Ich and salt question

[sandig]

I have a 10 gal with 4 betta females and 2 mini cory cats....the new girl (#4) was quarentined for a week and I put her in the tank. Two days later she has ich. I am raising the temp gradually to get to 85 and I am treating the whole tank with Aquarisol. I know that aquarium salt helps but I don't want to overdo it because of the Corys. What is a safe amount for them?

Thanks so much
Sandi

 

[WILDER]

No more than a teaspoon i'm afraid.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Sandig

Over a long term, salt is a no-no for corys. For short term use, it won't hurt them. However, I would be worried about raising the temperature to 85 degrees. That's way too high for corys.

I would suggest using 1 Tbs. of salt per 5 gallons of water and keeping the temperature at 80 degrees. Treat the tank for twice as long as the medication recommends to be certain the ich is gone.

Are you certain that it's ich?

What kind of corys do you have?

 

[sandig]

The corys are supposed to stay small under 2". They are brownish goldish tan with a dark area around the side fins.

I am pretty sure it is ich. I had a fish with it a month ago. It is just on the new girl's tail. I thought a week quarentine would be enough...grr...Thanks for the temp info. I have the tank at 81 now so I will lower it a degree and add salt.

When the ich is gone what percentage water change do you recommend to get the salt out for the Corys? Oh, and will not kill off my biological system.

Sandi

 

[Inchworm]

Hi sandig

Your corys might be one of the three dwarf species of cory. This is a thread about them that you might find interesting and the links might help you identify just which ones you have:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=97328

The reason I asked is because sometimes diagnose a bacterial infection as ich and since the treatments call for opposite temperatures, a mistake could cause more harm than good. Here's a picture of a fish with ich. The link also has useful information about treating it:

http/www.mushi.petfish.net/ick.html

I also asked because while corys don't get ich, they do get bacterial infections, just like bettas, and because the disease seems to be very common this time of year. If it is a patch on the tail of your betta, and not tiny specks, or if it looks like it is eating away at it, it is bacterial and requires different treatment. If any of this shows up on the corys, you will know for sure that it's not ich.

To remove the salt, a 50% water change will remove half of what you put in. An another one will remove 25% more. This is most of it, and the rest will eventually be eliminated through regular water changes, so you don't have to worry about the corys.

I hope your betta recovers quickly.