Ok well say i do determine they do have ick... How do i apply this med i got.. it says i have to remove the carbon from the filter.. if i do that then i will not have any filters running at all...
What does ick look like?
- Thread starter Jeffd1979
- Start date
If you've had your emperors running long enough, and that cartridge has been in there long enough, the carbon may be nuetralized enough that it wont matter. In that case, just overdose the med a little bit.
The filters are about 4 months old.. I was told they do not need to be replaced very often at all.. i just take them out about once a month and clean them off in the old fish water when i am doing a water change.
It is very true that filter sponges do not need replacing, unless they fall apart. But I would recommend you replace your cartridges regularly if you plan to keep carbon in them. The carbon is useless after 3 weeks on average. Also, many times the cartridges that come with carbon and everything is usually flimsy and delicate. It’s almost like the cotton stuff you can get for filters. If we were talking about a filter sponge such as the ones made for AquaClears, I would tell you to keep it until it doesn’t hold together anymore.
Some people who have the kind of filter you have will go out and buy those sheets of filter pads which you can cut yourself. This tends to work well, esp if you aren't fond of the idea of always replacing your cartridges.
Some people who have the kind of filter you have will go out and buy those sheets of filter pads which you can cut yourself. This tends to work well, esp if you aren't fond of the idea of always replacing your cartridges.
I don't really care about the carbon being in there.. will it hurt to keep it in there after 3 weeks?
Well it won't hurt it so much, but its useless and costs you money. If you dont have medication in your aquarium or do not have foul smells in the aquarium, carbon is not needed.
Its much cheaper to get your own filter sponges and cut them out yourself.
Its much cheaper to get your own filter sponges and cut them out yourself.
is there any Ick treatment that does not have this green dye in it? Not sure if they are all like this but the ick treatment i have has some green dye in it.. i don't want it to stain the silicon in the tank corners..
Most effective ICH meds contain Malechite green, and therefore are green, Honestly I don't know if it will stain the silicone, but I don't remember ever having troube of that sort. If you are really that worried,save the ich med or return it if it isn't opened and use the salt/ heat.
As far as the carbon, it won't hurt to leave the cartridges in with the carbon in them, the carbon itself will not serve much of a purpose after a couple of weeks, except that it is a good bio-media. If you have had it in the tank for 4 + weeks you won't have to worry about it removing your meds. Overdosing won't be necessary either after that amount of time. You will need a new cartridge to remove the meds after treatment. I usually run a new cartridge two weeks, and then cut the filter to let the carbon out and throw it away. after that I rubberband or staple new filter material over my old one and put it back in.
As far as the carbon, it won't hurt to leave the cartridges in with the carbon in them, the carbon itself will not serve much of a purpose after a couple of weeks, except that it is a good bio-media. If you have had it in the tank for 4 + weeks you won't have to worry about it removing your meds. Overdosing won't be necessary either after that amount of time. You will need a new cartridge to remove the meds after treatment. I usually run a new cartridge two weeks, and then cut the filter to let the carbon out and throw it away. after that I rubberband or staple new filter material over my old one and put it back in.
Well i am trying the heat and salt method as well.. i have the tank up to 80 degrees now.. i am trying to raise it slowly... i added 5 tablespoons of of the aquarium salt in it last night.. would it be bad to do the med and heat and salt method..
also what i think i will do about the filter is with the emperor 400 it has 2 sides that you can fit up to 4 filters in.. i have all 4 filters in.. i may just change 2 so it takes the meds out... last time i changed out all the filters in my 37 gallon it messed up the cycle..
I've never tried it, and it would really be overkill, the deciding factor is the stress it causes your fish. The reason I like the heat a salt method is that ich meds cause way more stress IME, with delicate or smooth skinned fish ICH meds often are reccomended at half dose, and Even then these fish are at a great risk. I have lost several pictus cats to ich meds, but the salt didn't seem to bother them. If you fish don't show stress signs beyond what the ich is already causing, you could try it but it really isn't necessary. Remember that while you see the spots on the fish, the ich can't be killed. It is after it releases (hatches I guess) that is is succeptable , and even then I believe from what I read in the article that it is most succeptable to be killed when it goes into the free swimming state while it tries to find a new host. At this point in the life cycle it can't survive salt excessive heat or meds so it won't ever get back to your fish.
