I am presently using Liquid Super Ick Cure from Petland Discounts. I add my second dose tonite, and it doesn't seem to be doing any good.

I found the Rid-Ex the Ick Cure everybody talks about. Is it safe to add a different Ick treatment or should I stick with the one that I am already using? If Oscar the Wonderfish needs a longer treatment - which he will (I will be buying a heater on Friday so I can up the heat in the tank,) after a water change (20 % with gravel clean) can I add the Rid -Ex treatment instead?

Everybody forget about me?

HappyGoldfish, where are you when I need you!

Anybody answering? I am getting a complex here!

Sorry Honey - looks like you got forgotten there for a minute!

You can change to Rid-Ich but NOT with the old med in the tank at the same time, so add activated carbon to the filter for 24 hours first to clear the Super Ick Cure out. Only put in the Rid-Ich after this. (NB: A 20% water change won't clear it - you either have to change 100% of the water (not recommended!) or add carbon. There's no other way to get a med out).

Even Rid-Ich can take a while to work though especially in an unheated tank because the ich will take a long time to complete its lifecycle. And you'll still probably have to repeat the treatment a few times to kill every last ickie.

How are your water parameters at the moment? Diseased fish need perfect water quality in order to recover, regardless of what treatment you're using.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for answering! I was going to throw the Rid Ick in the tank today lol!

I can't test the PH of the water, because the water in the tank is already blue..

The Ick on Oscar the Wonderfish is starting to clear up. I am going to be able to buy a heater on Friday. I will see how the Ick is by then. If it is still there, I will put the carbon in on Friday, run it for 24 hours and put the temperature up to 80 and throw the Rid Ick in the water on Saturday if necessary..

Is that Ok?

Thanks!

Sounds like a fine plan, although if the ich is starting to clear up then I'd say the Super Ich Cure is working OK.

And so it should; I don't know if you're aware of this, but the Benzaldehyde Green in Super Ich Cure is just another name for Malachite Green, which is the main ingredient in Rid-Ich. They're basically exactly the same treatment; the only real difference between them is that Rid-Ich also contains formaldehyde which increases its efficacy somewhat. However, formaldehyde also makes the med more toxic to the fish; it's very nasty stuff.

Whatever med you use though, it does take quite a time to clear ich unless the tank is heated - which is probably why you're not seeing much of a result yet - so I think personally what I'd do is heat the tank on Friday / Saturday and see how the ich looks on Monday or Tuesday when the Super Ich Cure has had a real chance to get at it. If it isn't clearing by then however then try the Rid-Ich.

Hope this helps.

Thank you soooo much! Oscar the wonderfish also thanks you!

Sorry, PC, I didn't see this post!

Emma gave you great advice. It will start to look worse before it looks better, so that is probably why you didn't see results right away. I bet the Super Ich Cure will do the job just fine. Be sure to continue treatment for a few days after the last spots disappear to be sure you've got all the swarmers.

What temp. is your tank now? Malachite/Benzaldehyde Green is more toxic at higher temps, so if you do raise your tank temp, watch your fish closely. I personally choose not to use other ich treatments (other than salt) at temps above 75-76.

Good luck!

HappyGoldfish, you know that you are Oscar the Wonderfish's personal trainer!

Don't you forget about us!

Oscar is doing great. The ich is almost all gone.... still some spots around his right eye.

The water temperature is 72 degrees.

Glad to hear Oscar's spots are nearly gone.

You're doing everything just great. He should be all better in no time.

And just wait for all the goodies I am going to get for Oscar this Friday... Shhhhhhhhhhh... Don't tell him!

When can I start turning the light on in my fishtank, and how long can I keep it on? I don't want my plants to all die from lack of light.

I would leave it off for the duration of the treatment. Light inactivates Malachite Green. If you're concerned about your plants you could remove them to another bucket or something where they can get some sun, but they'll probably be alright for another few days while you finish up treatment.

OK.... Ok.... HappyGoldfish says keep the lights out, so Oscar will be kept in the tank with the lights out. Oscar isn't too happy about the lights out... he prefers them on....

Is it OK if I get him a little flashlight to see around the tank lol?

Oscar woke up with new Ich this morning. Will get the heater tomorrow... HappyGoldfish, is it OK for me to heat my water to 80 to get the medication in the water activated? Or do you feel that is too high....I read your last post about heating the water.

I prefer not to heat the water much over 75 when using meds containing malachite green, but I know other people do it. It won't necessarily cause harm to your fish, but the meds are more toxic at temps over the mid 70's. I personally wouldn't raise it to 80.

How many new spots are there? The spots you're seeing aren't necessarily new ich bugs, but just symptoms of bugs that were already there. Ich's life cycle is longer at cooler temps, so you may see new spots reappear for a day or so longer than you would if the temp was higher, but that doesn't mean the med isn't working. Remember the meds can only kill the free swarmers, not the ich already on the fish. If you want to raise the temp some I'd heat to 75-76*, but not 80*.

This is totally weird... Oscar wakes up with spots on his head (1 large one). When I came home the spot is barely noticeable. This has happened for the past few days... In the morning a spot... when I get home and check... it is smaller...

I am not hallucinating!