How to make an ich tank habitable again?

[Biulu]

I just came back from a week in China and found that a 10 gallon with 4 female swordtails and a female betta had been wiped out. Don't ask me why... The tank was cycled, planted and not overly stocked with these 5 fish. Temperature was at 23, sponge filter nicely bubbling away....

Anyway, I did notice there were white 'dusty' spots on one of the females which definitively was a sort of ich.

I don't want to risk new fish catching ich right away. What should I do to make this tank ich usable again? If possible without tearing it apart.....

[davefrombc]

Raise the tank temperature to about 86 F for a week should kill off the ich.. They cannot survive long without a fish host, and raising the temperature increases their speed of metabolism. Unless you re ina hurry to restock it, I'd leave it fishless for 3 weeks to be sure .

[alexmtl]

Raise the  tank temperature  to  about 86 F  for a week   should kill off the  ich.. They cannot survive  long without  a fish  host, and raising the temperature  increases their  speed of metabolism. Unless you re ina hurry to restock it,  I'd  leave it   fishless for 3 weeks to be sure .

Yup. That sounds right.

[Biulu]

Thanks! I put the heat up to 30 degrees. That should do it....

[l_l_l]

Also, the babies seem to be produced in the substrate, so make sure you do water changes and concentrate on the substrate.
When I have ICH issues, I usually up the temp and do 2 water changes per week

[alexmtl]

Don't forget to "sterilize" the buckets, nets and any reservoir which may have been in contact with the protozoa.

[Biulu]

That is a good tip....