ick in clown loaches

Question
I have kept tropicals for 48 years and have had Ick problems maybe 3 times. This is one of them. Have a clown loach with Ick in a 125 fully planted tank (there are coolie loach, barb and tetra tankmates)and am needing to know what to use that won't harm him or the plants.Ph is around 7.8, no nitrite or ammonia problems, frequent water changes and good filtration.
Thanks so much,
Lynne

Answer
Hi Lynne;

You shouldn't need medication at all if you treat it naturally. Ich hates salt and hates heat. Raise the tank temperature up to 85 degrees, provide plenty of aeration, and add salt. At 1/2 teaspoon per gallon it shouldn't bother the plants. Keep the temperature up for two weeks so as many parasites as possible go through a complete life cycle.

The salt also helps increase the slime coating on the fish so the parasites can't re-attach to them as they burst from the white spots. Ich is present in most tap water no matter what we do. Fish only develop infections when stressed. Is there something going on in there they would be stressed over? How often do you change water and vacuum the gravel? Make sure a 25% water change is done at least every 2 weeks. That can make a big difference.

Followups welcome

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Chris Robbins

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