Moms betta has ich...need a quick answer from experienced keepers please.

[pieleld]

Moms DT who she just bought about a week ago is in an early stage of ich. There are only about a total of 5 spots on his fins. I have successfully treated ich with the heat only method on my angelfish, but am not sure if bettas can tolerate a water temperature of 86 degrees. I would only maintain this temperature for at most 5 days.

The tank is 5 gallons, not cycled. Normally I do 50% changes once a week since it is pretty well filtered. I will be doing 25% changes every two days.

Do you think this is okay?


So, 86 Degrees, 25% water change every two days, cure an early stage of ich?

Edit: Just did a 100% change today also, cleaning all gravel and decor with hot water.

[Myates]

86 should be fine- but if it doesn't work then I would just go the recommended route:
Leave your betta in the tank and raise temperature to 85 F. Then you can choose to treat with salt or medication. Conservative: Add 1 tsp/gal Aquarium Salt 3 times, 12 hours apart so that you end up with 3 times the normal concentration. Perform daily 100% water changes to remove fallen parasites before they can reproduce. Replace the water with the right amount of salt. Do not continue this treatment for more than 14 days. If it fails or you do not want to use salt, treat with Jungle’s Parasite Clear, API Super Ick Cure, or Kordon Rid Ich Plus. Do a full water change every day and add an appropriate amount of medication to the water.

Good luck with everything.