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My tetras have contracted ich from my pleco that should not have been in the water in the tank because of the salt that I needed to add for my dying swordtail. I have been reading the many posts on ich and have noticed that it is being repeated that tetras dont really respond that well to many ich medicines. Will Melafix be a safe option or is it the same thing? Is melafix for ich or is it for fin rot which I think they (the black skirt tetras) also may have because they look a bit raggedy? I want to make sure that I do the right thing here... from what I have gathered I should:

1. Take out the carbon filter. (replace with what kind?)
2. Replace filter. (one new filter during treatment and a new one after treatment is over?)
3. Do 25% water changes. (how often?)
4. Clean entire filter system. (What is safe to use for cleaning?)
5. Clean net. (I used it to get the Pleco that I believe started the whole ich problem. Clean the net or get a new one? If cleaning it is ok, what to use?)
6. Treat for at least a week and underdose some for the tetra's sake.


Am I missing anything at all? I have already taken the pleco out and he is in a tank all his own, when he is finished being treated, he will be given to a friend that has pleco friendly waters.

If I have one more problem with these fish, I am going to scream!!! I think I have officially driven me crazy. :%)

Ahh, the joys of ich!

No, melafix wont help any.

What you have are somewhat like 'fish fleas', little parasites that burrow into the slime coat of the fish. you need a special preparation, something like Multicure, or ridich, or protozin. There are plenty of them around. Often sold as White Spot remedies.

Melafix is like fishy dettol, great for cuts and scrapes, no good for full blown diseases.

lets go through your check list...

1. Take out the carbon filter. (replace with what kind?)

**This is because the carbon sucks up the medication. Thats just what carbon does. you dont need to replace the carbon during treatment, just run the filter without the carbon insert. it should be fine.

2. Replace filter. (one new filter during treatment and a new one after treatment is over?)

**OK, slightly puzzled by this. Toss the old carbon in the bin. the rest of the filter stays intact. you run the filter while you are treating the tank. the medication you put in the tank will kill any ich in the filter. Once the treatment is over, you may wish to get a new sponge insert (or whatever you are running) but dont do it straight away as you will probably have killed off a lot of good bacteria while treating for the ich, and removing the filter inserts and replacing them will throw you into a mini-cycle.

3. Do 25% water changes. (how often?)

**I do 10% water changes every day. This seems to keep the delicate fish happier. do remember all water change equipment then has to be considered *infected* and should be bleached to kill any parasites.

4. Clean entire filter system. (What is safe to use for cleaning?)

**Again, puzzled by this. just remove the gunk from the sponges (swoosh them in tank water) so it is filtering ok, and you should be fine.

5. Clean net. (I used it to get the Pleco that I believe started the whole ich problem. Clean the net or get a new one? If cleaning it is ok, what to use?)

Dunk net (and any other *infected* items in a bucket of bleach solution (1 part bleach, 20 parts water)
Leave it to soak for about 20 minutes to ensure the bleach penetrates through the outer part of the parasite. then rinse rinse rinse!
Also, make sure you use plain bleach, fish arent to fond of lemon scented!

6. Treat for at least a week and underdose some for the tetra's sake.

**treat for however long is says on the pack. some packs say 50% with fish like tetras. If it says nothing, dose at 75% just to be safe. do not stop treating just because you cant see spots, keep going for as long as the packet recommends. after you have finished treatment, watch for signs of the ich (at lower dosages, it can sneak back)


There are also sneaky tricks with heaters. Does your tank have a heater? If so, you can try to *cook* the parasite (good with fish like loaches, not too sure on tetras, o think they might not like it)
or you can use the increased heat to speed up the life cycle of the parasite. This is very important as the medication can only kill the ich at one stage in its life cycle.

So just so we know, what filter are you running?
what is the current temp of the tank?
do you know your ammonia/nitrite readings?

Any other things you arent sure of?


For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

The filter cartridge I have is an EZ Change filter #1.

I didnt mean to puzzle, I just thought that tossing the filter cartridge would be the best way to ensure that nothing survives.

As far as the filter system, again I just figured it could hold on to some of the ick and wanted to make sure that if i was to clean it, that I did it correctly. This is sounding like it might be easier than I thought it was going to be...

I do have a heater, but it doesnt tell what temp it is going to heat to... if you move the dial, you have to wait to see how hot the tank is gonna get...

The temp is currently 77 degrees, ammonia is at zero, nitrite is at 1.0, nitrate is at 5.0, ph is at 7.6.

The other questions I have are: since I am such an amateur, is it ok to use both melafix and ich meds to be sure there isnt anything else going on in there that I am unaware of? Is it ok to periodically treat for ich and other diseases just to be sure it wont come back and if I add stock to the tank from this point on, will the new fish get ich if it has never had it before? Where in the life cycle is the ich to be treated or is that also in the packaging?


Just to be sure I've got this right:

1. Take out the carbon from the filter cartridge.
2. 10% water changes daily.
3. Clean the net.
4. Follow packaging instructions for length of treatment.
5. Underdose for Tetras depending on the wording of packaging.


Edited to add: THANKS!!!

[span class="edited"][Edited by sharmyka 2004-02-03 22:12][/span]

I'm looking for the filter you described, but i cant find it!

Is it AquaTech? Its the only thing i have found that might be close.


is it ok to use both melafix and ich meds to be sure there isnt anything else going on in there that I am unaware of?

**Yes, Melafix is fairly mild, so it can usually be used with other meds. HOWEVER, most ich medications come with an antibiotic additive, so that usually takes care of that. Yes, you can use it, but you probably wont need to.


Is it ok to periodically treat for ich and other diseases just to be sure it wont come back and if I add stock to the tank from this point on, will the new fish get ich if it has never had it before?

**The problem with treating periodically is that the parasite builds up a resistance, which means then we have to move up to stronger and stronger meds.

**The best preventitive treatment is clean water and very little stress. A stable environment really helps more than you would think Sounds way too simple huh!?

**If you add new stock, you really should Quarrantine them for 2 weeks before you add them. Its far more likely the NEW FISH will bring things into your tank rather than your tank giving the new fish bugs. If you quarrantine for 2 weeks, MOST things will show up in that time and that way you can treat the new fish without upsetting your current stock.
Stress is a factor with ich, so i suppose the stress of moving might let the fish become more susceptible, but they would be no more e to it than the fish you currently have.

Where in the life cycle is the ich to be treated or is that also in the packaging?

** i'll go find out for you! i cant remember. I think its the free-swimming stage, but really it doesnt matter. There will be parasites all through your tank at different stages, so just go treat it The only reason i bought it up was because of the half-dosage thing. Increasing the temp a little might let you get rid of them more effectively with that dose.


Just to be sure I've got this right:

1. Take out the carbon from the filter cartridge.
**Yup, and since i cant find your filter, if the cartridge has the carbon integrated, just take the whole thing out. You need to keep the oxygen up to the fish, so make sure you have some water movement with the filter.

2. 10% water changes daily.
Or as you see the fish need it. If they are gasping or looking very uncomfy, change it, if they look laid back and happy, you could get away with not changing any that day. Its a bit of an experience thing, but you will get the hang of it

3. Clean the net.
And the syphon, buckets, etc etc etc. ANYTHING you stick in the tank that wont be in the tank during treatment.

4. Follow packaging instructions for length of treatment.
Yup. If it hasnt cleared up by the end of the treatment, we can go from there Very unlikely tho

5. Underdose for Tetras depending on the wording of packaging.
Yuppers. They often say a dose for loaches, elephantnoses and tetras, so look for that



I think we covered everything.

Will find that thing on life cycles.



For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

I had the same ick problem and I was wondering if the tank looks clean and the ph, N's and all of that stuff are in good shape, can you add fish after a week or two?:%)

If you have treated, and there are no signs of ich, and your ammonia and nitrite are 0, then yes, you can add fish.

I would suggest waiting a full month for your biofilter to recover from the ich medicine AND to quarrantine the new ish for at least 2 weeks before adding them.

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

Thanks for the help

one more thing on the preventitive treatment. i use aqua master aquaseptic when adding new living plants or fish. its designed to be used as a preventitive measure. the bottle also says i can be used weekly but i dont bother with that. apparently it attacks free roaming paracites. ie; on the surface of the fish and in the water.

Do you know if the aquaseptic is okay for all fish?

I am having the same problem also and I have been treating my two tanks(one 10 gal & one 72 gal) wit seperate meds. Can I really use Melafix and my Ick meds in the same tank, at the same time? My ich med is currently NOX-ICH. It would be so much easier but I want to do it right!! Thanks

The reason most medicatins say "do not use in conjunction with yada yada yada" is because of drug interactions OR a possible overdose.

I have not heard of a problem with melafix (or pimafix for that matter) being used in conjunction with other medications. It is highly unlikely that it will react with any of the other medications.

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett