How to Treat an Outbreak of Ich

An Ich outbreak can sometimes occur when a new fish has just been introduced into an aquarium and it's immune defenses are weakened from the stress of transport. Ich can also be introduced when the temperature of the aquarium drops dramatically from a power outage or a sudden change in climate, or simply just because. There are many schools of thought regarding where these little creatures come from. Some aquarists believe ich can be latently present in the aquarium for a long time. In any case it is important to get rid of them.

  1. Remove any carbon in the filter before beginning any treatment as it will render the medication useless.
  2. Raise the temperature of the aquarium by 2 degrees C or 4 degrees F. This speeds up the life cycle of the parasite so it can be destroyed quicker.
  3. Add aquarium salt such as Sera Ectopur to the water.
    • The salt acts as a disinfectant by slowly releasing oxygen into the water and encourages parasites to detach from the skin of the fish. Note that fish vary in their tolerance of salt, and for more sensitive soft-water species, we recommend using 3-4 tsp per gallon maximum. Higher salt levels may also affect plant growth.
  4. Add a medication to the water. We recommend API Quick Cure or Sera Costapur. Always read the label of the medication carefully and follow the manufacturers instructions.
    • Some fish like ClownLoaches, Iridescent Sharks, Elephant Nose, Stingrays and some varieties of Tetras are sensitive to the medication and it is advisable to only use a half dose. There are many different kinds of medications on the market that use copper to kill the ich parasite. Copper is very effective however it can affect plant growth and sometimes kill certain plant species.
  5. The whole tank must be treated in order to kill all the parasites which are not attached to fish (it is not appropriate to only treat affected fish in a separate isolation tank).
  6. Do a 1/3 water change, add new carbon to your filter, lower the temperature back to normal and feed your fish a high quality fish food like Sera GVG Mix. This is one of the best fish foods in the market today. It will help the fish recover from the parasite by growing new healthy skin and scales.
    • If you have added salt to the water during treatment it is very important to continue with water changes of 1/3 for the next 3 weeks to remove all of the salt that has been added to the aquarium. Salt does not evaporate so it has to be removed with the water.