Ick/ich will never leave my tank and I always get it

[Darby]

Hello all.  Every time I start a new tank I seem to get ich.  I do not buy my fish from larger pet stores I support local aquarium stores so it’s not coming from those places.  I do not want to use any chemical treatments in order to get rid of it. I’ve tried turning up the temperature to speed the cycle and using Aquarium salt but that doesn’t seem to be doing anything. I’ve also left the lights off and cover the tank during these times. I’m not sure what else to try?  I really love aquariums but this is seriously getting old.

[Colu]

I no youdon't want to use meds if salt and temp no work I would start treatment with ich x

[Colu]

What fish do you have and what are your water conditions

[Darby]

Khuli loaches, corydoras, platys, rummy nose tetras, and platy fry inside a breeder tank.  I have no idea what my water stats are.  What an affordable way to test?  I’ve been doing weekly water changes of 25%

Thanks

[AdamTill]

Mom and pop shops will still sell you fish with Ich since they probably get their fish from the same local wholesalers as bigger stores.
 

They're far less likely to sell you fish with an ACTIVE Ich infestation, but if they don’t have a medicated quarantine program like the Coop uses the fish will likely have low level infections.

Thats generally not an issue for low stressed fish, but throw in a huge shock, or just the stress of transport and adapting to a new environment, and you have your Ich outbreak.

It’s for this reason that I treat all incoming fish with three rounds of Ich medication whether I see cysts or not. No level level infection in any tank to flare up later, and I’ve never had to deal with one since.

if you don’t want to use meds that’s your choice, but I’d at least use a heat treatment etc and potentially expect to deal with Ich in stressed fish in the future.

Edited December 18, 2020 by AdamTill

[Darby]

Thanks for the response.  What type of ich treatment do you use?  I have an acrylic tank and don’t want to discolor it or any other plastics related to air stones and filtration.

[Colu]

Some local fish store will test your water for a couple dollars  but I would recommend investing in some test kits ick X might cause some  discoloration I would try API super ich cure and salt at 1table spoon for 2gallons

Edited December 18, 2020 by Colu

[Acoy797]

Ich -x worked miracles on my tank. My green severum was in such rough shape I thought he would die. Now he is as healthy as a horse, though you should also treat for fin rot. Check if your tank is over crowded byresearcging the minimum tank size of each fish. Over crowded tanks can cause stress,  which is the leading cause of ich. Treat your tanks as if ich is always present, as it probably always is. If you use salt, make sure it is compatible with the fish type you have in your tank. Lastly.l, separate any fish that may be fighting,  really monitor your tank closely for signs of fighting.  AQUARIUM co-op actually has a great video on YouTube about how to treat ich

[AdamTill]

I’m another IchX fan, though most legit meds will work just as well. I do hear your concern on the acrylic side, and can’t offer much help there sorry (glass here). I do know that the clear silicone on my quarantine  tank is a vibrant blue at this point

[Darby]

Thanks guys appreciate all the feedback.  Any ich chem treatments that won’t stain?

[Colu]

API super ick cure won't stain

[Darby]

Thanks Colu.  Looks like Cory recommends ich-x.  Anyone know if that product stains and acrylic aquarium or silk plants or Driftwood or air tubing etc.?

[lefty o]

very likely the silk plants will get stained to some degree. driftwood should be ok, and i cant give an honest answer about the acrylic tank, as i have no experience with it.

[FrozenFins]

just because you got the fish from a fish store, doesn't mean they wont have ich. usaully the fish stores and pet stores will get there fish from the same place. I have never used salt to treat ich so I wouldnt know. If the reason why you dont want to use meds is because of plants, you shouldnt be worried. If you apply the 2 tsp per gallon rule for salt, your plants would have most likely died. So I'm assuming if your plants are not dead (assuming you have plants) you cant get rid of it because you arent dosing enough salt. ich x says its plant safe, and I beleive cory has said that it was too.

As to why it keeps on coming back, maybe because of cross contamination. When setting up a new tank, do you use any old equitment that you may have used in a old tank? 

Do you QT your fish?

Edited December 19, 2020 by James Black

[FrozenFins]

On 12/17/2020 at 8:16 PM, Darby said:

Khuli loaches, corydoras, platys, rummy nose tetras, and platy fry inside a breeder tank.  I have no idea what my water stats are.  What an affordable way to test?  I’ve been doing weekly water changes of 25%

Thanks

tetra test strips work great!

[FrozenFins]

52 minutes ago, Darby said:

Thanks Colu.  Looks like Cory recommends ich-x.  Anyone know if that product stains and acrylic aquarium or silk plants or Driftwood or air tubing etc.?

cory says it doesn't stain. In my experciance API Super Ich Cure does stain.

[Hobbit]

I can confirm that ich-X does not stain driftwood, at least not permanently. I used it with great success on my 55 gallon and I haven’t had any ich outbreak since. (knock on driftwood!)

I read somewhere that how many days you need to use ich-x depends on the temp of your water, since at lower temps the parasite has a slower life cycle. At 82 F they said I had to use it for 12 days. So 12 days in a row I did a 30% water change and dosed the meds according to the instructions. It was a ton of effort but it worked! 

I agree that getting some water test kit would be a big help as well. I use the API test kit with the test tubes and dropper bottles but the tetra test strips are a lot easier to use.

Edited December 19, 2020 by Hobbit
More thoughts :)