I have a dalmatian molly in a 10 gal tank, she has ich REALLY bad.
I got some "ich tablets" and aquarium salt to also help.
It said to use one tablet per 10 gal but was very vague on what to do afterwards. I put one tablet in, waited a few, and then put a tablespoon of aquarium salt in the tank also. I have done NO water change because I am not sure if I'm supposed to? Or if I should wait, and then do a water change or what ...
So my questions are,
1) is the tablets and aquarium salt a good route to go?
2) When (if any) do I do a water change?
3) How long do you think it will take her to fully recover? (She just had babies, and they are in the smaller tank, I'm afraid to switch the tanks putting the babies in the big tank, and her in the small 5 gal tank because of the chance the babies catching it.
4) Does the aquarium salt really work?
Salt really works. I have done it. But it's not a miracle cure. Heat is also very effective because it speeds up the life cycle of the ick and allows the salt to kill it off more quickly. I'm pretty sure your molly can take the salt.
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I don't use the tablets, I just bought a bunch of kosher salt. But be careful! Don't use morton's table salt! It has iodine in it and it will kill off all kinds of helpful bacteria in the water .. and probably the fish too.
Don't change the water. Do a partial change every few days after things clear up. The salinity will gradually drop off that way, and your fish will be happier. It's also a good idea to add the salt half at a time if things aren't to the serious stage yet.
I had a gigantic ick infection thanks to a stupid $ 5 petsmart goldfish I dropped in my tank at my girlfriend's request. Sorry. I loved her but that was dumb. It killed off half of my fish but the salt took care of it. It was about one week before the survivors showed no signs of infection.
(Edit) Oh btw: I forgot to mention that turning up the heat will make all the other bacteria go into overtime too, so keep checking the chemistry in the tank too.
1. The aquarium salt does work in helping to cure ich.
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2. If I were you i would go to Wal * Mart and get some Quick Cure. It works very well. It cured my fish in 3 days.
3. I am not sure about the water change, but i never did. I would recommend not putting the babies in the big tank because the disease is still there, but putting the sick fish in a different bowl all by herself, with a bubbler . Also a good thing to do is raise the temperature of the tank water.
Hope this Helps.
I have to agree with James. Salt can do more than you realize when it comes to fish care. Just make sure that you get non-iodized salt. Sea salt without iodine works best and it's cheaper than buying aquarium salt. Don't put the babies in. I would treat the adult in the tank that it is in, the water now has the parasite in it. The entire tank would therefore have to be treated. Cranking the temperature as previously stated will help to speed up the life cycle of the ich. Ich is only susceptible to treatment during it's free swimming stage.
James is right, Salt, heat. Crank it up to 82F.
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mollys will be better with salt in the water at all times.
good luck.
