Cure Ich on a Goldfish
Treatment
- By observing the behavior of a sick goldfish and taking note of any odd behavior or appearance, ich can be identify.
- Before treating a goldfish for ich, if it is possible, slowly warm the water of the goldfish tank temporarily to 75-80*F. This will encourage the parasite to speed up its life cycle. It will burst out of the skin of the goldfish and then fall to the bottom of the tank. It is only in this stage, the free swimming ‘swarmer’ stage that a goldfish can be cured of ich.
- Remove any living aquatic plants since an ich treatment can damage or kill them.
- Do a 25% tank water change and make sure all the water parameters are optimal. Test for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels.
- Add a .03% concentration of Aquarium salt
at one teaspoon for every gallon of fish tank water. Aquarium salt can be purchased at local pet stores. It’s important that you treat the tank water, not just the sick goldfish. For that reason, don’t use a quarantine tank. - Over a 24 hour span, repeat this every 12 hours for a total of three doses of aquarium salt. The first ich treatment occurs at hour zero; 12 hours later is the second treatment; finally a third occurs 12 hours after that or 24 since the first. (Note: goldfish ich can get worse before it starts to get better.)
- Allow the aquarium salt to sit in the water for two weeks, then remove it by preforming a large 50-75% water change.
- In addition to salt, buy a good multi-purpose treatment that treats/prevents a wide range of goldfish diseases like Rid Ich for Aquariums or an anti-parasite medicated fish food
at one teaspoon for every gallon of fish tank water. Aquarium salt can be purchased at local pet stores. It’s important that you treat the tank water, not just the sick goldfish. For that reason, don’t use a quarantine tank.Recommended Treatment
Symptoms
Parasite: Ichthyophthirius multifilisOne of the most common parasites found in goldfish aquariums is ich; also know as ick. If it goes untreated, it can kill a goldfish. The symptoms might include but not always:
- Tiny white spots
- Isolation
- Lethargy
- Clamped fins
- Difficulty breathing
These tiny white spots are the result of a goldfish’s immune system trying to fight off the ich parasite. The white spots can occur anywhere on a goldfish’s body but sometimes a goldfish sick with ich will have no white spots.
Reviewed By: Tim Winter
Tim Winter has a strong affection for pets and wildlife. His years of experience caring for various types of pets has led him to share his knowledge with others on the best practices in pet care. Tim holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communications.
Hi My goldfish of all sizes started to lose their scales and then got these white spots all over their bodies ….one even tried to jump out of the tank she was so crazy!….They turned out to have Ick I almost gave up on all of them until a friend suggested ….maybe they have Ick and you should try this Super Ick Cure…..so I bought a bottle of Super Ick Cure and followed the instructions for 7 days and omg they have made a comeback. I kid you not this super ick cure really saved my goldfish!!!!….Thankyou!!!
My small goldfishes got a bad case of ivj…I’m being aggressive but careful in ttratinh them
..I’m using seachem paraguard…did a water change when parasites st a red facing off the fish
..I raised temp to 78 degrees…added more aeration
..ANF added korfr
On fish protector vitamin
They are sick but eating…one is mot…do I.do anytjing else and what are their chance for survival
Hello – i am wondering – it is not 100% clear in the instructions for treating ich – after doing 25% WC, adding the 1st batch of salt, raising the temp to around 80 – when it comes time to add the 2nd and 3rd batch of aquarium salt, do i repeat the 25%WC as well, before adding the salt? thanks very much
There is no need to change the water. Just make sure you do not exceed the total recommended amount of salt for how large your tank is. Always follow the instructions on the packaging.
My goldfish is suffering from anchorworm , so What can I do for cure my goldfish?
You can use Potassium permanganate or formalin in combination with a aquarium salt bath in a quarantine tank. You can use tweezers to physically remove them yourself too. Then add a slime coat protector to help any wounds heal
Can I use sea salt or is this not the right kind of salt..
No, to be safe, you should use aquarium salt. Plus the container usually gives you good instructions on how much to use.
NEVER buy fish at Walmart…. I repeat, NEVER EVER buy fish at walmart. After we bought our pictus catfish it died within 2 days from ick. We returned to investigate and nearly all of the fish there were dying or had ick and our guess would be dying soon. They take no preventative measures to control ick and once our catfish died both of our goldfish got it as well as our school of neon tetras. We’re on day one of treatment with malachite green and aquarium salt. Hopefully we can save the ones we started with…
Emily, that’s pretty much the same experiences that others have mentioned here. I recommend buying your fish from quality pet stores.
Hi, I’m certain that my gold fish got Ich, and I want to treat them by salt. since I have recently cycled my and have just got the good bacteria going, I don’t wanna go through a new tank syndrome again if I don’t have to, I wanna be sure whether or not salt kills beneficial bacteria?
Some bacteria might be killed while some will be fine. I don’t think you should be as concerned about that as much as the ich problem. Since the entire tank needs to be treated, you options are limited. People have been using aquarium salt for a long time now to treat ich and few people have had issues with the beneficial bacteria. You can always buy some bacteria to add after your treatment is complete. This packaged bacteria is okay but obviously not as good as what you get from a cycled tank.
Marryssa,
My fish just died from fish Ike to and that was about a week ago and all of my other fish are fine. I agree with admin, do a water change but not sure water salt is a good idea because when my cousin did that all of his fish sided about a day later
It has to be aquarium salt and it can’t be too much. Salt has been known to work just be careful when you add it.
My black moor just died of ick should I be worried about
my other goldfish in the aquarium.I just got it two days ago from walmart.please. reply ASAP
I’m sorry to hear about your black moor. Your other goldfish certainly can become infected with ich. I would do a water change and add some aquarium salt to be safe.
my fish not have tiny white spots but it have red spots, can u help me cure it ?
It sounds like it could be a parasite or bacterial infection. I would suggest first testing the water to see if anything is off. Check the ammonia, nitrates and nitrite and ph levels. If they are off, usually a water change is in order. Next I would buy a medicated food that treats for parasites and bacterial infections. A broad spectrum antibiotic type of food. You can also use aquarium salt similar to the same treatment of ich.
Why my goldfish eyes looks white and blind?
It might have an eye infections or the result of poor water quality. test your water for ammonia and change it if the levels are high. check out this post for help on eye problems
Well, i have the Goldfish that has Ich i won at the fair. It looked really ssad & lonley so i went to Mijer & bought 4 Guppys. The Guppys are always with each other but the Golffish i won is still lookong sad and lonly. And i dont wamt my Guppya to get the Ich sence its like the flew tous. Should i take my goldfish out ad put him in an extra bowl i have? Poor Fishies..
well in terms of ich, you need to treat the water too so you are better off treating the entire tank for ich. It’s a parasite that lives in the water and on your goldfish and lays it’s eggs/spores in the water. A quarantine tank won’t keep your guppies from getting ich if you don’t change their tank water too. But even then, you are just better off treating all of them too. I’d go to the pet store and ask them for a treatment for ich and carefully follow the steps provided above. God luck, hope your goldfish gets better soon.
My black moor has ich. Will just increasing the temprature and adding aquarium salt cure the ich ??
Aquarium salt does work but you can also try an anti bacterial and fungus medication but just in case it’s not ich.
can u just take it to the vet?? mahh confusing!!
I’m sure you could take it to the vet but you are better off buying a broad spectrum anti bacterial medication. Go to your local pet store and ask the fish person about what to get.