Treating L200 for ich

westwood8183 · Post by **westwood8183** » 17 Apr 2004, 05:39

I bought an L200 a few days ago and today I see that he has ich. Luckily he is in a 7 gallon quarantine right now, but I would like some advice on how to treat this guy. I am gradually increasing the temp to 82 degrees, and will leave the tank lights off and close the curtains by the tank. Will he tolerate salt? Perhaps a half dose? Is there a certain type of ich medication that anyone would recomend for use with plecos? The lfs had "paragon II only" written on the tank, is that a good ich medication? I have not had an ich outbreak in over two years and that was before I started keeping plecos, so any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Post by **Barbie** » 17 Apr 2004, 05:50

I personally would add aeration to the tank, do daily 50% water changes, carefully vacuuming the tank, and add a teaspoon of salt per gallon every day for 3 days, to slowly increase the dosage. I never use ich medications anymore. Salt and the water changes will work every time without nearly the stress on the fish.

Barbie

westwood8183 · Post by **westwood8183** » 17 Apr 2004, 06:01

Hi, thanks for the advice! I always hate to use medications, so I was hoping I could get by with the temperature and salt remedy. I will add an air stone and will start doing the water changes daily-how long would you recommend doing the water changes? A week at least I would assume? And for the salt, do you mean I should add 7 teaspoons now (gradually) and add another 7 teaspoons tomorrow and the next day? Do I need to adjust the amount of salt according to my 50% water changes? Sorry for all the questions, I would hate to lose this guy over ich! Thanks again.

Post by **Barbie** » 17 Apr 2004, 08:18

Every day after you do the water change you add another 7 teaspoons of salt, yes. Where the tank is only 7 gallons and you might not have a full net 7 gallons in it, you should probably go with 6, to be on the safe side. 3 doses of the salt total. I usually do the water changes daily for a couple weeks, to be on the safe side. The water changes have the added benefit of making the fish more comfortable and able to deal with the stress of the ich, also.

Barbie