# Ich Treatment Advice?



## Joaquin

Hallo! :-D Does anyone have advice on getting rid of Ich?
*
Problem:*
My betta fish has Ich, so I bought "Ick Guard" (Jungle brand). 

*Concerns:*
I am not sure if "Ick Guard" is necessary to use.
*(_Is there a better/more natural way?)_

If it is necessary to use, I am not sure how to apply it without causing harm to the fish.

_*For example: 
Do I change his entire tank and then apply Ick Guard?
If I have to do 25-50% water changes everyday, do I put some more Ick Guard in the 25-50% new water?_

I'm worried about _overdosing_.

It says, "DO NOT OVERDOSE," and 1 teaspoon is for *10 gallons.*
_[My betta is in a *1 gallon* (I know it's small, but I am getting closer to upgrading him to a 3.5 gallon tank), so how much would be overdosing his gallon? 1 teaspoon?]
_
*
Extra Information:
*I read that Ich is caused by stress, yes?
Well...
*Ammonia level:* .5 ppm (stress level) (I use Quick Dip ammonia Test Kit.)
_* It seems to always be on .5 ppm, and I don't know what will make it go lower._
_
*Also, since he's in a 1 gallon tank, 100% water changes require that I scoop him out in a cup, and then put him back in with a net...he seems cool with it, but he might be stressing._

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I hope I gave helpful and enough information, and I hope the Ich will go away soon!

Thanks!


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## Aus

> I am not sure if "Ick Guard" is necessary to use.
> *(_Is there a better/more natural way?)_


Yup- there's information on using higher temps/ AQ salt for treatment here. I followed the advice in those and it worked pretty well for a mild case caught early. For bad cases, I'd probably medicate.



> _Do I change his entire tank and then apply Ick Guard?
> If I have to do 25-50% water changes everyday, do I put some more Ick Guard in the 25-50% new water?_


I'd change 100% of the water every day and rinse everything in hot and then cold water - ich is a parasite that swims around in the water. Changing all the water helps get rid of the swimmer stages and cysts that have fallen off. On another forum, I was told the active ingredient in the meds pretty much becomes inactive after 24 hrs anyway, so to re-dose with each 100% water change. I did so, and that was the end of recurring ich, never had an issue with it again. 



> It says, "DO NOT OVERDOSE," and 1 teaspoon is for *10 gallons.*
> _[My betta is in a *1 gallon* (I know it's small, but I am getting closer to upgrading him to a 3.5 gallon tank), so how much would be overdosing his gallon? 1 teaspoon?]_


Yeah, don't be putting a teaspoon in one gallon! One drop is pretty much enough. If you want to be absolutely sure you're dosing correctly, get a 10 gallon bucket, make up a full dose, use 1 gallon of that and throw the rest away. Every day. But one drop is probably going to do it.



> *Extra Information:
> *I read that Ich is caused by stress, yes?
> Well...


Ich is caused by a parasite. =P 

Stress, being too cold and poor water conditions can make fish more susceptible to it. 



> *Ammonia level:* .5 ppm (stress level) (I use Quick Dip ammonia Test Kit.)
> _* It seems to always be on .5 ppm, and I don't know what will make it go lower._


Water changes will do it. Change his water more. In a very small tank, ammonia builds up really quickly. Use a good conditioner like Prime (I swear by that stuff), and change his water often. Daily is ideal, but every two days would probably be less stressful. Get him a ball of java moss to help cut the ammonia down in between. 


> _*Also, since he's in a 1 gallon tank, 100% water changes require that I scoop him out in a cup, and then put him back in with a net...he seems cool with it, but he might be stressing._


Ammonia poisoning is worse. =P


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## Joaquin

Thank you, Aus!!

Do you find the information about higher temps/ AQ salt by just going through the forums or is there a link that I am not seeing? (Sorry, I'm a newbie at this.)

...And just to clarify what you read on the forum about re-dosing: Did you mean that it is okay to be putting "Ick Guard" even if he doesn't have Ick, yes?

Oh! One more thing...is this the Prime you were talking about?:










Thank you, again!!


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## Aus

Link to salt treatment (sorry, I was tired when I posted, probably should have offered it): http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=73332

Scroll down for the salt treatment. Be aware that high temps/salt does not kill the ich parasite. It speeds up its life cycle so the cysts drop off. 

If you're medicating (don' use salt at the same time) you might like to (gradually) raise the heat to get cysts off, then (gradually) lower the temp again before medicating. 

Either way you go, 100% water changes every day is a good idea, to flush the living/dead/encysted parasites out. Ich in its white cyst (the salty bits you see stuck to the fish) doesn't respond to medication and it has a specific life cycle, so if you medicate don't change the prescribed routine as stated on the bottle, geared to dealing with all parts of the life cycle. 


Some folks don't recommend 100% water changes when medicating, but I was told it's better to change the water (condition it ofc) and re-add the drop of medication, rather than doing partial changes, as the medicine becomes basically inert after 24 hrs in the water anyway. 

I've used both methods successfully. 

No, do not add any medicines to the water at all, ever, unless you are sure your fish is sick and you are reasonably sure of what he has. 

Yup, sorry, should have said 'seachem' - awesome water conditioner, two drop per gallon, lasts forever and saves a bunch of $ over the kind that needs 10 drops per.


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## ao

100% water changes helps IMMENSLY when bettas gets ich, especially when you see the dots beginning to decrease, IMMEDIATELY do a 100% water change and clean everything with hot water. I did this every half a day when I bought a baby betta covered in ich. I also used ich attack during this treatment. It worked great


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## Joaquin

Thank you Aus, and aokashi!

This is great and encouraging info!

I have started his daily water changes (100% at least every other day; 70-80% on the days in between), and I hope he gets well soon! (I also bought Aquarium salt in case it will be needed, but I haven't applied it nor have I tried the Ick Guard until I read a little more about it to gain some confidence.)

Thanks, again!


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## Aus

Neither will hurt your fish if dosed correctly, but letting the ich worse might - it can cause wounds on his skin if it gets bad, and he won't be comfy.. 

Try the salt. Really, it's pretty easy, hard to get wrong and you'll see the ich clear up fast (giving your fishy relief from the itchies). 

Raise your temp slowly over a day or so to 84-85. Dissolve the salt at recommended dose per gallon well in the water before putting him back in during changes, as salt can burn skin if not dissolved properly. Change water daily, thoroughly rinse tank (you might find a bare bottom tank easier for this) and re-dose salt every day for 10 days. Longer than that is not recommended, as long term salt use isn't great for betta health. 

No more ich! :-D

In the unlikely case this doesn't work, give your fish a break in clean water alone for 3-4 days before trying the ich meds. They work pretty fast too, but can be harsh on the fish so do try the salt method first.


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## Joaquin

Hey, uh, I feel kinda...Oh, what's the word...DUMB right now, guys...

So, Aus, I was reading your forum "The Poet and the Fish," (which is enjoyable, by the way!) and I was reading about Sid Fishus's Ich problem, and then I ran into the picture you posted of this fish:









So....my betta fish is blue, and in the light, he has those same white-ish spots that the fish in the picture has.....I thought that was like the beginning of Ich or something, but it's not Ich?? Ohmygoodnesss....................


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## Aus

Um. Do you mean - the reflection on his scales? 

Ich looks like this: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=42546

There's good advice from OldFishLady in there too, regarding treatment. 

Ich is.. well, it's pretty noticeable on dark coloured fish. Like bright white 'pimples' raised on their skin. Some say like 'salt grains' but they are often smaller than that.

ETA: And if its not ich - don't feel dumb! Better cautious than uncaring!


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## Joaquin

Ah, okay. From what I've noticed, he doesn't have any raised spots or super white raised spots like Roguepsycho666's fish.
I tried taking some pictures of my fish and will try to take better ones later if these are not clear enough (he is a little freaked out by the camera flash right now, heh), but here he is!:

1. Side view: http://i1150.photobucket.com/albums/o610/BettaRage/Betta/DSC06147.jpg
_
*That bright spot where his top fin connects (to the left of his body) is just a light blue scale that he has._

2. Top view: http://i1150.photobucket.com/albums/o610/BettaRage/Betta/DSC06135.jpg


Let me know if you need a more clear picture!

And yes, if he doesn't have Ich, at least I will know what to do if he ever gets it. :-D


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## Aus

I.. can't see any ich. I enlarged the pics by a lot, and saw nothing that is obviously that. If your fish isn't 'flashing' -- darting suddenly and wildly to smack himself into gravel or plants, as if trying to scratch, and he hasn't got clear white spots.. then it's very probably not ich!

So that's the good news. 

Bad news is: those spiny plastic plants are what will be shredding his fins, which I notice are a little raggedy-looking. I can't see any rot so far.. so what I'd do is remove the plants and make sure his water's really nice and clean and warm. You'll see the fins repair pretty quickly, if he's a healthy fish. And he seems to be, by looking at him, his colour is good.


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## Joaquin

Really? Ackk, I guess I mistook the reflection of his scales for Ich.... I definitely learned a lot about Ich and how to treat it, though.

And yes, I noticed his fins were starting to look a bit shredded. He likes to hide inside the plants or go behind them sometimes. They must sell fake plants that are more fish-friendly in the pet store, so I will look for those!


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## Joaquin

Oh, and, uhm, sorry. One more thing. Er, two:

1. Do you think my fish will mind being in a tank without decorations for a little bit until I can buy him new ones?

2. Do shredded fins lead to fin rot?

When I bought my fish, someone said that the fish would take over my life/control me, and I was like, "Ha." Now, I'm like, "Ha...:shock:" So, I know I have said this a million times by now, but for reaallll, thank you for your help and patience.


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## Aus

Well, what goes around tend to come around, here, in the way of help. Do stop feeling silly - I think people here tend to focus on the fact that you care about your betta..

1. He might not care, but even stress is better than the risk of worse fin damage. Try getting him a silk plant or two, they're soft and won't rip his fins - most fish love them. Or some java moss, which helps with ammonia. Wisteria's good too, but does better in filtered tanks.

2. Yes. Not always, but it often can.

3. Bettas are addictive, the end. 

4. Don't panic. Your betta look fine, aside from the rips, I didn't see rot. If it happens, it's curable! 

I'm a bit tired, so forgive me if you've already stated this - but does he have a heater?


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## Joaquin

Oh, yes! Silk plants! I'm hunting for those tomorrow!

No, he currently doesn't have a heater. I'm worried a heater won't work too well with a 1 gallon tank. (His temperature is always around 78 degrees.)

I have my eye on either a 2.5 gallon tank or a 3.5 gallon tank, though, so I kind of want to get him a small heater for whichever one of those tanks I get, especially for winter time. :greenyay:


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## Aus

Ah, well, he's warm enough then, for now. And yes, silk plants are good - do check for spiky bits, some do have them. But both my fish have a silk plant as well as real ones, and they love them..

If you're opting for a bigger tank, grab a ball of java moss too, and wisteria to float. My fish play in theirs all day, and the floaty wisteria makes a nice resting spot near the top. Java fern can float nicely too, and the broad leaves are little 'hammocks'. 

In any case.. enjoy your fishy! (and welcome to the world of betta addiction.. bahaha..)


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## Joaquin

Okay, cool! I will remember that.

And a-thank-ya! I'm sure this addiction is totally worth it . 
Thanks, again!


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