Treatment of Ich

[CACAdmin]

We as hobbyists sometimes have to identify and deal with diseases of fish in our tanks and one of the most common is Ich. As this is a frequent topic, and searches for 'Ich' will net you 0 results (the search engine requires words greater than 3 letters), I have created the following list of links to existing threads containing discussion of Ich.

Threads containing discussion of Ich:

Guides to Fish Illness (http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/forum/showthread.php?t=310&highlight=treat+ich)
Natural Remedies (http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/forum/showthread.php?t=494&highlight=treat+ich)
New Symptom (http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1015&highlight=treat+ich)
Lyretail Swords in Victoria (http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1276&highlight=treat+ich)
new sword with ich-Rid Ich/no great improvement (http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1540&highlight=treat+ich)
the tanks got ICH (http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1478&highlight=treat+ich)
UV sterilizer (http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1630&highlight=treat+ich)
Still not better~Day 10 of Rid Ich+ (http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1653&highlight=treat+ich)


I will continue to add any new threads to the list. If I have omitted any please PM me and let me know which ones it is and I will add them to the list

[Melody]

I happened upon this while reading industry news. If you have a tough Ich bug, it could be your saving grace... and it appears to be safe for sensitive fish.

I was first introduced to the ick problem by my friend Brian Aukes of National Fish Pharmaceuticals. I told Brian I was ready to give up on clown loaches, as more than half the time they would come down with ick that I was not able to cure, and I would lose the entire tank. Brian said there was a new strain of ick, which he called “Far East Super Ick” which was what he thought my problem was. The Far East Super Ick does not respond to the two commonly used treatments for ick--QuickCure (formalin and malachite green) and copper.

Brian sold me some quinine sulfate, and he guaranteed this would solve the problem of the ick protozoa that wouldn’t give up. It worked. Ever since I have been using quinine on clown loaches (and other loaches, and tricolor sharks), I have cut my losses just about to zero. When the clown loaches first come in, I give them one treatment of quinine sulfate. After two days, I do a partial water change and do another treatment. ~ David Lass