How to Use Salt to Attack Ick

The technical term for ick, or ich, is Ichthyophthirius multifilis, but it is also commonly called White Spot Disease. The presence of ick is identified by the white spots that show up on the fish's body. Ick occurs in aquariums more often than in the wild because there is a higher number of fish contained in a smaller area. In an aquarium, the ick can travel from one fish to the next rather quickly. If the ick is not treated, the fish will suffer from respiratory distress and die.

Things You'll Need

  • Aquarium salt
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Instructions

    • 1

      Increase the temperature in your aquarium to 30 degrees Celsius. This must be done in conjunction with the salt treatment. This temperature will stop the reproduction of the ick so that you can treat the ick that remains with salt.

    • 2

      Remove any plants that you may have in your aquarium. They will not do well when you add the salt.

    • 3

      Measure one tsp. of salt for each gallon of water in your aquarium. So if you have a 25 gallon tank, you will need 25 tsp. of salt.

    • 4

      Remove two cups of tank water and place the salt in it. Give it a stir and wait for the salt to dissolve.

    • 5

      Pour the salt water into the aquarium.

    • 6

      Change 25 percent of the tank water each day for the next three days. Right after that repeat the steps above to add salt to the tank. This should be enough to kill the ick on your fish.