temperature.  During that period,
one of it's three stages is waterborne -- the other two are
on the fish (causing the white spots) and in the gravel as
cysts.  When it's waterborne, the chems, or UV can kill it
or the diatom filter can remove it.  So whatever treatment
you use, it will take about 3 days to a week for the
treatment to be successful.  

Good luck,
Scott H.

--- Ginger B <gingerb@comporium.net> wrote:
> I think I may have ich. Well actually the fishies may
> have ich. Last Friday I saw some spots on the fins of one
> of them and saw it scraping against plants. I was on my
> way out the door for the weekend so I just turned the
> temp up to 84. When I got back Monday I didn't see
> anymore spots but I have noticed one fish that did some
> scraping yesterday. I don't see any ich spots though. I
> am afraid to put salt in the tank and kill plants but
> every ich medicine I have read about also says it will
> kill plants. And the reason there is ich is that I did
> not quarantine a couple fish. Is turning the temp up
> enough? I know that it will speed up the life cycle. I
> haven't lost any fish since I saw this and haven't
> noticed any of the others scratching. Thanks for any
> help!
> 
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