Ick Guard and edible plants

[tamotter]

Hello! I am new to the aquaponics thing. Recently my fish had a bout with ick. I treated them with Ick Guard from Tetra and raised the temperature of the tank for 2 weeks. It seems to have  cleared up & they are doing much better, however, my question is about the plants.

I'm growing leafy greens right now and I'm curious about whether they are still safe to eat? should I start a new crop? Is there something I need to do to 'clean' things? Thanks!

[David]

I would not recommend eating any plants exposed to this treatment. The manufacturers information even says that no plants should be in the aquarium during treatment. I recommend avoiding ALL chemical or pharmaceutical treatments unless they specifically say suitable for fish intended for human consumption (I've never seen this yet).

I had a severe ich outbreak from new fish that I did not properly quarantine - never again. I was successful by moving the fish (channel catfish) to an isolation tank and treating with salt (4 - 6% NaCl / KCl depending on the species and tolerance) and elevated temperature (above 89°F) for 10 days. This completely disrupted the life cycle of the parasite, and eliminated it from the fish / isolation tank. The absence of fish for 10 days disrupted the life cycle of the parasite in the AP system. I added ammonia daily to the AP system during that time to "feed" the bacteria and plants. I returned the fish to the system and all is well for the past year.

Now I always quarantine new fish for at least 10 days (I got lazy that one time thinking the source was reputable and fish should be okay) with salt at 3-4%. I add salts to my system quarterly to try and keep some trace, maybe 1 - 2%. When I add salts to my AP system I use a mix of water softener salts (Solar salt - NaCl; Potassium - KCl) and Epsom salt MgSO4 I believe. Make sure any salts you use do not have any additives like iodine or anti-caking agents.

[paul burton]

Always move fish when treating for disease. A small aquarium kept for this use is ideal.