Ick

[klc]

I'm having a problem with ick. Have been using Jungle Ick Guard 2 for a week but it doesn't seem to be clearing it up. I've lost one pleco and a couple of others are looking pretty rough. Has anyone tried Quick Cure or Clout? I know that the Clout is a real heavy hitter & may be overkill. I'm starting to get a bit desperate. The tank temp is at 84-85 degrees. I was running it at 86 but the plecos were getting stressed.

[Zoban]

Wil have to double check the bottle I have at the house (been long time since needed it) to see the name. As to the JIG2 I have never had good results with it to date, and will be damn'd if I ever buy it again.

[Zebrapl3co]

Yeah, same here, I threw my JIG2 in the trash. Quick cure works. But it's kind of hard to find now because people are thinking about banning the product. It's carcinogenic.
Having said all that, I still have one for emergency. There are some ICK staint that the salt method can't get rid of. Also, my pleco gets really upset when I add salt into the tank.
Dose it at 3/4 of the recommend dosage. If your plecos are stressed, dose at 1/2 as if it's for tetras.
Do small daily gravel vac as that does help remove some of the ICK spores.
You should see some results in a week. When you don't see anymore ick spots, continue dosing for another 5 -7 days. This will make sure that every trace of the ICK is erradicated.
Do not use any charcoal during your medication as it will undo your med.
But do use charcoal after your treatment as it will clean up the meds. After all, it is carcinogenic and you want to keep it's use to the very minimum as possible.
Plecos can get cancer too ...

[klc]

Well, this day has gone from bad to worse. I switched meds last night to API Super Ick Cure. Hopefully it will do better than IG2. I don't have Quick Cure & can't find it anywhere. MOPS still list it so will try them tomorrow. Got home tonight and both my L129 Scribble and L239 Blue Panaque were dead. Sh*t!!!!!!!! Snowball still has it but not as bad. Hopefully it will pull through. Gotta agree, the IG2 is headed for the garbage can.

[klc]

Lost my Snowball pleco tonight. Ick sucks.

[klc]

My L200 Green Phantom died today. In desperation, I've set up a new 20 gal tank and put the survivors into it. 100% new water, all new furniture and no visible signs of ick. I'll let the old tank cycle for a couple of weeks and dose it with clout or quick cure. Maybe the parasites will starve (sure hope so).

[Zebrapl3co]

Damn! that sound like it's one of the nastier ick strain. Some ick strain (some people call them the "super ick") are pretty resistance to normal ick treatment.
I know how you feel. I just lost 5 white seam BN pleco as well.

[klc]

Ouch! That would hurt, a nasty loss. Its really frustrating to do everything you can to save them and they still die. You don't know if its the ick or the meds that are killing them. So many of the "cures" just don't seem to work worth a damn. Everybody raves about Quick Cure but it has been pulled off the market. I just managed to get a bottle from MOPS - they still have a bit left. The four survivors that were moved seem OK but I know I have to treat them to be sure. I'm not really sure how to clean a tank that has had such a bad infestation. Other than keeping the temperature up and free of fish for a couple of weeks, is there anything else to do?

[klc]

Well, it's been just over a week now and I haven't lost anymore plecos - thank God! I think we're finally clear of ick. What an experience, 5 plecos lost. From my experience, avoid Ick Guard 2 cause it doesn't work.

[Zebrapl3co]

Been away for a while. But it looks like you're turning around. Good for you.

[moon]

Ouch! That would hurt, a nasty loss. Its really frustrating to do everything you can to save them and they still die. You don't know if its the ick or the meds that are killing them. So many of the "cures" just don't seem to work worth a damn. Everybody raves about Quick Cure but it has been pulled off the market. I just managed to get a bottle from MOPS - they still have a bit left. The four survivors that were moved seem OK but I know I have to treat them to be sure. I'm not really sure how to clean a tank that has had such a bad infestation. Other than keeping the temperature up and free of fish for a couple of weeks, is there anything else to do?

I use PP (Pottasium Permanganate) to clean my tanks. It's a good oxidizer and kills every thing. I understand ick cannot survive at high temps. I am suprised they were there at 84F. Must be a super resistant strain.

[klc]

I read a posting on Plecofanatics about a new strain of "Super Ich" that can handle temperatures up to 90 dF and that has resistance to many of the current medications. Seems to be a big problem in the US. We seem to be clear of it now.

[KnaveTO]

I think I may have found something that is effective as a treatment for Ich. I was able to beat it with my two plecos using 5mL of Seachems Para-Guard daily, 2tsp of aquarium salt per gallon of water, 50% water changes every other day (with salt added back in) and temp at 85F.

Day 1 I noticed the spots on my King Tiger and it was fairly covered with them... Day 2 they started showing up on the Peppermint... by day 3 they were covered with them. It is now day 8 and no spots... continuing treatment till the weekend at the very least. Oh and by the way... they were eating the whole time, never went off their zuchini.