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Ich on electric blue rams

5K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  Petey 
#1 ·
None of the like 27 fish in my tank have ich.. only 2 of my electric blue rams.. I have had the temps at 86f for over a week.. and I set them to 88-90f over the weekend and nothing has happened as far as them getting better.. they are still covered in ich..


Can I use Aquarium salt ? Or Honestly table salt ? I have used table salt before with success in my tanks with regular fish but these rams are kinda sensitive.. I don't want to kill them...

Can you use salt in the water with them or no ?? What do you guys recommend for getting rid of ich on these 2 fish ? How much salt if I should use it.. Do I use for a 27g hex ?
 
#2 ·
It's going to take a little longer than a weekend for them to be killed. The heat won't kill the cysts that are on the fish but the ones that are in their free-floating forms so you just need to be patient is all. I wouldn't use salt on them since it doesn't kill ich. You'll just need to keep the heat up for two weeks at least and then another after you see no more Ich on them.
 
#3 ·
I agree--I kept my temp at 86 for 2 weeks, and haven't had an ich problem since. You need to do the full two weeks, though.
 
#4 ·
Hello, Candymancan.
I agree with everyone above but I wanted to clarify that the heat must be kept at 86*F not necessarily for two weeks but for one week after you see the last signs of ich. So when you notice there are no longer spots on your fish, you have 7 days before you turn the heat down. When using heat to kill ich, you are not necessarily killing it off with the heat, you are speeding up its life cycle. In 86* water, ich cannot reproduce, therefore they die off and there are none left to infect your fish. I'm not sure if you read this but it is not necessary to vacuum the gravel/sand once or twice a day to collect the bodies of the parasite, they are or will be dead by the end of treatment so there is no need in my opinion. They cannot resurrect and re-infect your fish.

Now for your salt question -
You absolutely can use table salt as long as the only ingredient is salt. Most salt that people buy at the grocery store for table use contains this anti-caking agent (calcium silicate in our box of Morton) and it is not a very good idea to add that to your aquarium. If you wish to find a cheaper alternative to aquarium salt, buy a box of canning and pickling salt. It is cheaper by a long shot and aquarium-safe, though as previously mentioned, it does not kill ich. It is a good thing to keep in your fish cabinet, though, should you ever need it.
 
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