Epsom salt=ich treatment-hurry plz

[lymabean]

Ok, i have a small case of ick in my tank on a juvenile platy (1 inch). Some other mollies might have it, but very little if any. If im not mistaken, then epsom salt is aquarium safe? if so, whats the dosage for a tank. I have a 20g. I have very few plants, and a large source to get them, so im not really worried about plants. My fish are in my sig, but it might be a little hard to read. Also, how high should my temp be raised. i have it at about 25-26 celsius (77/78 F.) I think my major concern is my single cory, and platy/molly fry. Help please, before i have some casualties.

 

[ausername]

if i'm not mistaken you normaly use aquarium salt (Sodium chloride) not epsom salt (magnesium sulfate)

heres an article on ich http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_ich.php they reccomend 1 tbsp to 20 litres

 

[Brackmyforte]

Natural Treatment

This is some advice I was given last time I had a fish with ich.
You'll want to increse the tempurature 1°C/2°F per hour until you reach 30°C/86°F and this temp should be maintained for 10days, and then slowly returned to normal. Another thing that will help is 25% daily water changes and adding 1tsp Epsom and 1tsp Sea salt per 4 liters/1 gallon of water. If you have a micron filter, you should run it as well as adding an airstone or two for extra aeration. Hope this helps!


P.S.
Epsom can actually be good for aquarium plants. As it contains magnesium which a lot of plants need.

 

[BadRoma1]

86? many fish can't handle that kind of temp. for long periods of time. use FW aquarium salt that you can buy in any pet store and it costs no more than buying any other salt. and yes, epsom salt is magnezium that you can use in SW tanks for cheap magnezium. raising temp to 80 is enough

 

[Brackmyforte]

True, some fish might be upset by temp increase, but none of the fish you have listed should be adversly affected by the temp increase to 86. Ich stops reproducing at 30°C/86°F (Dr. Nick St. Erne, DVM, pers. comm.). That's why, if your fish can handle it, it's good to go up to at least 30°C/86°F.

 

[DarrylR]

I use aquarium salt, and raised it around 80-84 degrees.

 

[yourchoice]

I would use regular salt.Bring it up to 1.5 teaspoons per gallon.Add it very slowly over a 36 hour period.Maintain level for 14 days.

 

[wataugachicken]

use regular salt, the same kind for cooking. while you can use epsom salts in the aquarium to treat constipation, it won't work for ich. as far as the temperature, 84 is max for most fish, and you'll have to make sure they don't gasp for oxygen.

 

[J double R]

True, some fish might be upset by temp increase, but none of the fish you have listed should be adversly affected by the temp increase to 86. Ich stops reproducing at 30°C/86°F (Dr. Nick St. Erne, DVM, pers. comm.). That's why, if your fish can handle it, it's good to go up to at least 30°C/86°F.

the point of raising the temperature is solely to speed up the metabolism and life cycle of the ich parasite, not to kill it or incapacitate its reproductive abilities.

the heat speeds them up, the salt kills them.

i wouldnt recommend anything higher than 82F.

 

[frog8966]

help please

I have a dwarf gourami that has suddenly started living at the bottom of the tank. He has a very swollen tummy so I'm thinking constipation. I see you say adding ordinary cooking salt. Will this be okay for my other fish in the tank? How should I add, slowly over a period of time or all at once? I would be grateful for any advise.