Time Stamps 0:00 - Introduction 0:51 - My Microbiology Background 1:55 - How to Tell If Your Fish Have Ich 4:52 - Best Fish Disease Resources 5:37 - Ich Life Cycle in Fish 8:15 - Treating Ich With High Temperatures 10:00 - Using Salt to Treat Ich in Fish 13:50 - How Treating Ich Can Reduce Oxygen Levels 16:10 - Best Ich Medications 20:51 - How Long Does it Take to Kill Ich 23:28 - How to Sterilize Fish Tank Equipment After Treating for Ich 25:27 - Should You Gravel Vac When Treating for Ich If you need ich medications check out these links: Ich-X Anti-Ich Medication from Aquarium Co-Op: www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/fish-medicine/products/aquarium-solutions-ich-x Copper Safe Anti-Ich Medication (affiliate link): amzn.to/2JGobBs Fish Disease: Diagnosis and Treatment Book: Noga (affiliate link): amzn.to/2Jo7ieD Aquarium Salt (affiliate link): amzn.to/32Q8GON Important Related Videos: How to Quarantine Fish: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-S_-8UETrQv8.html What is Wrong With My Fish: Trouble-Shooting Water Parameters: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-g6eFr3eMcUw.html
Prime Time Aquatics Something that works even better than the medication is to up your temperature put garlic cloves in your tank small enough to where the fish can pick on it and eat it and cut the lights. It’ll be gone in just a few days it’s amazing and safe for everything. It also helps with parasites. Have you ever checked it out? I highly recommend the garlic.
How cool is THIS?! I've been a fishkeeper on and off for 55 years. My last tank was 60 gallons, and that was 10 years ago. You know how it is. It gets in your blood and you can't stay away. I'm starting up a 20-gallon community tropical tank, and thought I might as well get a little 2.5 gallon betta tank because I KNOW I will want to rescue a poor beautiful fish from a cup at PetSmart. In all these years, I've only had one ick outbreak. I attribute my success to ALWAYS keeping my tanks moderately salted and the temp between 79 & 80. When I had the outbreak, I treated the tank with malachite green. We stained bacteria slides with that stuff in college. So just for the record, I ordered the Ich-X from Cory, even though I don't even have fish yet. I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. LOVE this scientific teaching approach!
Get a bigger tank for the betta and give him.some compatible tank mates like kuhlis,ottos, Dwarf rasbora, neons or harkekins.He will be a lot happier and its more natural than a tiny tank.2.5 gallon is still torture. A 5 gallon is recommended but a 10-15 would be ideal.
As a fisherman, being from the State of Maryland, the fact that salt cures parasitic infections makes perfect sense to me. Being on the coast, living in Maryland, I often caught fish in both freshwater and brackish water. I often saw many fish species, when in strictly freshwater, that were infested with parasites; but, when these same species came out of brackish water, I never once encountered any parasite infestations. This was especially true with yellow perch. The yellow perch in most of the lakes and reservoirs were dull in color, and eaten up with parasites. Meanwhile, the yellow perch that lived in the Chesapeake Bay, and which ran up the tidal creeks, in spring, in order to spawn, were brilliantly colored, healthy, and not one time did I see a parasite in one of them.
The way you articulate things so that my brain understands what your highly educated brain knows..... Just awesome!! You have a true gift of explaining things that make them understandable and without being condescending and patronizing. It makes you WANT to learn more! Thanks for making us better fishkeepers!
I have tetras, got ich a few months back, nearly everyone was covered in the stuff. Anyway raised the temp up to 86/87F for 4 days. Then left the tank at 84/85F for another few days and then down to 82F(where its staying). Ich was fully gone after 7 days with no meds. The tank is super healthy, plants and fish thriving.
Success! 😁👍🏻 Hey PTA, Reporting back - I followed the steps in this video a week and a half ago on discovering my newly setup South American Cichlid tank had an outbreak of Ich. Happy to report all 15 of my fin-babies have been Ich free for 6 days (I’m still treating for another week) and are all healthy and happy. Your scientifically informed videos and affable nature are very much appreciated in those stressful moment when you realise you have sick fish. Thanks for your advice!
Great information, I've always used meds to treat for Ich. But once I moved into the large tank world, it's just to much money to treat 180 gallons of water. Plus, pet stores wouldn't have enough in stock. My last outbreak of Ich was from some fish that came from a name brand store. Long story short, I decided to go with the salt and temp method. it took 27 days for the Ich to clear up and now I will always quarantine fish before they go in any of my tanks
I'm so impressed to see you still responding to comments! I love your channel and also the small scape! I had to break down a 60 gallon tank that was newly set up due to the silicone bubbling up on the seams. It being a new tank I had just added in fish with a cycled canister filter and a cycled sponge filter without quarantine first. One of my pearl gouramis had about 3 white spots right out of the gate. I made the mistake of buying with the lights off in the tanks so I didn't see them. It didn't spread on Its body or to any other fish(1 other pearl gourami, 5 platies and 5 peppered corys, but I wanted to be safe so I added 12 tablespoons if salt to my 60 gallon and upped the heat to 82. The spots started to go away but my swords were melting and I wanted to be safe and treat with meds too. I received my ich x today and started treatment on the whole tank containing my fish and plants but my sand substrate won't fit in the tank. I would like to use the substrate again but I don't know how to sanitize it to ensure there is no ich in there. Should I do a 10-1 water and Bleach soak and then rinse it heavily? Should I add some of the ich x to it while it sits? Or am I better off not re using it? I'm really hoping to find a solution. Right now it's in a container in my garage.
You couldn’t have been more on time! Recently my neon tetra and zebra danio tank was infected with the parasite. One of my neon tetras had white spots, so I immediately started researching everywhere before I came to the conclusion it was Ich. So I’ll be going down to the pet store tonight to get medications and start treating them! They’re my most beautiful happy fish I’ve ever raised. (and active) So, let’s sit and hope they’ll make it!
My fish made it, hear up to 30, no water changes, I had just under the suggested dose of medication, do a lighter dose of medication, on heat for a while, 5 days I did, and it went, all cleansed...
@@Deathwing-kw5fsmeds aren't needed for ich. Just put the temp up to 86F/32C for 4-5 days then slowly lower to 82F/27 or 28C. No water changes or anything to add to the tank.
Thank you so much once again, Had ich from a guppy i brought from my LFS, did the 1 tblsp per 2.5 gallons and increased the temperature and a couple of days after there was no ich to be seen, thank you so much, you have the best comprehensive videos ever!
Maybe we can see a video on a quarantine tank and how u guys dose and Maintain a hospital / quarantine tank! With the meds, temp rising, water change, vacuum, etc. That would be very helpful
Thank you for the detailed explanation!! Followed this video to treat my goldfish and got rid of the ich in 3 days! A small daily water change + medication really did the trick. Syphoning the substract to physically remove the ich also played an important part, great tip :) Subscribed!!
I’m actually fighting ick now. So perfect timing. I ordered fish got them on Wednesday later that day I noticed one of them being lethargic and white spots. I put salt,raised the temperature, a small water change and have kept the lights off. I ordered ick gone I will be getting it today. Hopefully I don’t lose fish. Thanks for another great video.
Same here i also fighting ich on my aquarium now.. the sad thing is all the meds that you have ther is we dont have here in philippines.. the med that im using is called rid-all. there another one kind of med for ich here but i dont want that kind of med that can stain everything in my aquarium..
Yes don’t use the blue tinted ick meds. Stains air tubing, silicone, any fake plants, kills shrimp snails and crabs. Use the salt and raised temperature methods if you can’t find meds
Your videos are always extremely educational, any time my wife or I want to find out about something we always look for you or Aquarium Co-op!! Thanks for being Awesome!
This is by far a r the best explanation on how to handle ich. I have NEVER had Ich in any of my tanks and suddenly had a massive horrible outbreak. I used the purple solution and still ended up losing ALL my guppies. I waited a week and pulled a bunch of guppies from my pond... only to have them ALL die again within a week. The only thing that seems to be living in an Albino cat. My tank is planted but I am going to warm water and salt route to try and eliminate the parasite. I didn't even think about my watch change hose being what introduces it back into the tank. Wish me luck and thank U SO much for the excellent educated explanation and hopefully the solution to my problem.
Your videos have been very educational I’m new to the hobby and had some bad luck at the pet store and this video has saved tons of hours of research (I did fact check) and your on point with everything I really appreciate you taking the time to make these videos and I’m sure many others do as well
ICH-x worked in my 10 gallon with 6 neon tetras , 2 ADfs, 1 mystery snail,and 1 Koi Betta. Also plants. No harm done and helped 👍 Aquarium co op quartine trio is a must!!
I am a new fish-keeper from New Jersey having a 37 gallon tank (though it holds 30 gallon water) with 5 common and comet gold fishes (2 - 3 inches in length). I recently added a new goldfish from a local pet-store without keeping it quarantined. In a couple of days I noticed white crystal like spots on the fins of my fishes, which I failed to identify as Ich and did not take any action. In another 3/4 days I found my fishes were extremely lethargic and all of them were at the bottom of the tank next to each other which made me realize that something was grossly wrong. A little search on the internet helped me find your RU-vid video on Ich treatment and that was immensely helpful. I took the following actions: 1.Removed the cartridge from the HOB filter as it contained active carbon 2.Introduced a tank heater and raised the temperature gradually to 82F and fortunately my goldfishes could stand the high temperature 3.I already had a air-stone and sponge filter to maintain oxygen level and surface agitation 4.Added API Aquarium salt (1 tablespoon per 5 gallons) 5.Reduced frequency of feeding (once a day, in place of 3 times a day). Even though the fishes were eating normally 6.Could not find Ich-X in local stores and did not have time to order online. So purchased API Super Ick Cure which contains Benzaldehyde Green (same as Malachite Green?) and applied 5ml per 5 gallons (as instructed on the product label) 7.Kept the tank mostly dark 8.Applied the second dose after 48 hours as per instruction on the product label. Have not made any water change since first application. Sine I am completely inexperienced in Ich treatment, I have few questions even after watching your detailed and informative video couple of times. Q1. My goldfishes had dense white spots on fins but I could not detect any spot on the body. The fishes were very lethargic but was eating. The fishes were untreated for 4/5 days. Could you tell me if the infection was severe or moderate? Q2. When the Ich cyst leaves the fish and falls off, do the spots disappear completely or leave the marks that fade out gradually? It has been 2 days since the first application of the medicine. My goldfishes appear much energetic now, but the number of spots have not reduced, but the spots are appearing to be less prominent. Is it normal? In 4/5 days, are the spots expected to disappear completely leaving no mark? Pardon my ignorance and anxiety. Q3. The comet gold fishes have long tail fin and I am noticing some red patches / mark on the tail fins. Is it a symptom of Ich or it's something else that needs separate treatment? Q4. The edge of the tails of the comet goldfishes are appearing to be uneven and split. Is it also a symptom of Ich or is it fin rot disease? Does it need separate treatment? My water parameters are ok, though I could not use the test strip after adding the medicine as it changed the water color. I have already applied the medicine twice and have a plan of 30% water change after another 48 hours and apply the medicine for the third time. I hope the white spots will disappear by then. The plan is to retain the high temperature and salt for two more weeks after that Q5. Do you think the above plan is appropriate based on the given conditions. I would really appreciate if you could share your advice.
How did your treatment steps turn out? Dealing with my first ich infestation and was going to take the steps you lined out. Curious if it worked for you?
4 years later and this video is still helping. I saw white spots on my fish didnt know what to do so i did a water change and added 1 tbsp of aquarium salt per 5 gallons and bought the ich x you recommended. I'll now raise my temperature. Thank you for saying not to share nets or hose. I have 2 tanks and i wouldnt have thought about it.
Definitely the most comprehensive and detailed explanation I've seen thus far. Just had my first cases of ich within one of my barbs and platys. Hopefully I caught it early enough that placing them in quarantine is good enough without any others in my community didn't catch.
Just found this. One piece of advice missing here is to avoid introducing parasites in the first place. Quarantining new fishes for at least 14 days and treating for potential diseases before introducing new fishes into the main tank is the best way to minimise the risk. Having a spare tank set up with it's own nets and hose will save on costly medications, as well as stressing your valuable plants. An ounce of prevention...
I just noticed that my fish have this parasite and unfortunately it was from a few cory catfish I put in about a week ago. I went to a pet store and bought the medication needed and then also asked if I should quarantine any new fish so this doesn't happen again and the lady said yes. I'm also glad that I just saw this video so now I know other steps I can do in case.
Yesterday I started seeing white spots on the fish in my planted 10 gallon tank. I immediately ran to the fish store for ich meds and dosed the tank, bur after this video I have a better understanding of how to rid my fish of this parasite, thanks 😊
Fantastic video. Detailed enough for advanced Hobbist and simple enough for beginners. Love your teaching videos. Please do more on other diseases if you can.
Thank you for breaking down the salinity ppm, I've used this method before with great success, however just pieced info from different videos and hoped for the best. Now I know water/salt ratio and go after it with confidence. It's like being told what to do but not knowing why and on the other hand being explained why you are doing something; piece of mind. Petco, Walmart, Petsmart should include this video with every purchase...
Tried your method two days ago, especially Step 3. I unfortunately lost one fish before I could fully implement them but I had a guppy who was showing the early stages of ich, and ever since I put in the air stone he hasn't left it side since. He seems to be recovering but so far your methods are proving to be effective.. Thank you for this..
How long did it take you to get rid of ich using just salt and high temp? My flowerhorn has ich and I used salt and high temp like I did to most of my fish but on my flowerhorn it gets worst and it been 3 days now.
if your fish can't handle salt, excessive non-toxic minerals will also work. if you are not sure what is and isn't safe, just go and buy some shrimp supplement powders (primarily calsium salts and other inorganic compounds). over 5 years i've treated my betta's eye infection twice using this method and nothing died during treatment. plant wise, the crypts did melt a little bit but the monte carlo carpet and other stem plants were completely uneffected.
Hats off to you for educating people abought fish health. its the most important tool an aquarist can have in order to maximize the pleasure of the hobby
What about removing any activated carbon wether it's in a cartridge filter or other media containers while you're treating with meds? I always thought the carbon, even if it's old, would remove the medicine that you're using. Thanks for doing this video, I learned alot about Ich!
Great video The most important thing is understanding the life cycle of the parasite whether is ich or not. I do everything you said except the meds part. I use an UV sterilizer to kill the parasites
Your channel deserves a min of 1million subs, there is knowledge in every piece of advise you give. Thanks for sharing these tips, I have a question, what if you have healthy fish but you still use medication in your fish tank just to be on the safe side and prevent a possible future outbreak, would that be a good idea? Would it harm the fish?
Thank you! I avoid using meds unless I have to use them. If used as a preventative it can lead to antibiotic and antiprotozoal resistance making them less useful when needed for an infection. Some meds can damage beneficial bacteria and all meds stress out fish to a certain degree.
I recently got back into the hobby and subscribed to your channel, I got some new fish from a local store, my tank developed ich, your advice SAVED most of the residents in my tank. Thank You. (even though this video is older).
Hey you guys thank you so much for all your information and the wisdom you passed on to me and the rest of us. You helped me in developing my little silly channel I have but because of you I got a killer aquarium with the right water conditions and other important things you’ve shared thanks again. !!
I knew you were educated. From your first video I could tell you were not a trial and error keeper\breeder\seller. Everything you do is well thought out and presented. You never ever ever make comments on speculation. That book is fantastic for those who cant afford it or find... It is available at your local library.
I am not a complete newbie to freshwater aquariums, but haven't kept fish for several years after an ich attack on my one tank. I tried every treatment I knew, but lost my fish anyway and lost heart in the hobby. Now my granddaughters want to get a betta so I started researching and found you and your wife's channels. Thank you for your detailed explanation of the life cycle and and treatments.
Low key do you look like a teacher 👀😂 and thanks for the video! My betta has ick couples weeks ago and I used super ick cure by API and some melafix 👌🏽
I have just incurred first ick occurrence with one of my Ballon Molly's. However, I am actually taking Microbiology at a associate level. Very helpful class. Thank you for your insight
ok pet stores/ fish stores need more knowledgeable people like you. ive asked so many questions and no one could really answer any of them. I was lost and thank God for this video. Whoever says taking care of fish is easy has no clue.
Thanks Jason - as always your scientific knowledge is very much appreciated! I thought I would share something to the fish community: Re quarantine length, fish & ICH: I set up a new South American 22 days ago with all new fish bought from the same supplier I’ve used for years with no issues. No symptoms of ICH showed up until day 22! I usually quarantine fish for 2-3 weeks. Not relevant this time - because they are all essentially in quarantine - but I always quarantine 14-21 days. This has shown me quarantine for any less than 22 days is clearly not enough time. I’m always sticking to a. 28 days quarantine minimum from now.
Great VIDEO! I always hit up your channel when something goes wrong in my tanks! Your microbiology background is SOLID! Thank you for all your hard work in the fish community!
Today I noticed one of my platies has white spots on it and immediately googled what ich looked like and immediately went and bought a treatment and have already administered a dose. This video is so informative and will help me with the continuation of the treatment in my tank.
Whoever is reading this: Your body isn’t a book don’t judge it Your skin isn’t paper don’t cut it Your heart isn’t a door don’t lock it Your life isn’t a movie don’t end it Your beautiful now be safe enjoy ur day
Great video. Love that you mentioned oxygen. I add an air stone. 87 degree F and a little salt. All I’ve ever used and it works! Don’t wait. Do it as soon as you notice. Waiting to treat will kill 85% of your fish at least.
I’m so fortunate to have watched these videos and to know before it got out of hand. One fish had it yesterday unnoticed it treated the tank, waited for my pebble cleaner in, did a full tank clean, and treated the tank again. Super helpful videos thank you.
I had a situation where i had a ICh breakout in a neon tetra tank. Treating with chemicals did not help and as they cannot withstand temp not more than 81 F i lost a whole group of 50.
Might be the chemicals or too fast of a temperature change? My discus tank has 6 black neon and 9 regular neon tetras at 85-86F and are doing fine. Neon or cardinal tetras are very common in hot discus tanks.
Thank you for a really great video on ich. Really professionel info and easily understood, most comprehensive guide to treating ich I have heard for a while! Please do keep on with these great videos, they are SO INFORMATIVE that nobody can do without them or skip over them, even if they have a problem with ich or not, the knowledge is here to help you get prepared for one of the most devasting and stessful times IF you should get ich. Thank you so much Jason, well appreciated.
I always end up on your channel to answer my questions. Then i go over all the other ones and still come back here for confirmation. Idk maannn...For me, you explain things better than Cory. Both are great but glad you're here. Thanks a ton!
Wow! This is the most thorough video on ich I’ve come across. I wish I’d seen this video before losing ALL my fish to ich... that was very painful to watch. The meds I used did not work and I’ve been discouraged to try the fish hobby again. After watching your video, I might reconsider.
Thank you for this video! I just noticed this disease in my fish tank late last night so I am hopefully getting everything today and will start treating it right away
This video is awesome. I used it to treat my outbreak which was noticed early, and the problem is now gone in only 3 days!!! Thank you !! Thank you !! Thank you !!!
@@PrimeTimeAquatics I am afraid to stop the treatment, lol. I think I will do a water change with no salt, and use the ick x one more time. The temp is 86 and they seem to enjoy it (community tank with a female betta sorority) After raising the temp to 86 they seem happier than ever. Maybe I should leave the temp there ?
hi. thank you for your video. your explanation is the most specific and accurate ive found and will share this with friends! i'm a doctor and a newbie in the fish keeping hobby. i have a betta fish who is suffering from ich and have already lost one to it a week ago. your background in microbiology is very helpful. in medicine, we only study clinically significant pathogens to humans so fish infections are a whole new world for me and one that i'm willing to learn more about as i continue to keep more fish as a hobby. again, thank you!
@@PrimeTimeAquatics hello sir. Good evening! Just wanna extend a warm thank you! My betta is feeling happier and healthier than ever! Thank you so much! Really appreciate the knowledge. :)
I’m so grateful for this video. Thank you so much! I thought my gosh were gonna die! I did lose one but I think a neon may have bit off the tail of my chili raspora. She was very sick with ICH too. I wondered if she got hurt and soon after everyone was sick? I was so sad about her. But every other fish recovered and is happy and healthy. Oh and I lost a cherry shrimp too. 😢 but truly thanks again because I was worried they were all going to die. My tank is doing great again.😊
Thank you so much for this thoughtful and well made video! I am having my first instance of ich with my 50 gallon community tank. I think our new dwarf gourami may have brought in the parasites with him has hitchhikers, haha. I wasn't able to get my hands on Ich X so we're trying Kordon Rid-Ich Plus and keeping the tank at 82 degrees (which is about as high as my fish seem to tolerate).
I would just like to take a minute to thank you so much for this video and sharing your knowledge! I’ve watched multiple different videos, and yours is the only one that made sense to me! I’m a beginner in the fish keeping hobby and had no idea what was going on with my fish... after only 4 days the ich was under control. I was able to do everything except turn up the heater due to the fish I have. I’ve now watched even more of your videos and understand so many different things about this hobby😊 thank you again!!!
I really appreciate the in depth information ive learned in this video, definitely the best video ive found on ich on youtube and the information is from a trusted source given you are educated on such a high level and qualified to say this. Im subscribing from today ❤
Thank you so much for this video! Dealing with my first ich outbreak, I bought ich meds and set up a hospital tank, also used aquarium salts at a higher concentration like you recommended ( the only fish in that tank are guppies ) this is super helpful! Thank you soooo much
Best video on ich I could have found. One of my black mollies got ich and was unfortunately housed with 4 of my african dwarf frogs and my balloon mollies. I had never dealt with ich before so this video really helped eased my nerves with what to do. I didn't have any questions left by the end 👍😁
Hope you read these comments. Thank you so much for this video. Made the mistake of purchasing a fish recently from a different place than normal. Didn't quarantine...and you know the rest lol. I believe without your video we would have lost our fish. Thanks to you just after 2 days things are starting to look better and no losses so far. Your videos are very informative and very much appreciated!
Great video. I studied microbiology in school. Having some education of the field gives you a better perspective with ick situations in your aquarium. I currently just saw some of my clown loaches has ick. Very disappointing. Its probably been 20 years since my aquarium had it. Thanks for all the info.
There is an easier way that is disregarded by many. Simply soak the fish food in FRESH ginger juice for 10min. I have had 100% in marine tanks and the logic works in both marine and freshwater tanks. When the ich seeks a "host", it doesn't attach itself to fish that have ingested FRESH Ginger, maybe it is due to the smell within the fish. Now the ICH cannot find a host and cannot complete its lifecycle. ----------Important notes (1) must use FRESH Ginger juice daily, to soak food, if fish do not eat, this will be an issue (2) depending on temp of water, therefore lifecycle of ICH, need to soak in FRESH Ginger for about month, time consuming....(3) it doesn't impact the rest of the tank (4) 100% effective, but takes time, but the fish will all survive, if they eat the ginger soaked food. I hope you give it a try.
Waoo you really are a teacher man. I look for videos and information on how to deal with the ich. This is the best video I’ve ever seen. Thank you so much.
Great video, I have an undergravel filter connected to a bucket filter outside of the tank and a very hot heater in the bucket and the water goes out to another bucket that cools down the water and back to the tanks😅
I just dealt with Ich in my quarentine tank a few weeks ago. Medicated for 2 weeks after not seeing anymore spots. Lost one of the new fish, but the rest survived. As always Jason, great video and very informative. Love your videos as I always come away learning something I didn't know. I can't imagine why anyone would give this video a thumbs down. Doesn't make sense as even if you already knew all this information, the video was still very well done and informative. Just don't get how anyone could ever have a reason to give this type of video a thumbs down.
