Discontinue CO2 during Ich treatment?

[Collette]

So, I've read all about removing carbon from the filter, increasing temperature, adding additional aeration, adding salt, etc during medicine treatment for ich. Nowhere have I been able to find advice on whether or not I should continue or temporarily discontinue my CO2 while treating my tank for ich 😂. Anyone have any suggestion on this? 

Thanks in advance! 

Collette

[Odd Duck]

@Collette I don’t run CO2, but I’m sure those that do will chime in at some point.  But it only makes sense to me to discontinue.  CO2 is for the plants and any excess can harm the fish.  I would say discontinue during treatment and make certain that levels are appropriate when you restart.  Chronic borderline levels could likely be enough of a stressor to make a fish more vulnerable to Ich.  Sometimes it’s stress that causes fish to break with symptoms.

[Collette]

Thanks for your reply, @Odd Duck! In this case, our ich was caused by my over eager significant other thinking buying me a 'present' of 6 mollies, and then "having them all ready to show me" by putting them in the tank (without a quarantine). Poor guy, he didn't know, and he was so proud of himself because he thought he was getting me a present I'd love 😂.  So I was thankful for the kind gesture, carefully explained (with evidence) why quarantine is so vital, and came here to ask you fine folks about if y'all think the CO2 is an issue during treatment. 

I've stopped it for now, but I am hopeful that some other CO2 users will chime in! 

[Odd Duck]

@Collette It was a nice gesture.  😳🙄😧

I’m not sure I could have been so kind if my hubby had infected a bunch of my fish!  I’m so glad my hubby also has some fish experience and has listened to me talk about fish being in quarantine for decades and knows that I always have a quarantine/hospital tank.

Good luck with your Ich treatment!

[Collette]

Thanks! I tried to temper my reaction because I've been desperately trying to get him interested in the hobby so I didn't want to discourage him too much by flipping out, but I promise you, inside, I was roiling, especially since the quarantine tank is empty and cycled right next to the main tank 😂. I turned it into a learning experience for him, and now he knows never to touch the tanks without consulting me first! 

[Mmiller2001]

I found this question to be interesting. So I reached out to Hikari, the maker of ICH-X and asked them the same question. Should I discontinue CO2 while using their product? The short answer was no, just aerate the tank heavier. They did ask about what declinator I used. If the dechlorinator reduces O2, which some do, this could be a cause of concern.

[Collette]

@Mmiller2001 I was really surprised that I hadn't found any info about this topic anywhere I looked online, so thank you for reaching out to Hikari. I'm sure someone will be able to use this information again in the future!