Re: Ich in a planted tank

["S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>]

Jon Wilson wants to treat a cas of ich in a planted tank without using
a copper-containing or malachite green or any other staining remedy:

Well, you can try using an ultra violet sterilizer in you water line
--With the proper water flow, which depends on the lamp and the
protozoan you're after, this can kill off waterborne critters.

Or you can use a diatom filter, which will actually filter the
waterborne stage of ich out of your water.  Yes, a DE filter is an ich
collector.  You must leave the filter running long enough for several
full turnovers of your tank water -- and do this repeatedly as more of
the "cyst" stage protozoa reach the waterborne-stage.  A vortex is good
for this because you can just leave it run all week.

Or you can dose formalin, which won't have a lasting pronounced dye
effect but is very effective on ich -- keep you hands out of the water
until the treatment is over and you have removed the formalin (via
charcoal or water changes).

Anecdotally based opinion:  Bad cases of ich can require treatment, but
minor cases of newly introduced ich can clear up if the fish are
otherwise healthy and tank conditions good.

If lacking either of those conditions, ich can set it in.  IMO.  Like
BGA, good conditions beat it back into apparent nonexistence, but bad
condtions can pop it back up.

Good Luck,
Scott H.

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