couple of ichy questions

[Fishywishy]

If I see about 4 dots on tiger barb (obviously ich spots by behaviour, which had me looking so closely to begin with) do I need to treat the entire tank?

On the assumption that I do, is there a medication other then salt bath (raising temp with salt) to treat the ich that doesn't turn my tank green and dye everything including the tank seals green?

Once I've treated and cured ich, is there any way to un-dye the seals, and other ornaments without harsh chemicals that would hurt the fish, considering I'll be tearing down the tank soon to paint the wall behind it? (I've still got another 2 days, but the spots are gone and the fish are happier) It's a 55 gal, so using bleach and then trying to wash it out (for repeated rinses).....can't be done in the sink and it's darn cold outside for using the hose Will this go away in a few months on it's own (like from water changes and stuff?)?

How long would you wait after the last ich treatment to move a tank (empty it and move it and then put it back together?The case was mild, only saw the spots on one fish, treated and within 24 hours all spots were gone and all the fish calmed back down)

Thanks for any information you can give me (First 2 questions were for future refrence, obviously)

 

[echoofformless]

The only treatment I can fully recommend is Kordon's Rid-Ich. I have used it to quite good success, and it didn't really dye things at all. Even if it does it will only do it slightly and the stain will dissipate rather quickly.

You should still gradually raise your temperature to 86 degrees. It speeds up the lifecycle of the ich and therefore cures the tank quicker - which means less exposure to the medication; better for your fish.

Treat the whole tank for a full two weeks. Do 25% water changes before each treatment.

Wait at least a week after the treatment is done - make sure it doesn't come back.

 

[angel51431]

I'd definitely treat the whole tank. Ick buggies are invisible for a good part of their lives, so you don't know who has them and who doesn't.

My favorite medicine is Jungle's Ick Clear fizzy tablets. Cured my tiger barbs several times. It turns the water slightly blue, but its not severe. I don't think it'd stain the seals.

I can't guarantee the non-staining however. I overdid ick medicine in this tank... 10 years ago and the seals are still blue. It isn't particularly noticeable though. And I don't think that the blue of the Ick Clear is intense enough to do much damage.

 

[Fishywishy]

Thanks, if I had the luxury of treating for a couple of weeks with salt baths, I certainly would have done that, however, I was elected (succored) into doing thanksgiving at my house this year, and I really need to finish painting the wall....the wall behing the fish.

I treated with API's "Super Ick Cure", it turned the water a blueish green then cleared up a few hours later, but left my seals that bluish/greenish color, along with a few of the "fake" stuff in there. (Not to mention I lost a couple of plants...my fault, I should have removed them and put them in a tank and increased the temp there). My other tank, I treated with Jungle's fizzy tab ich cure things... it's a 10 gal, I put in one tab...the seals are still green (that was like 2 months ago). So, if I can avoid medications at all (like when I have one fish with a couple of spots) I will do the salt bath thing. I'm not sure if it's because I raised the temp a few degrees at the same time or the difference in water that all the seals turned that color, darn annoying though

 

[angel51431]

Hmm, well if your seals are all blue already anyway...

But yeah, part of the ich lifestyle is invisible. So if one fish has it, chances are the others do too and might have spots in a week or two. That's why you're better off medicating everyone regardless. Or even better, quarantining before you introduce new fish. But who has the time to quarantine for three weeks to make sure the ich completes a lifecycle or whatever?